CareHomeDeskCareHomeDeskThe written scheme of examination is the central PSSR 2000 document. Without it, every pressure system in your plant room is technically in breach. Here is what it must contain and who can produce it.
The Pressure Systems Safety Regulations 2000 (PSSR) apply to pressurised systems containing a relevant fluid: steam, or a fluid at or above its boiling point, or a gas dissolved in a liquid. In a care home plant room, the most common relevant systems are: calorifiers (pressurised hot water storage cylinders used to heat domestic hot water via an indirect heat exchanger), sealed primary heating circuits operating above atmospheric pressure, and unvented hot water cylinders above 15 litres. PSSR does not apply to conventional vented (open-top) systems. Check your plant room: if you have a calorifier, PSSR applies.
Under PSSR Regulation 8, a written scheme of examination must be prepared by a competent person before the pressure system is first used (or before PSSR came into force for systems that pre-date it). The written scheme must describe: the boundary of the system covered by the scheme; the parts subject to examination; the nature of the examination required; the maximum interval between examinations; and any action to be taken in the event of a defect or deterioration that could give rise to danger. A written scheme is not a service report and cannot be produced retrospectively by your maintenance contractor. It must be prepared by an independent, competent person -- typically an insurance-backed engineering inspection body.
The competent person who prepares the written scheme must have sufficient practical and theoretical knowledge and actual experience of the type of pressure system concerned. In practice, this means a specialist engineering inspector from an insurance-backed inspection organisation (such as Allianz Engineering, Zurich, or an independent inspection body). Your routine boiler maintenance contractor is not automatically qualified to produce a PSSR written scheme, though some specialist contractors do hold the relevant competence. Confirm qualifications before instructing.
The written scheme sets the interval at which the pressure system must be periodically examined. For calorifiers, this is typically every 14 months in practice, though the competent person may set a shorter interval for older plant or where a previous examination identified deterioration. The interval is not a recommendation -- it is a legal obligation. Operating the system past the examination date is a breach of PSSR Regulation 9. Keep the examination date in your PPM schedule and ensure it is never missed.
Following a periodic examination, the competent person must produce a written examination report within 28 days. The report must state: that the examination was carried out; the date of examination; the condition of the system; whether the system is safe to operate at its current operating conditions; any repairs or modifications required before safe operation can continue; and the date of the next examination. Where a defect creates an imminent risk, the competent person must notify the responsible person immediately and may require the system to be taken out of use until the defect is remedied. Retain all examination reports permanently alongside the written scheme in your plant room documentation file.
CareHomeDesk gives you compliance checklists, maintenance logs, and contractor management tools built around exactly this kind of knowledge.