"Pressure equipment" is the general term used for equipment under pressure: vessels, piping, safety accessories and pressurised accessories as well as assemblies composed of these parts.

Assemblies are several pieces of pressure equipment connected by a manufacturer to form one cohesive functional unit.

Examples:

• two vessels connected by a pipe
• one vessel with a safety valve
• one steam boiler with a preheater, safety valve, low-water pressure switch and thermal cutoff
• one complete refrigerating plant (without a coolant circuit)

Placing on the market is considered to be the transfer or handing over, against payment or free of charge, of new pressure vessels, pressure equipment or assemblies.
These may only be placed on the market if they do not endanger either the health and safety of people or the safety of property.

Placing on the market shall be deemed equivalent to putting into service for commercial use if placing on the market did not occur previously.

Depending on the type of pressure equipment, a larger or smaller number of documents must be given to the operator on delivery or provided to the authorities on request. These could include:

• ·         Operating manual
• ·         Maintenance manual
• ·         Declaration of conformity
• ·         P+I diagram
• ·         List of all pressure equipment belonging to the assembly
• ·         Safety valve adjustment certificate
• ·         Risk analysis

Through the declaration of conformity, the manufacturer or the manufacturer's representative in Switzerland confirms that the pressure equipment or assembly

•          meets all requirements for placement on the market
•          meets the fundamental safety and health requirements
•          has successfully completed the requisite conformity assessment processes.

Details are governed by the Pressure Equipment Ordinance and Pressure Vessel Ordinance. The conformity assessment is performed by a notified body.

A neutral, independent organisation that is authorised to perform conformity assessments and issue declarations of conformity as a government-appointed (accredited) body.

Notified bodies for pressure equipment and pressure vessels are located:

in Switzerland: SwissTS, Wallisellen  and  SQS, Zollikofen 

link to all notified bodies recognised in Europe

Market surveillance takes place within the scope of enforcement of the Swiss Federal Statute on Product Safety (PrSG).

Market surveillance of pressure vessels and pressure equipment is based on the Product Safety Ordinance (PrSV) and the Pressure Vessel Ordinance or Pressure Equipment Ordinance, which reflect the corresponding European guidelines.

Reports about (potentially) non-compliant pressure equipment can be submitted to SECO or directly to Market Surveillance of Pressure Equipment using this form.
Market Surveillance will then perform the necessary investigations.