Pressure Equipment Directive 97/23/EC, Annex 1 § 3.1.2

Question:

          In the context of approval of welding procedures and personnel,
          what is meant by; " the third party must perform examinations and
          tests as set out in the appropriate harmonised standards or
          equivalent examinations and tests".

Answer:

          As there are no harmonised standards for the approval of welding
          procedures or personnel, it is appropriate to adopt the candidate
          product standards, prEN 13445 (pressure vessels), 13480 (piping),
          12952 (water tube boilers). 12953 (shell boilers). These
          standards refer to qualifying welding procedures using EN 288 and
          personnel to EN 287.

          Where the directive refers to equivalent examinations and tests
          it is required that suitable and sufficient tests are conducted
          to determine the same range of technological properties as those
          in the above standards. Where similar tests have already been
          conducted that establishes a particular property but the precise
          testing conditions vary from those in the above standard, there
          is no requirement to repeat the test.
 

It may be necessary to revise this guidance once the harmonised standards
for welding are published.