STATUTORY plant inspections can be traced back to Manchester in the wake of the industrial revolution. With the mechanisation of the textile industry, among others, by the mid 19th century it was estimated that there were over 50 000 steam boilers within a 10-mile radius of Manchester Town Hall. Inevitably, there were numerous boiler explosions, which resulted in multiple deaths and injuries. As demand grew for larger boilers, operating at higher pressures, it became clear something had to be done to minimise the risk. A famous Mancunian engineer, Sir William Fairbairn, argued for periodic inspection of boiler plant, driven by the belief that most explosions were the result of avoidable mechanical causes that could be located by competent persons during inspections. So, in 1854, he founded the Manchester Steam Users' Association to undertake periodic inspections of steam boilers.
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机译：法定工厂检查可以追溯到工业革命后的曼彻斯特。随着纺织工业的机械化，到19世纪中叶，据估计在曼彻斯特市政厅10英里半径范围内有超过50000台蒸汽锅炉。不可避免的是，发生了无数次锅炉爆炸，导致多人伤亡。随着对在较高压力下运行的大型锅炉的需求增长，很明显必须采取一些措施以最大程度地降低风险。曼昆著名工程师威廉·费尔贝恩爵士（Sir William Fairbairn）主张对锅炉厂进行定期检查，原因是人们相信大多数爆炸是由可胜任的人员在检查过程中可以避免的机械原因造成的。因此，在1854年，他成立了曼彻斯特蒸汽用户协会，对蒸汽锅炉进行定期检查。
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