The Simple Pressure Vessels (Safety) Regulations 1991

Made: 5th December 1991

Laid before Parliament: 9th December 1991

Coming into force: 31st December 1991

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Citation and commencement

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Interpretation

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Application

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Safety requirements

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Obligations of manufacturers, suppliers and importers

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Transitional and other exceptions

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Approved bodies

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Fees

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Safety clearance

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EC certificate of adequacy

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EC type-examination certificate

11

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EC verification certificate

12

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EC certificate of conformity

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The EC mark

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Retention of documentation

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Special provisions applying to vessels in Category A.2

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Functions of approved bodies in course of EC surveillance

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Report by United Kingdom approved body concerning contraventions

18

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Enforcement

19

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Offences

20

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Power of the court to require matter to be remedied

21

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Defence of due diligence

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Liability of persons other than the principal offender

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Consequential amendment of United Kingdom law

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SCHEDULE 1 — ESSENTIAL SAFETY REQUIREMENTS

PART 1 — MATERIALS

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Pressurised components

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Steel vessels

3

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Aluminium vessels

4

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Welding materials

5

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Accessories contributing to the strength of the vessel

6

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Non-pressurised components

7

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PART 2 — VESSEL DESIGN

8

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Wall thickness

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Calculation method:

The minimum thickness of the pressurised components must be calculated having regard to the intensity of the stresses and to the following requirements:

• the calculation pressure to be taken into account must not be less than the maximum working pressure; and

• the permissible general membrane stress must not exceed 0.6 times the yield strength at the maximum working temperature(R or 0.3 times the tensile strength (R whichever value is the lower. The manufacturer must use the minimum values of R and R guaranteed by the producer of the materials in order to determine the permissible stress.

However, where the cylindrical component of the vessel has one or more longitudinal welds made using a non-automatic welding technique, the thickness calculated as above must be multiplied by the coefficient 1.15.

Experimental method:

Wall thickness must be so determined as to enable the vessels to resist at ambient temperature a pressure equal to at least 5 times the maximum working pressure, with a maximum permanent circumferential deformation factor of 1%.

PART 3 — MANUFACTURING PROCESSES

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Preparation of the component parts

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Welds on pressurised components

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PART 4 — DEFINITIONS AND SYMBOLS

Definitions

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Symbols

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SCHEDULE 2 — THE CE MARKING AND OTHER INSCRIPTIONS

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2

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3

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4

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SCHEDULE 3 — DESIGN AND MANUFACTURING SCHEDULE

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2

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3

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4

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SCHEDULE 4 — FAMILIES OF VESSELS

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SCHEDULE 5 — ENFORCEMENT

Enforcement in Great Britian in relation to vessels for use at work

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Enforcement in Northern Ireland in relation to vessels for use at work

2

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Enforcement in relation to vessels as consumer goods

3

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Forfeiture: England and Wales and Northern Ireland

4

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Forfeiture: Scotland

5

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Duty of enforcement authority to inform Secretary of State of action taken

6

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Savings

7

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8

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Interpretation

9

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Signed

Reay — Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Industry & Technology, — 1991-12-05

Explanatory note

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Footnotes

[^f00001]: S.I. 1989/1327.

[^f00002]: 1972 c. 68.

[^f00005]: 1987 c. 43.

[^f00006]: 1894 c. 60.

[^f00007]: 1973 c. 51.

[^f00008]: 1961 c. 34.

[^f00009]: S.I. 1989/2169.

[^f00010]: 1974 c. 37.

[^f00011]: S.I. 1956/1778.

[^f00012]: 1954 c. 70.

[^f00013]: S.I. 1956/1780.

[^f00014]: 1965 c. 20 (N.I.).

[^f00015]: S.R. & O. (N.I.) 1991 No. 471.

[^f00016]: S.I. 1978/1039 (N.I. 9).

[^f00017]: S.R. & O. (N.I.) 1970 No. 104.

[^f00018]: 1969 c. 6 (N.I.).

[^f00019]: S.R. & O. (N.I.) 1962 No. 180.

[^f00020]: 1927 c. 19 (N.I.).

[^f00021]: There is a modification of the application of section 24 not relevant to these Regulations.

[^f00022]: Sections 25A and 27A were inserted by paragraphs 3 and 4 respectively, and section 28(1)(a) was amended by paragraph 5, of Schedule 3 to, and section 36 of, 1987 c. 43; section 27 was amended by the repeal of subsection (2)(b) and the word immediately preceding it by section 29(3) and (4) of, and paragraph 10(1) and (2) of Schedule 6 and Schedule 7 to, the Employment Act 1989 (c. 37), and in subsection (3) by section 33(1) of, and paragraph 7(a) of Part II of Schedule 3 to, the Employment Act 1988 (c. 19) and section 29(3) of, and paragraph 10(3) of Schedule 6 to, 1989 c. 37; and in section 28, subsections (3)(c) and (5)(b) were amended by section 190 of, and paragraph 46 of Schedule 25 to, the Water Act 1989 (c. 15), a new subsection (6) was substituted by section 84 of, and paragraph 52 of Part II of Schedule 14 to, the Local Government Act 1985 (c. 51), and new subsections (9) and (10) were added by section 116 of, and paragraph 9 of Schedule 15 to, the Employment Protection Act 1975 (c. 71) and section 21 of, and paragraph 13 of Schedule 6 to, the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads Act 1988 (c. 4) respectively.

[^f00023]: Section 33 was amended in subsection (1) in paragraph (h) by section 36 of, and paragraph 6 of Schedule 3 to, 1987 c. 43, and in paragraph (m) by section 30 of, and Part I of the Schedule to, the Forgery and Counterfeiting Act 1981 (c. 45); in subsection (2) as it applies to England and Wales by section 46 of the Criminal Justice Act 1982 (c. 48); in subsection (5) as it applies to England and Wales by sections 15 and 30 of, and Schedule 1 to, the Criminal Law Act 1977 (c. 45); and subsection (6) was repealed by section 30 of, and Part I of the Schedule to, 1981 c. 45. There are other amendments to section 33, and there is an amendment to section 34, not relevant to these Regulations.

[^f00024]: Article 26(4) was repealed by article 35 of, and Schedule 4 to, the Industrial Training (Northern Ireland) Order 1984 S.I. No. 1159 (N.I. 9). There is a modification of the application of article 26 not relevant to these Regulations.

[^f00025]: Articles 27A and 29A were inserted, and articles 30(1)(a) and 31(1)(h) amended, by article 28 of, and paragraphs 4, 5, 6 and 7 respectively of Schedule 2 to, the Consumer Protection (Northern Ireland) Order 1987 S.I. No. 2049 (N.I. 20); article 29(2) to (4) were repealed, and article 31(1)(j) amended by article 10(1)(c) of the Statistics of Trade and Employment (Northern Ireland) Order 1988 S.I. No. 595 (N.I. 3); article 31(1)(m) was amended by article 13(3) of, and Schedule 5 to, the Criminal Justice (Northern Ireland) Order 1986 S.I. No. 1883 (N.I. 15); and article 31(7) was repealed by section 30 of, and Part III of the Schedule to, 1981 c. 45.

[^f00026]: 1980 c. 43.

[^f00027]: S.I. 1981/1675 (N.I. 26).

[^f00028]: 1975 c. 21. section 310 was amended by paragraph 53 of Schedule 7, and Schedule 8, to the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 1980 (c. 62); there are extensions of section 310 not relevant to these Regulations.

[^f00029]: A new section 452 was substituted by paragraph 11 of Schedule 3 to 1980 c. 62.

Editorial notes

[^key-55a10a5995c70d8b33016edcd4743588]: Regulations revoked (8.12.2016) by The Simple Pressure Vessels (Safety) Regulations 2016 (S.I. 2016/1092), reg. 77(1) (with reg. 3 and with savings for a vessel placed on the market before the commencement date in reg. 77(2)(2A)) (as amended (31.12.2020) by S.I. 2019/696, reg. 1, Sch. 21 para. 38(3) (with Sch. 21 para. 37) (as amended by S.I. 2020/676, regs. 1(1), 2); 2020 c. 1, Sch. 5 para. 1(1)))

EC verification

The CE marking

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10

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Enforcement in Great Britain in relation to vessels for use at work

Interpretation

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