How to Get a PSSR Certificate: The Steps to Compliance

If an insurer or the HSE has told you that you need a "PSSR certificate", you have probably gone looking for a single document to order. The honest first thing to know is that no such single certificate exists. Here is what you actually need, what the documents really are, and the steps to get them.

In South England? Request an exact quote for PSSR inspection ➜

How Do You Get a PSSR Certificate?

There is no single PSSR certificate. To be compliant you need two things: a written scheme of examination drawn up by a competent person, and a report of examination produced once that person has examined your system. Together, these are what businesses usually mean when they talk about getting their PSSR certificate.

So the question is really about becoming compliant rather than buying a piece of paper. We handle both parts through our PSSR examinations across Berkshire and the surrounding counties.

What People Mean by a PSSR Certificate

Two documents sit at the heart of PSSR compliance. The written scheme of examination is the plan: it sets out which parts of the system must be examined, how, and how often. The report of examination is the output: the record a competent person produces after each examination, confirming whether the system is safe to keep using or needs repair.

It is the report that most people picture when they say "certificate", because it is the proof that the system has been examined and passed. The HSE's PSSR guidance explains how the two documents work together.

The Steps to Get Compliant

Getting from "no paperwork" to "fully compliant" is a clear sequence:

1. Check whether PSSR applies. If the system holds a relevant fluid above 0.5 bar, it is likely caught. For an air compressor, the test for a written scheme is whether the receiver reaches 250 bar-litres

2. Appoint a competent person with the knowledge, skills, experience and independence to do the work

3. Have that person draw up or certify your written scheme of examination

4. Have the system examined in line with the scheme, before first use and at the intervals it sets

5. Receive your report of examination, stating clearly whether the system is safe

6. Act on any findings, fix defects, and keep the records

Follow those steps and you end up with exactly the documentation an inspector or insurer will ask to see.

Who Can Issue It?

The written scheme and the report must come from a competent person. That means someone with the right technical knowledge and experience, and crucially the independence to make an impartial judgement, often an inspector from an engineering insurance company or a specialist firm.

This is the part businesses most often get wrong. The engineer who carries out your annual compressor service is not automatically a competent person for PSSR, and a service alone does not produce a valid report of examination.

How Often Do You Need to Renew It?

A report of examination does not have a fixed national expiry date. It is valid until the next examination falls due, and that interval is set in your written scheme by the competent person, commonly around every 12 months for many items.

When that date arrives, the system is examined again and a new report is issued. The written scheme itself should be reviewed whenever the system is significantly modified or repaired.

It Is Not the Same as a Service

It is worth saying plainly, because the confusion is so common. A service keeps the equipment running well. The PSSR examination and its report are a separate, statutory safety check focused on the pressure risk.

A stack of maintenance invoices will not satisfy the HSE if you cannot also produce a written scheme and a current report of examination.

In South England? Request an exact quote for PSSR inspection ➜

The Bottom Line

There is no single PSSR certificate to buy. Compliance means having a written scheme of examination and a current report of examination, both from a competent person, with the records kept and the system re-examined on schedule.

Work out whether PSSR applies, bring in a competent person to draw up the scheme and carry out the examination, and act on what the report tells you. Our thorough examination services cover the whole process, from the written scheme through to the report itself.