If you run or manage a laboratory with a fixed gas system, the answer is yes. Under the Pressure Systems Safety Regulations 2000 (PSSR), a written scheme of examination isn't optional. Here's what that means for your lab.
Under PSSR regulations, any laboratory with a fixed gas installation must have a written scheme of examination (WSE) in place. The WSE sets out exactly what each item of plant or equipment contains, how it should perform within its safe operating limits, and when each component must be inspected or replaced.
Without one, you're operating outside the law, regardless of whether your system appears to be working fine.
Lab managers and health and safety teams often land here after being told they need a written scheme but aren't sure if it applies to them.
The situations that typically prompt the question include:
A new lab manager taking over compliance responsibilities
An H&S audit that flagged gas systems as outstanding
An insurance inspection that asked for written scheme documentation
A colleague or safety officer raising the question
A suspected non-compliant system and uncertainty about next steps
Routine compliance review flagging gas systems as unaddressed
A written scheme of examination is a legal document prepared by a competent person - it can't be produced internally and signed off by your own team.
Most laboratories with fixed gas installations need a written scheme of examination. If you're not sure, a site survey will confirm it.
If your lab has a fixed gas installation - pipework connected to gas cylinders, wall-mounted systems, or pressure vessels in a cage or plant room - the Pressure Systems Safety Regulations 2000 apply to you. Mobile cylinder-and-regulator setups may not require a WSE, but anything installed and fixed does. Fixed installations typically include:
Fixed pipework connecting gas cylinders to lab equipment
Pressure vessels or bulk gas systems in a plant room or cage
Copper or stainless steel pipework running through the building
Multiple lab outlets supplied from a single gas source
Systems serving analytical instruments on a continuous basis
Any fixed installation, regardless of the gas type used
If you're unsure whether your system is classed as fixed, a free site survey will confirm it.
There are a few things labs regularly get wrong about written schemes of examination.
PSSR regulations place responsibility on the owner and end user of the pressure system. Regulation 8 of the UK regulations specifically requires that a written scheme of examination is in place before any plant or equipment forming part of a pressure system is operated. In practice, the obligation sits with the lab manager, head of department, or building superintendent - and sometimes all three. Duties typically include:
Ensuring a written scheme exists for every fixed gas system
Arranging annual PSSR inspections within the required inspection periods
Keeping inspection records available for audit
Acting on any remedial recommendations following periodic examination
Tracking component expiry dates and arranging replacements
If something goes wrong and you can't produce a written scheme, you can't demonstrate compliance.
Insurance cover can be withdrawn - one large UK university chemistry department was shut down by its insurer until gas compliance was resolved across dozens of labs. Pressurised gas systems contain significant stored energy. Pressure equipment with out-of-date relief safety valves, pressure release valves, pressure gauges, or other safety devices is a genuine risk to anyone working in or visiting the lab. Health and Safety Offences related to pressure system failures can carry serious consequences for the individuals responsible.
Getting compliant isn't complicated, but it does need a qualified competent person to survey your site, produce the documentation, and carry out the statutory examinations. The HSE's Safety of Pressure Systems guidelines and ACOP L122 set out exactly what those examinations must cover.
The route to compliance looks like this:
Arrange a site survey to confirm what pressure systems and pressure equipment you have in scope
Commission written schemes of examination for each fixed gas system
Book an annual PSSR inspection against each examination scheme
Act on any remedial work identified during periodic examination
Obtain a test certificate confirming the system has passed inspection
Ensure records are stored and accessible for audits
If anything went wrong and the HSE got involved, you'd want to be able to show your written scheme and your inspection records. That's your demonstration that you've done everything right.
If you've realised your lab needs a written scheme - or isn't sure whether it does - We can visit your site, assess what's in scope, and take it from there. We hold full records of every written scheme and inspection report, available at any time.
Our engineers produce written schemes of examination for laboratory gas pressure systems. Each examination scheme gets its own numbered document, complete with a schematic drawing and component list, signed off by a qualified competent person. We keep your records and track when renewals are due.
Annual PSSR inspections and statutory examinations carried out against your written schemes of examination within the required inspection periods.
Where components - including relief and safety valves, pressure gauges, and protective devices on stainless steel equipment and pipework - are approaching the end of their service life, we bring replacements on the day so the visit ends with a fully compliant system.
Where labs want their teams to understand their compliance obligations and how to work safely with pressure systems and gas cylinders, Speck & Burke offers practical training on-site.
The written scheme itself is a static document - it doesn't change unless your gas system changes. What changes annually is the PSSR inspection carried out against it. If you swap a regulator, change the gas in use, or alter the pressure equipment in any way, the examination scheme should be updated to reflect that.
A competent person must have the relevant qualifications and practical experience to assess the pressure system accurately and be prepared to stand behind the document if it's ever scrutinised by the HSE. Our engineers are qualified to this standard and sign each written scheme of examination in their own name.
Yes. There's no single document that covers a whole lab or site. If you have ten gas systems, you need ten written schemes - each numbered, described, and photographed individually. The examination schemes are held on file and available to produce for any audit or insurance inspection.
You're not alone. Many labs are in this position. The right step is to get a written scheme produced and a PSSR inspection carried out as quickly as possible. Once the inspection is complete, you'll receive a test certificate confirming the outcome and a remedial quotation for anything that needs attention. We can prioritise safety-critical items such as relief and safety valves and protective devices if budget is a constraint, so you're moving towards compliance rather than doing nothing. We can then carry out the work through our remedials, repairs and fault investigation service.
Not always. A mobile setup that could be moved between rooms may fall outside PSSR scope. Fixed installations - pipework, wall-mounted systems, anything permanently connected to gas cylinders - do require a written scheme of examination. A site survey will confirm what applies to your setup.
No. Statutory examinations under PSSR regulations must be carried out against a written scheme of examination by a competent person. Internal checks don't satisfy the legal requirement, however thorough they are.
Call us for a no-obligation conversation, or book a free site survey and we'll confirm exactly what's required.
Call now on 01259 222 600.
