Page 127 - Quick Guide to Welding and Weld Inspection by S.E. Hughes, Clifford Matthews

Codes, Standards and Documentation

The PED and UK PER
The European Pressure Equipment Directive (PED) is a
directive that specifies the minimum essential safety require-
ments (ESRs) required for pressure equipment and any
pressure equipment to be used within the EU must comply
with these requirements by law. The PED is implemented in
the UK by means of the UK Pressure Equipment
Regulations (PERs).
Do not confuse the PED (a European directive) and PER
(a UK regulation) with construction standards/codes. They
are totally different entities. Directives and regulations are
laws whereas construction codes and standards are normally
taken to be ‘arbiters of good practice’ or guidelines. A
manufacturer can choose to build a product following the
requirements of a code or standard but the final product
must also comply with the law (directive/regulation).
European harmonised standards
European harmonised standards are those that are consid-
ered to satisfy the relevant essential safety requirements
(ESRs) specified in European product directives such as the
Pressure Equipment Directive (PED). Harmonised standards
contain an appendix Z, which defines which directives and
ESRs the standard meets. The idea of building to a
harmonised standard is that it gives a ‘presumption of
conformity’ with any relevant European directive. Products
demonstrate their compliance with relevant directives by
having a CE mark affixed by the manufacturer. Not every
European standard will necessarily be a harmonised standard
but it is worth noting that when a European standard is
released it replaces the relevant competing national standard
from all the countries making up the EU.
If pressure equipment is manufactured to a non-harmo-
nised standard it does not automatically have ‘a presumption
of conformity’ with the PED and will therefore need to show
compliance by other means. This usually entails utilising the
services of a ‘notified body’ (NoBo) to prove conformance.

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Woodhead Publishing Ltd – A Quick Guide to Welding and Weld Inspection
Data Standards Ltd, Frome, Somerset – 17/9/200908QG Welding chap8.3d Page 111 of 124