PED Category IV Pressure Vessel — Incoming QC & Notified-Body Challenge
Incoming quality control that caught serious weld root-pass defects on a PED Category IV pressure vessel already CE-marked and stamped by a Notified Body — and formally challenged the conformity assessment.
- Category IV
- PED risk class
- Module G
- Unit verification
- Post-CE
- Defects caught after stamping
- Formal
- NoBo conformity challenge
The Challenge
A Category IV pressure vessel under Directive 2014/68/EU had already been pressure-tested, CE-marked and stamped by the Notified Body — yet incoming QC at site revealed unacceptable root passes and multiple internal and external defects. Under Module G, unit verification (design review, surveillance, final examination) is a legal declaration of conformity, not a decorative stamp.
Scope & Approach
Incoming inspection of a certified vessel
During incoming / receiving inspection at site, our team performed visual and dimensional verification of welds against EN 13445 and PED Category IV requirements on a vessel that had already been certified, pressure-tested and stamped by the Notified Body under Module G.
Non-conformity & Module G scrutiny
Unacceptable root passes and further internal and external defects were identified and documented. We evaluated the scope of the Module G final examination — where, for Category IV equipment, a proper final examination normally involves internal inspection unless it is technically not feasible — and analysed how weak verification transfers risk to the manufacturer, operator and ultimately the public.
Formal challenge, not a quiet repair
Rather than repair and move on, the findings were escalated and the Notified Body’s conformity assessment was formally challenged — preserving the integrity of the CE-marking system and the operator’s protection.
The Outcome
The defects were formally documented and the conformity assessment challenged — rather than quietly repaired and passed over. This protected the operator from latent risk and reinforced that a CE mark under PED is a legal declaration of conformity, and that for Category IV equipment a proper final examination normally involves internal inspection unless technically not feasible.
Codes & Standards
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