Pressure equipment is essential to a large number of industries and sectors, ranging all the way from large-scale chemical and power facilities, to coffee machines in public cafés.
The safe design and manufacture of pressure equipment is an essential activity, and must be adequately controlled and regulated. The UK has a proud history of pressure equipment manufacturing, and it is incumbent on Government to establish appropriate arrangements for pressure equipment legislation that affords the industry significant opportunities and leverage post-Brexit. Leaving the EU presents the UK with an opportunity to streamline existing legislation and to open up the UK market for future trade deals.
The Institution of Mechanical Engineers recommends that: 1. CE marking of pressure equipment should cease to be mandatory in the UK. The CE mark should instead be recognised as a minimum benchmark for pressure equipment safety, and instead of being mandatorily applied, should be considered as one route to acceptance of pressure equipment in the UK. Other routes to acceptance of pressure equipment in the UK should be established where it can be demonstrated that at least an equivalent level of safety to the CE mark can be achieved. This approach should form part of Government negotiation with non-EU bodies and organisations. 2. The UK Pressure Systems Safety Regulations (PSSR) 2000 should be retained as UK legislation for pressure equipment. The PSSR 2000 provide a means to ensure the safe design, manufacture and operation of pressure systems in the UK, and should be retained post-Brexit. 3. For export from the UK to the EU – the CE mark will still be formally required to be applied. Therefore, Government should seek to maintain UK exporters’ and other stakeholders’ influence in developments in the European Pressure Equipment Directive in the EU.
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