Pressure equipment

Types of equipment and associated risks

• Boilers and steam generators. Explosion due to overpressure, lack of water, or failure of safety devices; burns from steam and hot surfaces; fuel hazards.
• Compressed air tanks and compressors. Breakage due to internal corrosion, inadequate purging, or inoperative safety valves; fragment projection; noise.
• Gas cylinders and portable containers. Valve failure and breakage, leaks of flammable, toxic or asphyxiating gases, risk of cylinder projection; storage and securing requirements.
• Cryogenic containers. Frostbite, overpressure from evaporation, asphyxiation in enclosed spaces due to inert gases.
• Autoclaves, reactors, and heat exchangers. Opening under residual pressure, leaks of hazardous fluids, instrumentation and interlock failures.
• Pipes and fittings. Leaks in flanges and joints, water hammer, corrosion and erosion, lack of fluid identification.

User obligations according to the Pressure Equipment Regulations

Royal Decree 809/2021 applies to equipment with a maximum allowable pressure exceeding 0.5 bar and regulates its installation, commissioning, periodic inspections, repairs, and modifications. Users must be familiar with and follow the manufacturer’s instructions, operate the equipment within its limits, maintain it in safe condition with at least annual checks for corrosion, anchoring, leaks, and instrumentation, ensure periodic inspections are carried out, keep equipment documentation and records, report accidents to the competent authority, and entrust repairs and modifications to authorized companies.

Periodic inspections are organized into three levels: Level A, an in-service inspection of a visual nature and verification of safety elements, which can be carried out by the user or an installation or maintenance company; Level B, an out-of-service inspection with more comprehensive examinations, carried out by inspection bodies or authorized installation companies depending on the type of equipment; and Level C, which includes pressure testing and is the responsibility of an inspection body. Supplementary technical instructions EP-1 to EP-7 establish specific requirements for boilers, power generating plants, refineries and petrochemical plants, cryogenic tanks, self-contained breathing apparatus cylinders, transportable pressure vessels, and liquefied natural gas terminals.

Integration into occupational risk prevention

• Risk assessment. Identification of each piece of equipment, its fluid, its category and its failure modes, with the assessment of the risks of explosion, burns, leaks, asphyxiation and noise, and of explosive atmospheres where they exist.
• Work equipment. Royal Decree 1215/1997 requires that equipment be suitable, maintained and checked, and that its use be reserved for trained personnel, in accordance with regulatory inspections.
• Operating procedures. Written instructions for starting, stopping, purging, depressurizing, opening equipment and lockout/tagout procedures before intervention.
• Maintenance and safety devices. Verification of safety valves, rupture discs, pressure switches, pressure gauges, levels and interlocks, with recording of results.
• Training and information. Specific training for operators and maintenance personnel, including the professional licenses required by regulations for certain equipment, and information on risks and emergency measures.
• Emergencies and coordination. Response to leaks and overpressures, coordination with maintenance companies and control bodies, and reporting of accidents.

Organizational application: how to manage pressure equipment

1. Inventory all pressure equipment with its data (manufacturer, maximum pressure and temperature, fluid, category, date of commissioning, location) and check the compliance and installation documentation.
2. Integrate each team into the risk assessment, identifying failure modes, exposed individuals, and the necessary technical and organizational measures.
3. Prepare the maintenance plan according to the manufacturer’s instructions, with at least an annual check of the condition of the equipment and safety devices, and the schedule of periodic inspections of levels A, B and C.
4. Draft operating procedures, equipment commissioning and opening procedures, and establish work permits for maintenance interventions.
5. Train operators and maintenance personnel, verify the required professional licenses, and provide the necessary protective equipment.
6. Record inspections, maintenance, repairs and modifications, and report accidents and relevant modifications to the competent authority.
7. Review management following incidents, fluid changes or changes in operating conditions, and regulatory updates.

Preventive management software allows you to maintain the inventory of pressure equipment, schedule regulatory checks and inspections with expiration notices, keep certificates and records, link equipment with risk assessments and work permits, and record staff training and licenses.

Limits and common mistakes

1. Confusing the manufacturer’s CE marking with compliance with the installation, inspection and maintenance obligations that correspond to the user.
2. Allowing periodic inspections to expire or failing to keep records and equipment logs.
3. Operating equipment with tampered safety valves, unverified pressure gauges, or unperformed purges.
4. Opening equipment without depressurizing or sealing it, or intervening without a work permit.
5. Storing gas cylinders without securing them, without separating them by gas type, and without adequate ventilation.
6. Failure to train staff or check the required licenses for the operation of certain equipment.

Specific requirements depend on the type of equipment, its category, and the applicable technical instruction; this sheet is for informational purposes only.

Regulatory and reference framework

• Royal Decree 809/2021, of September 21. Regulation of pressure equipment and its supplementary technical instructions; installation, use, maintenance and inspections.
• Royal Decree 709/2015, of July 24. Essential safety requirements for the marketing of pressure equipment; transposes Directive 2014/68/EU.
• Directive 2014/68/EU . Harmonization of laws relating to the placing on the market of pressure equipment.
• Royal Decree 1215/1997, of July 18. Minimum health and safety requirements for the use of work equipment.
• Law 31/1995, of November 8. Law on the Prevention of Occupational Risks; risk assessment, training and information.
• Royal Decree 486/1997, of April 14. Minimum health and safety requirements in workplaces; facilities and storage.

Royal Decree 809/2021 replaced Royal Decree 2060/2008 and came into force on January 2, 2022; the interpretative guides of the Ministry of Industry guide its application.