Why is this type of market control necessary?

• So that only safe pressure vessels are offered, sold, placed on the market and installed in Switzerland.
• Because when it is manufactured, the equipment frequently is not inspected by an independent third party.
• Because the government no longer requires official acceptance, even for large equipment.

Who pays for the inspections?

Parties that place compliant pressure equipment on the market are not subject to any fees.

Only where no compliant evidence of safe manufacturing can be produced as well as if obviously serious safety deficiencies are found will the distributor have to pay corresponding costs.

What should be done if a foreign supplier does not provide sufficient documentation?

If the manufacturer does not have a representative in Switzerland, the importer shall be responsible for this. In the event of direct imports, this means that the operator is responsible.

If no declaration of conformity (and any other accompanying documentation) can be obtained despite enquiries, the product must be taken off the market until the product's basic safety can be guaranteed. This could potentially necessitate extensive retesting.

Who is considered to be the manufacturer of an assembly?

The party that selected the individual components and the type of assembly. Besides the manufacturer of the vessel, this could also be a plant construction firm, engineering firm or installer.

Must a notified body be consulted for the declaration of conformity of an assembly?

Yes, if at least one of the vessels in this assembly falls into category II, III or IV.

Market Surveillance of Pressure Equipment is performed by order of the Swiss Federal Council and under the supervision of the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO).

SECO is responsible for the legislation of product safety:

Stauffacherstrasse 101
8004 Zurich
Tel. 043 322 21 40