PSSR Pressure Testing: Who Is Responsible for Your Commercial Coffee Machine?

Knowledge Hub | Business Insight

By Sarah Brooks, Sales Director (Wholesale), Stokes Coffee & Tea

A commercial coffee machine is at the heart of many hospitality businesses. Behind every espresso, however, is a boiler holding water and steam under pressure - and that pressure must be managed safely.

This is where the Pressure Systems Safety Regulations 2000, commonly known as PSSR, come in.

PSSR testing can sometimes be mistaken for something the coffee supplier is automatically responsible for. In most cases, however, the legal duty rests with the business operating the equipment. Your coffee or service partner may provide the examination service and help you manage the process, but that does not automatically transfer responsibility to them.

Why does a coffee machine require a pressure examination?

Traditional commercial espresso machines use a pressurised boiler to produce hot water and steam. If a pressure system or one of its safety components fails, the sudden release of stored energy could cause serious injury.

The Health and Safety Executive specifically identifies steam coffee machines as pressure equipment. The purpose of PSSR is to reduce the risk of injury caused by the failure of a pressure system or one of its component parts.

The statutory examination is therefore not simply another maintenance task. It is a safety requirement intended to confirm that the parts of the system covered by the Written Scheme of Examination remain safe for continued use.

Who is responsible?

For an installed commercial coffee machine, the business using and operating the machine is normally the PSSR dutyholder.

In practical terms, this means the cafe, hotel, restaurant, workplace or hospitality business must ensure that:

• A suitable Written Scheme of Examination is in place before qualifying equipment is operated.
• The examination is completed by a competent person at the intervals stated within that scheme.
• The resulting examination report is retained.
• Any defects or actions identified are addressed within the required timescale.
• The machine is not operated beyond the examination due date or where it has been declared unsafe.

If equipment is hired or leased, the business using it should not simply assume that the supplier has taken care of everything. The HSE advises users of hired or leased equipment to make sure that a Written Scheme of Examination is in place and that the examination certificate is current.

A supplier can formally assume certain PSSR duties for an installed system, but this must be agreed in writing. Supplying the coffee, installing the machine or providing routine servicing does not, by itself, transfer the legal responsibility.

What is the coffee supplier's role?

A responsible coffee and equipment partner can make compliance much easier.

Where suitably qualified, they may help arrange the Written Scheme of Examination, schedule the required visit, complete or coordinate the examination and provide the relevant documentation. They may also keep service records and send reminders when the next examination is approaching.

That is the service being provided: the practical expertise and support needed to help the customer meet their responsibility.

The distinction is important. A supplier can remind, arrange and carry out the work, but the business operating the equipment remains responsible for ensuring it has been completed - unless responsibility has been formally transferred through a written agreement.

Is a routine service the same as a PSSR examination?

No.

Routine preventative maintenance and a statutory examination under a Written Scheme of Examination serve different purposes.

A coffee machine service may include replacing worn components, checking performance, cleaning internal parts and identifying developing faults. A PSSR examination focuses specifically on the safety of the pressure system and the components identified within its Written Scheme.

The statutory examination is not a replacement for regular servicing, and a routine service does not automatically satisfy PSSR requirements. Both contribute to responsible equipment management, but they should not be treated as interchangeable.

How often should the examination be completed?

There is no single interval that should simply be assumed for every commercial coffee machine.

The required frequency is set out in the machine's Written Scheme of Examination and determined by a competent person. The equipment must then be examined within that stated timescale.

This is why relying on memory - or waiting until someone happens to raise it during a routine service - is not a reliable compliance process. The examination date should be recorded and actively managed in the same way as other important health and safety obligations.

Good compliance starts with clear ownership

Pressure safety should never sit in a grey area between the customer, coffee supplier, equipment provider and service company.

Every business operating a qualifying commercial coffee machine should know:

• Whether the machine falls within the scope of PSSR.
• Where its Written Scheme of Examination is held.
• When the next examination is due.
• Who is carrying out the examination.
• Who is responsible for acting on the findings.

A good supplier will support customers with this process and help prevent important dates from being missed. But the safest approach is for the business operating the machine to retain clear oversight of its own compliance.

PSSR pressure examinations are not just paperwork, and they are not simply an optional add-on from your coffee supplier. They are an important part of protecting your people, your customers and your business.

Further guidance

For authoritative guidance, visit the Health and Safety Executive pages on the Pressure Systems Safety Regulations 2000 and Written Schemes of Examination:

·       HSE: Pressure Systems Safety Regulations 2000 (PSSR)

·       HSE: Written schemes of examination