Pressure Equipment Inspector
Pre-commissioning and recurring inspections of pressure equipment, scope and intervals from the risk assessment, internal and strength testing, inspection records. Carried out per BetrSichV § 15/16 and TRBS 1201, equipment conforming to DGRL 2014/68/EU.
BetrSichV § 15/16 · TRBS 1201 · DGRL 2014/68/EU
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What is a Pressure Equipment Inspector?
A Pressure Equipment Inspector is a befähigte Person (qualified person) who carries out the legally required inspections of pressure equipment in operation under the German Ordinance on Industrial Safety and Health (BetrSichV), in particular Sections 15 and 16, applying the technical rules of TRBS 1201. The equipment itself is placed on the market in conformity with the Pressure Equipment Directive DGRL 2014/68/EU, but operational inspection is a separate, ongoing duty of the operator.
The inspector confirms that pressure equipment is safe to commission and remains safe in use. The operator derives the scope and interval from the risk assessment (Gefährdungsbeurteilung) and the categorisation of the equipment, with TRBS 1201 providing the methodology, but may not exceed the maximum intervals set in Anhang 2 Abschnitt 4 of the BetrSichV. Depending on the equipment this includes external inspection, internal inspection and a strength test, typically a pressure test. The role is deliberately distinct from product conformity: DGRL 2014/68/EU and its national transposition govern design, manufacture and CE marking, while BetrSichV governs the equipment once it is installed and operated.
Who may inspect is not the operator's call. Anhang 2 Abschnitt 4 Nummer 6 of the BetrSichV states that the pre-commissioning and recurring inspections are carried out by an approved inspection body (zugelassene Überwachungsstelle, ZÜS), and only where Tables 2 to 11 provide otherwise may a befähigte Person inspect instead. The split turns on volume, permissible pressure, pressure-volume product and fluid group of the item, not on the risk assessment. The befähigte Person is employed or engaged by the operator; the ZÜS is an accredited body outside the company. An inspection done in-house does not replace a reserved ZÜS inspection, however carefully it was performed.
Each inspection produces a record stating what was examined, the result and the next due date, and that record, together with the risk assessment, is the evidence that the equipment was kept under the required surveillance. Inspections keep surfacing the same gaps: an equipment list that never picked up vessels bought later, a schedule of due dates left untouched after the operating regime changed, a record that names a result but not the scope examined, a qualification asserted but never evidenced, and no deputy for holiday or sickness, so an inspection that falls due runs past its date.
Duties of the Pressure Equipment Inspector
- Carry out pre-commissioning inspections under § 15 BetrSichV where Tables 2 to 11 of Anhang 2 Abschnitt 4 assign them to the befähigte Person.
- Perform recurring inspections at the intervals derived from the risk assessment and TRBS 1201.
- Conduct external, internal and strength (pressure) tests on the items that Tables 2 to 11 assign to the befähigte Person.
- Place each item in Tables 2 to 11 by volume, permissible pressure, pressure-volume product and fluid group, separating ZÜS work from in-house work.
- Document each inspection: scope, method, findings, result and the next due date.
- Assess defects found and advise on whether continued operation is permissible.
- Verify that the inspection intervals in the risk assessment remain appropriate to actual operating conditions.
- Maintain the inspection history so the equipment's compliance status is always demonstrable.
- Flag equipment that is overdue or has failed inspection and ensure it is taken out of service where required.
Appointment and qualification
The operator (employer) is responsible for ensuring that pressure equipment is inspected and that a suitably qualified befähigte Person carries out those inspections that may be done internally. There is no single appointment date; the duty attaches to the equipment from before its first commissioning and continues for as long as it is operated.
The qualification of a befähigte Person for pressure equipment is defined functionally rather than by a single certificate: TRBS 1203 sets out the general requirements, which combine relevant vocational or engineering training, sufficient recent practical experience with the type of equipment, and up-to-date knowledge of the applicable rules. For pressure equipment, Anhang 2 Abschnitt 4 Nummer 3 of the BetrSichV adds binding criteria: at least one year of experience with the manufacture, assembly, operation or maintenance of the equipment to be inspected, plus continuing training on pressure hazards. The person must be independent enough in their inspection judgement that instructions do not compromise the result.
Through the risk assessment the operator determines the type and frequency of inspections, within the maximum intervals of Anhang 2 Abschnitt 4. Which inspections are reserved for an approved inspection body (ZÜS) is not the operator's decision: it follows from Nummer 6 read with Tables 2 to 11, which assign every item to the ZÜS or to the befähigte Person by volume, permissible pressure, pressure-volume product and fluid group. The befähigte Person then performs the inspections within their remit. Each inspection is recorded, and the records, together with the risk assessment, form the evidence that the equipment has been kept under the required surveillance. Where the person leaves or the equipment changes, the operator reviews coverage to ensure inspections remain assured.
- Before first commissioning, where Tables 2 to 11 assign the inspection to the befähigte Person.
- At recurring inspection intervals set by the risk assessment and TRBS 1201.
- After modification, repair or relocation affecting the pressure system.
- Change in operating conditions that may affect inspection intervals.
- A change of pressure, volume or fluid that moves the item to another row of Tables 2 to 11.
Where the role is needed
- Chemical and petrochemical plants with pressure vessels and reactors
- Food and beverage production using steam boilers and pressurised systems
- Pharmaceutical manufacturing with autoclaves and sterilisers
- Energy and district heating with boilers and pressure piping
- Metal processing and foundries with compressed air and gas systems
- Breweries and dairies operating pressurised tanks
- Building services with large heating and pressure installations
- Industrial gas storage and filling operations
How CIVAC supports the Pressure Equipment Inspector role
CIVAC turns the inspection regime into a living register rather than a stack of certificates. Each item of pressure equipment can carry its category, the inspection types derived from the risk assessment, the responsible befähigte Person or required ZÜS, and the next due date, with reminders before an interval lapses so nothing falls overdue unnoticed. The documentation pillar stores each inspection record with scope, result and findings, keeping the full history retrievable for an authority or insurer. Tasks route recurring and post-modification inspections to the right person and track completion, and CIVAC makes overdue or failed items visible so the operator can act before equipment must be taken out of service. The qualification of each befähigte Person is held alongside, so coverage is always demonstrable.
Frequently asked questions
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