Autoclave Compliance Checklist: Ensuring Safety under the Occupational Health and Safety Act

Autoclave Compliance Checklist: Ensuring Safety under the Occupational Health and Safety Act

Every user of an autoclave has specific duties under the pressure equipment regulations of the Occupational Health and Safety Act to ensure the safety of the personnel using the equipment.

To help you achieve compliance with the pressure equipment regulations concerning your autoclave, we’ve put together a checklist to follow:

  1. Documentation:
    The autoclave must be supplied with a certificate of manufacture, countersigned by an approved inspection authority (AIA), as well as an importer Declaration of Compliance.

  2. Nameplate:
    The autoclave must be fitted with a Pressure Equipment Regulation (PER)-compliant nameplate that stipulates the instrument details, including the certification code and the SANS 347 hazard category applicable.

  3. Approved Inspection Authority (AIA) Inspection:
    Inspections with a neutral third-party AIA present must be conducted onsite upon installation and re-testing of the autoclave must occur every 36 months (3 years) thereafter. All inspection reports should be kept on file.

  4. Record-keeping – modification, repairs and alterations:
    Any modification, repair or alteration records must be received by the service provider and filed for future review on request by the inspector.

infographic-for-autoclave-re-verification

If your autoclave has not been inspected and recertified within the last three years, you are not compliant with the Pressure Equipment Regulations of the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

Do you meet the checklist requirements for your autoclave? Contact Lasec® for immediate assistance.

- Carla Jacobs, Product Manager - Instruments