Pressure equipment shall undergo a final inspection to assess visually and by examination of the accompanying documents compliance with the requirements of this Directive. Test carried out during manufacture may be taken into account. As far as is necessary on safety grounds, the final inspection shall be carried out internally and externally on every part of the equipment, where appropriate in the course of manufacture (e.g. where examination during the final inspection is no longer possible).
In addition to the documents required in the conformity assessment module, the manufacturer must submit the following documents so that a final inspection can be carried out by the manufacturer or a notified body (depending the applicable module).
Available documents for final inspection:
- evidence of qualification of NDT personnel relevant to the equipment category 1;
- evidence of qualification of permanent joining personnel relevant to the equipment category 2;
- data dealing with heat treatment (e.g. diagram of temperatures);
- inspection documents for base materials and consumables 3;
- procedures for assuring material traceability;
- NDT test reports, including radiographic films;
- test reports of destructive tests (e.g. test coupons);
- reports on defects or deviations arising during manufacture;
- data related to the preparation of component parts (e.g. forming chamfering);
- evidence of qualification of permanent joining procedures 2;
1 For category III and IV pressure equipment, the personnel for non-destructive testing must have qualifications that meet the criteria of the harmonised standards (e.g. EN ISO 9712) and be approved by a recognised third party organisation notified by a Member State.
2 For pressure equipment category II, III and IV, Welding Performance Qualification Records (WPQR) and Welder Qualifications (WPQ) shall be approved by a competent third party which, at the manufacturer’s discretion, may be a notified body, or a third-party organisation recognised by a Member State.
3 The materials for these main pressure-bearing parts of equipment of categories II to IV shall have a certificate of specific product control (3.1 EN 10204)
These documents shall be available for final inspection whether that inspection is carried out by the manufacturer, the user inspectorate or the notified body.
