Who is the competent person under PSSR?
Under PSSR, “competent person” describes a role and capability, not simply a job title. The organisation or individual needs sufficient knowledge, experience, facilities, independence and authority for the functions and complexity of the pressure system.
Check my situationMatch competence to function and system category
Drawing up or certifying a written scheme, examining a simple air receiver and taking responsibility for a complex steam or process installation are not interchangeable assignments. Ask the provider to state which competent-person functions it will perform and why its organisation is suitable.
- Identify who certifies the written scheme and who carries out each examination.
- Request the applicable inspection-body accreditation scope or equivalent competence evidence.
- Test independence from operating, maintenance and commercial pressures, plus authority to stop unsafe equipment.
What to do next: Do not appoint from a generic engineering-inspection claim alone. Give the provider sufficient system information, obtain a named proposal and verify that the organisation’s competence covers both the equipment complexity and required PSSR function.
Organisation as well as individual
HSE guidance considers staffing, specialist services, organisation, experience, facilities and procedures. A competent person can be an in-house department, an individual or an external inspection organisation, depending on the system and safeguards.
For larger or more complex systems, the provider may need access to specialist engineering disciplines and non-destructive testing while retaining responsibility for interpreting the results.
UKAS accreditation
HSE notes that UKAS accreditation to the relevant inspection-body standard can help demonstrate appropriate competence. The buyer should still check the current schedule and whether it covers the pressure-equipment type and activity required.
Vendor Atlas records provider claims but does not treat a logo or unsourced statement as proof of current accreditation scope.
Independence and authority
The competent person needs independence from operating functions and enough authority to make objective safety decisions. An in-house arrangement can work, but organisational pressures and reporting lines need explicit safeguards.
- Ability to stop use where necessary
- Freedom from self-checking maintenance work
- Access to plant history and specialists
- Documented procedures and quality review