For coffee drinkers
The Terrifying Secret Behind the Steam
We love the hiss of a milk wand. But that hiss is a pressurised system doing exactly what it was designed to do — if it was maintained.
Just drinking the coffee? Ask to see the certificate. One question, and you will know how the place is run.
£265
what compliance costs the café
48 hrs
from visit to certificate
10 L
typical boiler under pressure
What is actually true
The fear is real.
So are the numbers.
An ad that overstates the risk is worthless, because the first engineer who reads it stops believing the rest. These are the facts behind the headline — nothing added for effect.
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01
Steam is classed as a relevant fluid under PSSR 2000, which is why coffee machines fall under the same regulations as factory plant.
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02
The examination is not a service. It is an internal inspection of the vessel and a calibrated test of the pressure gauge and safety valve.
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03
It costs a café £265. That is the entire compliance bill for a single-boiler machine.
The hiss is normal. Working pressure with an untested safety valve is the part nobody can see.
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PSSR.uk is a booking network. We connect coffee businesses with independent, CoffeeSafe-registered engineers; the engineer who attends carries out and certifies the examination in their own right. Prices shown are + VAT and are agreed before anyone travels.