Institution news
Could you please briefly explain your job/role?
Richard Mortimer (RM): I oversee product safety policy, legislation and guidance for three product sectors – pressure equipment, gas appliances and PPE. So during Covid, I worked on legislative changes to get safe PPE speedily to health and social care workers. In gas appliances I am following-up issues flowing from a faulty cooker design that resulted in a number of fatalities from carbon monoxide poisoning. In pressure equipment I am working on challenges caused by changes to the legislation to create a GB market, separate from the EEA market.
Could you talk a little about the state of play in the pressure sector and ongoing developments in conformity assessment?
RM: The UK has left the EEA market, and the Government has created a separate Great Britain market. OPSS has been made aware that a number of the changes to the Pressure Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016 to do this are presenting challenges to business, as UKCA marking comes more fully into force from 1 January 2023.
Why is it so important for engineers to come together to address these challenges?
RM: Policy makers need to hear from business and technical experts who can explain how the issues most affect them, and who together can provide insight into how to address those issues. By discussing and articulating the problems together, we are more likely to find solutions that work for everyone.
What technical topics are you hoping to see covered?
RM: We would like to explore the new rules coming into force for certification by a UK body of NDT personnel, Permanent Joining personnel and procedures and certification of material manufacturers’ quality assurance systems.
Which other presentations are you looking forward to hearing?
RM: Events like these enable all of us to look at an issue from a variety of different perspectives. So I am looking forward to all the other presentations to see what I can learn.
What are you hoping will be the main takeaways from this event?
RM: I am very much looking forward to hearing from attendees about the challenges they are facing or anticipate facing, and their thoughts on what would be the best solutions, within the constraints we have to work within.
The IMechE’s Certification of Pressure Systems Equipment seminar will take place on 14 June at One Birdcage Walk.
Featuring presentations from key UK pressure equipment stakeholders, get the guidance you need to understand how these changes will impact your business and how you can prepare to operate safely and legally in the new environment.
For full details and registration please visit www.imeche.org/certification