European Pressure Equipment Directive

New European Pressure Equipment Directive 2014/68/EU

The European Pressure Equipment Directive (PED 97/23/EC) has changed. In addition to gaining a new number, 2014/68/EU, there are several other changes that have implications for manufacturers, importers and distributors of pressure equipment.

There are two key drivers behind the new European Pressure Equipment Directive:

• The current basis for the determination of fluid group (1 or 2) in PED Article 9 (i.e. Directive 67/548/EEC) is being replaced by a new Classification, Labeling and Packaging Regulation from 1st June 2015.

• The “New Legal Framework”: This is a larger initiative by the European Union to bring nine EC “New Approach” directives into alignment with the “New Legal Framework”, which was adopted in 2008. According to the European Commission, the NLF aims to streamline and simplify the rules for putting pressure equipment on the market in the face of increasing competition from fraudulently certified equipment. The EC also states that the revision will lower costs for businesses to comply with the legislation.

Designation changes

Changes in the European Pressure Equipment Directive are broad and range from the classification of fluids, requirements to manufacturers and notified bodies to the procedures for conformity assessment. The designation of some modules of conformity assessment has changed as follows:

One feature of the New Legal Framework is the recognition that it is not just manufacturers who have a role to play in ensuring that only safe, compliant products reach the EU market. For this to happen the whole supply chain must play its part, and so the new European Pressure Equipment Directive now incorporates the term “economic operators”, and lays down legal obligations for each.

• • A manufacturer

• •  An authorised representative for a manufacturer located outside of the European Union

• • An importer

• • A distributor

The revision also makes clear that if an importer or distributor places pressure equipment or assemblies on the market under their own names or trademarks, or modifies the equipment in a certain way, they will be considered manufacturers and will therefore have to take legal responsibility for the product’s compliance including conformity assessment.

SACOME is authorized to affix the CE marking on manufactured pressure vessels of any category, because our quality system meets the requirements of the modules H/H1 of the new European Pressure Equipment Directive 2014/68/UE.

This flowchart takes you through the process of determining which category your equipment falls into, and also provides a summary of the involvement of Notified Bodies in the conformity assessment process:

References: Colin Pimley – Technical Manager, Lloyd’s Register Verification