Pressure Systems Safety Regulations(PSSR)
Definition
UK regulations (SI 2000 No. 128) requiring a written scheme of examination for pressure systems, prepared or certified by a competent person. The regulations require that pressure systems are properly designed, manufactured, maintained, and periodically examined to prevent danger from stored energy in pressurized fluids.
Context
Applicable in the UK and often referenced in jurisdictions following UK regulatory models. PSSR requires that a competent person (typically an insurance inspector or notified body) prepares a written scheme of examination that defines what is to be examined, the nature of the examination, and the intervals between examinations.
Examples
- A competent person prepares a written scheme of examination for a refinery's pressure systems, specifying internal inspection at 6-year intervals and external inspection annually.
- The duty holder demonstrates PSSR compliance by maintaining Reliatic records showing that all examinations were completed within the prescribed intervals.
Applicable Standards
- PSSR 2000 (SI 2000/128)
- SAFed Guidelines
- PED 2014/68/EU
Related Terms
Pressure Vessel Inspection Code — covers in-service inspection, repair, alteration, and rerating of pressure vessels. It establishes requirements for maintaining the integrity of pressure vessels after they have been placed in service, including inspection intervals based on corrosion rates and remaining life calculations.
Inspection IntervalThe time period between successive inspections of an equipment item, determined by the RBI risk ranking, the remaining life, and applicable code requirements. API 510/570 set maximum intervals but allow extension based on RBI assessments. The inspection interval must not exceed half the remaining life (for general thinning) and should be set at less than half the P-F interval for condition monitoring tasks.
Inspection StrategyThe comprehensive plan that defines what to inspect, how to inspect, when to inspect, and what to look for on each equipment item. An inspection strategy integrates the RBI risk ranking, the identified damage mechanisms, the appropriate NDE techniques, the CML locations, the inspection interval, and the acceptance criteria into a coherent plan that can be executed in the field.
Fitness-for-Service(FFS)An engineering assessment methodology used to determine whether equipment with identified flaws, damage, or degradation can continue to operate safely and reliably for a defined future period. FFS evaluations quantify the remaining structural capacity of degraded equipment using the procedures in API 579-1/ASME FFS-1, considering the specific type and extent of damage relative to the design margins.
Where this appears in Reliatic
This concept is used in the Reports module.