Shope Inspection Guidelines - 2009

Guidelines for Shop Inspection V. 2009 - Copyright Dec.
2008 Bureau Veritas
Page 1 / 292
Guidelines for Shop Inspection
Introduction
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
NOTICE
This guide named "Guidelines for Shop Inspection" is the property of
Bureau Veritas.
It is designed for the sole information of the Industry and Facilities
surveyors' network and therefore strictly for Bureau Veritas staff use
only.
No external use nor marketing of its content are allowed.
Quotations, extracts, borrowings and references from the Guide cannot
be reproduced unless in an internal way and with the specific purpose of
education and training.
The importance and originality of its content give to this Guide a
confidential character that any user should understand and respect.
Revision Sheet
What is
in Version 2009
addition of a section on
o ITPs Inspection and Test Plans
o Stamping
o Measurements, uncertainty and calibration
additional support pages on:

o ISO 17020 Criteria for Inspection bodies
o Occupational safety
o BV Portal and Webdoc
o Inspection of cranes
updating of the external links
Guidelines for Shop Inspection V. 2009 - Copyright Dec.2008 Bureau Veritas
Page 2 / 292
Introduction
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Table of Contents
Part I: INTRODUCTION
FOREWORD
CONDUCTING A SHOP INSPECTION
GOOD PRACTICES FOR INSPECTION
17
INTRODUCTION TO ISO/CEI 17020
35
PART II : INSPECTION FIELDS
44
MATERIALS & PRESSURE EQUIPMENT
45
MACHINERY
87
ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT
104
PART III : EXTENSIONS
121
EXPEDITING & VENDORS ASSESSMENT
121
PAINTING AND COATING
146
HEAT TREATMENT
187
PIPELINE
195
STATISTICS FOR SAMPLING
242
PART IV SUPPORT DOCUMENTS
257
GLOSSARY OF TERMS USED IN INSPECTION
259
INDEX OF SUPPORT PAGES & EXTERNAL LINKS
272
Page 3 / 292
Introduction
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Part I Introduction
FOREWORD
Whatever the industry and the challenges shared with our clients, from the QHSE fields
through certification, conformity assessment, training or consulting services, about new or in
service products, plants or travelling objects, all projects are potentially subject to shop
inspections.
Shop inspections can take the following turn : ensuring that an industrial construction, or a
manufacturing or engineering, complies with original objectives, to analyzing work plant
capabilities before setting up, and overseeing repair work or long-term maintenance.
Conformity assessment through shop inspection can involve product attributes such as safety,
health or environmental impacts, durability, compatibility, suitability, reliability and any
similar considerations.
In a nutshell, shop inspection is the most convenient way to determine whether a product, a
service, a process, a piece of equipment, an installation is in compliance with expressed
needs, customers expectations or specific requirements.
Many effective forms of shop inspection can be found all over the world and all forms of
shop inspection can be highly effective. Such inspections can be applied to all materials,
structures, components or systems utilised in the construction and operation of any kind of
complex industrial plants and any delicate specific process inside a complex contract. The aim
of these inspections, carried out during the procurement of parts, is to establish and maintain
an effective reporting planned and developed on the basis of international and national
standards or private specifications or both, and provide an access to the relevant information.
The inspections can be conducted on site of various plants and facilities in order to verify and
supervise that correct manufacturing procedures are being followed and important activities in
the construction site are executed in accordance with contractual specification and that
quality, safety and performance meet the required level.
Expediting, weld preparation procedure, welder testing, QA/QC audits, vendors assessment
are other examples of such services provided in the field of shop inspection.
The field of shop inspection is extremely wide and an inspector may face inspections of
products for which he has very little technical knowledge. The purpose of these Guidelines is
to bring the inspectors the required information and help them to perform better shop
inspections.
For those inspectors specialized in a certain skill (inspection of materials, pressure vessels,
expediting, etc), they may find useful information in the 6000 support pages relating to
their own skill and obviously the basic knowledge for the other inspections they are not
specialized in.
Enjoy your reading!
Page 4 / 292
Introduction
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
System Requirements
The Guidelines are presented as an e-book in PDF format (Portable File Format) and require
Acrobat Reader to be read. This software can be downloaded for free here:
PDF format is independent of your platform and other software installed on it.
It offers a compact form with many useful functionalities like a search engine, bookmarks and
links inside the document, from the document to other files on the system and to the Internet.
The main file, Guidelines.pdf is rather big (22 Mo) and users equipped with old systems
with little memory may experience some slowdowns when several windows are opened
simultaneously.
The Autorun which launches the main programme automatically when introducing the CD in
his drive seems to work only with Windows 2000 and later. For those still using Windows 98,
simply locate the Guidelines.pdf file on the CD and double click on it.
There are also some Excel spreadsheets and lots of images in JPG and GIF format.
The External Links can obviously be accessed only with an active connection to the Internet.
In Acrobat Reader, it is best to open each new document in a

different window. If not, when you want to return to your starting point,
you will have to go all the way back through all the pages you opened.
To set this, go to Edit / Preferences / General and uncheck Open crossdocument links in same window
Page 5 / 292
Introduction
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
How to use the Guidelines

The Guidelines are composed of three different elements:
- this text, Guidelines.pdf, which is the core of the Guidelines;
- more than 6000 pages of supporting documents, in Word, Excel or Pdf format
- External links from within any of the above component.
There are several ways to use these Guidelines:
The Table of Content It appears at the beginning of the Guidelines and on the left side of
the screen in Acrobat when you click on the Bookmarks
The Links
There are many hyper-links all over the content of this e-book.
Most of them will bring you to a page within the e-book (in brown)
and its support pages (in blue).
External links (in red) are listed separately at the end of each section.
The Search Engines
All Acrobat Reader facilities can be used within this document:

- the bookmarks,
- the search engine to find any occurrence of a word within the
e-book or the support pages.
Remember, at any time, in any software, Ctrl + F brings you to a
search engine
Browse the CD for

the support pages
Here is the map of the CD directory.

For information, the Guidelines.pdf file is in 0 Introduction
Just read it
You may also read this e-book in sequence, especially if you are new
to inspection, because all topics are carefully and logically sequenced
and build on each other.
Page 6 / 292
Introduction
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Inspections excluded from the guidelines

Third party and statutory inspections (PED, Machinery
Directive, etc)
Consultancy
Welding procedure, welder and NDT personnel

qualification
Investigations and expertises
Design review and calculations
Certification
Non destructive and destructive tests
Marine / BVN
Health and safety inspections, field and in-service
inspections
Pre-shipment inspections
When such inspections are requested by a Client, contact the RTM for assistance.
What you will not find in these Guidelines

- Standards and Codes: most of them have copyrights and cannot be made available here,
- BV Procedures: check the Introduction to BV Portal and Webdoc and the procedure
GM SI 101 Performance of Shop Inspections
- Samples and templates of BV reports, how to use BV stamps, marks, labels: all these are
related to BV procedures which are part of the Quality System and are subjected to document
control.
Page 7 / 292
Introduction
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
CONDUCTING A SHOP INSPECTION
The actors and their role
Why a BV shop inspection ?
11
What if there is no scope of inspection ?
11
Before the inspection
12
Setting the Reference
12
Attending Laboratory Tests
13
Inspection during manufacturing
14
Attending hydrostatic and performance tests
14
Reviewing the Manufacturer File
15
Stamping
16
Reporting
16
Page 8 / 292
Introduction
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
The actors and their role

The Client
He has requirements such as material properties, product performance or delivery schedule,
defined by contractual standards, drawings and specifications
The Manufacturer
Produces materials or products as per clients requirements and demonstrate their conformity
by tests from a lab; he issues certificates of conformity
The Testing laboratory
Independently tests the products and evaluate their conformity to criteria defined by the
manufacturer and/or the client. He issues a test report with results and conclusions
The BV Inspection Coordinator
This function is required for medium and large projects with inspections of large quantities of
items at various manufacturing places. Generally, the BV inspection coordinator reports to the
Purchasing Department of the client. His duties include:
- coordination with the client for the definition of the scope and inspection programme
- contact suitable inspectors for the required scope of inspections,
- collect the standards, codes, documents specific to the inspection,
- issuance and dispatching of inspection requests and inspection procedures,
- management and follow-up of the inspections required by the client,
- checks the quality, completeness and accuracy of the documents issued
- manage the follow-up of the non-conformities
- registration, filing and dispatching of the inspection certificates
- reporting to the client on results of inspection for vendors evaluations
- reporting to the client on costs of inspections
- establishes statistics about suppliers and inspection activities
The BV Inspector
Qualified personnel of Bureau Veritas performing inspections, he expresses a professional
judgement on the conformity of the product based on:
- the documents issued by the manufacturer
- the documents issued by the testing lab
- his own observations
With the assistance of the office staff, his job includes:
- analysis of the inspection requirements, standards, specifications, scope of inspection,
- organization of the inspections required by the department manager,
- liaison with the manufacturer for inspection scheduling
- performance of the inspections,
- timely issuance of the reports and certificates on the suitable forms
For this, he needs:
- an inspection methodology (scope, programme, forms, etc)
Page 9 / 292
Introduction
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
the knowledge of the product and its potential defects, the manufacturing
processes and the testing techniques
certain personal qualities specifically required for performing inspections.
Personal qualities
There are certain personal qualities that most good inspectors possess. The following list
provides a few examples:
appearance
curiosity
determination
resourcefulness
stamina
dedication to duty
communication skills
observation skills and
good judgement
trustworthiness and integrity
The first thing a client sees from an inspector is his appearance, how he is dressed, his
behaviour at first contact. It is important to succeed in this first examination which is the key
to gain his confidence for the rest of the inspection.
An inspector who is curious is much more likely to gain a fuller understanding of a facilitys
performance, including possible non compliance.
Similarly, an inspector with determination can follow lines of inquiry until the facts are
obtained without being distracted or exhausted.
A resourceful inspector can identify different means to obtain information, and also is more
likely to be able to give advice to a facility.
Stamina, the ability to withstand physical and mental stress, is also important, since
inspections can be physically exhausting and can require intense concentration for long
periods of time.
In addition, dedication to duty is absolutely essential. Only an inspector who is determined
to do the job completely, and to do it well, can ever be effective in fulfilling his or her duties.
An effective inspector knows how to communicate, both verbally and in writing. If an
inspector has good verbal communication skills, he or she is much more likely to obtain
complete information from representatives of the facility being inspected. If the inspector can
gain the confidence of the people being interviewed, not only can a more complete inspection
be conducted but the facility is more likely to trust the inspectors judgment, observations,
and technical opinions.
Finally, it should go without saying that trustworthiness and integrity are the most
important attributes of all. Inspectors can find themselves in situations where they might be
tempted to overlook non conformities and clients must be able to trust the inspectors to do
their duties honestly.
Page 10 / 292
Introduction
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Why a BV shop inspection ?

Understanding the motivations and under-laying requirements of a client leads to a better
performance of the inspection and to the satisfaction of the client.
There are many reasons for a client to purchase external inspection services.
Here are some of them:
1) generally, the product is important for his own production/delivery flow or usage,
2) he does not know the manufacturer or does not trust him,
3) he does not have an inspection department, it is fully booked or has been
outsourced,
4) he has his own inspection department but :
. the manufacturer is too far away and it would not be cost effective to go there
. the purchased product is very specific and his inspectors do not have the required
expertise,
Beyond the commercial background of a contract, it is important for an inspector to
appreciate in which way the product is important for his client.
For instance:
For materials and components, the client will generally look for specific properties
(strength, ductility, absence of cracks or delaminations, )
For machines, motors, transformers the performance will be the key element.
For pressure vessels it will be the safety but also the conformity to the drawings to be
sure that the nozzles and supports will connect with adjacent piping or other
equipment,
For instruments, the metrological characteristics are essential
If it is a time constraint, the inspection will be an expediting inspection.
The scope of inspection will reflect the clients major concerns and is therefore the key
document without which one cannot perform an inspection.
What if there is no scope of inspection ?

From the above it is clear that this case should never happen. Indeed, who would buy a
service without knowing for what purpose ?
In actual fact, we are often facing this situation, generally at the pre-inspection stage:
- when the client is tendering for a contract for which he needs a cost estimate of the
inspections,
- when the client purchases a product he is not familiar with and prefers BV to
recommend a scope of inspection
Although one cannot predict the actual needs of a client, a scope of inspection can be build
from the following:
- if BV is used to perform similar inspections, propose the regular scope of inspection
from other clients,
- if the product is new to BV, learn about it, study its key characteristics, manufacturing
process, common problems, from the literature and mainly from the standards,
- if possible, ask the manufacturer about the commonly used scopes of inspection
Page 11 / 292
Introduction
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
When proposing a scope of inspection to a client, or a choice of scopes with various coverage,
it is important to indicate beforehand the number of visits required to cover the proposed
scopes.
Before the inspection

Upon reception of an inspection request from your client*:
1) examine the request and check for completeness:
. name, address, contact of the client, order reference
. is the scope of inspection defined
. what is the time allowed for this inspection
2) contact the manufacturer and tell him your intentions,
3) if he is not aware of your assignment, contact your client first and ask him to notify
the manufacturer of your mandate and its extent
4) take an appointment with the manufacturer and define:
. the exact place and time of the meeting,
. the content of the visit
. ask the Manufacturer if there are specific safety and security requirements
* in the Guidelines the word client may define a client external to the BV Group or an other BV entity or a
large project coordinator. Manufacturer is the one where the inspection is performed. It may be a stockist.
Setting the Reference

Before starting any inspection it is necessary to make sure that all parties (the client, the
manufacturer, the inspector) are using the same elements. These elements will be used by
them all along the manufacturing and inspection process as a common reference.
For large projects a formal meeting is organized, often called kick-off meeting or preinspection meeting.
Topics discussed during that meeting and decisions taken are reported in minutes of the
meeting, signed by all parties and become contractual.
For simple inspections, the need for clarification exists also and the same items are examined.
During a kick-off meeting or at the very beginning of a single visit the inspector and the
manufacturer together shall:
1) Examine the mandate of your client and the scope of inspection
2) Review the list of reference documents
Using as a reference the purchase order of the client BV represents (the technical part
of it), check the list of reference documents for the order to be inspected:
- drawings,
- specifications,
- vendors catalogue description,
- standards and codes ( note : each standard specifies different methods, scope and
acceptance criteria for inspection and testing and consequently this needs to be
specified unambiguously on the drawing or in the Inspection and Test Plan.)
- list of required documentation to be supplied with the product
- certification requirements (statutory, marks, self-declaration)
- time schedule in case of expediting
- inspection requirements
Page 12 / 292
Introduction
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
3) Check the coherence between the revision number of each document from the client
and the manufacturer and verify that the manufacturer has all documents at the last
revision number
4) If the product is subjected to statutory requirements, and especially if this part is taken
care by an other inspection agency, make it clear what is the responsibility of who
5) If the construction design requires prior approval from the client, check for this
approval status
6) If the manufacturing programme is already available, built the inspection programme
7) Ask the manufacturer to confirm that he has the required equipment and facilities to
achieve all parts of the job, including the measurements, verifications and tests
(validity of calibration)
8) Check for any sub-vendor involvement
9) Collect the list of reference documents for the inspection report
10) For large projects, issue a report of what has been discussed and decided during the
meeting. If this document may become contractual, have it signed by the manufacturer
11) Report any major discrepancy / non-conformity to the client
Building the Inspection Program

The inspection programme translates the content of the scope of inspection in a certain
number of visits, positioned on a time schedule adapted to the manufacturing schedule and
optimised to cover the full scope of inspection as requested by the client.
The inspection programme is the part of the ITP dedicated to the BV Shop Inspector.
This programme is built together by the inspector and the manufacturer and may be reported
to the client. The work flow is the following:
1) Examine and explain to the manufacturer BVs scope of inspection,
2) On the basis of the scope of inspection and of manufacturers fabrication and control
plan, establish BVs inspection programme and locate the inspection on the
manufacturer fabrication programme
3) Express in detail your requirements:
- which documents, procedures, control and test reports you want to review,
- which operations you want to witness,
- imposed hold points
- sampling procedure for testing
4) For each of these, define whether it is in full or at random, and in this case at which
frequency
5) Define a communication procedure with the manufacturer, ask for the name of your
contacts
6) State how much notice time you need
7) Report any major problem to the client, for instance a discrepancy between the scope
of inspection and a too small allocated number of visits
8) If required, send a copy of the inspection programme to the client
Attending Laboratory Tests

Tests are commonly used to demonstrate the performance of materials, coating, welding, heat
treatment. For these items, they are the equivalent of an hydrostatic test of a vessel or a
performance test of a motor.
Page 13 / 292
Introduction
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
1) explain to the laboratory the scope of inspection,

2) review the reference documents, standards, test procedures, acceptance criteria for the
item to be tested
3) check the certification of the quality system of the laboratory; test procedures and
measurement instruments need not to be checked when the laboratory is accredited,
4) identify the sample or test piece; it should be marked in an appropriate way to avoid
any confusion as to its origin,
5) check the test pieces carefully; preparation, dimensions, geometry, temperature,
surface, etc.. shall be strictly with the tolerances defined by the standard. Any
deviation may lead to wrong results
6) attend the tests and verify the implementation of the test procedure, the readings,
calculations and recording
7) request an uncertainty evaluation for the measurements and verify that the test
procedure and instruments are capable of providing the required accuracy
8) review, sign and stamp the report of the laboratory
9) report to the client any non conformity detected by the testing (acceptance criteria not
met)
Inspection during manufacturing

The purpose of inspection during manufacturing is to verify that the documented procedures
are effectively applied and that defects will not be discovered when it is too late.
1) Verify the effective implementation of manufacturers quality plan.
Using manufacturers manufacturing and control plan as the reference, check that all
operations have been duly performed, that the records are available and show positive
results.
2) Inquiry about problems and non-conformities detected by manufacturers control
department and check if and how they have been cleared
3) Visual inspection of the product for defects, workmanship, check the junctions, the
welds, the surfaces
4) dimensional review, using the control department record and the drawings as a
reference
5) Check the list and reference of installed items
6) Check for traceability elements; take note of some component markings, welders
identification marks, NDT markers for subsequent cross checking during manufacturer
file review
7) Check the marking, the data plate against marking drawings
Attending hydrostatic and performance tests

Hydrostatic tests and performance tests are the most common targets of shop inspections.
They are indeed the best way to prove the effective strength or performance of a product.
They generally subject the product to conditions more severe than their normal intended
conditions of service and are therefore a potential source of hazard.
1) Ask the manufacturer for the potential hazards during the test procedure; verify that
the specified precautions are in place,
2) review the reference documents, standards, test procedures, acceptance criteria for the
item to be tested
3) check the application of the test procedure and the measuring instruments
Page 14 / 292
Introduction
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
4) request an uncertainty evaluation for the measurements and verify that the test
procedure and instruments are capable of providing the required accuracy
5) identify the item; it should be marked in an appropriate way to avoid any confusion,
6) attend the tests and verify the implementation of the test procedure, the readings,
calculations and recording
7) review, sign and stamp the test report
8) report to the client any non conformity detected by the testing (acceptance criteria not
met)
Reviewing the Manufacturer File

During all the course of the design, production, testing, packing phases, the Manufacturer
collects many documents relating to the job. We are mentioning here only the documents
required by the client and whose list has been discussed during the kick-off meeting.
The manufacturer file may contain documents such as:
- the drawings, specifications and data, issued by the client
- the calculations, construction drawings, working procedures issued by the
manufacturer and approved by the client,
- the material certificates of main components, accessories and filler materials,
- the welding specifications and/or welding procedure qualifications,
- the welder qualifications for the various types of joints
- the traceability drawing for materials and welds
- the heat treatment qualification procedure
- the coating/painting procedure
- the as-built drawings showing the actual dimensions and equipment,
- the various reports and certificates issued by the manufacturer for the followup of the various processes such as:
. dimensional,
. visual,
. NDT
. heat treatment charts
. painting/coating
- the certificates issued by the manufacturer for the client:
. certificate of conformity to the order,
. conformity certificate to the European Directives
. other statutory certificates,
. operating manual
The purpose of the manufacturer file review is:
1) check the completeness of the file and the number of copies,
2) examine each document for:
. coherence among the various documents,
. completeness of the documents (references, data, signature, )
. verify the data on the measuring and test reports
. documents already reviewed by BV inspectors during manufacturing need not be
fully reviewed again
3) stamp and sign each document reviewed by you
4) request a copy of the documents you need for your own business file
Page 15 / 292
Introduction
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Stamping
In many instances, a BV shop inspector will use various stamps, different in their type, size
and material and having each a specific meaning.
The usage of such stamps is codified in GM TD 004.
The inspector is reliable for the usage he makes of his stamps. Each time he uses a stamp, this
should be recorded in the relevant inspection report.
Identification stamp
Conformity intertwined BV stamp
Example of I&F stamps
Reporting
There is no inspection, no single visit, without reporting. Reports are the final products of the
inspection business. Our work is judged on our reports. They are what we are paid for and
shall therefore be clear, comprehensive, timely transmitted, professional.
Reports are the appropriate means to:
1) list the attendees to the inspection,
2) state the BV scope of work,
3) List the reference documents used for the inspection, with exact reference and revision
number
4) Relate what has been done during the inspection, each inspection activity being
elaborated in detail,
5) Identify the inspected product,
6) List the inspection items,
7) List the documents, procedures, reports reviewed
8) Indicate the sampling rate
9) Indicate the instruments used for the inspection/testing and their calibration status,
10) Describe the findings
11) List the documents reviewed and endorsed,
12) Highlight any problem or valuable information for the client
13) Indicate whether marking and/or stamping have been applied (see GM TD 004 for BV
marks)
14) List the attachments to the report.
There are many forms of reports and you will find them all on WebDoc.
Check also the requirements of your quality system and your procedures and work
instructions which may impose a specific form.
Clients may require we use their own forms; this is quite normal for large project. It certainly
means more work for the editing of the document but it must be accepted as our report shall
match with their own system.
Page 16 / 292
Introduction
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
In any case, and this is a basic rule for any document issued by Bureau Veritas, a report
should include reference/identification numbers (identification of order, job no., client to
manufacturer order No, client to BV order No, BV file reference N or any other
identification of job/client/product). And this should be repeated on each page of the report.
GOOD PRACTICES FOR INSPECTION
Safety first
Its a matter of professionalism, image and personal safety. Do not put yourself at risk.
In the inspection business you will face many hazardous situations and they should be
evaluated case by case.
Considering that you obviously wear your personal protective equipment and that you have
registered at the entrance gate, here are some points to keep in mind:
- First of all, you are at risk because you are not familiar with manufacturers premises; the
circulation of heavy equipment, the movement of robots, the obstructions on your way, the
fumes, chemicals, noise, radiations, etc Ask for the safety plan of the factory; all potential
hazards should be listed there. And be aware all the time.
- During the tests, the product may fail and explode; follow the safety instruction.
Its not because you are an inspector that you are immune to explosion or electrical shock.
If the spot you want to have a close look at is out of reach, too deep, too high, just leave it.
And mention in your report that you could not check that point.
Ethics first (also)

The introduction to the Code of Ethics of Bureau Veritas states :
Our Group has built a successful global business based upon its long-standing reputation.
This reputation is one of the most valuable assets for the Group worldwide and is reflected in
our core and business values.
The principles and rules of the Code are:
- Integrity
Integrity of reported data
Conflict of interest
Confidentiality and security
- Anti-bribery
Prevention of bribery in our operations
Our business partners
- Fair marketing
Example concerning the integrity of reported data:
Dont
. change assessment results by using a method which does not correspond to Bureau Veritas
or to generally applicable standards methods
. change the findings in the report issued by Bureau Veritas at the clients request to preserve
the relationship with the client.
Do
Page 17 / 292
Introduction
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
. issue precise and complete written reports reflecting the results you have obtained and
methods used.
. Make clear to every body that, when tolerances in results exist, you intend to use them or
that they have been used.
The full text of the Code of Ethics of Bureau Veritas can be found in the support pages.
Read the Standard

Behind most inspection you will find a standard. Standards are not only used by clients and
manufacturers to clarify their contractual relationship, they are also a valuable source of
information for the inspector. As standards are written by all the parties interested in a
product, they reflect the state of the art and all the knowledge the profession has from the
product.
Example: If this material is prone to delamination for instance, the standard will define
tolerances and NDT techniques to search for this defect.
Reminder: almost all Standards fall under copyright and cannot be found for free, neither
on the Internet nor in these Guidelines (sorry for that). You will find in the support pages
some extracts of standards and links to Internet shops. Check also with your Technical Centre
for current subscriptions BV has.
There is also nothing here like a list of most common standards; there are thousands of them
and it all depends what you are looking for.
Understand the manufacturing process

It is not necessary to be a specialist of all the various techniques used to manufacture a
product but it is important to have an idea of the processes, their inherent problems and
limitations. Indeed, most of the non conformities of a product are connected to either the
quality of the raw material or the subsequent transformation processes.
Example: When inspecting coating for instance, you should know about the parameters
influencing this process: shelf live of the paint, environmental conditions, surface preparation,
roughness, etc
Sampling
In order to qualify products, samples are taken and sent to a laboratory or a test bench for
testing. Often a very small piece of material is supposed to qualify the whole lot and sampling
is therefore a critical issue.
The applicable standard will generally define the location where the samples have to be taken
from, the number of samples, their size, etc A special visit may be required for the
inspector to select the sample. This shall be done as per the standard requirement and
following some basic statistic rules (if need be see the section about Statistics for Sampling in
these Guidelines)
The samples shall be properly identified in such a way that there will be no doubt about their
origin when they will be tested, even after machining or other preparation of the sample for
the test.
Page 18 / 292
Introduction
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Random
Most of our inspections are conducted at random; it means that we have to base our
judgement on only a small part/quantity of the products covered by our report. The problem is
that a production is never homogeneous; the thickness of a plate is different in the middle and
on the edges, in a pile of pipes they are not all coming from the same machine, welds are no
all done by the same welder in the same position, etc
When your report states that the inspection was performed at random, you should qualify
what is your definition of random. Is it 10% of all the products, 10% of one product or 10% of
10% of all products?
For mass production, one can use the standards to decide how many items have to be
inspected. As we are here in the field of statistics, remember that statistical approaches are
only valid when the properties of the inspected items are on a normal Gaussian distribution. If
they are produced by machines or individuals having each vast dispersions, no statistics will
work and the randomness of the inspections has to be reconsidered with the client.
As a basic rule, take the samples from products coming from various machines, batches,
operators; understanding the manufacturing process will give you indications on what to look
for and how to sample.
Are my eyes calibrated ?

There is no evaluation of conformity without some sort of measurement. A shop inspector
has to compare what he has in front of him with a specification. Such specifications are
generally expressed in terms of numbers, millimeters, kilogrammes, strength, colour and
various other references. Normally, such specifications of a target value should come with a
tolerance, a range of acceptable values. This is where the challenge lies: if the tolerance is
large, the verification is easy, your eyes may be sufficient. If the tolerance is narrow you enter
in the realm of Metrology, litteraly the science of measurement.
Industrial metrology is based on few basic requirements and the Inspector shall ensure that :
- the instrument is suitable for the concerned measurement, and particularly for the
acceptable tolerance,
- the instrument is calibrated, and the result of the calibration is in line with the
requirement (the certificate can state that the accuracy is less than what is required or
that the instrument can only be used in a certain range: it will still be a certificate)
- the instrument is used correctly (try to take several measurements on the same spot or
pass the instrument to a colleague to see what this means)
A good measure is not only an accurate one, it is a measure which uncertainty is known !
Page 19 / 292
Introduction
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Inspection is not a hunt for non conformities

Manufacturers, very generally, make their best to satisfy their client. Avoiding quality
problems is a major concern to them as it is counter productive; reworks, repairs, claims are
damageable to their efficiency and to their commercial image.
The manufacturers staff, the workers, the control and inspection department know better than
you will never know where are the weaknesses of their process. Therefore it is essential for an
inspector to establish a positive professional relationship with the manufacturer whereby the
occurring problems are discussed together and not hidden. Showing satisfaction when finding
a non conformity (which should have been detected by the control department) is not the best
way to gain the confidence of these people.
One of the most important requirements is a fair and impartial attitude while performing
inspection duties.
The manufacturer is not an angel

Positive professional approach does not mean total confidence.
Indeed, under excessive pressure, the manufacturer, or members of his staff, may be lead to
hide non conformities which clearance would cost them a lot of time and/or money. The
inspector should always be alert to such behaviour and discourage it by an increased level of
investigations, justified by his specific suspicion. In extreme cases, the fact shall be reported
to the client.
Dont bother me, Im ISO certified

Nowadays most of our clients are certified against a quality standard like ISO 9001 and they
have difficulties to understand why they are still inspected.
The overall quality system certification of a client gives only a presumption that there will be
no major problem with the system.
But the verification of the proper implementation of the quality plan of a specific project and
the checking of the final product is part of our inspection tasks.
Inspected today, Client tomorrow

Many shop inspections are mandated by the manufacturer himself, because his own client is
imposing this to him. The inspector is therefore in a situation where he may have to raise nonconformities against who is paying him. Here again the solution is positive professional
behaviour. The idea is not to close your eyes because you understand the difficulties of the
manufacturer but to accompany him on the way of an improvement of the produced quality.
A non-conformance to the PO is still a non-conformance and shall be reported as such.
If necessary, check the Code of Ethics of Bureau Veritas for clarification.
Inspection is not Consulting

Accompanying a manufacturer is not finding solutions for him, and certainly not imposing
him your own ideas, how excellent they might be. An inspector has the great advantage of
being exposed to many situations. With his broad experience he may be able to locate the
source of the problems, the limitations of a process, of the measuring instruments, the
environmental conditions, the materials, the workmanship, This can be discussed.
Page 20 / 292
Introduction
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Do not disclose what you learned from others

It might look as a good idea to explain how this other manufacturer is solving this same
specific problem. It is not. For this time the manufacturer may be grateful to you but on
second thought he will suppose that you may as well disclose his own tips and tricks to his
competitors.
The Inspector is not the Boss

Representing the Client does not entitle you to act as the boss. A manufacturer has time
constraints and limited staff; attending an inspector might not be on top of his priorities list. In
his production programme, the clients inspection is just one item among many others, just
like control of incoming materials.
Dealing with hold points

A manufacturer cannot proceed with the manufacturing beyond a hold point; this can become
a real problem if there is any delay in the inspectors visit. No doubt a claim may be issued
against him. Hold points correspond generally to a status of the product which cannot be
observed after a certain time; internal inspection of a vessel before closing, hydrostatic test,
etc
Keeping this in mind, introducing hold points when preparing an inspection programme shall
be considered carefully. The obvious solution is for the manufacturer to give sufficient notice
to the inspector. But such hydrostatic test which was planed today is postponed to tomorrow
at the last minute because this blank flange could not be tightened; and tomorrow is the date
for an other hold point at another remote place.
When all planning arrangements and other solutions have been exhausted on both sides there
is one last possibility: ask the manufacturer to take pictures of the operation to be inspected
or, for an hydrostatic test, ask for a pressure chart.
It is a good practice to establish rules for dealing with such cases during the kick-off meeting.
Limiting the disturbance of an inspection

All visits shall be programmed in coordination with the manufacturer. Doing otherwise will
lead to products and documents not ready, staff not available for you, stress and disturbance.
When second party shop inspection and statutory third party inspections are performed by two
different inspection bodies, try to plan the inspections together so as to reduce the disturbance
to the manufacturing.
Programming unexpected visits

Some clients (and even some regulations the PED for instance) call for unexpected visits.
The under-laying idea has to do with something like sneaking into the manufacturers
business to verify that he is doing as per the book all the time, all over the fabrication process.
Although it might seem to make sense, this will not work.
Fist of all, it denotes unjustified suspicion from the inspector towards the manufacturer; which
is not what we want. Secondly, products and documents will not be ready at the time of the
unexpected visit and the trip will be useless, consuming your time and manufacturers one.
Page 21 / 292
Introduction
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
And even if the products are ready they will not be ready. Indeed, the manufacturer will
argue that he still has to perform an ultimate control and that, may be, if the products are not
good, he will replace them by others.
The inspector is not a member of the Control Dept.

The purpose of shop inspection is to verify the compliance to the requirements. It is not to
perform controls, measurements, tests, in lieu of manufacturers staff.
For instance:
- in a dimensional check, the inspector verifies, generally at random, dimensions already
measured and recorded by the control department of the manufacturer. He shall not take
measures to be used in the manufacturers records,
- NDT report review consists in checking the correct performance and results of the required
NDT programme. The inspector checks the coherence of the report, the coverage of the NDT,
the qualification of the operators, the recording of the results, the treatment of the defects, the
marking and storage of the films for X-ray.
- The inspector shall not review films to criticize the conclusions of the certified NDT
operator. However he shall check the quality of the film (density), the traceability of the films
to the welds (locate a recognizable spot on a seam and ask for the corresponding film for
instance)
Repairs are not non-conformities

Some clients claim that they are purchasing a new product and not a repaired one. This
position cannot be defended as there is no industrial process which can produce flawless
products on the first shot. Heterogeneity of materials, environmental conditions, wear of the
production tools, etc are some of the hazards generating defects. Repair procedures are
generally part of the manufacturers procedures. They may involve specific techniques,
different from those of normal production.
The inspector shall inspect repairs in the same way he inspects the normal process.
However, in some cases, repeated repairs cannot be accepted and become a non conformity.
This is the case for instance when successive heating/welding operations may destroy the
structure of a material.
Clearing non conformities

After a non conformity has been raised the inspection may wonder if, how and when the
manufacturer will clear it. Especially if there is no more visit to check that point and that he
has to issue the release note. A solution to this problem is to list all non conformities on a
punch list and ask the manufacturer to send it back after having declared formally and for
each item that the non conformity has been cleared.
Page 22 / 292
Introduction
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
THE INSPECTION AND TEST PLAN (ITP)
Purpose
This section is provided to assist Shop Inspectors to use efficiently the Inspection and Test
Plan (ITP).
The ITP is a key document for a Shop Inspector when performing and reporting an inspection,
in the frame of a conformity assessment. One can remind here that the purpose of conformity
assessment is to demonstrate the conformity of a product (and related documentations) to the
requirements references in the contractual specification. Such assessment is conducted all
along the fabrication and inspection operations of the product
An ITP identifies the items of materials and work to be inspected or tested, by whom and at
what stage or frequency, as well as Hold and Witness Points, references to relevant standards,
acceptance criteria and the records to be issued and maintained.
It is a record that lists in a single document all inspection and testing requirements relevant to
a specific equipment or process.
With the approved design, it is one of the most important document required to conduct a
shop inspection and no inspection should be started without reference to an approved ITP.
ITPs, when properly implemented, help ensure that, and verify whether, work has been
undertaken to the required standard and requirements, and that records are kept.
The section Support Documents provides sample forms, a list of inspection phases and
typical exemples of ITP from the Industry.
Note: Some manufacturers may also call the ITP a MQP (for Manufacturer Quality Plan), a
SQP (Specific Quality Plan) or a LOFC (List Of Fabrication and Control operations).
The actors
The ITP belongs to the quality system of the manufacturer. Its purpose is to summarize the
Contract Quality Plan and, as such, it is documented initially by the Manufacturer, with
subsequent inputs and/or validation from various other parties.
The Manufacturer is responsible for ensuring that all the required Inspection and Test Plans
are prepared, including those covering work or processes to be carried out by its
subcontractors. While it is preferable that its subcontractors prepare the ITPs for their own
work, in the final analysis some may require the Manufacturers involvement.
A senior representative of the Manufacturer would be made responsible for approving
Inspection and Test Plans, and any subsequent amendments, prior to their submission or
submission of compliance/conformity certification to the customer.
There are no set rules as to who, in a manufacturers organization, should document
Inspection and Test Plans. It is appropriate, however, that they receive input from those with a
good technical and practical knowledge of, and experience in, the activities (process and
inspection) involved. Therefore, and although there are some inputs and requirements from
other parties (customer, regulatory body, inspection agency,...), the ITP is generally owned by
the Manufacturers Control/Inspection Department as it reflects his production and inspection
Page 23 / 292
Introduction
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
workflow.
The Purchaser of the product that will be subjected to the ITP may have his own
requirements that will be commensurate to the criticality rating of the product. Such
requirements are often expressed at the earlier stage of the purchasing process.
The Shop Inspector mandated to assess the conformity of the product, either by the
purchaser or by the manufacturer himself, selects the phases to be inspected, either directly or
on the basis of document control. The extent of the inspection depends also on the criticality
of the product and the time allocated by his customer.
The Statutory Inspector is generally mandated by the manufacturer to certify the conformity
to a regulation (CE, ASME, IBR, ...). His scope is strictly defined by the regulation and the
inspections points often correspond to Hold Point. Such inspection should be clearly managed
and separately distinguished from the above shop inspections to cope with the specific
requirements demanded by the National or International Authorities.
Description of a typical ITP

General
ITP formats can be as varied as the products and organizations to which they apply, but there
are some major elements of an inspection and test strategy that should be present in each ITP.
The ITP should answer the 3 questions: what to test, how to test and when to test
These are governed by:
- What the work is and how complex it is (complex or prototype job will require more
attention)
- Accessibility for inspections and sampling (do the inspection when it is still possible)
- Consequences of failure (criticality rating of the product), including:
- Cost of remedial work
- Effect on construction program
- Accessibility for rectification
- Disruption to use of building or structure
- Consequential damage to other elements
- Threat to safety of workers and public
- Availability of resources to perform the inspections (inspectors are not always available)
The following sub-sections describe the elements that address these requirements and are
generally present in any ITP.
Format
The following figure represents a sample of the many forms an ITP can take.
Page 24 / 292
Introduction
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Contract particulars
For obvious document control purposes and readability the contract particulars to which the
ITP applies are located in the header :
- Customer
- Contract Number
- Project Name
- Description of process/activities/work area covered by the ITP (there might be several ITPs
for a same job, depending the complexity of it)
Operation or stage of work requiring inspection or test

Defines the type and extent of inspections and tests (along with the characteristics).
As a general rule, all fabrication stages having a significant impact on the final
quality/conformity of the product are listed, in the chronological fabrication sequence.
Then, the type, timing and frequency of inspections and tests are added, to match the risks and
work involved by each particular phase.
Characteristics to be inspected
The characteristics of a work item is a distinguishable property of an item, material or
process. Examples of characteristics are size, strength, flatness, alignment and the like.
The characteristics to be verified will frequently determine the stage at which the inspection
or test must take place.
Page 25 / 292
Introduction
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Some characteristics can only be considered after one particular operation and before another,
such as the visual inspection of the inside of a vessel: after welding but prior to closing the
vessel.
Sampling/frequency
Because 100% inspection and testing in most cases is neither practical nor desirable, it is
necessary to adopt a testing frequency and sampling process which provides a representative
indication of the work to suit the risks involved.
The frequency will often be determined by the requirements of the contract documents or by
the type of inspection and/or test and the characteristics under consideration, as outlined
above.
However, there is the potential for a considerable range in what constitutes the most
appropriate frequency and sampling process. It is suggested that a representative sampling of
the work to suit the risks involved be used as a guide initially.
Thereafter, frequencies would be increased and processes reviewed for problem work
activities and decreased where consistent conformity was evidenced.
An other criteria might be the resources a customer is willing (or able) to put in inspection
work. Very often a BV Contract Manager may face the situation where only a fixed number
of visits is scheduled by the customer. It belongs then to him to make the best use of the
allocation, weighing the risks and trying to combine as many inspection points as possible per
each visit. A close communication with the manufacturer is then required.
Records
The basic principle of shop inspection applies here also: each inspection action shall be
recorded.
Therefore Inspection and Test Plans define the records to be issued/signed at each stage of the
work.
Records are essential to quality management because they provide the documented evidence
necessary to verify that a product/service is in accordance with the contract requirements.
The records would be in various forms, and would include the checklists, test certificates,
certificates of compliance/conformity, survey data, written approvals and the like.
Specifications and Standards

The reference against which conformity is measured can take various forms. The most
common source is usually the contract technical specification(s). Technical standards would
also often be referenced in this document.
The resulting reference to be used for the inspection may therefore include any of the
following:
- Contract documents/specification,
- Contract drawings,
- Approved workshop drawings and/or calculations,
- Approved technical details/procedures,
- Approved samples and/or prototypes,
- Regulatory requirements,
Page 26 / 292
Introduction
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
- National/International Standards,
- Standard specifications,
- Manufacturers recommendations,
- Commercial brochures, ...
Acceptance criteria
Acceptance criteria would normally be defined in the above reference documents (either
directly or by reference to other standards). It is indeed useless to measure a characteristic if
there is no defined target to compare it to.
Where the criteria are not defined, it would be necessary to identify them and possibly get an
agreement between the Manufacturer and the Customer on them.
This should be done at the initial stage of ITP negotiation to avoid any subsequent dispute
over the results.
Inspection and test procedures

For many inspections/tests, the methods employed will be specified or self evident and
determined by the characteristics being examined. In other cases, however, the precise manner
in which the inspection/test is carried out would need to be identified and described. A clearly
described test procedure will usually be necessary to help achieve consistent and reliable
results.
For a mass produced item for instance, a typical test procedure using statistical techniques
might cover:
- reference to work areas/lots or batches,
- frequency of sampling,
- method of taking samples,
- method of conducting a test (including conditions),
- qualifications of test personnel and equipment calibration/condition/specification,
- method of documenting results.
In some cases it may be possible to satisfy the requirements simply by referencing the
requirements of the applicable Standards and the like.
In some instances, the way to conduct a test may have huge effects on the readings. A
thorough review of the test procedure at an early stage of the inspection is then a must.
Hold , Witness and Surveillance Points

ITPs generally contain at least 3 columns to identify what operation each party is planning to
inspect and to what extent. Colums may be split to provide space for signatures.
Hold Point - A hold point defines a point beyond which Suppliers work may not proceed
without the authorization of a designated authority.
This designated authority might be an inspection agency's or other Customers
representative/authorised person, or a regulatory authority (such as a Notified Body, an
ASME Authorized Inspector and the like) representative, or it may be the Suppliers Quality
Controller himself.
Page 27 / 292
Introduction
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
The supplier identifies the Hold and Witness Points (with the people responsible for the
inspection/test/endorsement and other requirements) that are required for its subcontractors
and employees doing the work. The supplier would do this to the extent that is necessary to
be confident that the work is being carried out to the standards required, in line with the
requirements of its quality system and experience.
Customer, Shop Inspector and other parties define their own points to suit their own
objectives.
Witness Point - A witness point provides a party with the opportunity to witness the
inspection or test or aspect of the work, at their discretion.
Surveillance represents intermittent monitoring of any stage of the work in progress (whether
by the supplier or customer).
When preparing an ITP, the supplier should indicate Surveillance or Self Inspection
against all selected inspection or test points that are not otherwise covered by Hold or Witness
Points.
Note 1: Surveillance Points may also be called Monitoring
Note 2: For internal and general meaning of those acronyms variations, please, refer to item
terminology and general inspection guidelines in GM TD 004
Shop Inspection Tasks

This section is a brief reminder of some common tasks of a Shop Inspector in the frame of an
ITP.
When conducting inspections of an ITP, the shop inspector should be cognizant of the
following activities.
Document/Drawing Management
All project drawings and specifications shall be controlled such that only the pertinent version
or revision is available at the required locations. The inspector shall check registers to ensure
original and amendments to such documents have been distributed to the appropriate
personnel and that the current version of any drawing/document is being used e.g.
manufacture is being carried out using the current version of a drawing.
Sub-Contractors
Any portion of the works that is to be sub-contracted must be highlighted on reports. The
customer may wish for surveillance activities to extend to sub-contractors. The inspector
should enquire as to what level of surveillance and control the supplier intends to impose on
his subcontractors. Also, the inspector should review the selection process, e.g. are subcontracts purely awarded on the basis of lowest price or is a detailed prequalification exercise
undertaken?
Manufacture/Fabrication Control
Page 28 / 292
Introduction
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Inspectors must be aware that BV role is usually to represent the client (second party) or as an
independent third party surveillance body. The supplier has a responsibility to perform all
front-line QC activities and we are to ensure that this is carried out effectively. Our
monitoring of the manufacturing process should not be restricted to (for example) viewing
welding or performing dimensional checks. We should satisfy ourselves that the supplier's
system imposes adequate controls from receipt of an order through to order processing and
the whole manufacturing process including packaging, preservation and despatch. ITP's (or
equivalent documents) are used by the supplier as a means to ensure that progress does not
proceed to the next stage of manufacture until the relevant inspections and tests have been
performed.
Welding/Welder Surveillance
All welding will normally be required to comply with a client or supplier nominated code. For
coded welding a welding procedure specification will need to be proposed for client approval,
which in many cases will require a review from BV shop inspector. On approval of the WPS,
the procedure will require qualification (if not previously qualified) and the qualification
records (WPQR) will require the shop inspector review and possible endorsement. Only
welders qualified to weld to the essential parameters of the WPS shall be used for the work.
The inspector shall review welder records and ensure that some form of identification system
is used to each welder engaged on the project.
Welding itself shall be monitored for compliance to code requirements. Where specified in
the ITP, weld profiles and fit ups shall be approved by the inspector prior to commencement
of welding. The inspector shall ensure that weld traceability data is recorded in 'real time' onto
daily welding reports, for subsequent transposition onto MDR records (see 4.8 below).
Completed welding should be, at least, visually examined for non-surface breaking defects,
undercut, stop/start cracks and completeness. Special attention should be taken to ensure
complete welding is done when specified (not stitched).
Inspection Measuring and Test Equipment

Requirements for calibration of test equipment and the required level of accuracy will
normally be nominated by the client and/or applicable code. As a guide, the following
equipment will normally require some form of calibration records:
- Tong Testers
- Thermometers
- NDT Equipment
- Hardness Testers
- Mechanical Test Equipment
- Pressure Gauges (for hydro tests)
- Paint Thickness Gauges
- Welding Machines.
- Linear Measuring Equipment (e.g. Vernier, micrometers, etc.)
On commencement of any new assignment, the shop inspector shall satisfy himself that the
supplier adequately manages the accuracy, storage and relevant environmental conditions of
all inspection, measuring and test equipment. In the case of hydrostatic tests, a copy of the
relevant calibration certificate shall be appended to the test report. All calibration certificates
Page 29 / 292
Introduction
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
should ideally be traceable to national standards.

When performing dimensional checking, all interface dimensions and squareness checks must
be made to ensure equipment fits into the plant which it is going.
For all measurements, the shop inspector shall only use supplier supplied, certified measuring
and test equipment. It is recommended to let the supplier perform the measuring operation
himself and just witness it.
NDT Surveillance
Where required by the ITP, NDT activities shall be monitored by the shop inspector. This
may involve:
a) Reviews of NDT operator qualifications and experience.
b) Review and endorsement of NDT reports.
c) Review of the NDT sub-contractor's facilities for adequacy of calibration facilities, film
storage environments, control of dark room chemicals, etc.
Note: Only inspectors with relevant NDT qualifications should undertake this type of
surveillance. Secondary interpretation of radiographs and review of film quality are not part
of the shop inspectors scope of work.
Inspection of Coatings
Protective coatings and surface preparation shall be monitored for compliance with specified
requirements. Such requirements will normally be found in the purchaser's painting
specification, or as a minimum, provided by the paint manufacturer on data sheets.
Blast profiles and finish shall be witnessed when specified in the ITP, prior to commencement
of painting. Subsequent dry film thickness tests and adhesion tests shall also be performed to
the level specified in the ITP. The shop inspector shall satisfy himself that the supplier
maintains adequate 'real time' records of blast profiles, environmental conditions and all
required inspection data.
Review of Manufacturer Data and Records (MDR)

At the beginning of an assignment the shop inspector shall enquire as to the supplier's
standard procedures for progressively compiling and verifying data books or MDR's. Any
client specified requirements with regards to:
- MDR index
- Layout/format
- Deliverable records
- Handover
shall be addressed with the supplier and agreed.
Page 30 / 292
Introduction
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Throughout the life of the assignment, the shop inspector shall peruse the progressive
compilation of the MDR/data book to ensure the validity of the data and ongoing maintenance
of traceability.
The inspector shall endorse records progressively so as not to create any delays to MDR
handover at the end of the project, and also to ensure that any anomalies are detected as early
as possible.
In general, inspection release certificates shall not be issued until the MDR has been
completely reviewed and signed off by the inspector.
Reporting
Following each visit to the works the shop inspector shall report the findings, unless
instructed otherwise in the ITP, to the customer.
Preparing an Inspection and Test Plan

Purpose
As explained above, preparing an ITP is no shop inspector task. In some occasions, a BV
contract manager may be asked to prepare this document: this should be done in the frame of
a technical assistance contract, not as part of a conformity assessment.
The following section provides some guidelines for this task in the form of a checklist, the
ITP being considered from a Manufacturers perspective.
Documenting an ITP
The following steps are involved in documenting Inspection and Test Plans for a fabrication
contract:
Step 1 Read the contract documents (including the technical specifications) and prepare a list
of any discrepancies, ambiguities, missing information and standards of materials and/or
workmanship that it is considered are inappropriate.
Step 2 Contact the customer and resolve the issues listed as a result of Step 1.
Step 3 Examine the scope of work and divide it into separate areas requiring an Inspection
and Test Plan (where not already prescribed in the contract documents). As a general guide it
is normally most convenient to document a separate Inspection and Test Plan for each trade or
work area/section.
Step 4 Note the Hold and Witness Points required by the customer (including as listed in the
contract documents).
Step 5 Review the contract documents again and note the requirements that have the most
impact on the quality of the finished work. For each ask the question What will be the
Page 31 / 292
Introduction
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
consequences if it is not made sure this is right? Be certain to include any references to tests,
submitting information to the customer, obtaining approvals and Hold and Witness Points.
Step 6 Determine from Step 5 which items or aspects of each inspection will need to be
recorded on checklists and prepare these.
Step 7 Discuss the checklists with those directly involved with the work and obtain their
input.
This input should particularly be directed at identifying those issues that have caused
problems (and involved extra costs) in the past, and therefore warrant checking at the earliest
opportunity to avoid unnecessary and costly rectification.
Step 8 Prepare each Inspection and Test Plan to reflect the requirements of the contract
documents. Reference the ITP in the Quality Management Plan and cross-reference to the
other related ITPs.
Step 9 Issue each Inspection and Test Plan and/or associated certification to the customer for
consideration within a reasonable period prior to commencing the work described in the Plan
and adjust them to suit any comment received (or act as otherwise required in the contract
documents).
Step 10 Decide how best to divide the whole of the work into work areas for control purposes
and indicate these locations either on a schedule (with reference to grids and levels) or by
marking up drawings.
Step 11 Prepare and issue checklists for each work area and identify them according to
location.
Step 12 Train those directly involved with each of the ITP in their use. Formalise a procedure
for the notification of Witness and Hold Points to the appropriate person(s).
Step 13 Carry out inspections and tests in accordance with the Inspection and Test Plans,
provide notices to the customer and/or regulatory authorities for Hold or Witness Points, as
designated or applicable, and record the results on checklists.
Checklists
The logical stage to carry out an inspection or test is often after a number of separate
activities, but prior to a major one that will cover up previous work.
It is often useful to complete checklists at such stages and with each inspection and test
where they will, in effect, summarise the procedures that have, and should have, taken place
up to the particular point in the work process.
Checklists are useful reminders to the person doing the work of all the matters that are to be
addressed. They are used to confirm all the matters have been attended to. They are also
reminders to the person inspecting the work of all the matters that should be checked.
A checklist also gives an opportunity to record any special or unusual conditions under the
contract, and draw these to the attention of the people doing the work. For example, special
precautions for protecting existing work, notifications to the public, and other matters that
might not normally be required for the particular trade or activity, may be included.
Page 32 / 292
Introduction
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
The fact that checklists exist, and that their use and content have been verified, would give a
customer confidence that the person doing the work is aware of all the important steps,
attributes and matters to be addressed, and the standards that should be complied with, and
that conformity is being verified.
The Pre-Inspection Meeting

The pre-inspection meeting (PIM) is a crucial step in any inspection job of a certain
importance. The Shop Inspector may be requested to chair such meeting as he plays a key role
in this process.
This section provides some guidance for this task.
consider a missing ITP as a non conformity of its own,
there is generally a Hold Point for the PIM,
ensure all participants have the same understanding of the project and of its critical
elements,
for each ITP, assign a time schedule, with dates, deliverables and check points,
list all abbreviations and acronyms used in the ITP and clarify their meanings,
as the manufacturer is used to his own quality system, with documents procedures and
forms, make use of this documents as much as possible, instead of imposing new ones,
if some critical operations are not documented, ask the manufacturer to put in writing
his normal practice,
ask the manufacturers procedure for the treatment of non conformities and changes,
identify the responsibilities and interactions between the various departments of the
manufacturer,
the participation of the customer and of the end user are important for the success of
the project; identify the phases where their input will be required,
define which reports and MOM (Minutes Of Meeting) shall be issued, by who, at what
stage, which distribution,
during the project, attach the updated ITP to all such MOM,
define clearly the reference documents (reviewed design, contract specifications,
qualification of the prototype, ...),
make sure all parties use the same documents, at the same revision level; list these
documents in the MOM,
Page 33 / 292
Introduction
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
define the content of the final hold point (hydrotest, pneumatic test, cleanliness, MDR,
list of equipment to be delivered, packing and marking requirements, etc.)
define already what will be the content of the documentation (MDR), during and at the
end of the project.
Page 34 / 292
Introduction
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
INTRODUCTION TO ISO/CEI 17020

General criteria for the operation of various types of bodies performing inspection
Foreword
35
Overview
35
Definitions
37
The Guide IAF/ILAC-A4-2004
39
ISO 17020 vs ISO 9001
41
The Requirements
42
Foreword
This section of the Guidelines provides an overview of the ISO/CEI 17020 standard and
offers valuable insights to help inspectors understand and implement the standard into daily
practice.
The ISO/CEI 17020 standard, formerly EN 45004, complimented by recognized Guides is
used worldwide by all inspection bodies.
It is particularly important for BUREAU VERITAS as it is used for the accreditation of its
statutory activities. But it can also be used for shop inspection activities and by the QA/QC
departments of our clients.
Therefore it has been deemed necessary to provide the shop inspectors with some information
about its content and application requirements.
Overview
ISO/IEC 17020 is an Inspection Standard which objective is promoting the confidence in
the manner in which the product inspection is executed. It describes the general requirements
an inspection body must apply in view to be recognized on national, European and
international level as competent and trustworthy for product inspection.
The standard has been published since 1998. It took over, including the respective references,
the wording of the standard EN 45004 dated 1995 (same title). In view to keep up coherence
in the collection of standards on the evaluation of conformity (the 17000 series), CEN decided
Page 35 / 292
Introduction
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
to cancel its standard EN 45004:1995 in view to resume, on the European level, the
international standard ISO/IEC 17020:1998.
Inspection bodies carry out assessments on behalf of private clients, their parent organizations,
and/or official authorities with the objective of providing information to those parties relative
to conformity with regulations, standards, or specifications.
This Standard has been drawn up with the objective of promoting confidence in those bodies
performing inspection which conform to it. It has been drawn up in the light of experience of
European bodies performing inspections taking into account requirements and
recommendations of European and international documents such as the ISO 9000 (EN/ISO
9000) series of standards and ISO/IEC Guide 39.
Inspection parameters may include matters of quantity, quality, safety, fitness for use, and
continued safety compliance of plant or systems in operation. The general criteria, with which
these bodies are required to comply in order that their services be accepted by clients and by
supervisory authorities, need to be harmonized in a European standard. This standard,
therefore, covers the functions of bodies whose work may include the examination of
materials, products, installations, plant, processes, work procedures, or services, and the
determination of their conformity, with requirements, and the subsequent reporting of results
of these activities to clients and, when required, to supervisory authorities. Inspection of a
product an installation or plant may concern all stages during the lifetime of these items,
including the design stage.
Such work normally requires the exercise of professional judgement in providing the service,
in particular when assessing conformity.
The requirement for the independence of inspection bodies varies according to legislation
and market needs. This standard therefore includes, in annexes A, B and C, criteria for
independence.
This standard has also been produced to support the introduction of the conformity assessment
procedures specified in the EC Council decision concerning the modules for the various
phases of the conformity assessment procedures which are intended to be used in the technical
harmonization directives.
The relevant requirements of the EN/ISO 9000 series of standards applying to the quality
systems for inspection bodies are incorporated in this standard.
Page 36 / 292
Introduction
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Definitions
Inspection
Examination of a product design, product, service, process or plant and determination of
their conformity with specific criteria or, on the basis of professional judgement, general
requirements (EN ISO/IEC 17020:2005)
ISO/CEI 17020 covers many types of inspections (Survey, Classification, Witnessing,
Expediting, Grading, Investigation, Life-cycle, ) and many stages of inspection within a
production sequence.
Design
Design Verification
Manufacture
Fabrication Inspection
Installation
Installation Inspection
Operation
In-service Inspection
Independence criteria
An essential section of ISO/CEI 17020 classifies the various entities performing inspections
into three types, depending on their independence towards the manufacturer of the product to
be inspected.
4.2.1 Type A inspection body
The inspection body providing third party services shall meet the criteria of annex A
(normative).
BUREAU VERITAS is such a Type A Inspection Body, regardless whether it is acting in the
frame of a statutory or shop inspection.
4.2.2 Type B inspection body
Page 37 / 292
Introduction
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
The inspection body which forms a separate and identifiable part of an organization involved
in the design, manufacture, supply, installation, use or maintenance of the items it inspects
and has been established to supply inspection services to its parent organization shall meet the
criteria of annex B (normative).
Typical Type B Inspection bodies include Inspection Departments of large companies
(refineries, transportation, distribution, ) specifically created and organized for the
performance of in-house inspection, generally statutory. Those inspections are always inservice inspections like for gas cylinders, tank wagons, etc
4.2.3 Type C inspection body
The inspection body which is involved in the design, manufacture, supply, installation, use or
maintenance of the items it inspects or of similar competitive items and may supply
inspection services to other parties not being its parent organization shall meet the criteria of
annex C (normative).
These are not very popular inspection bodies as they are generally not recognized by the
States for their statutory inspections.
Accreditation
Third-party attestation related to a conformity assessment body conveying formal
demonstration of its competence to carry out specific conformity assessment tasks. (ISO/IEC
17000:2004)
In our case, accreditation is a third party periodic review to assess the technical competence of
an inspection body against the requirements of ISO 17020. In France, BUREAU VERITAS is
accredited by the COFRAC for its statutory activities delegated by the French authorities.
As accreditation is carried out by different accreditation bodies, the important aspect of
accreditation is to enable the world wide acceptance of testing and certification services,.
In order to facilitate acceptance of the results of these accreditation bodies and of the
accredited service, international associations of accreditation bodies have been established,
such as:
-
IAF International Accreditation Forum (Certification bodies/registrars, Inspection

bodies) and ;
ILAC International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (Laboratories,
inspection bodies)
Page 38 / 292
Introduction
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Accreditation body for Accreditation body for

laboratories
Inspection bodies
ISO/IEC 17011
ISO/IEC17011
Accreditation body for

Certification bodies
ISO/IEC 17011
Cert. body
for products
ISO Guide 65
Cert. body for

management systems
ISO Guide 62, 66
Cert. body
for personsl
ISO 17024
Testing and Calibration

Laboratories
ISO/IEC 17025
Certification
of
Products
Certification
of
management
systems
Certification
of
Personnel
Testing
and
Calibration
Products
Organizations
Persons
Laboratories
Inspection bodies
ISO 17020
Inspection
Inspection
bodies
The Guide IAF/ILAC-A4-2004

The accreditation criteria developed in international standards constitute broad requirements.
If inspection bodies are to be accredited in a harmonized manner as complying with ISO/IEC
17020 some guidance to the standard is necessary and more detailed guidelines are necessary.
The guide IAF/ILAC A4 provides this guidance to accreditation bodies.
Its aim is to enable accreditation bodies to harmonize their application of the standard against
which they are bound to assess inspection bodies. This is an important step towards mutual
recognition of accreditation.
The guidance is also useful to inspection bodies themselves and to those whose decisions are
guided by their inspection reports/ certificates.
Page 39 / 292
Introduction
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
ISO/IEC
17025/17020
Supplementary,
Field-specific
criteria (eg Electrical Testing)
Technical Requirements of Specific Test
Methods and Procedures
Regulatory Requirements
As for the ISO standards, these guidelines have to be internationally recognized and are
therefore developed by accreditation bodies through international networks:
European co-operation for Accreditation (EA) in Europe;

International Laboratory Accreditation Co-operation (ILAC) and International
Accreditation Forum (IAF) globally.
The production of guidelines is a basic task of the international accreditation networks. To

make the services of accredited bodies accepted internationally, the accreditation bodies use
these networks to develop consistent practice and to evaluate each other's performance.
In the creation of these guidelines, accreditation bodies do not impose extra requirements on
the market. The requirements are all contained in the accreditation standards.
The purpose of guidelines is to fill out these requirements with the necessary details for
consistent assessment. They are also used to point to solutions as to how accredited bodies
can meet the requirements. These solutions cannot be made mandatory. The guidelines have
to be written in such a way that accredited bodies are given the latitude to demonstrate when
they meet the fundamental requirements of the standards by other means.
Page 40 / 292
Introduction
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
ISO 17020 vs ISO 9001

ISO 17020 should not be confused with ISO 9001, which is specific to quality management
systems.
For instance, ISO 9001 does not require evaluation of the technical competence of an
inspection body and it should not be regarded as an acceptable alternative to ISO 17020.
As can be seen in the following table, the additional relevant requirements are:
- evaluation of technical competence,
- independence, impartiality and integrity,
- confidentiality,
- co-operation.
Requirements
ISO 17020
ISO 9001
1. scope
2. definitions
3. administrative requirements
4. independence, impartiality and integrity
5. confidentiality
6. organization and management

7. quality system
8. personnel
9. facilities and equipment
10. inspection methods and procedures
( )
11. handling inspection samples and items

12. records
13. reports
14. sub-contracting
15. complaints and appeals
16. co-operation
continual improvement
Page 41 / 292
Introduction
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
The Requirements
The requirements of ISO/CEI 17020 are contained in 14 major sections including:
1. Administrative requirements
2. Requirements for independence,
impartiality, and integrity
3. Confidentiality
4. Organization and management
5. Quality system
6. Personnel
7. Facilities and equipment
8. Inspection methods and procedures
9. Handling of inspection samples and items
10. Control of records
11. Inspection reports and inspection certificates
12. Subcontracting
13. Complaints and appeals
14. Cooperation with other inspection bodies
In a simplified form, the essential requirements are:

Independence, impartiality and confidentiality The inspection agency shall be
independent, and free from any undue pressures which might affect the agency's judgment. It
shall also ensure complete confidentiality of its clients' proprietary rights.
Organizational requirements The inspection agency shall have the capability to perform
its technical functions satisfactorily, and shall define and document the responsibilities of all
key personnel.
Quality system The agency's quality system shall be well-defined, fully documented,
effectively implemented and regularly monitored to ensure its continuing suitability and
effectiveness.
Personnel and training The agency shall employ qualified, experienced personnel with
satisfactory knowledge of inspection requirements. It shall also establish a documented
system for training its personnel in technical and administrative aspects of the work in which
they are involved.
Facilities and equipment The agency shall have suitable facilities and equipment so that
inspection services can be carried out satisfactorily. It shall also ensure that equipment is
properly identified and calibrated, and regularly maintained.
Inspection methods The agency shall use approved, documented procedures for its
inspections and shall have a system for monitoring inspection records.
Page 42 / 292
Introduction
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Like ISO 9001, ISO/CEI 17020 requires procedures in several important areas, including:
1. Procedure to ensure that persons or organizations external to the inspection body
cannot influence the results of inspections by the ISO 17020-accredited organization.
2. Procedure for feedback
3. Procedure for corrective action
4. Procedure for the care and maintenance of equipment
5. Procedure for selecting qualified suppliers
6. Procedure for purchasing
7. Procedure for inspection of materials received by the organization
8. Procedure for appropriate storage facilities
9. Procedure for protecting the integrity of data produced by the organization
10. Procedure for ensuring the security of data produced by the organization
11. Procedure for dealing with defective equipment
12. Procedure(s) for performing inspections
13. Procedure(s) for performing non-standard inspections
14. Procedure(s) for avoiding deterioration or damage to inspection items
15. Procedure for dealing with complaints
16. Procedure for dealing with appeals against the results of inspections
In addition, the following additional procedures are recommended as a minimum
supplement to the required procedures:
1. Control of non-conforming work
2. Preventive action
3. Internal auditing
4. Management review
5. Training
6. Calibration of equipment
7. Contract review
8. Document control
9. Records control
10. Reporting the results of an inspection
More information
Page 43 / 292
Materials & Pressure Equipment
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Part II : INSPECTION FIELDS
45
MATERIALS and COMPONENTS
45
PRESSURE EQUIPMENT
62
STEEL STRUCTURE
71
MACHINERY
87
Classification of Machinery
88
Positive Displacement Pumps
95
Various types of Machinery Inspections
100
The inspection of machinery
101
Typical scope of inspection for machinery
103
104
Classification of Electrical Equipment
105
The inspection of Electrical Equipment
119
Typical scope of inspection for electrical equipment
120
Page 44 / 292
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
MATERIALS and COMPONENTS

Classification of materials..................................................................................................46
The inspection of materials ................................................................................................46
What to look for .................................................................................................................47
Typical scope of inspection for materials ..........................................................................47
Classification of Components ............................................................................................48
The inspection of components............................................................................................48
Typical scope of inspection for components......................................................................48
Material Certification to European Standard EN 10204:2004 ...........................................50
Foreword ........................................................................................................................50
What is a EN 10204 certificate ?....................................................................................51
Some definitions.........................................................................................................51
4 types of certificates..................................................................................................51
Definitions..................................................................................................................53
Annex ZA.......................................................................................................................56
EN 10204: A legal document .....................................................................................57
Technical content of the certificate ................................................................................58
The Product Specification ..........................................................................................58
The test result .............................................................................................................59
Shop Inspection and EN 10204......................................................................................59
Material certificate or product certificate ? ................................................................59
Stockists and other Intermediaries .............................................................................60
Fake Certificates and Fake Certification....................................................................61
Abstract: Materials and Components are the bricks of any construction and from their
quality depends the quality of the final product. This section introduces the testing
laboratory techniques and the Standards, namely the EN 10204 standard for inspection
documents
Page 45 / 292
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Classification of materials
For the purpose of these guidelines we call
materials products which will be inspected only
for their intrinsic properties.
There are thousands of materials used in the
Industry, generally classified as per the attached
table from MatWeb.
They are coming in multiple commercial forms;
but not all materials are offered on the market
with as many forms as steel or aluminium.
There are Standard specifications for virtually all
existing materials and they are the key documents
used by clients and manufacturers to define in a
common language the contractual requirements.
Material standards define both the properties of
the materials and the testing/inspection
requirements. See for instance the attached table
of contents of typical material standards:
- EN 13480-5
- ASTM A53
The inspection of materials

Clients purchase materials for there properties and therefore inspection scopes will focus on the
checking of these properties. Material inspections will generally take place in specialized
laboratories and the inspection tasks will be those described in the section Attending Laboratory
Tests.
Each material, or more precisely each group of materials, has its own manufacturing constraints
and related defects. They are coming from the material itself and from the manufacturing
processes of the raw material or bound to the elaboration of the commercial forms. The
importance of these defects highly depend from clients requirements: such surface crack is of
minor importance for this oil tanker but becomes totally unacceptable for a milk tank. This is why
there are standards for regular vessel plates and different ones for the food industry. The standard
will codify what is acceptable and what is not, providing also for sub-groups or grades within the
Page 46 / 292
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
standard itself. And if this not sufficient to define precisely the clients requirement, additional
requirements may be added by him to the standard.
What to look for

The reading of the standards will give you indications on where the potential problem lay and
therefore where to concentrate your inspection.
Consider this for instance : Aluminum-silicon alloys that do not contain copper additions are
used when good castability and good corrosion resistance are needed. If high strength is also
needed, magnesium additions make these alloys heat treatable.
Alloys with silicon contents as low as 2% have been used for casting, but silicon content usually
is between 5 and 13%. Strength and ductility of these alloys, especially the ones with higher
silicon, can be substantially improved by "modification".
This explains why chemical analysis may be critical. To perform such analysis, the testing
laboratory shall have the equipment adapted to the accurate measurement of the trace elements in
non ferrous metals, and not the usual spectrometer used for steel.
When you read this The casting is continuously withdrawn from the bottom of the mold; because
the mold is water cooled, cooling rate is very high. As a result of continuous feeding, castings
generally are free of porosity, than look for porosities.
Each material, each process has its own specificities and you will find in the attached support
pages most of the information required to both understand the basics of the manufacturing
processes and the defects common to each of them.
Typical scope of inspection for materials

-
Reference: standards with eventual additional

requirements from the client
sampling
witness laboratory testing
stamp the laboratory test report
issue BV inspection report with test report
attached
Page 47 / 292
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Classification of Components
There is no clear cut between materials and components as materials are sometimes coming in
rather sophisticated forms and, on the other hand, components may be a simple plate with some
machining (a blank flange for instance). Therefore there is no common classification system for
components. In these guidelines, materials are products defined essentially by their intrinsic
properties only and components will be inspected for both the properties of the main
constituent material and the subsequent processing of the product.
Products built from more than one main material are covered by other sections.
Typical components are:
- pipe spools for a piping system,
- fittings (flanges, elbows, tees, )
- cables
- rails
Components are often defined in specialized standards
common to a profession. For instance API standards will
deal with all the oil & gas industry components,.
From this definition of materials and components, it appears that the inspection of components
will include the inspection of the materials as explained earlier and the inspection of the
subsequent processes.
The inspection of components

For the inspection of material it was easy to cut a sample out of the raw material and send it to a
laboratory for destructive tests. For components, which are more elaborated and expensive
products, the inspection will generally require non destructive techniques which are preserving
the integrity of the items.
The inspector shall have a reasonable understanding of the NDT techniques (see the support
pages of the Pressure Equipment section for additional information).
However he is not supposed to be a specialist of each technique and he should not over-rule the
conclusions of a certified NDT operator.
Typical scope of inspection for components
Reference: standards, additional requirements from the client
Page 48 / 292
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
inspection of the material(s)

- by review of test reports and/or test certificates
- by the same process as for materials (sampling, witnessing of tests)
visual inspection
witnessing of NDT
stamp the laboratory test report and the NDT test report
issue BV inspection report with above reports attached
More information
Page 49 / 292
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Material Certification to Standard EN 10204:2004

Metallic Products Types of Inspection Documents
Foreword
In the last years, the demand for Bureau Veritas to issue EN 10204 material certificates has
dramatically increased. One good reason for this is that this standard is cited in the PED.
Moreover, these certificates which are normally intended for metallic products, as mentioned in
the title, seem to become very popular for all types of products, from components to complete
machines.
The BV shop inspector has to deal with these certificates in two occasions:
- when a client request a certificate from BV,
- when the shop inspector reviews a manufacturer file.
The purpose of this section of the Guidelines is to clarify the requirements related to
material/product certificates and to draw a clear line between what can be done by the inspector
and what is beyond acceptability.
For the technical rules to be applied for the issuance of 3.2 certificates, one shall revert to the GM
SI 210 which defines the conditions to be observed when issuing a certificate of type 3.2
according to standard EN 10204: 2004.
Page 50 / 292
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
What is a EN 10204 certificate ?

Some definitions
The best approach to such question is to start with the reading of the standard itself.
The original text is pretty much straight forward but the following definitions will help in this
reading or after it.
EN 10204
Specifies the different types of inspection documents supplied to the purchaser, in accordance
with the requirements of the order, for delivery of metallic products.
May also apply to non-metallic products.
It is to be used in conjunction with the product specifications which specify the technical delivery
conditions of the ordered products.
Edition 2004 was prepared under a mandate by the European Commission to provide a means of
conformity to Directive 97/23/EC on Pressure Equipments (PED).
Main changes (referred to the 1991 edition):
EN 10204-2004 supersedes EN 10204:1991. The main changes are:
- Clear definition for Manufacturer and Intermediary
- The number of inspection documents was reduced:
o Type 2.3 of the previous edition was deleted
o Type 3.1. replaces type 3.1.B of the previous edition
o Type 3.2. replaces type 3.1A, 3.1.C and 3.2 of the previous edition
- Re-qualification of materials isnt considered;
- All inspection documents include a statement of compliance with the order
- A special Annex ZA is attached to the standard in order to comply with the requirements
of European Directive 97/23/EC on Pressure Equipments.
4 types of certificates
Type 2.1 : Declaration of compliance with the order
Document in which the manufacturer declares that the products supplied are in compliance with
the requirements of the order, without inclusion of test results.
Type 2.2 : Test report
Document in which the manufacturer declares that the products supplied are in compliance with
the requirements of the order and in which he supplies test results based on non-specific
inspection.
Page 51 / 292
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Type 3.1: Inspection certificate

Document issued by the manufacturer in which he declares that the products supplied are in
compliance with the requirements of the order and in which he supplies test results.
The test unit and the tests to be carried out are defined by the product specification, the official
regulation and corresponding rules and/or the order.
The document is validated by the manufacturers authorized inspection representative,
independent of the manufacturing department. This is generally a person from the QA
department.
Notes:
-
QC personnel may not fulfil the requirement if their independence to the manufacturing
department is not guaranteed,
For PED products, the quality system of the manufacturer shall be certified by a
competent body established in the European Community.
This is the most common type of certificate. BV intervention is not required to issue it but these
certificates are common in the manufacturer files reviewed by shop inspectors.
Type 3.2: Inspection certificate
Document prepared by both the manufacturers authorized inspection representative,
independent of the manufacturing department and either the purchasers authorized inspection
representative or the inspector designated by the official regulations and in which they declare
that the products supplied are in compliance with the requirements of the order and in which test
results are supplied.
On request, BV intervention is required as the independent representative either as the
purchasers authorized representative (voluntary certification) or as the inspector designated by
the official regulation (statutory certification, BV acting as Notified Body for PED).
For the issuance of 3.2 certificates, it is common practice for the manufacturer to issue his own
version of the certificate and to transmit it to BV for validation.
If, by exception, BV issues a 3.2 certificate on BV paper, the signature of the manufacturer is
mandatory.
Please refer to the GM SI 210 that specifies the conditions under which BV issues 3.2 certificates.
Page 52 / 292
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Summary of Inspection Certificates According to EN 10204

New Type
Number
EN
10204:2004
2.1
Old Type
Number
EN
10204:1991
2.1
2.2
3.1
3.2
2.2
3.1.B
3.1.A
Title of Certificate
Declaration of
Compliance With
the Order
Test report
Inspection
Certificate 3.1
Inspection
Certificate 3.2
Content
Confirmation of
compliance with the order,
no data included
Confirmation of
with non-specific test
results
Confirmation of
with specific test results
Confirmation of
with specific test results
Tested On
N/A
Generic sample,
manufactured in same
way as ordered material
Sample of the material
to ship or material
sample if
documentation is
provided supporting
traceability
Sample of the material
to ship or material
sample if
documentation is
provided supporting
traceability
Issued By
Manufacturer
Manufacturer
Manufacturer and
Validated by the
Quality specialist,
independent of
production
department
Manufacturer
Quality specialist,
independent of
production
department
and external
inspector (BV)
Definitions
Manufacturer
Organization that manufactures the certified products according to the requirements of the order
and to the properties specified in the referenced product specification
Intermediary
Organization which is supplied with products by the manufacturers and which then in turn
supplies them without further processing or after processing without changing the properties
specified in the purchase order and referenced product specification
Product specification
Complete detailed technical requirements relevant for the order, stated in written form e.g.
referenced regulations, standards and other specifications.
Supply by an intermediary
When a product is supplied by an intermediary, he shall submit to the purchaser, without any
changes to it, the manufacturers documentation.
This documentation from the manufacturer shall be accompanied by suitable means of
identification of the product, in order to ensure the traceability between the product and the
documentation.
Page 53 / 292
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
If the intermediary has changed the dimensions of the product (sale of a piece of a place for
instance), he shall supply an additional document of compliance for these particular new
conditions. This also applies to all special requirements given in the order and not defined in the
manufacturers documentation.
NOTE Any organization which during processing changes the metallurgical state of the
product is also considered as a product or material manufacturer.
Transmission of inspection documents by an intermediary
An intermediary shall only pass on either an original or a copy of the inspection documents
provided by the manufacturer without any alteration. This documentation shall be accompanied
by suitable means of identification of the product, in order to ensure the traceability between the
product and the documentation.
Copying of the original document is permitted, provided that:
- traceability procedures are operated;
- the original document is available on request.
When producing copies it is permissible to replace the information on the original delivered
quantity by the actual delivered partial quantity.
inspection
conformity evaluation by observation and judgment accompanied as appropriate by
measurement, testing or gauging
non-specific inspection
inspection carried out by the manufacturer in accordance with his own procedures to assess
whether products defined by the same product specification and made by the same manufacturing
process are in compliance with the requirements of the order
NOTE The products inspected may not necessarily be the products actually supplied.
specific inspection
inspection carried out, before delivery, according to the product specification on the products to
be supplied or on test units of which the products supplied are part, in order to verify whether
these products are in compliance with the requirements of the order
testing
determination of one or more characteristics according to a procedure
Order requirements
The products shall comply with the requirements of the order;
Consequently, the manufacturer shall carry out appropriate process control and inspection to
ensure that the delivery complies with the requirements of the order, irrespective of the
type of inspection document required
Order - Type of inspection documents and type of inspection
When ordering, the purchaser shall state which type of document, if any, is required.
Page 54 / 292
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Order - Non-specific inspection

When the purchaser requires a test report according to type 2.2 EN 10204 he shall, if the product
standard does not cover such detail, indicate for which product characteristics test results shall be
given in this document.
Specific inspection - Information to be supplied
Where the purchaser specifies that compliance with the requirements of the order is to be verified
by specific inspection, the order shall cover the type of document required, i.e. the inspection
certificate 3.1 or 3.2, and the following items if they are not specified in the product standard:
. the testing frequency;
. the requirements for sampling and for the preparation of the samples and
test pieces;
. the test methods;
. the identification of test units if any.
In the case of inspection document type 3.2, appropriate contact details of the person appointed to
act as the external inspection representative shall be given in the order.
The external representative may be selected by the purchaser; it can be an inspector from its own
inspection department or an inspector from a third party inspection company (BV).
Specific inspection - Submission for inspection by an external inspection representative
In case of type 3.2 inspection documents, the external inspection representative shall be informed,
by the manufacturer or his authorized representative, of the date of availability of part or all of the
consignment for specific inspection.
Reference shall be made to the order.
The manufacturer and the external inspection representative shall agree the time and date of the
inspection in order to avoid interference with the normal operation of the works. If the purchaser
or his representative does not attend the inspection on the agreed date without justification, the
manufacturer shall be considered as authorized to proceed with the inspection and to issue a 3.1
document.
A submission note referring to the consignment, or to the available parts of the consignment,
shall be delivered to the external inspection representative not later than at the beginning of the
inspection procedure.
Specific inspection - Traceability during testing
During the test operations, the manufacturer shall ensure traceability between the sample
products, samples and test pieces to the test units to which they belong.
The BV shop inspector shall verify this traceability.
Specific inspection - Testing frequency - Formation of test units
For each type of test, the test unit shall be specified in the product standard or the order. Such
specifications are normally based on the indication of whether the test unit shall be composed
only of products of either one of the following:
- the same cast (heat),
- the same casting sequence,
Page 55 / 292
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
- the same rolling unit,

- the same heat treatment condition or heat treatment batch,
- the same product form,
- the same thickness range
or any combination of these and whether the maximum size of the test unit is restricted by mass
or number of pieces.
In certain cases the test unit may consist of an individual product.
Specific inspection - Number of sample products, samples and test pieces
For each type of test, the number of sample products to be taken for each test unit, the number of
samples to be taken for each sample product and the number of test pieces to be taken per sample
shall be as specified in the product standard or order.
Specific inspection - Sampling conditions and test pieces
The requirements of EN ISO 377 and the specifications of the product standard or order for the
location, direction and preparation of samples and test pieces shall apply.
Specific inspection - Test procedures - Test method and equipment
Tests shall be carried out, and the results presented, in accordance with the corresponding
European Standard; where no such European Standard exists the test method to be used shall be
agreed at the time of enquiry or order.
Annex ZA
This annex defines the relationship between the EN 10204 and the Essential Requirements of EU
Directive 97/23/EC on pressure equipment.
As underlined in the Annex ZA to EN 10204:2004, the terms "Certificate of specific product
control" of Directive 97/23/EC and "Inspection document based on specific inspection" of this
standard are equivalent.
The application of the inspection documents for different types of materials for pressure
equipment is given in Figure ZA.1.
Note: When EN 10204 is used for PED products there is one additional requirement: for 3.1
certificates, the quality management system of the manufacturer (assumed to be the independent
inspector) must be certified by a competent body established within the European Community
and having undergone a specific assessment for materials.
This is part of the training course of the BV inspectors for PED and is just mentioned here for
information.
Page 56 / 292
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
EN 10204: A legal document

As can be seen from above, EN10204 deals entirely with the type of inspection document, i.e.
what kind of (external or internal) authority did actually inspect and sign the certificate.
EN10204 does not mention anything about material requirements, compositions etc.
The background of this standard is clear: it is more legal issue than a technical one.
Hence, the necessity for the BV shop inspector to understand what he is doing.
Certification in general and material certification in particular are an important element in the
commercial relation between the purchaser and the supplier.
A purchaser cannot afford to visit each manufacturing plant and inspect his own goods. He must
rely on some sort of guarantee and this is exactly what EN 10204 codifies: what type of guarantee
is a certain type of inspection certificate providing.
Page 57 / 292
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
No need to say that a guarantee has a cost; and each of the 4 types of certificates defined by EN
10204 will have different costs.
For instance, the basic 2.1 certificate is a simple declaration of conformity by the manufacturer
and is generally delivered for free when the cost of a 3.2 inspection certificate will often exceed
1000 , testing costs on top of that.
Purchasers chose the appropriate document that satisfies conformance of the product for the
intended service. For pressure equipment falling under a regulation like PED, the selection of the
type of certificate is imposed by this regulation: the more critical the material, the higher grade
the certificate. See the annexed guidelines of the PED on this subject.
Nevertheless, all four types of certificates have at least two things in common:
- they are all signed at least by the Manufacturer. This is a basic requirement of the
Industry: the Manufacturer is always primarily responsible for his products,
- they all confirm the conformity to an order. It means that there is no such thing as a
bunch of generic certificates that can be distributed around; they have to carry the specific
order number.
Technical content of the certificate

The Product Specification
Certifying something is one good point; but certifying what exactly?
Many purchasers simply want a 3.1 certificate, because it is a requirement from their client,
who got it from a regulatory requirement.
The manufacturer in turn may certify many properties of the supplied goods:
- that it has the mechanical and chemical properties defined in such standard,
- that the materials in direct contact with process fluids are indeed suitable for the process
conditions,
- that it has been manufactured in Europe,
- whatever
All these are valid topics for certification.
EN 10204 states: This document is used in conjunction with the product specifications which
specify the technical delivery conditions of the products.
This shows the responsibility of the purchaser: He shall indicate clearly to the manufacturer what
he wants to be certified and specify all test requirements.
This may be done in several ways:
- generally by specifying a product standard (an harmonized standard for instance when the
material is intended for a pressure equipment),
Page 58 / 292
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
a list of properties (data sheet) and a test program,

any criteria important for the purchaser.
The purchaser may also be satisfied with the standard certificate the supplier is proposing
in his commercial documentation.
The test result

A part from the basic 2.1 certificate, all EN 10204 certificates contain some data relating to the
tested properties of the supplied product.
For 2.2 certificates, the extent of test results to be supplied to the purchaser is not defined by the
standard; it is common practice to provide only the most important results.
Shop Inspection and EN 10204

Material certificate or product certificate ?
From the title of the standard itself, EN 10204 inspection certificates are meant for metallic
products: 1.1 This document specifies the different types of inspection documents supplied to the
purchaser, in accordance with the requirements of the order, for the delivery of all metallic products e.g.
plates, sheets, bars, forgings, castings, whatever their method of production.
But the standard offers an opening to that : 1.2 This document may also apply to non-metallic
products.
An immediate understanding of this last sentence is that the standard can also be used for plastic,
aluminium or other materials.
The PED Guideline 7/19 states: Current practice may require components to be delivered with
certificates based on standard EN 10204 Metallic products. Types of inspection documents or
corresponding requirement when they are placed on the market as such. The PED does not
preclude (exclude) supplying such certificates with components.
This provides the possibility for any components to receive an EN 10204 certificate.
Note: Components should be understood here in its PED definition, i.e. dished ends, bolts,
flanges, welded fittings etc.
And what about a plastic pump?
This step has been made, often under the pressure of clients, by many manufacturers of pumps,
valves and other accessories and assemblies, made of many different materials and components,
bolts, nuts, gaskets and other ingredients for which it is obviously impossible to ensure full
traceability to the original manufacturers of the raw materials.
And thus, starting from the classical EN 10204 Type 3.1 certificate we reach the stage of a
certificate of type EN 10204.
Page 59 / 292
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
For the purchaser, the meaning of this request is clear and legitimate: He wants a certificate
signed by the manufacturer of the final product (and eventually by an external party and
eventually with tests) stating that it conforms to his purchase order.
Nothing wrong with this requirement excepted that the reference to a standard has a certain
meaning. In particular, the reference to EN 10204 carries clear definitions of manufacturer,
intermediary and independence criteria and defines the extent of the guaranty offered by the
certificate.
The manufacturer of a pump may perform witnessed tests of performance and guaranty the
conformity of his product to the order. But the certificate will not be a real EN 10204
certificate. It will be a classic test report attached to a certificate of conformity.
On the other hand, he can issue normally a EN 10204 certificate covering for instance the wetted
parts of his pump, those for which he got certificates from the various manufacturers of these
parts.
In conclusion, the BV shop inspector should not accept to endorse certificates marked as being
EN 10204 if they refer to products other than materials or components.
Stockists and other Intermediaries
Most pressure equipment and other equipment manufacturers cannot afford to purchase their raw
materials directly from the material manufacturers. Some manufacturers simply do not sell
directly to the open market but only to stockists or intermediaries.
Also, for a single product, a dished end for instance, the number of successive manufacturers on
the production line may be significant: the billet manufacturer, the plate roller, the former, the
heat treater, etc.. Each of these operations alters the properties of the metal and requires a new EN
10204 certificate, built up from the previous one.
The master word for this trade is traceability, particularly for materials used in the fabrication of
regulated pressure equipment. Traceability is generally ensured by the batch number.
Ensuring traceability is normal practice for high grade products and serious stockists are used to.
They collect the original certificates and supply their customers with the appropriate
documentation, with traceability to the order and to the original manufacturer and transformers.
Stockists often require BV services when splitting a lot of product (a bundle of pipes or cutting a
plate in pieces sold separately) and when a 3.2 certificate is required. In this case, BV as an
independent inspector, supervises the physical operations performed by the stockist and endorses
the new material certificates issued by the stockist, as well as a copy of the original certificate
issued by the manufacturer(s).
An audit, based on EN 10204 requirement, of the traceability procedures of the stockist is
recommended before the start of such activity.
Page 60 / 292
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Fake Certificates and Fake Certification

No need to say that this full traceability has a cost and that a component with certificate may cost
100 times the price of the same component without certificate.
And when one is desperate to get a dished end with certificate and none is available or cannot be
afforded, the temptation is great to get one by any means. It is only a simple sheet of paper, isnt
it ?
The market is full of fake certificates:
- copies of certificates from previous heats,
- certificates with no traceability to the certified product,
- no reference or wrong reference to the purchase order,
- etc
The BV shop inspector may be requested to participate and cover the operation.
He shall be particularly cautious in the following situations, occurring for 3.2 certificates:
- the client is not the original material or component manufacturer,
- the client is a stockist or other intermediary who simply wants to transcribe or rewrite
a certificate without the original documents,
- the client wants to re-qualify the product,
- the client, who is not the original manufacturer, wants to upgrade a 3.1 certificate to a
3.2 type providing additional tests on the product,
- the material is already delivered or no longer available for inspection and testing,
- the traceability has been lost.
All these operations are not acceptable as the essential requirement of EN 10204 is not met: the
original manufacturer does not engage his responsibility in the certification.
It may even be considered as a fraud if the original manufacturer is obscured.
Page 61 / 292
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
PRESSURE EQUIPMENT
Foreword
63
Classification of Pressure Equipment
63
The inspection of pressure equipment
65
The reference
65
The design specification
65
Standards and Codes
65
Construction drawings
65
Materials and components
66
Manufacturing & Testing
66
Preparing the components
66
Assembling
67
Permanent joining
67
Visual Inspection
68
Non permanent joining
68
Non Destructive Testing
68
Destructive testing
69
Leak testing / hydrostatic testing
69
Typical scope of inspection for pressure equipment
70
More Information
Abstract: This section relates to the inspection of equipment containing fluids
such as vessels or pipes. Statutory inspections are excluded. You will find here
also the information about boilers and heaters, welding and NDT techniques.
Page 62 / 292
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Foreword
The inspection of Pressure Equipment generally falls under the statutory activities of BV (third
party inspections). In this case, only certified inspectors working with the relevant
Methodological Guides can perform the inspections.
Be aware that the following pressure equipment are generally regulated:
- equipment with an operating pressure of more than 0.5 bar,
- boilers, heaters, heat exchangers
- transportable equipment (tank containers, cylinders).
However, it does not mean that all inspections on such equipment fall under the statutory
requirements. A client may want his equipment to be inspected for quality which is different from
safety.
The inspection of pressure equipment is more demanding than many other inspections. Because
of the hazards inherent to pressure equipment, the inspector shoulders a large amount of
responsibility.
As pressure equipment manufacturing generally involves welding, the inspector needs also to be
a welding inspector. He/she must be knowledgeable about welding processes and procedures. The
ability to determine the proper code or codes when not known is also needed.
Knowledge of blueprints, specifications, and welding and non-destructive test symbols is
required. Knowledge of various test methods is also necessary.
Classification of Pressure Equipment

For the purpose of these guidelines we call pressure equipment products which are built to
contain fluids. These fluids may be under atmospheric, positive or negative pressures.
As mentioned earlier, the Guidelines are not oriented towards statutory inspections for which the
certified inspectors will have to revert to the BV procedures (methodological guides).
However, the terminology and classification used in this section is similar to the one used in the
European Pressure Equipment Directive:
Article 1 of PED
2.1 'Pressure equipment` means vessels, piping, safety accessories and pressure accessories.
Where applicable, pressure equipment includes elements attached to pressurized parts, such as
flanges, nozzles, couplings, supports, lifting lugs, etc.
Page 63 / 292
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
2.1.1 'Vessel` means a housing designed and built to contain

fluids under pressure including its direct attachments up to the
coupling point connecting it to other equipment. A vessel may be
composed of more than one chamber.
2.1.2. 'Piping` means piping components intended for the

transport of fluids, when connected together for integration into a
pressure system. Piping includes in particular a pipe or system of
pipes, tubing, fittings, expansion joints, hoses, or other pressurebearing components as appropriate.
2.1.3. 'Safety accessories` means devices designed to protect

pressure equipment against the allowable limits being exceeded.
Such devices include:
- devices for direct pressure limitation, such as safety valves,
bursting disc safety devices, buckling rods, controlled safety
pressure relief systems (CSPRS), and
- limiting devices, which either activate the means for correction
or provide for shutdown or shutdown and lockout, such as
pressure switches or temperature switches or fluid level switches
and 'safety related measurement control and regulation
(SRMCR)` devices.
2.1.4. 'Pressure accessories` means devices with an operational
function and having pressure-bearing housings.
2.1.5. 'Assemblies` means several pieces of pressure equipment

assembled by a manufacturer to constitute an integrated and
functional whole
Page 64 / 292
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
The inspection of pressure equipment

The reference
The design specification
Both the client and the manufacturer are involved in the design of a pressure equipment.
The Client (or his sub-contracted engineering) defines what he wants in terms of code (see
above), performance (capacity, product, pressure, corrosion, wind, etc) and geometry (overall
dimensions, position and diameters of nozzles, spacing and drilling of supports, etc). This can
be done under the form of a drawing and/or specifications or simply by reference to a catalogue
reference (for mass produced items).
Virtually all major and many minor construction projects are engineered to meet established
codes. Design specifications either meet or exceed these codes.
Standards and Codes
For single units or small series, the pressure equipment inspection is based on drawings and
specifications issued by the client and backed-up by a code of practice and standards.
For mass produced items like gas cylinders, tank containers, valves, the inspection comprises a
full examination of a type representative of the series and reduced scope inspections on the series.
Standards and codes sets out basic requirements and good practice for the design, materials,
manufacture, examination, testing, installation, conformity assessment, commissioning,
operation, inspection, maintenance, repair, alteration and disposal of pressure equipment.
The choice of the code is made by the Client, based on his preferences and eventually the
regulatory requirements (ASME may be mandatory, EN 13445 may be a good choice, most
exchangers are TEMA, etc).
The Manufacturer is selected for his ability to produce goods as per the specified standards and
codes. Some not familiar with AD Merkbltter for instance may refuse the order or propose an
alternative code.
The most common codes used in the industry of pressure equipment are listed in the attached
document Design Codes.
These codes and the design specifications determine the methods and extent of inspection
required for a particular job or project. As each standard specifies methods, scope and acceptance
criteria for inspection and testing differently, the first thing that an inspector has to do is to
establish the proper codes for the particular job at hand. This should be specified unambiguously
on the drawing or in the Inspection and Test Plan and stated during the kick-off meeting.
Construction drawings
Based on these design specifications, the manufacturer will issue his own fabrication drawings,
using the designing tools (CAD) he is used to in his company. These tools may be linked with the
purchasing, expediting, storage, inspection and accounting systems of the company and are
Page 65 / 292
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
independent from the clients. The key issue for the manufacturer is to design a pressure
equipment fit for the intended use and safe in all foreseeable conditions. This is his very own
responsibility in all regulations. Although the client may have preference about this or that aspect
of the manufacturing conditions, the manufacturer defines the critical aspects of the product such
as:
- selection of the materials,
- calculation of the wall thicknesses and reinforcements,
- welding procedures,
- controls,
- safety equipment
The correspondence between the clients requirements and the manufacturers fabrication
drawings may be controlled by the client or by the inspector.
In the frame of these Guidelines the inspector is not supposed to perform a real design review
whereby the proper application of the code is verified. The inspectors duty is limited to mention
clearly which document has been used for the inspection, with its exact reference
and revision numbers.

The constitutive elements of a pressure equipment are checked as per their respective role in the
final product.
Main pressure bearing parts receive the highest attention.
Filler products for the welding of the main pressure part also play an important role especially
when there are risks of corrosion.
Materials for supports, lifting lugs, feet, base plates are of less concern but require also some
attention.
The inspection scope should have established the content and extent of inspection for each of
these items. It can be:
- review of the certificates (check if it is the correct type and its content),
- checking of the traceability
- additional tests in critical cases (control for delamination for instance)
Manufacturing & Testing

Preparing the components
Before the assembling operation which is essential to built the fluid containment space, the plates,
pipes and fittings must be prepared properly. This will avoid subsequent joining problems and
deformations.
For process vessels and high pressure equipment there may be inspection requirements on this
component preparation:
- forming of heads,
- hot or cold bending,
- bevelling
- surface preparation: cleaning, degreasing, sand blasting
Page 66 / 292
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
The manufacturer should have procedures for these operations (this is part of the reference
documents) with defined inspection procedure and acceptance criteria.
The inspector shall use this as a reference and ask the manufacturer to demonstrate the
conformity.
Assembling
Permanent joining
As a foreword, inspection requirements on permanent joining are often linked to statutory
requirements. Before conducting any inspection related to the qualification of a welding
procedure, the inspector shall make sure it is not in such regulatory frame.
The term permanent joining, extensively used in the PED although most of this permanent
joining is welding, conveys the concept of qualification of the joining process. Indeed, once a
weld is finished, it is impossible to check whether or not it will hold the pressure, unless you cut
it off the vessel and put it on a test machine.
Permanent joining qualification is all about:
- defining a suitable procedure,
- test it and qualify it to demonstrate it works,
- check whether it is properly implemented,
- visual examination to detect visible flaws,
- NDT for what is not visible
- Destructive tests on some test coupons
Defining a suitable welding procedure is of the responsibility of the manufacturer. The joining of
common materials is well known but the brazing of alloyed titanium on duplex or the gluing of
Pyrex may be more tricky. Only the qualification of the joining procedure will demonstrate its
effectiveness.
The qualification of a permanent joining procedure comprises:
- The definition of the materials to be joined (or group of similar materials),
- The description of the joining technique and its essential parameters,
o characteristics of the joint (geometry, surface condition)
o filler materials (electrode, glue, )
o application (temperature, number of passes, etc)
- the joining of a test piece in controlled conditions
- the testing of the test piece for its expected properties (strength, ductility, corrosion
resistance, etc..)
The inspection of permanent joining qualification consists basically in the checking (by document
review or witnessing) of the above.
Depending the scope of inspection, the inspection of the proper implementation of the qualified
welding procedure may consist in one or more of the following tasks:
- checking that the parameters used in production are similar to those of the qualified
procedure. Check for instance the electrode diameter as, for productivity reasons, the
Page 67 / 292
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
welder may use bigger electrodes; this in turn introduces more heat and stress into the
weld seam which may be damageable to its strength and chemical properties. The
procedure should give the range of acceptability of the various parameters.
Checking the qualification of the welders. Not any welder is able to produce a good weld;
welders also have to be qualified, which is the purpose of an other service of BV. In the
present Guidelines we will only mention that the inspector shall check the qualification of
the welder (if required), for the particular weld he is doing.
Check the traceability of the welding: the manufacturer should keep a record showing for
each weld which procedure and which welder have been involved. The inspector checks
the coherence between the markings on the pressure equipment, the traceability record
and the range of qualification of the procedures and the welders.
Visual Inspection
No need to say that the inspection of permanent joining in general and welding in particular
require some training and experience; only qualified inspectors should perform these jobs.
For welding inspection for instance, the finished weld should be inspected for undercut, overlap,
surface irregularities, cracks, or other defects such as porosity. The root and second pass or hot
pass should be inspected in process for the degree of penetration and side wall fusion especially if
no further NDT/NDE is required.
A description of what to look for in the case of visual inspection of welding can be found in the
support page Welding Inspection.
For NDT et testing, see here after the sections about these techniques.
For welding, the inspector can also revert to the BV methodological guides relating to welding.
Non permanent joining
These are generally systems based on bolts and nuts, clamps, screws.
The common aspect of these assembling system is the care to be taken on the sealing element, the
gasket. To work properly, sealing elements need to be used in appropriate conditions. Here also
the manufacturer should have assembling procedures. These will generally refer to standards
and/or to the specifications of the sealant/gasket manufacturer. These products are highly
sophisticated and the instructions for use should be followed strictly.
Inspection points include:
- checking of the sealing or gasket component,
- checking of the preparation of both sides of the joint (geometry, surface condition)
- checking the force/torque exerted by the mechanism on the sealing element
The manufacturers procedure shall define all these parameters, how to achieve and measure
them and their range of acceptability.
Non Destructive Testing
Page 68 / 292
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
NDT techniques are used extensively for the control of the welds and of the components; the
most commonly used ones are described in the support pages in NDT Techniques.
Destructive testing
More than any procedure qualification or NDT investigation, destructive testing is the ultimate
mean to determine whether an equipment is fit for the purpose. But, as it name implies, the test
sample is destroyed.
There are basically two approaches to destructive testing:
- in mass production, one (or more) item will be selected at random and subjected to a
pressure test until it fails. The pressure at which this occurs and eventually the
deformation during the test are recorded and compared to the requirement. The inspector
shall check the representativity of the sample.
- destructive test of a weld coupon: during the production welding process, a segment of
welded joint is produced with the very same parameters as the product. This guaranties
that all parameters are identical: the materials, the joint preparation, the filler and gas, the
machine, the operator, the PWHT, the environment, etc The inspector shall verify the
traceability of the coupon to the welding procedure it qualifies.
Destructive tests are defined by the code or the specification and are generally attended/witnessed
by the inspector unless the testing laboratory has been qualified/recognized by BV.
Leak testing / hydrostatic testing
After all welds and assemblies are satisfactorily completed, the pressure equipment is usually
pressurized above its design operating pressure and held at that test pressure for a specific amount
of time. The usual test mediums are water, and to a lesser amount for safety reasons, air or an
other gas (usually nitrogen). These tests are defined by the applicable code and the inspector shall
be familiar with the particular requirements of this code.
The test pressure is calculated by formulae taking into account the maximum operating pressure
and, for equipment used at high temperature, the maximum operating temperature.
Pressurizing of the equipment may be subjected to a codified sequence, especially when gas is
used as the test medium and where the risk is higher.
The pressure holding time may be defined precisely by the code (1 hour for instance) or by a
statement such as sufficient time to allow the complete inspection of all welds.
There are two different types of tests:
- the resistance hydrostatic test, which purpose is to demonstrate the ability of the
pressure equipment to withstand the pressure. This test is generally performed with water
and at a pressure higher that the leak proofness test (typically 1.3 or 1.5 times the
Maximum Allowable Working Pressure (MAWP)). For this test and due to the stresses it
introduces in the components, the manufacturer may use special closing devices (blank
flanges, caps) and gaskets and bolts, reserved only for testing purpose.
- The leak proofness test (or tightness test) is performed once the equipment is
completely finished. It is then equipped with its service equipment (valves, safety
accessories, etc..), excepted such equipment which may be damaged such as rupture disks,
filters, meters, catalysers, etc. The medium can be the product used in service or water,
Page 69 / 292
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
air or a non dangerous gas. The test pressure is less than for the resistance test, typically
1.1 times the MAWP. The service equipment should not be changed or removed after this
test.
Typical scope of inspection for pressure equipment

-
Review Materials and components (see the section about Materials and Components)
Review manufacturing procedures
o Forming
o Assembling
Permanent joining (welding, brazing, soldering, gluing, )
Non permanent joining (bolting, )
Visual inspection
Review or witness the NDT
Witness testing
o resistance
o tightness
o destructive testing (coupons or burst test)
Marking and stamping
Recording
More information
Page 70 / 292
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
STEEL STRUCTURE
Purpose
Various Steel Structures
Structural Steel & Connections
Terminology
Design: Structural Engineering
Components
Standard structural steels (Europe)
Standard structural steels (USA)
Common structural shapes
Connections
Building Codes and Standards
The EN Eurocodes
The inspection of steel structures
Inspection Check List
Structural steel construction work
Welding
NDE and NDT
Bolting
Coating
72
72
73
73
73
74
74
75
76
77
78
78
79
80
80
82
82
83
85
Page 71 / 292
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Purpose
This sub-section of the Guidelines for Shop Inspection deals with the inspection of steel structure
components at fabrication stage.
It excludes other related topics like structures made of concrete or timber, the erection operations
of the fabricated steel structures or in-service inspections.
Steel structure fabrication inspection is very similar to the inspection of pressure vessels as it
implies similar tasks and investigations: review of the inspection plan, materials, assemblies,
coating, quality control. For those elements that are common to pressure vessels and steel
structure, like welding or coating inspection and even heat treatment, the reader is invited to refer
to the corresponding sections of the Guidelines.
We will focus here to the specificities of steel structures technology and inspection, particularly
the fabrication aspect and the bolting technology.
Various Steel Structures

Structural steelwork can be found in many places: buildings, industry, bridges, marine, tanks,
piles, road signalisation, etc
They may be classified in the following categories, by increasing complexity and inspection
requirements:
-
Conventional Steel Structures Small Public Service and Institutional Buildings,

(Schools, etc.), Shopping Centers, Light Manufacturing Plants, Miscellaneous and
Ornamental Iron Work, Warehouses, Sign Structures, Low Rise, Truss Beam/Column
Structures, Simple Rolled Beam Bridges.
Complex Steel Building Structures Large Public Service and Institutional Buildings,
Heavy Manufacturing Plants, Powerhouses (fossil, non-nuclear), Metal Producing/Rolling
Facilities, Crane Bridge Girders, Bunkers and Bins, Stadia, Auditoriums, High Rise
Buildings, Chemical Processing Plants, Petroleum Processing Plants.
Major Steel Bridges All bridge structures other than simple rolled beam bridges.
Metal Building Systems Pre-engineered Metal Building Structures.
Auxiliary and Support Structures for Nuclear Power Plants
Page 72 / 292
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Structural Steel & Connections

Terminology
The world of steel structures has its own vocabulary and it is important for a shop inspector to be
familiar with its terminology.
You will find in annex a glossary of the terms used in steel structures in general and in bolting in
particular.
If you are not familiar with all this, it might be a good idea to browse through this glossary before
starting the reading.
Design: Structural Engineering

Structural engineering is a field of engineering that deals with the design of any structural
system(s), the purpose of which is to support and resist various loads.
The structural engineering field is often subdivided into bridge engineering and structural
Page 73 / 292
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
engineering for buildings. Additionally, structural engineers often further specialize into special
structure manufacture or construction, such as pipeline engineering or industrial structures.
The technology of steel structures is based on few basic requirements:
- a steel structure must be strong enough to support the various loads, operational and
environmental: this is the job of the calculation engineer,
- it must withstand the aggression of time and weather: this is the coating aspect,
- erection time must be reduced to the shortest: therefore fabrication is pushed as far as
possible and field connections are bolted,
- fabrication must be accurate to avoid any problem on the erection site.
All these aspects are taken into account by the designer who generally performs calculations and
selects construction dispositions as per a construction code.
The Contractor translates the final design into construction drawings, list of components and
construction specifications describing the details of structural steel construction and the required
verifications.
These are the documents that will be used by the shop inspector as a reference for his inspections.
Components
The basic material used for steel structures is structural steel.
Structural steel is defined by both a material with a given chemical composition and strength, and
a profile formed with a specific shape or cross section with a given geometry.
Structural steel shape, size, composition, strength, corrosion resistance, etc, is regulated in most
industrialised countries.
Standard structural steels (Europe)
Most steels used throughout Europe are specified to comply with the European standard EN
10025. However, many national standards also remain in force.
Typical grades are described as 'S275J2' or 'S355K2W'. In these examples, 'S' denotes structural
rather than engineering steel; 275 or 355 denotes the yield strength in Newton per square
millimetre or the equivalent mega Pascal; J2 or K2 denotes the materials toughness by reference
to Charpy impact test values; and the 'W' denotes weathering steel. Further letters can be used to
designate normalised steel ('N' or 'NL'); quenched and tempered steel ('Q' or 'QL'); and thermomechanically rolled steel ('M' or 'ML').
The normal yield strength grades available are 195, 235, 275, 355, 420, and 460, although some
grades are more commonly used than others such as grades S275 and S355. Higher grades are
Page 74 / 292
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
available in quenched and tempered material (500, 550, 620, 690, 890 and 960 - although grades
above 690 receive little if any use in construction at present).
Standard structural steels (USA)
Steels used for building construction in the US use standard alloys identified and specified by
ASTM International. These steels have an alloy identification beginning with A and then two,
three, or four numbers. The four-number AISI steel grades commonly used for mechanical
engineering, machines, and vehicles are a completely different specification series.
The standard commonly used structural steels are:
Carbon steels
A36 - structural shapes and plate
High strength low alloy steels

A441 - structural shapes and plates
A53 - structural pipe and tubing
A572 - structural shapes and plates
A992 - W shapes beams only
A529 - structural shapes and

plates
Page 75 / 292
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Common structural shapes

In most developed countries, the shapes available are set out in published standards, although a
number of specialist and proprietary cross sections are also available.
The most common shapes are:
-
I-beam (I-shaped cross-section - in Britain these include Universal Beams (UB) and
Universal Columns (UC); in Europe it includes the IPE, HE, HL, HD and other sections;
in the US it includes Wide Flange (WF) and H sections)
Z-Shape (half a flange in opposite directions)
HSS-Shape (Hollow structural section also known as SHS (structural hollow section) and
including square, rectangular, circular (pipe) and elliptical cross-sections)
Angle (L-shaped cross-section)
Channel (C-shaped cross-section)
Tee (T-shaped cross-section)
Symbols used in steel structure drawings
Page 76 / 292
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Connections
Connections between the various elements of a steel structure are made by the following
techniques:
- Welding: essentially at shop fabrication stage
- Bolting: during on site erection
- Pinning: no longer or seldom used nowadays.
In the frame of this section of the Guidelines, we will not enter in the detail of welding inspection
as this has been done in an other section. It should be noted however that a steel structure
inspector should be qualified for welding inspection.
More information on connections design and technologies can be found in connections.pdf
Summary of connections.pdf
Bolted Connections
Slip-critical bolted connections
Bearing Connections
Example of design and calculation
Welded connections
Fillet weld design
Groove welded connections
Page 77 / 292
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Building Codes and Standards

The solidity of steel structures is critical for the public and, in a similar approach, the public
authorities impose rules for their fabrication.
A building code is a set of rules that specify the minimum acceptable level of safety for
constructed objects. The main purpose of the building codes is to protect public health, safety and
general welfare as they relate to the construction and occupancy of buildings and structures. The
building code becomes law of a particular jurisdiction when formally enacted by the appropriate
authority.
There are often additional codes or sections of the same building code that have more specific
requirements that apply to special construction objects.
Traditionally building codes were generally long complex interrelated sets of rules. They
generally included reference to hundreds of other codes, standards and guidelines that specify the
details of the component or system design, specify testing requirements for components, or
outline good engineering practice. These detailed codes required a great deal of specialization to
interpret, and also greatly constrained change and innovation in building design. In recent years
several countries have moved to much shorter objective based buildings codes. Rather than
prescribing specific details, objective codes lists a series of objectives all buildings must meet
while leaving open how these objectives will be met. When applying for a building permit the
designers must demonstrate how they meet each objective.
The EN Eurocodes
The EN Eurocodes are a series of 10 European Standards, EN 1990 EN 1999, providing a
common approach for the design of buildings and other civil engineering works. They are the
recommended means of giving a presumption of conformity with the essential requirements of
the Construction Products Directive for construction works and products that bear the CE
Marking, as well as the preferred reference for technical specifications in public contracts.
The EN Eurocodes are expected to contribute to the establishment and functioning of the internal
market for construction products and engineering services by eliminating the disparities that
hinder their free circulation within the Community. Further, they are meant to lead to more
uniform levels of safety in construction in Europe.
The EN Eurocodes will become the reference design codes. They are currently at the national
calibration stage. After publication of the national standards transposing the Eurocodes and the
National Annexes, they will be used in parallel with existing national standards until 2010, when
all conflicting standards will be withdrawn.
Page 78 / 292
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
EN 1993 Eurocode 3 : Design of steel structures

Eurocode 3 applies to the design of buildings and other civil engineering works in steel. It
complies with the principles and requirements for the safety and serviceability of structures, the
basis of their design and verification that are given in EN 1990 Basis of structural design.
Eurocode 3 is concerned with requirements for resistance, serviceability, durability and fire
resistance of steel structures.
Eurocode 3 is wider in scope than most of the other design EN Eurocodes due to the diversity of
steel structures, the need to cover both bolted and welded joints and the possible slenderness of
construction. EN 1993 has about 20 parts covering common rules, fire design, bridges, buildings,
tanks, silos, pipelined piling, crane supported structures, towers and masts, chimneys etc.
External Links:
Introduction to Eurocodes the Europa web site
eurocode-resources Portal with extensive Eurocode resources with focus on the design of
steel structures
Note: In America, many building codes are in use. The most common is proposed by the AISC
(American Institute of Steel Construction). You will find in annex the introductory part of this set
of codes:
Code of Standard Practice for Steel Buildings and Bridges
The inspection of steel structures

A steel fabricator cuts, punches, bends, and welds the basic steel shapes from the mill to form
each member of the structure. The fabricator may even assemble part of the steel structure in the
shop before shipping. By the time the components of the structure arrive on the erection site,
most of the work has been done.
Steel structure contractors process huge quantities of steel and run often several projects together
in the same shop. The assessment of the quality system is therefore essential as individual
inspection of each component is not possible.
When the inspector is not familiar with a contractor and/or if this contractor does not hold a
formal certification, he shall start with the assessment of its quality system before performing inshop inspections.
Page 79 / 292
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Good inspection of steel structure construction involves:

1. Ensuring that all the steel and steel parts delivered are the correct type and grade specified.
This involves checking the Project Plans, shop drawings, and the markings on the steel (also
checking the paperwork that accompanies each steel shipment).
2. Verifying that each component has the correct dimension as shown on the approved shop
drawings or required by the specifications.
3. Ensuring that the structure is assembled in strict accordance with the procedures
described in the approved shop drawings, the Special Provisions and the Standard Specification;
especially that no components are bent, over-stressed, cut, punched, drilled, or otherwise
damaged to expedite the fabrication procedures
4. Paying close attention to how connections are made. In steel construction, connections are
defined as the method by which two or more steel members are joined. Connections are either
welded, bolted, or pinned. In the shop, most connections are welded, it is rare for welding to be
done in the field and it is rare for bolting to be done in the shop. Pinning is seldom used
nowadays.
These are the overall goals for the inspection of steel structures. The rest of this section describes
in more detail structural steel inspection procedures and the underlying engineering objectives.
Inspection Check List

Before work observation inspections are performed in the shop, the inspector should review the
procedures and industry standards that apply to the work to be observed to ensure familiarity
with the requirements and acceptance criteria pertinent to the planned observations.
During field observations, carry a copy of the sections of the procedure and industry standards
pertinent to the planned observations and verify work is being accomplished using procedures of
the proper revision.
The major construction activities for steel structures and check points for the shop inspector are
listed in the following lines with guidance for inspecting each activity.
Structural steel construction work
Assess if structural steel construction work is being accomplished under controlled conditions
using approved instructions, procedures, and checklists.
Perform the following checks, as applicable, for the activities ongoing at the time of the
inspection:
- Select four receiving inspection reports for structural steel and verify the following:
Material received meets the design specification including shape, size, dimension, and
material type and grade. The material specified should conform to the standard
specifications.
Page 80 / 292
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Certified mill test reports or certified reports of test made by the fabricator or a qualified
testing laboratory is provided.
- Select two receiving reports for four types of structural material (e.g., girders, plate, weld filler
metal, fasteners, expansion anchors, and steel embedments) and for each report independently
verify the following:
Access to the storage area is controlled
Material is identified with a marking system. The system is effective with legible marking
(tags that are easily read and not subject to weather) to identify material. The fabricator
shall be able to demonstrate by a written procedure and by actual practice a method of
material identification, visible at least through the fit-up operation, for the main
structural elements of each shipping piece.
Protection from environment and weather is provided, as appropriate. Materials are not
subject to harmful dust, rain, grease, corrosion, etc.
Nonconforming material is segregated, as necessary.
- Select three recently completed or in progress steel structures and verify the following:
Verify that structural steel frame orientation, details and frame member sizes are in
accordance with approved plans and specifications.
Fit-up tolerances are not exceeded.
Clearances are not exceeded.
- Select one steel structure and verify the following:
Column bases have the
required finish.
Thermal cut edges have the
required finish.
The length of structural
materials (e.g., girders)
meets requirements.
The fabrication tolerances
of welded structural
members conform to the
provisions of Standard
The depth or width of
structural materials (e.g.,
girders) are according to
the material specification.
Structural members
consisting primarily of a single rolled shape are straight within the appropriate tolerances
allowed by the Specification.
Camber inspection may be made using a laser, a stringline, or a transit as a baseline. The
tension on the stringline must be such that camber offset readings can be made
horizontally to the outside of the member at approximately the web to flange line.
Page 81 / 292
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
The straightening of plates, angles, other shapes and built-up members shall be done by
methods that will not produce fracture or other injury. Distorted members shall be
straightened by mechanical means or by the carefully planned and supervised application
of a limited amount of localized heat. Heat straightening of high strength steel members
shall be done only under rigidly controlled procedures. Heat shall not be applied directly
on weld metal. In all other steels, the temperature of the heated area shall not exceed 620
C. Temperature shall be controlled by indicating-crayons, liquids or bimetal
thermometers. Parts to be heat straightened shall be free of stress and external forces,
except stress resulting from mechanical means used with the application of heat.
Following the straightening of a bend or buckle, the surface of the metal shall be
inspected for evidence of fracture.
Welding
The technique of welding, the workmanship, appearance and quality of welds, and the
methods used in correcting nonconforming work shall be in accordance with the
specification
Welding material is controlled
according to Standard
All welders are qualified according
to Standard
A number, letter, or symbol
identifies the welders and weld
operators; and the identifier is used
to identify the work.
Control of welding material.
Inspection sampling for fullpenetration and partial-penetration
welds.
NDE and NDT
When visual inspection is required to be performed by a certified welding inspector, it
shall be so specified in the design documents.
When non destructive testing is required, the process, extent and standards of acceptance
shall be clearly defined in the design documents.
The inspector shall verify that the NDT procedure covers the requirements of the standard
and of the order
Page 82 / 292
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Bolting
Bolt hole size for standard, oversize, short-slotted, and long-slotted holes for bolted
connections is not exceeded. All fastener holes shall be either punched or drilled. In all
cases hereafter, drilling may be substituted for punching of full size holes, subdrilling may
be substituted for subpunching, and holes may be drilled in assembly from the solid
instead of being subpunched or subdrilled and reamed.
High-strength bolts are in conformity with the standard . The bolts are tensioned (using
torque wrenches or turn-of-the- nut method) as specified and the nuts are installed with at
least minimum thread engagement.
Minimum bolt hole spacing requirements are not exceeded.
Torque wrenches are calibrated as required by the construction specification.
Calibrated wrench inspection may be used only when wrenched are calibrated on a daily
basis. Standard torques determined from tables or from formulas which are assumed to
relate torque to tension shall not be acceptable.
When calibrated wrenches are used for installation, they shall be set to deliver a torque
which has been calibrated to produce a tension not less than 5 percent in excess of the
minimum specified tension. The installation procedures shall be calibrated by verification
testing at least once each working day for each bolt diameter, length and grade using fastener
assemblies that are being installed in the work. This verification testing shall be
accomplished in a device capable of indicating actual bolt tension by tensioning three
complete fastener assemblies of each diameter, length and grade from those being installed
with a hardened washer under the element turned.
Wrenches shall be recalibrated when significant difference is noted in the surface condition
of the bolts, threads, nuts or washers. It shall be verified during actual installation in the
assembled steel work that the wrench adjustment selected by the calibration does not
produce a nut or bolt head rotation from snug greater than that permitted by the specification.
Page 83 / 292
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
If manual torque wrenches are used, nuts shall be turned in the tensioning direction when
torque is measured.
When calibrated wrenches are used to install and tension bolts in a connection, bolts shall be
installed with hardened washers under the element turned to tension the bolts. Once the
connection has been snugged, the bolts shall be torqued using the calibrated wrench.
Torquing shall progress systematically from the most rigid part of the joint to its free edges.
The wrench shall be returned to "touch up" previously torqued bolts which may have been
relaxed as a result of the subsequent torquing of adjacent bolts until all bolts are torqued to
the prescribed amount.
Are the bolts the size and type specified in the plans and specs? Bolted connections are
much stronger when the threaded portion of the bolt shaft is kept out of the grip, which is
defined as the connection plates and the adjoining structural members. For this reason,
limits are placed on how far the threads can penetrate into the grip. On the other hand, if
the thread is too far out of the grip, the nut may run out of thread before the bolt is
properly tightened. Washers can be added to remedy this situation. If washers are used,
the bolt length should be increased in 4-millimeter increments for flat washers and
6millimeter increments for bevelled washers. The bolt lengths determined by the above
procedure should then be increased to the next greater 6-millimeter increment. These
lengths allow for manufacturer's tolerances and will provide an adequate length of bolt
protrusion through the nut.
The Inspector must check each bolt in a connection to verify these conditions are
satisfied. The Inspector should also check the bolt length to ensure that at least two
threads are exposed after all the washers and the nut or double nuts have been added.
Do galvanized and zinc coated bolts have a visible lubricant (blue) on the threads? A
proper snug tight fit will not be achieved unless the bolts are lubricated.
Page 84 / 292
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Are bolts installed in all holes of a connection as required then brought to a "snug tight"
condition? The Inspector must verify that all bolts in a bearing connection are snug tight.
Even bolts in a slip-critical connection are to be in a snug-tight condition before
tensioning. Snug tightening shall progress systematically from the most rigid portion of a
connection to the free edge, and then the bolts shall be retightened in a similar manner as
necessary until all bolts are systematically snug tight.
What is the required nut rotation from the snug tight position?
Are all fasteners protected from dirt and moisture at the job site as required?
It is required that only bolts to be installed and tightened during a work shift shall be
removed from protective storage.
What method is used to ensure that the proper turn on the nut or bolt is achieved and that
the element not turned remains stationary?
An inspector is required to observe the installation of fasteners in the work to assure the
procedure, as demonstrated in the initial testing to provide specified tension, is routinely
and properly applied. Is this requirement being observed?
Are three bolts of each diameter, length and grade being tested by the contractor for bolt
tension at the start of work, in a device capable of measuring bolt tension?
Bolts shall be installed with a hardened washer under the bolt head or nut, whichever is
the element being turned.
Are the threaded ends of bolts placed on the inside, away from weather where
practicable?
Bolts should not be installed in a connection unless the connection will be brought to a
snug tight condition during the work shift.
If bolts are exposed to weather or show signs of rust they must be re-lubricated and a
rotational capacity test re-performed.
Maximum and minimum edge distance for slotted, oversize, and standard bolt holes is not
exceeded.
Coating
Is the painting contractor certified?
Has the contractor submitted his quality control plan for painting?
Page 85 / 292
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
If removal of lead paint is required, has the contractor complied with all aspects of
environmental and worker protection?
When steel painting is being conducted is the ambient temperature above 5C and relative
humidity under 90%?
Are all damaged areas cleaned, and/or repaired, and painted prior to application of
intermediate coat?
Is the proper surface preparation and cleaning sequence being followed as per the
specifications and/or contract documents?
Is all traffic, vehicular and pedestrian, protected from overspray and splatter?
Are any paint runs or sags visible?
Under 8x magnification, are excessive bubbles or pinholes visible?
Is the total dry film thickness for new structures a minimum of 75 m for shop coat and a
total thickness of the field coats a minimum of 75 m? Thickness of paint for painting
existing structures will be noted on the plans.
Members and parts to be galvanized shall be designed, detailed and fabricated to provide
for flow and drainage of pickling fluids and zinc and to prevent pressure build-up in
enclosed parts.
More Information
For those who are really enthusiastic about steel construction, here is a set of courses on the
subject.
http://www.kuleuven.ac.be/bwk/materials/Teaching/master/toc.htm
Page 86 / 292
Machinery
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
MACHINERY
88
95
100
Shop Inspections ..........................................................................................100

Safety inspections ........................................................................................100
Commissioning ............................................................................................101
Used machinery for export...........................................................................101
101
The reference................................................................................................101
Materials and components ...........................................................................102
Assembling...................................................................................................102
Trial run........................................................................................................102
Testing..........................................................................................................103
103
More Information
Abstract: There are thousands of different machines but all are made of materials,
components, structure and some sort of engine. This section starts with a tentative
classification of the various types of machines and the inspection points for each of them.
The support pages contain extensive documentation about vibration, alignment, performance
testing, cavitation, NPSH measurement and papers specific to certain equipment.
Page 87 / 292
Machinery
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
There are thousands of different machines and there is no official classification for them.
For the purpose of these Guidelines we have classified the various machines likely to be
inspected by BV into categories based on the main functioning principle.
The inspection of machinery is generally oriented towards the assessment of its performance,
which in turn is bound to the mechanical principle of the equipment. For instance, rotating
equipment is characterized by its torque, speed, vibration and noise level; handling equipment is
characterized by the load it can handle. Therefore, during the inspection of any rotating
equipment or any handling equipment, the inspector will always face the same investigations and
testing techniques, adapted to the performance to be demonstrated.
The following table presents for each category of machine:
- a short description,
- a sample picture
- the specific inspection items
Page 88 / 292
Machinery
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Basic components common to various types of machines

ball bearings, gears, sheaves, pulleys, belts
Scope of Inspection
- materials
- machining
- surface treatment
- efficiency
ball bearings
gears
clutches, brakes
Scope of Inspection
- materials
- machining
- assembling
Transmissions, Gear boxes, Reductors, Variators
Scope of Inspection
- components
- machining
- power, torque
- noise, vibration
Fluid power equipment

Fluid power equipment and components is a
combination of pneumatic and hydraulic components,
devices, instruments and systems designed to facilitate or
force the flow of fluids (in this case, both liquids and
gases).
Hydraulic machines (Hydraulic Press, accumulator,
intensifier, cylinder, jack, lift, ram)
As the names imply, hydraulic equipment relates to
liquid fluids (such as water or oil), while pneumatic
power equipment refers to those items that use, or are
Page 89 / 292
Machinery
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
driven by air pressure.
Pneumatic equipment and components, as the name

implies, are moved or worked by air pressure.
Scope of Inspection
- components
- power, torque
- efficiency
- leakage
Air cylinders, air motors, air pressure

regulators, compressed air dryers,
compressed air filters, electropneumatic transducers, filter - regulator
- lubricator (FRL) assemblies,
pneumatic flow controls, pneumatic
grippers, linear thrusters, manifolds,
pneumatic rotary actuators, pressure
control valves, pressure regulators,
proportional valves, rodless cylinders,
solenoid valves, tubing, vacuum
pressure regulators
Internal combustion engine

Diesel engine
Scope of Inspection
- components
- power, torque
- efficiency, consumption
- vibration, noise
Page 90 / 292
Machinery
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Reciprocating machines
Scope of Inspection
pressure ratio
flow rate
static and total pressure
static and total temperatures
work done, efficiency
power input factor
pressure coefficient
slip factor pro-whirl
surging and choking
moisture and oil content
Rotary compressors and rotary screw compressors
move gas through the system by the positive
displacement of two rotating lobes or by oscillating
vanes confined in an eccentric cylinder.
Page 91 / 292
Machinery
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Ejector compressors move gas via kinetic energy

induced through high-velocity nozzles.
Fan / blower compressors contain high-speed impellers

through which a dynamic head is imparted to the
gas. This category of gas compressors includes axial
flow, radial, centrifugal and fan-blower compressors.
They may also be referred to as turbo-machinery.
Scope of Inspection
- drag and lift on aerofoil blade
- pressure rise
- flow
- power input
- efficiency
- losses
- drag and lift coefficients
- vibration, noise
Turbines
Scope of inspection
-
materials,
machining
geometry
surface treatment
power, torque
nominal operating speed

efficiency, flow losses
dynamic properties
performance curve (vs head,
discharge, load)
vibration, noise
balance
alignment
Page 92 / 292
Machinery
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Hydraulic Turbines (power generation)

Pelton, Kaplan, Francis, bulb
Kaplan
Pelton
Bulb
Francis
Turbo charger
Heavy industrial turbines

- power generation
- drive for compressors
Page 93 / 292
Machinery
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Gas Turbine engine
Pumps
Pump technologies include
-
positive displacement (piston, diaphragm, rotary

vane and screw styles)
non positive displacement (centrifugal, axial

and regenerative blowers).
Scope of inspection
-
components (bearings, pulleys,

belts, gears, )
power, torque
nominal operating speed
efficiency,
performance curve (vs head,
discharge, load,
Net Positive Suction Head (NPSH),
vibration, noise
balance, alignment, cavitation
support flexibility
Page 94 / 292
Machinery
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

The positive displacement pump operates by alternating
of filling a cavity and then displacing a given volume of
liquid. The positive displacement pump delivers a
constant volume of liquid against varying discharge
pressure or head.
Reciprocating pump
The positive displacement pump can be classified as:

- Reciprocating pumps
- Power pumps
- Rotary pumps
Rotary pump
Centrifugal Pumps
The centrifugal pump produce a head and a flow by
increasing the velocity of the liquid through the machine
with the help of a rotating vane impeller.
The centrifugal pump can be classified as:
End suction pump
In-line pump
Double suction pump
Vertical multistage pump
Horizontal multistage pump
Submersible pumps
Self-priming pumps
Axial-flow pumps
Regenerative pumps
Centrifugal pump
Page 95 / 292
Machinery
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Engineered systems/equipment
This is a vast family of equipment which comprises of
all machines specifically designed for a process.
It includes generally some steel structure, mechanical
components (bearings, transmission equipment, drives,
etc)
Some examples:
- mixer, trommel, rotary screen, washing drum, sieve,
blender, dryer, extractor
Scope of inspection
- components,
- geometry
- structure (materials, assembling, painting)
- capacity
- power requirements
- vibration, noise
trommel
dryer
Air cooling, HVAC

air cooler unit, cooling Tower
Scope of inspection
- components,
- geometry
- structure (materials, assembling, painting)
- functioning
- vibration, noise
- capacity (BTU)
- energy efficiency rating (EER)
Page 96 / 292
Machinery
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Handling and Lifting Equipment

Industrial cranes are machines used for raising, shifting, and lowering loads by means of a
projecting swinging arm or with the hoisting apparatus supported on an overhead track. They range
from small site cranes to immense tower and deck cranes for heavy lifting applications including
moving cargo containers, steel, concrete, large tools like acetylene torches and generators, and a wide
variety of other building materials. Load lifting and moving controls include manual, power, or a
combination of both. Industrial cranes are available in the following common varieties: jib (both wall
and floor mounted), gantry, bridge or overhead, mobile or truck, boom, tower, and ship or deck.
Scope of inspection
- Structure (materials, weldments, assembling, dimensional, NDT)
- Equipment (cables, engines, motors, hydraulic / pneumatic systems, gears, brakes, control
system)
- Painting
- Stability
- Power
- safety systems
- noise level
Jib cranes comprise a horizontal beam (jib) upon which
a shuttle or hoist is mounted. These cranes may
mounted either into the side of a wall, or upright in a
floor or a foundation. Upright mounted jib cranes have
higher load ratings than wall-mount
varieties. Cantilevered jib cranes can incorporate full or
partial rotation.
Gantry cranes have a horizontal beam supported by end
supports or legs. These can vary in size from small
workstation cranes to very large heavy construction
cranes. Gantry cranes provide economical material
handling in areas where an overhead crane system is not
available or practical.
Overhead or bridge-style cranes are comprised of a

horizontal load-bearing beam, which is attached at its
end to wall columns (overhung) or the underside of the
ceiling (underhung).
Page 97 / 292
Machinery
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Overhead crane
Mobile or truck mount cranes may be moved or driven

around to different locations.
Bridge crane
Mobile cranes
Boom cranes use a large structure or pole (boom) to

support a suspended cable for load attachment.
Tower cranes are generally large load cranes that

resemble a jib in that they frequently have a cantilever
boom, although they are for very heavy-duty
applications.
Ship and deck cranes are designed for shipboard or

dockside mounting for loading and unloading ships,
freighters, etc.
Page 98 / 292
Machinery
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Monorail conveyor
Industrial hoists are lifting and pulling devices that use

some form of line to move or lift a load. Industrial hoists
are primarily used for vertical lifting. There are a
number of standard specs to keep in mind when selecting
a hoist for the application at hand; notably load capacity,
lift length, maximum lift speed, and whether a pulley
block is needed.
Industrial hoists can be divided into two main categories,
powered and manual, based upon their power source and
method of actuation. Powered hoists include all manner
of motor-driven types, including those with electric,
pneumatic, hydraulic or fossil fuel (gas and oil)
motors. The manual category includes hand cranked,
levered or ratcheted hoists that are man-powered or
otherwise hand manipulated. Industrial hoists are
designed with a number of mounting configurations to
cover a wide range of applications. The most common
configurations include trolley mount, lug mount, and
suspension hook.
Trolley mounts are mounted on tracks or I-beams; can
be positioned anywhere along rail or beam. Lug mount
hoists are designed with holes for bolt-on mounting to
threaded lugs, or having lugs meant for mating with
boltholes. Lug mounts are sometimes compatible with
trolley configurations. Suspension hook mounts require a
top hook for mounting onto a mating hook on the crane
boom or ceiling. When installing a hoist system, be sure
that the supporting structures and load-attaching devices
provide an adequate safety factor to handle the rated load
plus the weight of the equipment. When in doubt,
consult a qualified structural engineer.
Electric hoist
Trolley
Industrial hoists use a number of materials for their

primary lifting lines including wire ropes and cables,
fibre ropes, webs and straps, and chains. The type of
line varies with the application and the style of hoist, but
Page 99 / 292
Machinery
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
it should be noted that metal chains and cables are

generally more durable than fibre or rope.
Machine tools
Scope of inspection
- Power
- Speed
- Capacity
- Accuracy
- Vibration
Boring mill
lathe
Milling machine

Shop Inspections
A machine can be inspected with several objectives.
These guidelines only relate to inspections at the production workshop and are generally targeted
towards assessment of quality, capacity, performance, packing.
Other inspections include:
- safety inspections
- commissioning
- used machinery for export
Safety inspections
Machines are composed of moving elements and are therefore intrinsically dangerous. They are
covered by numerous standards and regulations. Although the implication of statutory bodies is
Page 100 / 292
Machinery
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
less than for pressure vessels, the inspector shall verify that the inspection he is called for does
not fall under a statutory requirement. In no case shall his report contain a statement of
conformity to a safety standard or a regulation.
The most common regulation an inspector will encounter is the CE marking. This marking is
compulsory on all machines to be used in the European Community, and is also specified by
many other countries or clients. The main underlying directive for the CE Marking of machines is
the Directive 2006/42/EC, the Machinery Directive. However, only some types of machines
require the intervention of a notified body, for the bulk of them the conformity to the directive is
self-declared by the manufacturer.
Machines requiring a Notified Body are listed in the Annex 4 of the Directive and comprise
mainly woodworking machines, saws, presses, moulding machines, lifts, safety components (see
the full list in the attached Directive).
Specific Essential Safety Requirements apply to certain categories of machinery such as mobile
machines and those dedicated to lifting operations, underground work and moving of persons.
When the reference documents for an inspection include the reference to a CE marking (or any
other regulation or safety standard), the duty of the shop inspector is limited to mentioning in his
report that he has checked the presence of the Declaration of Conformity from the
Manufacturer, and not to verify this statement.
Commissioning
Commissioning is the process by which a machine is made operational and verified to be in
accordance with design assumptions and to have met the performance criteria. It includes
adjusting and functional tests which include the extremes of the required specification.
Commissioning is not an inspection task but is part of the pre-operations of the machine.
On request of a client, an inspector may attend the commissioning for witnessing and reporting
purpose. He shall never participate to the operation itself for responsibility reasons.
Used machinery for export

This type of inspection is related to pre-shipment inspection more than to shop inspection as the
purpose of it is to get documents for the trade and custom clearance.
Often the machine components are already packed when the inspector is coming and he can only
attest that the packing list is correct.
The inspector should not make any statement about quality or presumed performance of the
machine.

The reference
Most machines are ordered with reference to a catalogue and an additional data sheet.
Engineered machines are defined by a set of technical documents with drawings, specifications
and data sheets.
Page 101 / 292
Machinery
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
These documents may be supported by standards, used to define machine elements or test
procedures and acceptability criteria (EN Standards for machinery safety or ASME Code Section
XI, Subsection IWP, for instance).
As machines are ordered at an early stage in the construction of industrial plants, it is particularly
important to verify that the Client and the Manufacturer are using reference documents with the
same revision number.
Mass produced machines are subjected to a type test on a prototype followed by routine tests on
the series.

When designing a machine, material and components are selected for their properties which are
adapted to the final required performance of the machine.
For instance:
- a gear can only transmit the power its material will sustain,
- a lift is only as powerful as the driving motor, the cables, and the structure and it is only
as safe as the brakes and the control system
The inspector shall check the materials and components used for the fabrication of the machine in
the usual way:
- identification,
- traceability
- review of the certificates
Assembling
Upon machining of the materials and assembling of the components, the inspector performs a
visual inspection and a dimensional checking prior to testing.
The visual inspection includes checking of :
- list, references, traceability of the components,
- structure and supports,
- workmanship,
- geometry,
- painting
- safety equipment
- control equipment
Trial run
Before testing the machine may be subjected to a trial run aimed at detecting any problem before
official testing.
During this test the inspector conducts a visual inspection for:
- defects such as unusual noise and vibration, leaks, misalignment
- belts or coupling tension
- lubricating oil temperatures and cooling water temperatures and pressure
- pressure gauges and flow meters for proper performance
- cavitation
- piping stresses
- insufficient supporting
Page 102 / 292
Machinery
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
improper operation (excess speed, lack of lubricant, excess temperature or pressure)
Testing
Performance testing is the most important phase for machinery inspection.
These tests should demonstrate that the machine complies with the data sheet requirements.
The inspection technique is described in Attending hydrostatic and performance tests.
Testing protocols are generally defined by specific standards , within the standard applicable to
the product or by the order; their implementation shall be checked thoroughly as the test results
largely depend on how the operation is conducted.
The inspector should have a basic knowledge of the working principles of the machine and of
those of the testing techniques.
Tests are generally conducted by the manufacturer on a test rig specially equipped for its normal
production.
The inspector shall check:
- the type and location of the measuring, metering and control equipment, transducers,
detectors and calculators,
- their calibration,
- the measuring range,
- the accuracy of the measurements (ask for uncertainty calculation if necessary)
- the testing program,
- the acceptance limits
The inspector witnesses the tests for correct application of the test programme. He records his
own readings for subsequent checking of the data recorded by the manufacturer. He verifies the
calculations and the final report issued by the manufacturer.
He stamps the reviewed records at the end of each test run, this is particularly important if the test
program extends over several days and is witnessed by several inspectors.
After testing the machine may be disassembled for checking of internal wear.

-
identification of the machine and its components,

Review the materials and components certificates (see section 7)
Check the number and specifications of installed components
For machines with a structure:
o Visual examination of the weldments
o Dimensional check
o Painting and coating
Visual inspection
In specific case, review or witness the NDT
Witness performance test
Manufacturer file review
Recording
More information
Page 103 / 292
Electrical
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
105

119
The reference....................................................................119
Materials and components................................................119
Assembling.......................................................................119
Trial run............................................................................119
Testing..............................................................................119
120
More Information
Abstract: Although many machines use electricity, we will look here at

industrial equipment in which the electrical aspect constitutes the core of the
inspection. For such inspections, some basic knowledge of Electricity is
required and the Support Pages are particularly developed in this respect,
starting from basic courses about AC and DC up to the principles of motors.
Equipment for automatism and regulation, although not considered generally
as electrical equipment, are also classified in this section.
Page 104 / 292
Electrical
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

The following table lists the most commonly inspected electrical equipment.
For each product you can find a short description of it and the usual scope of inspection.
There is also an extensive list of electrical equipment in the support pages.
Motors & Generators

Motors are the devices that provide the actual
speed and torque in a drive system. This
family includes AC motor types (single and
multiphase motors, universal, servo motors,
induction, synchronous, and gear motor) and
DC motors (brushless, servo motor, and gear
motor) as well as linear, stepper and air
motors, and motor contactors and starters.
Scope of inspection
-
shaft speed,
terminal voltage,
current per phase,
continuous output power,
static or holding torque,
scope of rotating machinery
AC motors (alternating current) is a very

wide class of motors, including single /
multiphase, universal, servo, induction,
synchronous, and gearmotor types. The
magnetic field, generated by AC motors, is
produced by an electromagnet powered by the
same AC voltage as the motor coil. The coils
that produce the magnetic field are
traditionally called the field coils while the
coils and the solid core that rotates is called
the armature.
There are two distinct types of AC motors,
synchronous and induction.
A synchronous motor consists of a series of
three windings in the stator section with a
simple rotating area. A current is passed
through the coil, generating torque on the coil.
Since the current is alternating, the motor will
run smoothly only at the frequency of the sine
wave. This allows for constant, unvarying
speed from no load to full load with no slip.
Page 105 / 292
Electrical
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Induction motors are the more common of

the two motor types. They use electric current
to induce rotation in the coils rather than
supplying the rotation directly. Induction
motors use shorted wire loops on a rotating
armature and obtain their torque from currents
induced in these loops by the changing
magnetic field produced in the field coils.
DC motors are configured in many types and
sizes, including brushless, servo, and
gearmotor types. A motor consists of a rotor
and a permanent magnetic field stator. The
magnetic field is maintained using either
permanent magnets or electromagnetic
windings. DC motors are most commonly
used in variable speed and torque
applications.
Brushed DC motors have built-in
commutation, meaning that as the motor
rotates, mechanical brushes automatically
commutate coils on the rotor. Brushless DC
motors use an external power drive to allow
commutation of the coils on the stator. Brushtype motors are used when cost is a priority,
while brushless motors are selected fulfill
specific requirements, such as maintenancefree operation, high speeds, and hazardous
environments where sparking could be
dangerous.
DC gearmotors are configured in many types
and sizes, including brushless and servo. A
DC gearmotor consists of a rotor and a
permanent magnetic field stator and an
integral gearbox or gearhead. The magnetic
field is maintained using either permanent
magnets or electromagnetic windings. DC
motors are most commonly used in variable
speed and torque applications.
Stepper motors use a magnetic field to move
a rotor. Stepping can be done in full step, half
step or other fractional step increments.
Page 106 / 292
Electrical
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Voltage is applied to poles around the rotor.

The voltage changes the polarity of each pole,
and the resulting magnetic interaction
between the poles and the rotor causes the
rotor to move. Stepper motors provide precise
positioning and ease of use, especially in low
acceleration or static load applications.
Generators are devices for the conversion of
mechanical, chemical, or other form of energy
into electrical energy. The most common type
of generator, for example a bicycle dynamo,
relies on electromagnetic induction to convert
mechanical energy into electrical energy.
Such a generator is essentially a reversed
electric motor, with a rotor carrying one or
more coils surrounded by a magnetic field,
typically supplied by a permanent magnet or
electromagnet. Mechanical energy (often
from a steam-turbine) is used to rotate the
rotor, which induces an electric current in the
rotor coil. In the case of a generator providing
direct current, a mechanical switch or
commutator switches the current every halfrotation so that it remains unidirectional.
Large modern generators (alternators) in
power-stations provide alternating-current
output for general distribution
Scope of inspection
-
shaft speed,
terminal voltage,
current per phase,
step angle
Scope of inspection
shaft speed,
terminal voltage,
current per phase,
scope of rotating machinery
Page 107 / 292
Electrical
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Transformers & Other Inductors

Power transformers convert power-level
voltages from one level or phase
configuration to another. They can include
features for electrical isolation, power
distribution, and control and instrumentation
applications. Transformers typically rely on
the principle of magnetic induction between
coils to convert voltage and/or current levels.
Power transformers can be constructed as
either a toroidal or laminated transformer.
Scope of inspection
-
maximum primary voltage rating

maximum secondary voltage rating,
maximum secondary current rating,
maximum power rating,
output type
Toroidal transformers typically have copper

wire wrapped around a cylindrical core so the
magnetic flux, which occurs within the coil,
doesnt leak out, the coil efficiency is good,
and the magnetic flux has little influence on
other components. Laminated transformers
contain laminated-steel cores; they are also
called E-I transformers.
RF transformers are devices designed to
transfer energy from one circuit to another by
electromagnetic induction. RF transformers
are typically used to increase or decrease the
voltage from one side of the transformer to
the other. The turn ratio, or the number of
windings on the primary and secondary sides
of the transformer, will determine the change
in voltage. RF transformers are use in lowpower circuits for impedance matching to
achieve maximum power transfer, for voltage
step-up or step-down, and for DC isolation of
two circuits while maintaining AC continuity.
Scope of inspection
-
operating frequency range,

3 dB bandwidth,
amplitude unbalance,
phase unbalance,
impedance ratio,
insertion loss,
rated DC current,
DCR,
operating temperature
connector type
Scope of inspection
Current Transformers Current transformers

are used to measure current in electric
circuits. Their main role is to condition (step
down) the current to measurable levels
maximum primary voltage rating

maximum secondary voltage rating,
maximum secondary current rating,
maximum power rating,
Page 108 / 292
Electrical
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Electric Wiring Equipment and Insulation

Power Cables Power cables are solid or
stranded conductors surrounded by insulation,
shielding, and a protective jacket. These
cables are designed for high voltages (>600
V). Generally the power cables are rated Low
Voltage (<1kV), Medium Voltage (6-36 kV),
and High Voltage (>40 kV).
Wire and cable bare conductors are
constructed from conducting materials to
carry electric current. They are available in
two styles; solid conductor or several
conductors twisted or braided together for
added flexibility. Solid wire and cable bare
conductors are formed from a single strand of
solid metal that is drawn into a conductor.
The drawn conductor shape may be of
traditional circular shape, or in the form of a
flexible flat conductor.
The most commonly used metals are
aluminum and copper, as well as alloys of
each.
Scope of inspection
-
number of conductors,
nominal outer diameter,
rated voltage,
rated amperage,
Scope of inspection
number of conductors,
nominal outer diameter,
rated voltage,
rated amperage,
dimensions
Electrical Insulation Electrical insulation

includes various forms of materials that
surround and protect electrical conductors
such as wire and cable, and prevent unwanted
current flow or leakage
Ceramic Insulation and Textiles Ceramic
fibers, fibrous refractories or thermal
insulation products consist of ceramic fibers
in bulk, fiberboard, paper or rope forms
Page 109 / 292
Electrical
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Insulators and bushings

An insulator is a device intended for electrical
insulation and mechanical fixing of
equipment or conductors which are subject to
potential differences.
They are used for overhead lines or
substations.
A bushing is an insulating structure carrying a
conductor through a partition or cover. It
enables one or several conductors to pass
through a partition such as a wall or tank, etc.
, and insulates the conductor from it. The
means of attachment, flange or other fixing
device, to the partition forms part of the
bushing.
Page 110 / 292
Electrical
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Switchgear & Switchboard Apparatus

Switches are devices used to allow electric
current to flow when closed, and when
opened, they prevent current flow. Common
switch types include pushbutton, rocker,
toggle, rotary coded DIP, DIP, rotary, key
lock, slide, snap action, and reed.
A pushbutton switch is a mechanical switch
defined by the method used to activate the
switch. The activation method is typically in
the form of a plunger that is pushed down to
open or close the switch.
Scope of inspection
current rating,
AC voltage rating
DC voltage rating
power rating
terminal type
construction materials
Rocker actuators are familiar in many on-off

switches; they rock or pivot about the
centerline, and include both maintained and
momentary contact types.
In a toggle switch the toggle moves or swings
to make or break the circuit; includes
maintained contact and momentary contact
types.
Rotary coded DIP switches are activated by
means of a rotating shaft that can have several
stop positions. For each position of the shaft
(the input) the switch generates an output
binary code.
A DIP (Dual In-line Package) switch is an
electronic package (circuit board) consisting
of a series of tiny switches. Typically used in
the configuration of computers and computer
peripherals (for example, circuit boards,
modems etc.).
Rotary switches move in a circle, and can stop
in several positions along its range.
Page 111 / 292
Electrical
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Keylock switches have key as the means of

activation. The key is turned in a circle, and
can stop in several positions in its range.
In a slide switch a slider moves
linearly (slides) from position to position.
A snap action switch is a mechanical switch
that produces a very rapid transfer of contacts
from one position to another. They are useful
in situations that require a fast opening or
closing of a circuit, such as a mouse button or
appliance setting.
Reed switches are magnetically activated
switches. They are typically manufactured
with two ferromagnetic reeds (contact blades),
which are sealed in a glass capsule. In the
presence of a magnet, the blades (contacts)
close.
Contactor (for motor loads) are an operating

device that connects or disconnects the motor
from the power supply. The term is used
when the power poles are operated by an
electromagnetic circuit, via a coil and
magnetic armature frame.
Scope of inspection
-
rated AC voltage
rated DC voltage
continuous current rating
rated breaking capacity
Circuit breakers are switching devices

capable of making, carrying and breaking
currents under normal circuit conditions and
making, carrying for a specified time, and
breaking current under specified abnormal
conditions such as a short circuit.
Electromechanical relays are devices that
complete or interrupt a circuit by physically
moving electrical contacts into contact with
each other. A relay involves two circuits: the
energizing circuit and the contact circuit. The
coil is on the energizing side and the relay
contacts are on the contact side.
Scope of inspection
-
number of normally open contacts,

the number of normally closed contacts,
number of changeover contacts.
contact ratings:
maximum switching current,
maximum AC switching voltage
maximum DC switching voltage
Page 112 / 292
Electrical
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Solid state relays or semiconductor relays

(also called SSRs) are semiconductor devices
that can be used in place of mechanical relays
to switch electricity to a load in many
applications. They are purely electronic
devices, normally composed of a low current
control side and a high current load side
(switching side). Many solid state relays
feature electrical isolation in the thousands of
volts between the control side and the load
side. This is usually achieved through optical
isolation using an optoelectronic device (a
photocoupler).
Protective relays and monitoring relays
detect or monitor for abnormal power system
conditions. Protective relays detect defective
lines, defective apparatus, or other power
system conditions of an abnormal or
dangerous nature and initiate appropriate
control circuit actions. Monitoring relays are
used to verify conditions in the power system
or in the protective system. Monitoring relay
functions include fault detection, voltage
checking, and direction-sensing that confirms
power system conditions but does not directly
sense the fault or problem.
Thermal overload relays prevent an electric
motor from drawing too much current and
overheating. Thermal overload conditions are
the most likely faults to be encountered in
industrial motor applications. They result in a
maximum AC switching power

maximum DC switching power.
coil ratings:
AC coil voltage,
DC coil voltage,
coil resistance,
coil nominal AC power,
coil nominal DC power.
for electromechanical relays:
make time (operate time),
break time (release time).
Scope of inspection
-
AC input,
DC input,
AC output,
DC output,
input (pick-up) voltage range,
input (control signal) current range,
maximum switching current,
maximum switching voltage.
Scope of inspection
-
voltage sensing range,

current sensing range,
line voltage range,
line voltage mode,
frequency sensing range.
power supply voltage range
Scope of inspection
-
full current load range,

trip class,
temperature trip range
Page 113 / 292
Electrical
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
rise in the motor running current, which

produces an increase in the motors thermal
dissipation and temperature. Overload
protection prevents an electric motor from
drawing too much current, overheating, and
literally burning out.
Safety relays differ from conventional relays
in that they have force guided (positive
driven) contacts. Three relays are used in a
safety relay module. One relay checks the
condition of the other two and signals a
failure.
Time delay relays and solid-state timers use

solid-state electronic devices to provide a time
delay. They may have displays, pots or other
means of operator interface and
electromechanical or solid state outputs.
Electronic enclosures and instrument

enclosures house electronic components and
instruments. They are usually designed for
handheld or desktop applications. Example
applications include calculators, cash
registers, remote controls, and data
acquisition instruments. Electronic
enclosures and instrument enclosures are
typically rectangular, slanted, t-shape, or
readout style. Rectangular enclosures are
primarily rectangular in shape with the top
and bottom surfaces parallel to each other.
The sides of the enclosure may be
angled. Slanted enclosures are also generally
rectangular in shape with the top surface
angled relative to bottom surface. T-shaped
enclosures are generally used in handheld
applications. The handle, or lower portion
of the enclosure is narrower than the upper
portion of the enclosure. A readout style
enclosure is a rectangular enclosure with a
section of top surface sloped, typically for
LCD readout. An example of an enclosure
motor load phase,

motor voltage,
control circuit voltage,
contact or output ratings,
pole specifications
Scope of inspection
-
maximum current rating,

maximum AC voltage rating,
maximum DC voltage rating,
maximum AC power rating
maximum DC power rating.
Scope of inspection
switch type,
number of contacts,
contact configuration,
pole and throw specifications
operating temperature.
Scope of inspection
dimensions : internal and external

measurements of length, width, and
height or depth
painting
Page 114 / 292
Electrical
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
with this shape is a cash register.

Common materials of construction for
electronic enclosures and instrument
enclosures include Acrylonitrile-butadienestyrene (ABS), aluminum, polycarbonate,
polystyrene, stainless steel, and steel.
An enclosure can shield against
electromagnetic interference or radio
frequency interference with EMI or RFI
coatings. Electronic enclosures and
instrument enclosures can be constructed of a
flame retardant material. Some construction
allows for impact resistance.
Page 115 / 292
Electrical
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Batteries, battery-chargers and UPS

Industrial batteries are devices that translate
chemical energy into electricity. Batteries are
either of the (disposable) or (rechargeable)
types. Further classifications include; lead
acid batteries, reserve batteries, and lithium
batteries.
Primary batteries are non rechargeable
batteries. Energy is produced as the materials
within the battery react and are
consumed. Once the energy supplied is
exhausted, the batteries must be
replaced. When working with this style of
battery, it is important to follow government
disposal regulations. Primary batteries are
available in a variety of sizes and chemical
chemistries. In the United States, standard
battery types are given an alphabetical
designation.
Scope of inspection
-
nominal battery voltage

the capacity in amp hours (the amount
of time, from the start to the end of
discharge, multiplied by the discharge
current)
holding time
operating temperature.
Rechargeable batteries, also known as

secondary batteries, contain active materials
that are regenerated by charging. When the
energy produced by these batteries drop
below optimum efficiency, they may be
recharged in any one of many manners,
depending upon their
construction. Rechargeable batteries are
broken down into two main classifications
based upon the chemical composition of the
battery. Both of these classifications, alkaline
secondary and lithium secondary, contain a
wide assortment of battery styles.
Industrial battery chargers, as the name
implies, are used for charging rechargeable
batteries. Charging is the process of returning
a discharged battery to a state in which it can
be used again. There are four methods
commonly used for recharging batteries:
Page 116 / 292
Electrical
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
constant-current, constant potential (or

voltage), float, pulse, ripple, taper, and
trickle. Industrial battery chargers are found
in all manner of industries from simple
chargers for household use; to larger, yet
portable models for cars, boats, and forklifts;
to battery charging systems used to charge
large banks of station batteries in an industrial
setting.
Uninterruptible power supply (UPS) is a
device that operates in conjunction with
existing electrical system to provide power
conditioning, back-up protection and
distribution for electronic equipment loads
and to prevent power disturbances (outages,
sags, surges, spikes, noise, etc.) from
affecting the performance and life of the
electronic device and vital data.
In an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) the
unit type can be on-line or double conversion,
line-interactive, hybrid or ferroresonant, and
off-line or standby. In an on-line unit the load
is supplied from a power converter that
always operates and takes its input from a DC
supply. The DC supply consists of a battery
and a large battery charger, which are
connected in parallel. In a line-interactive
unit the inverter works in parallel with
conditioned input AC power to supply power
to the load (boosting or bucking), and only
handles the full load power when the AC
input power fails. With a hybrid unit the
supply conditions power using a ferroresonant
transformer. This transformer maintains a
constant output voltage even with a varying
input voltage and provides good protection
against line noise. With an off-line unit the
power is usually derived directly from the
power line, until power fails. After power
failure, a battery-powered inverter turns on to
continue supplying power.
Scope of inspection
-
volt-amp rating,
watt rating,
input voltage range
runtime at half load,
runtime at full load,
switchover time.
output specifications:
output voltage in battery mode,
number of backed-up electrical
outlets,
outlet options
operating conditions
Page 117 / 292
Electrical
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Measurement equipment
Labware, test and measurement equipment
describes a category of devices that are used
to test, analyze, control, calibrate, display and
record data in laboratory and other testing
situations. The major families within this
category are analytical instruments,
chromatography instruments, environmental
instruments, lab and test equipment,
multimeters and electrical test meters, process
controllers, product and material testers, panel
meters, recorders and loggers, sample
preparation and wet chemical analysis,
separation devices, sensing and measurement
instruments, spectrometers and analytical
photometers, and water quality instruments.
Scope of inspection
-
range
metrological properties
Multimeters and electrical test

instrumentation includes devices used to
measure electrical charge, voltage, current, or
resistance. Both the analog and digital
versions of ammeters, voltmeters, resistance
and impedance meters, dBm meters and
frequency meters are covered, as well as
power meters. These devices can vary from
small hand-held products to larger, fixed
system analyzers.
Panel meters measure and display all types
of processes and electrical variables. They are
divided into two classes, analog (where the
information is displayed using simple needles
or dials) and digital (where an alphanumeric
digital readout is used). They are available as
single unit displays, up through complete
panel systems designed to track and display
readouts covering entire systems.
Page 118 / 292
Electrical
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

The reference
Most electrical equipment are ordered with reference to a catalogue and an additional data sheet.
Only large and very specific items are defined by a set of technical documents with drawings,
specifications and data sheets supplied by the client.
These documents may be supported by standards, used to define equipment elements or test
procedures and acceptability criteria.
Mass produced equipment is subjected to a type test on a prototype followed by routine tests on
the series.

When designing an electrical equipment, material and components are selected for their
properties which are adapted to the final required performance of the product.
The inspector shall check those materials and components critical for the proper functioning of
the equipment (wires, plates, etc..). The applicable standard generally define these elements.
Assembling
Upon machining of the materials and assembling of the components, the inspector performs a
visual inspection and a dimensional checking prior to testing.
The visual inspection includes checking of :
- list, references, traceability of the components,
- structure and supports,
- workmanship,
- geometry,
- painting
- safety equipment
- control equipment
Trial run
Before testing the electrical equipment may be subjected to a trial run aimed at detecting any
problem before official testing.
For electrical motors and generator sets the procedure is identical to the one of rotating
machinery.
Testing
Performance testing is the most important phase for electrical equipment inspection.
These tests should demonstrate that the machine complies with the data sheet requirements.
The inspection technique is described in Attending hydrostatic and performance tests.
Testing protocols are generally defined by standards or by the order and their implementation
shall be checked thoroughly as the test results largely depend on how the operation is conducted.
The inspector should have a basic knowledge of the working principles of the equipment and of
those of the testing techniques.
Tests are generally conducted by the manufacturer on a test rig specially equipped for its normal
production.
Page 119 / 292
Electrical
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
The inspector shall check:

- the type and location of the measuring, metering and control equipment, transducers,
detectors and calculators,
- their calibration,
- the measuring range,
- the accuracy of the measurements (ask for uncertainty calculation if necessary)
- the testing programme,
- the acceptance limits
The inspector witnesses the tests for correct application of the test programme. He records his
own readings for subsequent checking of the data recorded by the manufacturer. He verifies the
calculations and the final report issued by the manufacturer.
He stamps the reviewed records at the end of each test run, this is particularly important if the test
programme extends over several days and is witnessed by several inspectors.
After testing the machine may be disassembled for checking of internal wear.

-
identification of the electrical equipment and its components,

Review the materials and components certificates
Check the number and specifications of installed components
Verify the test and measurement conditions
Check the safety conditions of the test bench and its environment
For motors with a structure and enclosures:
o Visual examination of the weldments
o Dimensional check
o Painting and coating
For most equipment
o Insulation test
o Dielectric strength
Visual inspection
In specific case, review or witness the NDT
Witness performance test
Manufacturer file review
Recording
More information
Page 120 / 292
Expediting
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Part III : EXTENSIONS

EXPEDITING & VENDORs ASSESSMENT
1st Part : EXPEDITING

What is Expediting.......................................................................................122
Objectives of Expediting..............................................................................122
Where are the problems coming from ?.......................................................123
Inspection Vs. Expediting............................................................................124
Good Practices for Expediting .....................................................................124
The Actors and their role .............................................................................125
Bureau Veritas Expeditors ...........................................................................126
Check List ....................................................................................................127
Documentation Processing and Distribution Terminology ......................130
Reporting......................................................................................................131
More Information
Page 121 / 292
Expediting
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
What is Expediting
Unlike the other activities described in these Guidelines, expediting is not focusing onto the
Quality of the product but to its timely delivery.
Expediting is a function of Procurement, not of the Quality Department. Your contacts will
think Project Management and not Quality Control.
In our world and with our words, expediting is essentially the proactive follow-up of an order at
the supplier premises (field expediting); the purpose is to ensure on-time delivery with the
required level of quality and cost.
It is a typical second party inspection where Bureau Veritas is acting only on behalf of his Client,
on the basis of his reference documents. There is no Code or applicable standards.
Nota: check also the "GM SI 105 General advice for inspectors on progress and expediting
reports"
Objectives of Expediting
Expediting is sometimes perceived as unnecessary and thereby neglected when in reality it is an
essential part of any project. Financial issues can be huge, and keeping the cost low is also part
of the Quality.
In most contracts, large or small, time is a major factor. If not managed properly, heavy penalties
and claims may arise for both parties, Client and Supplier.
Expediting ensures that deliverables (documents, materials or services) flow within schedule so
that engineering, construction and testing activities are not affected.
It assists in incorporating last minute changes with minimum or no delivery implications.
Expediting is also a major tool in identifying and certifying claims for any change in
delivery/cost (whose fault is it and who will pay ?)
Expediting saves cost by avoiding expensive emergency solution like air freight transportation of
missing elements or finished products.
All purchase orders and contracts should be expedited on a regular basis to ensure on-time
delivery of an acceptable quality product. The level of expediting required for a specific
purchase order or contract is decided upon award of the contract by the Client and adjusted as
required based on the supplier former performance and the strategic importance of the delivery.
Expediting is not just reporting the status of a situation; the professional expeditor is able to
understand complex situations, anticipate the problems, flag the issues before they become
critical, assist in finding solutions. Interesting job requiring many subtle qualities.
Page 122 / 292
Expediting
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Where are the problems coming from ?

There are many good and bad reasons for a project to slip out of the track, and the expeditor
should find out not only if there is a delay problem but also the reason behind it (as there might
be financial consequences).
Here are some common issues:
-
Commercial reasons
o The supplier has no formal order and refuses to start
o He has a major claim and refuses to continue
engineering
o Client engineering is late, drawings are not issued approved for construction
o Ambiguities in the specifications
o Unrealistic requirements
o Design changes as construction has already started
o Supplier engineering is late
procurement
o long lead time for some items
o no product available on the market, shortages
o delivery problems, lost shipment, custom clearance
o wrong product ordered
construction
o overload of the shop,
o insufficient resources: workforce, equipment (handling, welding, heat treatment,
painting,), place
o labour issues, holidays, strike
o lack of experience
o lack of knowledge of the materials and process
o excessive non conformities and repairs
o subcontractor failure
o force majeure, fire, flooding, damages to the facilities
inspection and testing
o testing rig not available,
o inspection agency not available
general
o lack of planification
o going for the cheapest at the detriment of time
o pushing an other order forward
Page 123 / 292
Expediting
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Inspection Vs. Expediting

-
What they have in common

o same PO, supplier, product
o similar desk and filed jobs, assignments
o same reporting problems
o same implications: customer dissatisfaction
o need to understand products and process
o onus on supplier to meet quality/schedule
o same hierarchy of documents
o same problems of weakest link
In what they are different

o roles are different: quality Vs. Time
o what you see AND what you dont see
o required skills are different (need to understand schedules)
o need to be aggressive and/or diplomatic
o immediate commercial/payment issues
o measurement is easy
o not so structured approach compared to Inspection
o impact each other
Note: Clients sometimes ask for the inspector performing a regular Industry inspection to provide
information about the overall status of their order. It should be clear that this is not expediting,
which is a much more demanding task.
Good Practices for Expediting

DO
-
be proactive
be assertive
ask questions
talk to the right people
evaluate commitments
verify physically
be specific in reporting
be alert for signs of labour problems
work with the supplier as a team
DONTs
- dont assume
- no technical waiver of QC requirements or commercial authority
- dont make unreasonable and unrealistic demands
- avoid taking the word from front office
- avoid terms like fabrication in progress, expected shortly, will advice
Page 124 / 292
Expediting
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
KEY WORDS
- wear a different hat/role
- look more at what is missing than at what is present
- where are the potential delays ?
- keep eyes and ears open
- understand the critical path
- FORECAST delivery, always !
The Actors and their role

Field Expeditors
Establishing from the documents received, directions for visits to the supplier at a
defined frequency.
Ensuring the suppliers commitment to maintain the necessary efforts to meet the
establish production program targets.
Verifying the achievement of progress claimed by the supplier.
Ensuring that any delivery slippage or production performance related problems
are raised at the appropriate level in the suppliers works.
Reporting remedial actions required to recover production program slippage.
Anticipating delivery problems and reporting accordingly, proposing actions
required to prevent problem occurring.
Ensuring that the optimum number of visits are achieved.
Ensuring that expediting reports are written for each purchase order or sub-order
on each supplier that are visited, and that reports are forwarded within 24 hours
after the visit.
Advising of any serious problems or delays anticipated or encountered during
visits.
Noting on the last Expediting Report Final Report when Purchase Order is
completed to the point no further visits are required. This signals that the
assignment is closed.
When the job is integrated in a large contract, the field expeditor is directly
responsible to the Project Expeditor
Project Expeditor (large projects)
Directly responsible to Bureau Veritas Project Manager for the supervision and
administration of all Field Expeditors and their expediting activities, ensuring that
the highest possible standards of Expediting are consistently achieved.
His duties include:
Ensuring Field Expeditors carry out their duties in accordance with Bureau Veritas
procedures.
Maintaining the essential co-ordination/liaison between the Expediting team and
all other participating entities to ensure that their requirements are met and
providing them with relevant delivery information, especially in regard with
critical and/or overdue items.
Maintaining adequate and efficient Field Expeditors staffing and exercising control
on man hours.
Page 125 / 292
Expediting
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Maintaining the recording system conducive to an efficient Expediting effort.

Being aware of special Client instructions.
Performing Expediting on major purchase orders and providing essential back-up
to the Field Expeditors.
Anticipating, Recognising/identifying problem areas affecting deliveries and
initiating the appropriate action to ensure their resolution and reporting on
potential delivery slippage.
Reviewing each purchase order placed to determine the requirements for Field
Expediting visits and for co-ordination of all expediting activities.
Issuing Expediting Assignments for all purchase order requiring visits to suppliers
works.
Distributing all Expediting Reports promptly, efficiently and correctly and
ensuring they are checked carefully.
Maintaining and ensuring timely issue of the Equipment and Material Status
Report, and checking its accuracy and completeness in all respects.
Bureau Veritas Expeditors

Bureau Veritas Field Expeditors visit manufacturing plants to ascertain and hasten the
pre-manufacturing, manufacturing and post-manufacturing activities through interviews
and visual examination. Bureau Veritas expeditors evaluates the actual progress made
against the scheduled progress that should have been according to the manufacturing
schedule. The schedule provided by the vendor at the manufacturing plant shall be the
basis for progress evaluation. In this way, Bureau Veritas exerts influence to maintain the
progress in line with the schedule and escalate the items so that the most satisfactory
method of solution is planned or implemented for maintaining delivery. Unless otherwise
anticipated at preliminary stage, visits are generally made to coincide with the milestone
activities to ensure that completion is in line with the production plan.
During each visit, Bureau Veritas Field Expeditors contact Bureau Veritas Project
Expeditor to whom he is reporting and provide a brief summary of the current situation,
highlight any problems, advise if any actions are required to be taken by anyone
concerned and receive updated information on the order. Bureau Veritas Expeditor
produces a summary report giving all relevant details of the order and a summary
section providing sufficient detail to enable any reader to clearly understand the true
position of the order with respect to the delivery date. This summary report is faxed/Emailed to the Project Expeditor at the soonest and when possible from the work before
leaving.
Bureau Veritas Expeditor generates a full expediting report in a pre-printed form designed
to display information such that it can be easily understood and responded to efficiently.
Instruction to complete the report as well as check lists are made available within Bureau
Veritas Expediting Procedures package.
Page 126 / 292
Expediting
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Bureau Veritas Expeditors fulfil following fundamental requirements while generating the
Expediting Reports:
Expediting reports are accurate, informative and are such that they are clearly
understood by everyone. All efforts are made to avoid ambiguous statements.
Bureau Veritas Expeditors verify all the statements of facts made in the reports. The
extent of verification is however left to the judgement of the Expeditor.
During the visit to the vendors facility or manufacturing work, Bureau Veritas
expeditors verify the progress of the job by means of visual examination and also
verify various documents to assess the progress. Bureau Veritas reports are never
based upon the hearsay from the vendor/manufacturers contact person.
Expediting reports are submitted to the Project Expeditor immediately on completion
of the visit. The Project Expeditor reviews the reports and forward the same with
comments to the client. If agreed by the client, the expediting report is also provided
to the Vendor/Manufacturer with the purpose to keep the latter informed of the
remedial actions/recovery plan required to be undertaken and implemented.
Check List
The above tasks can be listed and summarized in the following check list, which in turn
can be used to built the final report.
DEPARTMENT
Commercial
Engineering
EXPEDITING ACTIVITIES
Review and understand the purchase order
Has the Purchase Order been received and acknowledged ?
Has it been entered in the works?
Obtain internal Shop Order or P.O. or ref. Number
Is engineering required by the supplier? By the purchaser?
Can the Purchase Order be released for fabrication? If not why?
What is the estimated fabrication time? How does this compare with
the Purchase Order delivery date?
What is the production and shipping schedule of the main unit and all
auxiliary equipment?
When will the Purchase Order be in production?
Evaluate Sales and marketing abilities
Obtain the engineering schedule.
Obtain the schedule for submission of documents
Does Supplier engineering schedule meet the delivery requirements
Does the Supplier understand the specifications?
Are any production problems anticipated? Analyse effects on
production schedules
Do the drawings need external approval?
Supplier is aware of design approval requirements
Page 127 / 292
Expediting
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Procurement
Suborders
Manufacturing
Supplier submits documents in line with agreed program?

Client approval of drawings within agreed time frame
When were drawings forwarded and when are they required back?
Review changes in engineering requirements
Have the drawings been released to the shop in accordance with the
production program?
Has the bill of material been issued?
Are the welding procedures available?
Evaluate Engineering capabilities
Confirm procurement schedule meet overall delivery requirements
Supplier orders the materials according to schedule
Are the critical long lead materials identified ? Has advance placement
been made?
If castings are required, what is the status of the pattern
Stock materials meet the requirements of specification
Supplier has reserved the stock material for the project
Physical verification of stock materials Is the material in stock?
If materials are missing, can substitution be made? Obtain full details
about equivalence
Cross verify sub-supplier acknowledged delivery dates for input
materials
Evaluate time allowed between acknowledged delivery and required
date
If there are material shortages, does the Supplier take steps to get
production started in anticipation of their delivery?
Which products, services are sub-contracted?
Review suborders and order acknowledgement
Are Sub-suppliers acceptable to the Client
Sub-suppliers are in possession of all specifications
Inspection and expediting requirements are known to sub-suppliers
Ensures that sub-orders for critical materials are placed far enough in
advance
Press manufacturer to expedite critical sub-orders.
Recommend visit to sub-suppliers if not satisfied with the status of
sub-ordered materials
Obtain/review suppliers manufacturing schedule for main unit and
auxiliaries
Confirm manufacturing schedule meet overall delivery requirements
Evaluate whether schedule is feasible
Break-up major activities into intermediate milestones if not done on
the bar chart
Is there any other order?
Evaluate Manufacturer arrangements for producing the order
Fabrication, machining, heat treatment, painting, storage capabilities
Page 128 / 292
Expediting
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Control
Shipping
Manpower resources for the project; how many shifts working and
number of hours per shifts?
Finds out when the Suppliers scheduled works shutdowns are.
If need be, may overtime improve delivery? How much? At what cost?
Identify problem areas
If suborder is critical, advise supplier to undertake additional
expediting
Control commencement of production
Monitor progress to ensure schedules are maintained
Undertake expediting visits to check milestones; verify physically the
progress made
Ascertain progress of production and assembly achieved until date
Special emphasis to progress on activities on critical path
Determine from supplier schedule percentage of planned completion
until visit date
Determine actual percentage of completion until visit date
Compare the actual progress with planned progress and conclude
If actual progress is greater than planned, delivery is assured. If actual
progress does not favourably compare with planned progress, delivery
is threatened. Remedial actions are required to ensure delivery
Does the Supplier initiate action to resolve current/perceived delays
When activity behind schedule, discuss with supplier remedial
measures/implementation of recovery plan
Evaluate Inspection and test facilities
Any outside or special testing required?
Supplier is in possession of approved Inspection and Test Plan
Supplier is aware of inspection requirements, hold points, advance
notice to Inspection Agency
Report on adequacy of test facilities
Monitor inspection and test dates, liaise with the Inspectors
Examine conclusions of the inspection reports
Follow-up for corrective actions as per inspection report
Certification to ISO, ASME, API, IEC, others ?
Is packing sub-contracted?
What are the in house packing facilities
Are the packing instructions available and understood?
Identify agency responsible for shipping
Check the status of all accessories to be shipped with unit.
Are the shipping instructions available and understood?
Establishes if abnormal loads are involved with road transport (e.g.
weight, dimension) and necessary permits been requested/obtained.
Is necessary advance booking made for shipping
When will the packing lists be forwarded?
When will shipment go forward? What is the method and routing?
Page 129 / 292
Expediting
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Conclusions
Provide shipment details

Supplier knows at all times the dates, mode and planned routing of
shipment.
When requirements are critical, insists upon the Supplier tracing and
expediting the shipments from dispatch through to receipt.
Evaluate transit time from shop to site
Update activities of the bar chart and schedule
Forecast the delivery
Know the cause and fact for delay
Discuss and identify constraints
Discuss with the shop personnel for required action plan
Contact top management when necessary.
Contact Client when necessary; report recommendations/suggestion to
the Client
Issue report, preferably on the spot for immediate forwarding
Verify during subsequent visits for implementation of measures agreed
by the supplier
Documentation Processing and Distribution Terminology

This section defines Bureau Veritas processing system used in the handling and
distribution of the project related documents received and issued by Bureau Veritas
Expediting team.
This is generally applicable to large contracts. Before proceeding, check with the contract
manager for the appropriate procedure.
a) Main documents received prior to start
Purchase requisition/Purchase order: Documents issued by the Procurement Department
of the client to purchase/authorise purchase materials/equipment.
Sub-order schedule: Document sent to the supplier with the Purchase Order and then
monthly submitted by the Supplier recording all orders placed and to be placed and
relevant delivery dates.
Sub-order: A purchase order placed by the supplier on its suppliers.
b) Main documents issued
Supplier data requirement: This document is the first to be expedited by Bureau Veritas
Expeditors from the Supplier. It is a key document, since it lists all documents to be
supplied, together with their initial submission dates, which must comply with the
Purchase Order requirements.
Document status report: Document essential to expedite the submittal and re-submittal
of an issued document. This activity is ongoing until a document is final. When
updated by Field Expeditor with the Supplier, DSR is transmitted back as a part of the
Expediting Report.
Page 130 / 292
Expediting
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Expediting report: Document prepared by Bureau Veritas field expeditors after each visit
made to a supplier or a sub-supplier. The purpose of the Expediting Report is to inform
the Project Expeditor and the Client of the findings of each expediting visit made. An
individual expediting report is issued for each purchase order placed with the supplier
visited. It is prepared within 24 hours of the Expeditor visit and faxed/E-mailed to the
Project Expeditor. On receipt, the expediting report is checked and approved by the
Project Expeditor and the salient points are recorded. If action is required as a result of
the report, Project Expeditor notes and follows through until appropriate action is taken
and a successful conclusion is achieved. Such resolutions are advised to the field
Expeditor.
Material Status Report (MSR): Document issued by Bureau Veritas Project Expeditor to
show up-to-date position of all purchase orders. MSR reflects the last known production
and delivery position at any given moment with the information received by means of
Expediting and Inspection Reports or communication with the Supplier.
Inspection notification: Document prepared by Field Expeditor to notify Bureau Veritas
surveyors of the readiness for inspection of equipment or materials at a Suppliers
works. It is issued when the Supplier can confirm a positive Ready for Inspection date
(within 7 next days) or when fabrication is complete.
Release for shipment: Document prepared by Bureau Veritas expeditors to advise that
equipment or materials are available and ready for shipment.
c) Main documents received from the site
Material Receiving Report: Document issued as soon as an item, equipment or material
is received on site. Upon reception of a copy of the MRR, Project Expeditor records the
information.
Overages, Shortage or Damages Report: Upon receipt of a copy, Project Expeditor
ensures that all queries raised are expedited until satisfactorily resolved.
Materials Return to Suppliers: Document issued by the site when material or equipment
have been rejected or requiring re-work or modification. The supplier is expedited until
the equipment is shipped and a MRR is issued.
Reporting
As for any industry inspection, reporting is essential. Time being crucial for the Client,
expediting reports should be transmitted immediately upon performance of the visit.
The report shall contain:
- General information about the affair
- Report identification according to the numbering system (BV or specific)
- Highlights of the visit
- Engineering/procurement/manufacturing/testing/shipping status
- Areas of concern
- Recommendations
- Delivery forecast (compared to the schedule)
Typical reports and templates are provided on Webdoc.
Page 131 / 292
Guidelines fr Shop Inspection
Expediting
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
2nd Part : VENDORs ASSESSMENT

What is a Vendor Assessment..........................................................................................133
Some definitions...........................................................................................................133
Why is Vendor Assessment Important.............................................................................134
It is an ISO 9000 Requirement .....................................................................................134
The Good Old Days......................................................................................................135
Dependence ..................................................................................................................135
Dealing with specialty vendors ....................................................................................135
Vendor assessment in large companies........................................................................136
Vendor assessment services .............................................................................................136
Preparing the Assessment.................................................................................................137
Partner or Supplier .......................................................................................................137
External reviews...........................................................................................................137
The Questionnaire ........................................................................................................138
The Rating System .......................................................................................................138
The Report........................................................................................................................139
Vendor Assessment Criteria.............................................................................................140
Criteria related to the Vendor.......................................................................................140
Organization and background ..................................................................................140
Resources .................................................................................................................141
Management .............................................................................................................141
Market position ........................................................................................................141
Financial .......................................................................................................................142
Access to support and visibility ...............................................................................142
Criteria related to the product.......................................................................................143
Functionality.............................................................................................................143
Performance .............................................................................................................143
Reliability .................................................................................................................143
Usability ...................................................................................................................144
Documentation .........................................................................................................144
Cost...........................................................................................................................144
The Audit..........................................................................................................................145
The Reporting...................................................................................................................145
More Information
Abstract: This section deals with vendors assessment based on technical audits performed by
a Bureau Veritas inspector on behalf of his client at the vendor premises.
It may be an assessment of a vendor when a client is looking for a long term business partner or
an assessment of a product. In the following text the word product will be used indifferently for
both products and services.
Page 132 / 292
Expediting
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
What is a Vendor Assessment

Some definitions
Assessment
The classification of someone or something with respect to its worth.
The act of judging or assessing a person or situation or event
Synonyms: appraisal, judgement
Fields: technical (the only one we look at in these Guidelines), business, banking, insurance,
software, privacy, security, and many others.
Classification
The grouping of things into classes or categories.
Appraisal
The classification of someone or something with respect to its worth.
The estimation or fixing of a money value on anything
Rating
An appraisal of the value of something.
Act of ascertaining or fixing the value or worth of.
Standing or position on a scale.
Evaluation
Act of ascertaining or fixing the value or worth of.
An appraisal of the value of something.
Audit
A systematic, independent and documented activity
performed to determine by investigation, examination and evaluation of Objective Evidence the
adequacy of, and adherence to, established procedures, instructions, specifications, codes,
standards, administrative or operational programmes, contractual requirements and other
applicable documents, and the effectiveness of implementation
Vendor Assessment vs. Vendor Audit
There is often some confusion between assessing and auditing.
Although from the above definitions things clear up a little bit, there is still room for
interpretation. Here are some common understandings of the differences between vendor
assessment and vendor audit.
The purpose of an assessment is to evaluate, judge, appraise, classify vendors. This can be
achieved by many means. One can send them a questionnaire, check the reputation in the
specialized literature, analyse the previous records with the vendor, pay him a visit and ask him
lots of questions. All are assessment techniques, only the last one is auditing.
Vendor auditing is common practice when a big order has been passed to a vendor and the client
wants to check how the work is going on, whether the delivery will be on schedule with the
Page 133 / 292
Expediting
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
required quality. This type of auditing is more related to inspection or expediting than vendor
assessment.
Vendor assessment carries the idea of evaluation with the intent of comparing several vendors;
this is generally done before a contract award or on an ongoing basis for periodical checks of
listed vendors.
Note: Neither vendor assessments nor vendor audits are related to the evaluation of the quality
system of the vendor. But they are both a requirement in the quality system of the client.
Why is Vendor Assessment Important

It is an ISO 9000 Requirement
Extract of ISO 9000-3 Element 4.6.2 Purchasing requirements Evaluation Of
Subcontractors
The supplier shall:
a. evaluate and select subcontractors on the basis of their ability to meet subcontract
requirements including the quality system and any specific quality assurance requirements;
b. define the type and extent of control exercised by the supplier over subcontractors. This shall
be dependent upon the type of product, the impact of subcontracted product on the quality of final
product and, where applicable, on the quality audit reports and/or quality records of the
previously demonstrated capability and performance of subcontractors;
c. establish and maintain quality records of acceptable subcontractors.
Note : as usual in ISO 9000, the term subcontracted products includes both products and
services.
To fulfil this requirement, vendor assessment is generally organized as a procurement support
service and the Purchasing/procurement department is in charge of this task.
In many management systems, vendor assessment stands on a same line with:
Mill Inspection
Manufacturing/Fabrication in-line inspection
Material and Equipment Surveillance
Witnessing of proof test or function test
Technical inspection for procurement of raw and bulk materials
Laboratory mechanical/metallurgical testing
In large organisations where there is a need for both a procurement and inspection department,
vendor assessment will be handled by procurement, same as expediting.
Page 134 / 292
Expediting
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
This Procurement/Purchasing Department will generally have some kind of Preferred Vendors
list or data base that include the scope and method of each vendors approval.
A typical procedure for the evaluation of subcontractors will include:
- a list of the products and services requiring appraisal and the relevant type of assessment,
- rules for the qualification and integration of well known vendors on the list,
- criteria for rating and selecting new vendors,
- rules for the maintenance of the vendors list.
In this respect, the Vendor Assessment is one of the tools the Client has to evaluate, select and
maintain his critical subcontractors list.
Note: Vendor assessment is also a requirement in QS 9000 system. For instance, clients are
required to implement a system to monitor the delivery performance of subcontractors.
The Good Old Days

Back in the good old days, manufacturers formed close bonds with local merchants, oftentimes
cementing a life-long trading partnership that might extend into a deep personal friendship. Due
to the increasingly competitive nature of business, though, such relationships are becoming rare,
sometimes even getting in the way of effective business operations.
With margins tightening by the day, sentiment is replaced by vendor consolidation to form an
efficient supply chain that can compete with the best.
Nowadays, choosing vendors is one of the most important and difficult tasks facing a project
manager. While the net result of choosing a vendor is to purchase a product or service, the
process of making this decision can be distracting, time consuming, and often overwhelming. A
complete vendor assessment looks at more than just the product or service. Assessing vendors
helps to manage expectations of vendor involvement in project completion, balances the
preparedness of internal processes with vendor abilities, and takes into consideration the long
term ramifications of product support, upgrade availability, and vendor stability.
Dependence
Vendor appraisal is important because so many organizations are highly dependent on the quality
of products/services provided to them by vendors. The expression garbage in, garbage out
applies here. High quality, efficient vendors provide products/services that are dependable, that
dont have to be modified, adjusted, or corrected before using them. Lower quality vendors force
the client to spend his own time, money, and other resources fixing their mistakes before their
products/services are useful.
Dealing with specialty vendors

Many niche markets have specialty vendors with excellent products aimed at specific product
Page 135 / 292
Expediting
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
groups. Some examples include glass, tempering, marketing, CNC milling, and retail. These
vendors have expertise in product areas that makes their services uniquely suited to fill a need.
However, these vendors are often smaller and have certain strengths and weaknesses. Preparing a
project to deal with these strengths and weaknesses so expectations of results are correct is
another function of the vendor assessment.
Vendor assessment in large companies

In small and medium companies it is relatively simple thing to rate a vendor.
You get direct feedback from internal clients on site either the product or service was delivered
appropriately or worked well or was lacking. People are pretty quick to bend your ear. However,
the size and scope of large companies often prevents that. Buyers may well be purchasing
something they will never see for someone they will never meet in a workplace they will never be
in. The procurement authority often is not aware whether the right stuff was received, if it was
delivered on time or successfully addressed the need.
Vendor assessment services

Vendor assessment services help clients to:
- evolve a standardized method to select and qualify vendors,
- formulate criteria/ standards for vendor evaluation,
- conduct a fact-based independent evaluation of vendor capability, reliability and
continued performance in maintaining a progressive vendor base,
- evaluate vendors qualification and capability effectively,
- determine the capability, competence and overall state of the organisational management
systems including quality, environmental, health & safety and social accountability
management systems of their vendors,
- identify the deficiencies,
- highlights the strengths and weaknesses of the vendor for the client to take necessary
decisions.
Vendor evaluation is subjective by its nature. In a worldwide network like Bureau Veritas it is
even more complicated as a client may have to take his decision on the basis of assessment
reports issued by several inspectors in several countries.
Page 136 / 292
Expediting
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Therefore we need templates to keep the assessment within the bounds of what we want and
need to know and to collect consistent data.
Questionnaire, rating system and report form are the three templates which are necessary and
they should be prepared before the audit.
The questionnaire is the most important document to conduct a vendor assessment. No audit can
be conducted without such document as, by definition, the audit is a systematic, independent and
documented activity. It comes with a rating system, each criteria being given a relative weight in
the final addition. The results are compiled in a report, in a form suitable to easy subsequent
analysis.
Preparing the Assessment

Partner or Supplier
No matter what the client is purchasing, an early
determination shall be made on whether the assessment will
be the one of a potential partner or of a supplier. Although
there are similarities between the two selection processes,
their fundamental approaches are different.
When purchasing supplies such as off-the-shelf products,
then the vendor is a supplier, with a focus more on cost and
on his ability to deliver.
At the other extreme, when the client is planning on
outsourcing an entire department, he will need to develop a
partnership in which the vendor will have to understand his
business processes intimately. Creating a vendor partnership
is much harder because it is necessary to ensure cultural fit,
equitable terms, and enforceable service level agreements.
External reviews
The key to successful vendor selection is good advance planning and research. And the more
informed you are about the product or service the client is interested in, the most effective and
accurate the assessment will be.
External reviews on products and vendors are often readily available on the Internet and in
industry publications. These reviews should be studied to provide additional information in
making a selection. It is important to note, however, that many reviews of products are based on
quick examinations of the products. Documented experience with the product in a demanding
application that requires integration and performance is seldom available in popular reviews.
Speaking with experienced users of the product is always the best source of information.
Page 137 / 292
Expediting
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
This preliminary review already gives you indications as to the level of risk the various vendors
represent:
External
Reviews
Low Risk
Moderate Risk
High Risk
External reviews from

objective sources
consistently give high
ratings to the vendors
products.
External reviews of
the vendors products
are mixed.
The vendor received

multiple external
reviews that indicate
problems with product
quality, schedule, etc.
The Questionnaire
Unlike ISO 9000 audits where the reference is well known to all parties it is the standard itself
the reference for a vendor assessment audit is defined by the client.
The questionnaire for a vendor assessment audit comprises of a list of criteria weighted by marks.
Both the criteria and the rating system are subjective in the sense they fit a certain situation at a
certain time. Therefore they cannot be evolved by Bureau Veritas inspector alone without an
input from the Client.
At the best you may prepare a standard questionnaire and rating system as a basis for desk review
to make sure no important element is forgotten during the preparation phase.
You will notice that the definition of the list of criteria and their relative importance can lead to
extensive discussions/negotiations among the various department in the client organization. This
engineer will give high marks to the innovative aspect of a product while the financial department
will worry about the stability of this start-up company.
Final decision obviously belongs to the client but, at that stage, you should mention that the rules
for the subsequent analysis of the assessment report should be set already and not modified after
the outcome of the audits.
The main features expected from a questionnaire are:
it defines all the criteria adapted to the project or the long term business,
it is designed to highlights the strengths and weaknesses of the vendor and/or the product
- it determines the capability, competence and overall state of the organizational
management systems including quality, environmental, health & safety and social
accountability
- it does not leave room for interpretation when used by multiple inspectors.
The Rating System
Page 138 / 292
Expediting
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Each project has a unique set of circumstances that make some factors more important than other
factors. It is easy to look only at the obvious factors that drive initial selection-functionality, ease
of use, and cost. In fact, considerations such as performance, reliability, consumption, ease of
maintenance, vendor partnerships often play major roles over the lifecycle of the project, but may
not seem important at the outset.
Therefore, once all factors have been listed, they shall be weighted as per the project
requirements. This also can be done by the client only but any rating system should address the
following requirements:
- compare the performance of a vendor with respect to other vendors
- compare the performance of a vendor with reference to previous periods,
- reward vendors with certified quality systems,
- provide data in a form that can be analysed easily
The Report
The audit is now finished and we have in hand an extensive list of criteria, with, in front of each
one, a mark. How shall we analyse these marks ? Is a good mark under Technical Performance
compensating for a bad mark in After Sales Services?
The report should therefore address the following requirement:
- present the questions and answers formulated during the assessment,
- be based on objective evidence,
- uniform presentation of information and data
- comparable vendor responses, available in a consistent, appropriate format
- be easy to analyse: findings should be compiled in a form (graph, report) suitable for
decision making,
- facilitate the decision making process of the client for selection of a vendor from a group
of vendors, enlist or de-list a supplier from Approved Vendor List, decide whether or not
to continue to procure the items from the same vendor.
Page 139 / 292
Expediting
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Vendor Assessment Criteria

There are numerous possible criteria that can be used for the assessment of a vendor. They can be
classified under two major groups:
- those related to the Vendor himself,
- those related to the Product or Service he is selling
Product and vendor assessments often go hand in hand. That is, one would typically not expect a
high quality product from a vendor that has financial or organizational troubles.
A comprehensive assessment will comprises of questions covering the whole range of features.
Not all questions can be asked by a BV inspector during an audit as they might be out of his
competence or confidential. In many cases, clients subcontracting their vendor assessments will
gather and analyse by themselves the elements relating to finance and commercial.
Nevertheless, the following list is an attempt for exhaustiveness of what an assessment should
investigate.
Criteria related to the Vendor

Organization and background
The first factors to evaluate are the background and overall strength of the vendor. If the vendor
is an established company, then it will have some level of financial and staffing stability. This is
important so that the vendor of the product in question will be in business a year from now. Also,
it suggests that it has the resources to provide support and continued product development. There
are many examples of interesting products introduced by companies with limited operating
histories. Under such circumstances, there are many variables that will determine the companys
long-term viability, including ability to attract more customers, execute product development
activities, anticipate and adapt to its market, respond to actions taken by competitors, and attract
and retain key technical personnel. While a product may show great promise, failure to execute in
these areas can quickly render a product obsolete.
Organization
Background
Low Risk
Moderate Risk
High Risk
Vendor is established
company, with quality
workforce and
facilities. Can attract
and retain necessary
talent.
Vendor organization
still fluid, with
changes to staffing,
work program and
facilities. May be in
high growth situation.
Company is start-up
and situation is highly
dynamic.
Page 140 / 292
Expediting
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Resources
A huge number of resources isnt necessarily a good thing, some clients prefer the flexibility and
responsiveness of a leaner organisation. Also some specialist skills are only available from
smaller vendors.
However, in the Industry, the client will generally take less risk with vendors having ample
resources.
This can be assessed by looking at the number of staff in the various departments, the type,
number and adequacy of the equipment, the industry sector capabilities.
When the assessment is targeted to the supply of a product it is recommended to investigate on
the overall load of the vendor in this period.
Management
The quality of the management of a vendor is easily assessed by the Quality Certification process.
It is not the purpose of a vendor assessment to verify the fulfilment of quality certification
schemes, especially if those are already certified.
The inspector shall verify the availability of a documented quality system, its certification, the
pertinence of its scope in relation to the product his client is interested in.
Low Risk
Management
Long time certified

quality system.
Quality culture is
obvious.
Moderate Risk
New quality system,
documented but not
certified.
Scope slightly
different from the
product.
High Risk
No quality system,
people reluctant to use
procedures, lack of
transparency.
Market position
In an era with multiple partnerships and rapid product changes, it is prudent to understand the
position a vendor has in its market.
Attempting to understand the direction of the market over the coming 12-month period is also
important. A vendor may have a solid reputation, but it may be moving its resources from a
product you are considering to a new product with a different focus.
Considering the small business nature of many of the technology providers, an important criteria
to be evaluated should be business profile. Loss leader pricing or cutting edge technology has
very little value if the vendor offers immature technology, limited experience, or is in an unstable
financial situation.
Page 141 / 292
Expediting
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Vendors that are privately held, that have raised significant sums of money through venture
capital should be closely evaluated as well. Those investments come with an influence that is
interested in making money quickly five to ten times the investment not necessarily with
quality or service.
Market
Position
Low Risk
Moderate Risk
High Risk
Solid market position

for vendor. Viewed as
one of the leaders.
Vendor is known in
the market or is new
entrant that is quickly
becoming established.
Low Risk
Moderate Risk
High Risk
Vendor has solid

financial situation,
including growing
revenue stream, strong
ratings.
Vendor has a mixed

financial picture. May
have strong revenue
stream but no profit
margin.
Vendor has financial

problems, such as poor
credit, low revenues,
low profit margin
Vendor is not known

in this market.
Financial
Financial
Access to support and visibility

The support from the vendor should continues after the sale to help the organization using the
product to adapt the product usage to changing needs.
After sales support may be as important as the product itself.
The vendor should also have training capabilities.
Difficulty in obtaining technical support can delay a project in which the product plays a crucial
role. If access to support is important, the vendors Web site should be examined for readily
available information. The existence of moderated news groups, where personnel from the vendor
field questions is another positive indicator.
Low Risk
Access and
Visibility
Easy to gain insight

into future business
direction of vendor.
Easy to access key
personnel at vendor.
Moderate Risk
High Risk
Some insight into

future direction of
vendor. Can access
key personnel some of
the time.
Future business
direction of vendor is
unknown and access to
key personnel is
difficult.
Page 142 / 292
Expediting
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Criteria related to the product

Functionality
The functionality of the product is an obvious selection factor. In fact, cost and features often
drive the decision to purchase a particular product, while other factors are not given ample
consideration.
Rarely will a product provide an exact match in functionality to meet project requirements. There
will always be missing functionality and/or superfluous functionality. It is important that the
selected product provides a close match to the critical needs of the client.
The upgrade forecast for the product should also be examined against future project needs.
Low Risk
Functionality Current released
version of the
product fully
meets your
requirements.
Moderate Risk
High Risk
Current released version of

the product meets most of
your requirements. Future
version fully meets
requirements.
Current released version

of the product must be
modified (by either the
vendor or you) to meet
your requirements.
Performance
The full performance considerations of a product are often overlooked. While a product may
work well in a lab or experimental environment, it needs to be evaluated in terms of its ability to
scale up and meet future growth needs. There are numerous examples of projects that failed
because performance parameters were not adequately defined, resulting in the selection of
products that were not sufficiently robust for the application demands.
Low Risk
Performance Product fully meets
performance
requirements for
system.
Moderate Risk
High Risk
Product nearly meets

performance requirements
and shortcomings are not
critical, or will be met in
future versions.
Product does not meet

performance
requirements in critical
areas
Reliability
The projects reliability requirements need to be assessed with respect to the cost incurred to
provide certain levels of reliability.
While overall system reliability may be important, a less reliable product may be permitted if it is
satisfying a seldom-used or low-priority system function.
Low Risk
Moderate Risk
High Risk
Page 143 / 292
Expediting
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Reliability
Product is stable and has proven Product has occasionally

itself over time with its customer errors but none will result
base.
in critical problems.
Product has errors

that result in work
lost, crashes, etc.
Usability
No matter how performing a product is if it cannot not be handled easily by the user.
This is also true for the regular servicing, the maintenance and the repairing.
Low Risk
Usability
Moderate Risk
Product has an easy to

Product requires
understand interface and
some training to
requires modest training. Can use properly.
handle a range of users from
novice to expert.
High Risk
Product has difficult user
interface and requires
training for users to become
proficient.
Documentation
Documentation is crucial for certain products. Sophisticated equipment should come with a
handy documentation in a language understood by those who will use it.
Low Risk
Documentation User manuals and support
documentation are of
extremely high quality.
Moderate Risk
High Risk
User manuals and

User manuals and
support documentation support documentation
are of adequate quality. do not exist.
Cost
Last but not least, the Cost.
Evaluating the cost of a product is more than just looking at the value for price.
Cost itself integrates several factors which are sometimes difficult to quantify:
- the price announced by the vendor,
- price of the options,
- additional cost for tests, certificates, packing, insurance, shipment
- escalation clauses,
- contractual terms,
- warranty,
- and many more.
The importance of cost need also to be compared to
other factors. When you badly need a product and it is
only available at this shop the assessment is quickly
done.
The impact of the cost in the project perspective shall
also be considered:
Page 144 / 292
Expediting
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Cost
Low Risk
Moderate Risk
High Risk
Product cost has

minimal impact on
overall system (e.g.
little or no reduction or
modification of
requirements)
Product cost has

moderate impact on
overall system (e.g.,
low to moderate
priority requirements
delayed)
Product cost has major

impact on overall system
(e.g. cost magnitude
forces critical
requirements to be
delayed)
Product costs up to
50% less than similar
products.
Product costs within

10% of market average
for similar products.
Product costs up to 50%

more than similar
products.
The Audit
The audit generally takes the form of multiple interviews with senior vendor executives.
It should be conducted as a fact-based independent evaluation of vendor capability, reliability and
continued performance.
Inspectors shall be specifically trained for auditing and, for large assessment, the auditing team
shall comprises of auditors with the various skills required.
They shall have an understanding of the capabilities and offerings of the leading vendors of the
product to be able to conduct an in-depth and insightful analysis and identify the deficiencies.
The audit shall be fair and the inspector should always keep in mind that the result of his
assessment may exclude a vendor from a vital business.
When examining non-conformity records for instance, he shall remember that a vendor can only
be performing if the information he receives from the Client is correct. It is necessary to
understand the nature of the bad performance. Was it vendor incapability, poor project design or
a flaw on the part of the client?
The Reporting
In the attached support pages you will find several samples of templates that can be used to built
your own. You should use such checklists as starting points and customize them to your specific
needs. They are useful not to forget anything, but most of the time there are far too many items
for any individual situation.
More Information
Page 145 / 292
Painting & Coating
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
PAINTING AND COATING

What is Coating Inspection ?
147
The Purpose of Coating
147
Corrosion Protection
149
What is Corrosion ................................................................................................. 149
The Various Forms of Corrosion .......................................................................... 149
General Corrosion................................................................................................. 150
Pitting Corrosion................................................................................................... 151
Stress Corrosion Cracking (SCC)......................................................................... 152
Sulfide Stress Cracking......................................................................................... 154
Crevice Corrosion ................................................................................................. 155
Localized Attack on Rebars.................................................................................. 155
Methods of deterioration control .......................................................................... 156
Design ............................................................................................................... 156
How Coatings Work ............................................................................................. 158
The Purpose of Coating Inspection
158
Full Time or Part Time Inspection........................................................................ 159
What is the job of a Coating Inspector ?
161
Qualification And Responsibilities of the Coating Inspector............................... 161
Theoretical Knowledge......................................................................................... 162
Practical Knowledge ............................................................................................. 163
Scope of Inspection
164
Before the Inspection ............................................................................................ 165
Pre-Job Conference............................................................................................... 165
Inspection Hold Points and Documentation ......................................................... 166
Inspection of the substrate .................................................................................... 166
Inspection of the surface preparation The Visual Standards ............................. 168
Determination of the climatic conditions
183
Inspection of coating application.......................................................................... 185
Recording.............................................................................................................. 185
Inspection Equipment ........................................................................................... 185
More Information
Page 146 / 292
Painting & Coating
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
What is Coating Inspection ?

Coating inspection is different from the regular visual inspection of the appearance of a product
as normally conducted by an inspector as part of his product inspection assignment.
We are talking here about monitoring inspection, often full time, of a single process.
The subject of the inspection is the process itself as this is the only way to ensure that the final
product will satisfy the requirements.
In these Guidelines, the term coating will be used to define both painting and coating.
Just for clarification, paint is a liquid mixture of pigments, binder and solvent; coating
covers all other surface covering systems such as galvanizing, hot metal projection, etc They
have in common to be special processes for which the success lays in the strict application of
the specification.
The Purpose of Coating

One should say purposes as there are many reasons for applying a coating on a surface.
The common purpose of all coatings is to improve the surface properties of a material.
By spraying the surface of materials, one can change only the local properties of the surface,
while the bulk of the part remains unchanged and thus can be made of cheaper material.
Some of these improvements can be:
- prevention/protection of the various forms of wear and corrosion,
- provide a smooth surface to enhance flow capacity
- thermal barrier
- decorative and cosmetic,
- maintenance requirements, hygiene,
- marking, safety coded colours,
- reflective, slip resistant,
- prevention of oxidation (food, drugs),
- optical performance (lenses),
- and many more
Page 147 / 292
Painting & Coating
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
The following table shows the coatings commonly used in the industry and their functions.
As you see, the list is very extensive. But in these guidelines we will limit our study to the anticorrosion coating of steel for which Bureau Veritas is the more often required to perform
monitoring inspection.
Nevertheless, for other coatings, the general principles described in the guidelines can be used as
a methodological reference.
Substrate
Aluminium
Asbestos
Cement rendering
Concrete
Ferro-cement
Fibre-board
Galvanized steel
Gypsum board
Hardwood
Masonry
Metal surfaces
Metallising
MGSS/Muffler
Plaster
Plywood
Polyester/GRP
Primed steelwork
PU foam
Sealed masonry
Stainless steel
Steel
Stone
Tiles
Timber
White wash
Wood
Woodwork
Zinc silicate
Type of Coating
Acrylic
Alkyd
Bitumen
Chlorinated rubber
Copper free
Epoxy
Epoxy ester
Glass flake
Modified alkyd
Modified epoxy
Oil
Other
Oxiraneester
Polyester
Polysiloxane
Polyurethane
Silicone
Tar
Tin free
Urethane alkyd
Vinyl
Waterborne
Wax
Zinc
Zinc silicate
Function
Abrasion Resistant
Anti-slint
Antifouling
Bottom paint
Cleaner
Filler/Putty
Glass fibre repair
Glue
Heavy duty coating
Intermediate
Low VOC
Non-skid
Polish
Primer
Sealer
Shop primer
Surface Tolerant
Surfactant
Tank Lining
Texture
Thinner
Tiecoat
Top Coat/Finish
Varnish
Wood preservative
Function
Abrasion Resistant
Anti-slint
Common Industrial Coating Systems

Among the various functions of a coating, corrosion protection is the main purpose, aesthetics
come second. Therefore these guidelines will also provide extensive information on the
mechanisms of corrosion, which is essential for understanding the coating requirements.
Page 148 / 292
Painting & Coating
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Corrosion Protection
What is Corrosion
All materials will deteriorate in time. Metals corrode in aggressive soil, industrial or chemical
atmospheric or immersion environments; woods swell, warp, and crack during weathering and
are susceptible to biological decay; concrete/ masonry structures crack and spall in severe
environments; and organic polymeric materials suffer degradation in sunlight.
The corrosion resistance of metals and alloys is a basic property related to the easiness with
which these materials react with a given environment. Corrosion is a natural process that seeks to
reduce the binding energy in metals. The end result of corrosion involves a metal atom being
oxidized, whereby it loses one or more electrons and leaves the bulk metal. The lost electrons are
conducted through the bulk metal to another site where they are reduced. In corrosion parlance,
the site where metal atoms lose electrons is called the anode, and the site where electrons are
transferred to the reducing species is called the cathode.
Iron and steel, the most commonly used metals, corrode in many media including most outdoor
atmospheres. Usually they are selected not for their corrosion resistance but for such properties as
strength, ease of fabrication, and cost. These differences show up in the rate of metal lost due to
rusting.
Corrosion may take multiple forms (uniform, pitting crevice, ) which depend on several sub
factors such as the basic material, the environment, the stress, etc
The table below shows the relationship between these two sets of parameters.
The Various Forms of Corrosion
Page 149 / 292
Painting & Coating
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Corrosion is not only the general overall attack of a surface; many corrosion forms are localised
and coating systems (and the inspection thereof) shall take this fact into consideration.
The following pie chart summarizes the findings of 363 corrosion failure cases investigated in a
major chemical processing company. The importance of pitting comes second (22%) after
general corrosion and before stress corrosion cracking (SCC) which is, by the way, often initiated
by pitting. Crevice corrosion comes fourth at 12%.
General Corrosion
Uniform corrosion is characterized by corrosive
attack proceeding evenly over the entire surface area,
or a large fraction of the total area. General thinning
takes place until failure. On the basis of tonnage
wasted, this is the most important form of corrosion.
However, uniform corrosion is relatively easily
measured and predicted, making disastrous failures
relatively rare. In many cases, it is objectionable only
from an appearance standpoint. As corrosion occurs
uniformly over the entire surface of the metal component, it can be practically controlled by
cathodic protection, use of coatings or paints, or simply by specifying a corrosion allowance.
Page 150 / 292
Painting & Coating
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
In other cases uniform corrosion adds colour and appeal to a surface. Two classics in this respect
are the patina created by naturally tarnishing copper roofs and the rust hues produced on
weathering steels.
The breakdown of protective coating systems on structures often leads to this form of corrosion.
Dulling of a bright or polished surface, etching by acid cleaners, or oxidation (discoloration) of
steel are examples of surface corrosion. Corrosion resistant alloys and stainless steels can become
tarnished or oxidized in corrosive environments.
Surface corrosion can indicate a breakdown in the protective coating system, however, and
should be examined closely for more advanced attack. If surface corrosion is permitted to
continue, the surface may become rough and surface corrosion can lead to more serious types of
corrosion.
Pitting Corrosion
Pitting corrosion is a localized form of corrosion by which cavities or holes are produced in the
material. Pitting is considered to be more dangerous than uniform corrosion damage because it is
more difficult to detect, predict and design against. Corrosion products often cover the pits. A
small, narrow pit with minimal overall metal loss can lead to the failure of an entire engineering
system. Pitting corrosion, which is almost a common denominator of all types of localized
corrosion attack, may assume different shapes.
Pitting is initiated by:
- Localized chemical or mechanical damage to the protective oxide film,
- water chemistry factors which can cause breakdown of a passive film are acidity,
- low dissolved oxygen concentrations (which tend to render a protective oxide film less
stable),
- high concentrations of chloride (as in seawater),
- localized damage to, or poor application of, a protective coating,
- the presence of non-uniformities in the metal structure of the component, e.g. non metallic
inclusions.
Pitting corrosion can produce pits with their mouth
open (uncovered) or covered with a semi-permeable
membrane of corrosion products. Pits can be either
hemispherical or cup-shaped.
Apart from the localized loss of thickness, corrosion
pits can also be harmful by acting as stress risers.
Fatigue and stress corrosion cracking may initiate at
the base of corrosion pits.
One pit in a large system can be enough to produce
the catastrophic failure of that system.
Some definitions
Pitting: corrosion of a metal surface, confined to a point or small area, that takes the form of
cavities.
Page 151 / 292
Painting & Coating
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Pitting factor: ratio of the depth of the deepest pit resulting from corrosion divided by the average
penetration as calculated from weight loss.
Pitting resistance equivalent number (PREN): an empirical relationship to predict the pitting
resistance of austenitic and duplex stainless steels. It is expressed as PREN = Cr + 3.3 (Mo + 0.5
W) + 16N.
Stress Corrosion Cracking (SCC)

Stress corrosion cracking (SCC) is the cracking induced from the combined influence of tensile
stress and a corrosive environment. The impact of SCC on a material usually falls between dry
cracking and the fatigue threshold of that material. The required tensile stresses may be in the
form of directly applied stresses or in the form of residual stresses. The problem itself can be
quite complex. The situation with buried pipelines is a good example of such complexity.
Cold deformation and forming, welding, heat treatment, machining and grinding can introduce
residual stresses. The magnitude and importance of such stresses is often underestimated. The
residual stresses set up as a result of welding operations tend to approach the yield strength.
The build-up of corrosion products in confined spaces can also generate significant stresses and
should not be overlooked.
SCC usually occurs in certain specific alloy-environment-stress combinations.
Usually, most of the surface remains unattacked, but

with fine cracks penetrating into the material. In the
microstructure, these cracks can have an intergranular or
a transgranular morphology. Macroscopically, SCC
fractures have a brittle appearance. SCC is classified as a
catastrophic form of corrosion, as the detection of such
fine cracks can be very difficult and the damage not
easily predicted. Experimental SCC data is notorious for
a wide range of scatter. A disastrous failure may occur
unexpectedly, with minimal overall material loss.
The micrograph on the right (X500) illustrates
intergranular SCC of an Inconel heat exchanger tube
with the crack following the grain boundaries.
Page 152 / 292
Painting & Coating
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
The micrograph on the left (X300) illustrates SCC in a

316 stainless steel chemical processing piping
system. Chloride stress corrosion cracking in
austenitic stainless steel is characterized by the multibranched lightning bolt transgranular crack pattern.
Chloride SCC
One of the most important forms of stress corrosion that concerns the nuclear industry is chloride
stress corrosion. Chloride stress corrosion is a type of intergranular corrosion and occurs in
austenitic stainless steel under tensile stress in the presence of oxygen, chloride ions, and high
temperature. It is thought to start with chromium carbide deposits along grain boundaries that
leave the metal open to corrosion. This form of corrosion is controlled by maintaining low
chloride ion and oxygen content in the environment and use of low carbon steels.
Caustic SCC
Despite the extensive qualification of Inconel for specific applications, a number of corrosion
problems have arisen with Inconel tubing. Improved resistance to caustic stress corrosion
cracking can be given to Inconel by heat treating it at 620oC to 705oC, depending upon prior
solution treating temperature. Other problems that have been observed with Inconel include
wastage, tube denting, pitting, and intergranular attack.
Preventing or controlling SCC
The most effective means of preventing SCC are:
design properly with the right materials;
reduce stresses;
remove critical environmental species such as hydroxides, chlorides, and oxygen;
and avoid stagnant areas and crevices in heat exchangers where chloride and hydroxide might
become concentrated.
Low alloy steels are less susceptible than high alloy steels, but they are subject to SCC in water
containing chloride ions.
Page 153 / 292
Painting & Coating
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Stress corrosion crack propagation rate

Stress corrosion cracks propagate over a range of velocities from about 10-3 to 10 mm/h,
depending upon the combination of alloy and environment involved. Their geometry is such that
if they grow to appropriate lengths they may reach a critical size that results in a transition from
the relatively slow crack growth rates associated with stress corrosion to the fast crack
propagation rates associated with purely mechanical failure.
Sulfide Stress Cracking

Hydrogen sulfide dissolved in water can react with a steel surface, producing an iron sulfide
scale. Also, H2S corrosion can form deep pits in regions where no iron sulfide scale is present.
However, this type of corrosion will probably not be significant unless the H2S content reaches
as high as several mole percent. If H2S is present at all in the environment or in the transported
fluids, its likely to be at much lower concentrations than would be required to produce severe
pitting. In this event, the mechanism known as sulfide stress cracking, or SSC, is cause for
much more concern.
Sulfide stress cracking occurs as the result of atomic hydrogen entering the metal. Atomic
hydrogen, produced during aqueous corrosion, normally recombines to form molecular hydrogen.
Molecular hydrogen, the result of the above reaction, is too large to enter the metal and thus is of
little concern. However, H2S is thought to discourage this recombination reaction from atomic
hydrogen into harmless molecular
hydrogen, and hence can aid the entry of
atomic hydrogen into the metal.
Once inside, the atomic hydrogen will
diffuse to trap sites, where it can cause
a local increase in stress or a decrease in
strength of the metal lattice. For a
material under load, there is evidence
that the atomic hydrogen will
concentrate near stress concentrators and
may give rise to crack initiation at such
points, leading to brittle fracture of the
material. This type of cracking can occur
rapidly and without warning.
SSC failures are possible at many
locations, but are probably most common in the pin necks of connections because these members
are already under significant tensile stress states from makeup.
A higher tensile stress state, higher H2S concentrations, lower pH, higher pressure, higher
chloride concentration, lower temperature and harder material all promote SSC attack.
Conversely, moving one or more of these factors in the opposite directions will retard attack,
other things equal.
Possible sources of hydrogen sulfide may include any of those below.
- transported products (crude oil, waste water,)
- bacterial activity (waste water, swamps, )
- breakdown of chemicals in the environment
Page 154 / 292
Painting & Coating
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Crevice Corrosion
Crevice corrosion is a localized form of corrosion usually associated with a stagnant solution on
the micro-environmental level. Such stagnant microenvironments tend to occur in crevices
(shielded areas) such as those formed under gaskets, washers, insulation material, fastener heads,
surface deposits, disbonded coatings, threads, lap joints and clamps.
Crevice corrosion is initiated by changes in local chemistry within the crevice:
- Depletion of inhibitor in the crevice
- Depletion of oxygen in the crevice
- A shift to acid conditions in the crevice
- Build-up of aggressive ion species (e.g. chloride) in the crevice
As oxygen diffusion into the crevice is
restricted, a differential aeration cell tends
to be set up between crevice
(microenvironment) and the external
surface (bulk environment). The cathodic
oxygen reduction reaction cannot be
sustained in the crevice area, giving it an
anodic character in the concentration cell.
This anodic imbalance can lead to the
creation of highly corrosive microenvironmental conditions in the crevice,
conducive to further metal dissolution.
This results in the formation of an acidic
micro-environment, together with a high
chloride ion concentration.
All forms of concentration cell corrosion can be very aggressive, and all result from
environmental differences at the surface of a metal. Even the most benign atmospheric
environments can become extremely aggressive as illustrated in this example of aircraft
corrosion. This advanced form of crevice corrosion is called pillowing.
The most common form is oxygen differential cell corrosion. This occurs because moisture has a
lower oxygen content when it lies in a crevice than when it lies on a surface. The lower oxygen
content in the crevice forms an anode at the metal surface. The metal surface in contact with the
portion of the moisture film exposed to air forms a cathode.
A special form of crevice in which the aggressive chemistry build-up occurs under a protective
film that has been breached is called filiform corrosion. Another important for of crevice
corrosion occurs under insulation.
Localized Attack on Rebars

The two most common mechanisms of reinforcing steel corrosion damage in concrete are:
- localized breakdown of the passive film by chloride ions
Page 155 / 292
Painting & Coating
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
carbonation, a decrease in pore solution pH leading to a general breakdown in

passivity.
Harmful chloride ions usually originate from de-icing salts applied in cold climate regions or
from marine type environments/atmospheres.
Carbonation damage is predominantly induced by a reaction of concrete with carbon dioxide
(CO2) in the atmosphere.
Chloride induced rebar corrosion tends to be a localized corrosion process, with the original
passive surface being destroyed locally under the influence of chloride ions. Apart from the
internal stresses created by the formation of corrosion products leading to cracking and spalling
of the concrete cover, chloride attack ultimately reduces the cross section and significantly
compromises the load carrying capability of steel reinforced concrete.
Methods of deterioration control

Coating is not the only way to protect a material from corrosion. Many systems, generally used in
a combined form, may participate in the prevention of corrosion.
They include:
- design of components,
- selection of materials and components,
- additional thickness (corrosion allowance),
- cathodic protection,
- controlling the environment,
- use of corrosion inhibitors
- and of course coatings.
Those related to coating inspection are discussed here after.
Design
At the stage of coating inspection there is little to do about design. However the inspector should
be aware of the following design factors which impact heavily on the performance of a coating
system and the ease of its maintenance.
Structural Steel Shapes: The outside of an angle always presents a problem, being difficult to
coat because coatings tend to pull away from a point or sharp edge. The interior of a square angle
is difficult to coat as dirt accumulates here and it is often a difficult area to reach by spray or
brush.
Sharp Edges: Sharp edges should be eliminated wherever possible. Remember coating materials
tend to run away from an edge. If the coating is applied by brush and the applicator brushes away
from the edge, the coating is invariably brushed off, leaving a thin area. Brushing should be
towards an edge. When spraying, double coating of edges should take place where possible.
Page 156 / 292
Painting & Coating
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Welded Joints: Welds must be given special attention when coatings are specified. One of the
major difficulties along the welds occurs because of weld splatter. Weld splatter should be
carefully removed by blasting or chipping. Where resistance to corrosion is required, all rough
welding should be ground smooth. All welds should, if possible, be double coated.
Brackets: Brackets and other temporary fabricating aids are frequently welded on the surface of
structures during construction. They are sometimes left in place after the job is completed. If the
brackets are cut from the surface a rough spot usually remains, thus starting a corrosion problem.
If left in situ and even though thoroughly cleaned by blasting, these fixtures are extremely
difficult to coat properly. All brackets and extra metal should be removed and previous contact
areas ground smooth.
Discontinuous, Tack or Skip Welds: In a corrosive atmosphere these welds are vulnerable since
they cannot be properly coated. Skip welding consists of welding a 5 cm bead and then skipping
from 5 cm to 30 cm before welding another 5 cm bead. Skip welding is used mainly for
reinforcing purposes when a continuous weld is not considered necessary. Structures, which will
be exposed to a corrosive environment, should have continuous welds.
Lap Welds: Lap welding consists of continuous welding on the outside surfaces only, leaving the
steel plates lapped on the inside thus forming crevices which are difficult to coat properly. If a
coating is to give best results, all joints should be completely sealed.
Steel Angles: Steel angles placed back to back are often used to form trusses. These angles are
usually separated by washers or other members of the truss. The resultant gap is difficult to
protect in a corrosive atmosphere. Trusses should be designed with a minimum of crevices
between steel members or alternatively adequately coated before joining.
Weld Flux: Weld flux is a hygroscopic material. Left on a weld it absorbs moisture and creates a
spot where early coating failure can be anticipated. Specifications should ensure complete
removal of all weld flux, by wire brushing and washing with copious quantities of fresh water.
Pipeline Design: Pipe supports, flanges, threaded joints and pipe hangers are all potential points
of corrosion. Crevices are formed in threaded couplings, which allow the penetration of moisture.
Pipe hangers and supports cause local areas of severe corrosion since the ring of the hanger or
support never fits accurately enough to prevent a crevice.
Inhibition: For pipelines the following types of inhibition method are commonly used:
Continuous Inhibition Inhibitor is continuously injected into the flow stream. This may be
conducted in both downhole and surface production systems. It is preferred where the flow
velocity is greater than 10 ft/sec (3 meter/sec) or where the amount of water is high.
Batch Inhibition Inhibitor is added in the flow system periodically in batch treatments usually
between two pigs. A strongly persistent filming inhibitor is usually used which can reduced
corrosion rates effectively during the period between batch treatments. This technique is usually
effective where the chloride concentration is high but the velocity is low. It is commonly used to
supplement other inhibition techniques.
Page 157 / 292
Painting & Coating
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Pigging Pigging is the use of flowline pigs to assist in (a) application of batch inhibitors and (b)
removal of accumulated water, solids and other deposit in the flow system. In many applications,
pigging is required to get proper distribution of inhibition chemicals through the flow system. In
cases where flow velocity is low, pigging is used to remove water and deposits from the bottom
of the pipe which can promote corrosion at this location.
How Coatings Work

Coating protects materials against corrosion in three basic ways which may be combined in a
coating system. Indeed, many coatings contain as many as 15 to 20 ingredients with their own
range of functionality :
- Impermeability: The ideal impermeable coating should be completely unaffected by the
specific environment it is designed to block, be it most commonly humidity, water or any
other corrosive agent such as gases, ions or electrons. The ideal impermeable coating
should have a high dielectric constant and also have perfect adhesion to the underlying
surface in order to avoid any entrapment of corrosive agents.
- Inhibition: In contrast with coatings developed on the basis of impermeability, inhibitive
coatings function by reacting with a certain environment to provide a protective film or
barrier on the metallic surface. The concept of adding an inhibitor to a primer has been
applied to coatings of steel vessels since these vessels have been first constructed. Such
coatings were originally oil based and heavily loaded with red lead.
- Cathodically protective pigments: As with inhibition, cathodic protection in coatings is
mostly provided by additives in the primer. The main function of these additives is to shift
the potential of the environment to a less corrosive cathodic potential. Inorganic zinc
based primers are good examples of this concept.
The Purpose of Coating Inspection

Clients are willing to purchase this inspection service because it is an insurance for the long term
performance of the protection of their assets.
Indeed, while there may potentially be various reasons for premature failure of a coating system,
approximately 85 to 90 percent of all catastrophic coating failures are caused by deficient
surface preparation and/or coating application. The unit cost of repair is normally two and one
half times higher than the original coating application unit cost and frequently results in lower
quality due to adverse application conditions. This analysis does not include the potentially
staggering cost of down-time and loss of facility production.
It is said that a painter covers his mistakes; this is unquestionably true. Unfortunately, after the
surface has been coated, it is exceedingly difficult to verify the adequacy of surface
preparation. Furthermore, without the use of certain special instruments, it is difficult or
impossible to determine the number and thickness of coating layers. However, during the
course of application, these and other coating quality checks can be readily verified and
documented. This is the purpose of coating inspection.
Page 158 / 292
Painting & Coating
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
In general, the role of the inspector is to independently witness and document the surface
preparation and coating work in a formal fashion. The inspectors sole purpose is to ensure that
the requirements of the coating specification are met. In addition to specification enforcement,
the coating inspector should provide job documentation, including commentary on the type of
equipment on the jobsite, rate of work progression, and information regarding ambient conditions
and controls. The amount and type of inspection will vary according to the size of the project, the
type of application contract, and of course, the owners preference.
For example, in a fixed-price contract, the inspectors job is to ensure that the contractor does not
cut corners to hurry the job. While a general knowledge and evaluation of equipment, work
procedures, sequences, etc., is important, equipment and the method(s) by which the contractor
accomplishes the job are essentially at his own discretion, provided the requirements of the
specifications are met.
A cost-plus application contract, however, requires the inspector to be knowledgeable in
evaluating the contractors equipment for adequacy and assessing whether the rate of progress is
reasonable for the job.
Formal coating inspections vastly increase the probability of achieving a successful coating
application that will protect for the design life of the system.
Instrumentation monitors many conditions not readily observable. These conditions include
substrate cleanliness, adhesion, cohesion, coating thickness, thickness per coat, ambient
conditions, and more.
The net result of independent coating inspection is conformance to the specification, resulting in
substantial returns to the owner in the form of improved Quality and the elimination of premature
failure due to improver surface preparation and application.
Large coating contracts may call for independent inspection as a requirement for the job.
Full Time or Part Time Inspection

It is felt that there will always be a need for independent coatings inspectors to provide quality
control on coatings projects. However, in order to control costs, inspection can be delivered in a
number of different ways. An inspector could observe several jobsites or only be present during
Page 159 / 292
Painting & Coating
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
critical times. Sometimes a project engineer will provide inspection on the job on behalf of the
owner in conjunction with another operation, thus minimizing the costs.
Ideally, the inspector should be involved from the pre-job meeting through the final inspection
and acceptance of the contractors work. Also, one individual inspector should be responsible for
each job, and inspectors should not be substituted throughout the job. In this way, the contractor
will hopefully establish a relationship with the inspector, as well as an understanding of the
requirements based on the written specification.
The reason for a full-time Coating Inspector is based on three reasons:
- human nature,
- education,
- and interest.
When a coating contractor performs a repainting project, his main concern, even if
subconsciously, is to get the job done and go to the next one. He is in business to make money.
You cant blame him for that. But, human nature will look at a finished job and say yeah, I got
that part, and another person may come along and find a missed spot. The contractor didnt
miss that spot on purpose. He just thought that he was finished, so he moved on.
Any contractor will tell you that they want to do a good job, but what constitutes a good job?
That brings up the next point education. A painter only knows what they see during a painting
project. They rarely get to inspect a tank during its service life. A good inspector, however,
knows where to look for problems based on his previous experience. Another important part of
education is knowing the definitions of terms used in the specifications. What is a Near White
Metal Blast? If you ask ten painters, youll probably get eight different answers. But if you go
to the standards, you will get a very comprehensive explanation.
What usually happens is the contractor is working along and says Oh, thats good enough. Or
Yeah, I did what the spec said. But, remember, he is in business to make money. He might
think that a certain detail doesnt matter, when, in fact, that little detail will turn into a problem
later.
Because of costs, it is not always possible to have full-time coatings inspection from start to
finish. In such cases, intermittent inspections can be performed at certain critical points in the
coatings project. For example, after surface preparation work has been completed, but before the
prime coat has been applied.
A lot of owners like the idea of spot inspections. However, this plan still leaves lots of
loopholes. The inspector can go through the job site and point out problems, missed areas, etc.,
but who will make sure those problems are fixed? Usually a coat of paint will be installed over
these spots and no one will know if the area was, may be, blasted correctly, or if the primer was
applied thoroughly. Five years down the road those problems will re-surface and then the owner
is stuck re-painting the tank again.
With full-time inspection, the problems that are found can be marked and re-checked before
moving on to the next step. Specific issues can be followed throughout the project and a
resolution can be found before the completion of that part of the project.
The Coating Inspector should be the eyes and ears of the owner and should approach the
project with the owners best interest in mind.
Page 160 / 292
Painting & Coating
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
What is the job of a Coating Inspector ?

A coating inspectors job is to monitor the contractors work
for adherence to the project specifications and the coating
manufacturers recommended procedures.
Indeed, several forces can effect the outcome of an industrial
coating project. Some of these variable are:
- status of the substrate
- proper surface preparation,
- proper storage of the unused coating,
- proper mixing of the coating,
- substrate surface temperature,
- wet film thickness,
- proper cure time,
- and much more.
If even one of these items is very far off, the whole project can
be a disaster.
Qualification And Responsibilities of the Coating Inspector

Todays high performance coating systems demand close scrutiny during every phase of an
industrial coatings operation. From the mixing and thinning of the products, to the measurement
of ambients, to the testing of the substrate for cleanliness and roughness, to proper application,
compliance with the specification and the best use of time, product, and manpower are critical.
Over-inspection can impede progress, while inadequate inspection can cause costly rework, even
premature coatings failure. Understanding what to inspect, when to inspect, and how to inspect is
a crucial part of every coatings operation.
The coating inspector is a quality assurance person whose job it is to ensure that all aspects of a
coating job are handled according to the written coating specification, assuming one is available.
Essentially, the inspector is an independent observer who understands all aspects of but
performs none of the individual tasks; he makes sure that the job is done in the specified way
with the specified materials by the proper procedure.
The coating inspector:
Is independent from the applicator, manufacturer, and owner
Keeps complete records for the entire job
Is normally hired by, and reports directly to the owner
Ensures compliance with the coating specification
Coating inspection work may take place on a job site, in a fabrication yard, in a plant, in a pipe
mill or coating shop, on an offshore platform, or on an assembly line.
Coating inspection requires knowledge ad experience.
Page 161 / 292
Painting & Coating
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Ideally an inspector should have successfully completed an education and training program.
The present Guidelines are only an introduction to what is required to become a knowledgeable
coating inspector.
An inspector should have a minimum of three years experience in the coating industry related to
the type of work to be inspected.
An inspector should be examined annually to ensure natural or corrected near-distance visual
acuity in at least one eye. He shall also be examined for colour perception and shall be physically
capable of performing the required inspection work.
An inspector shall have a current working knowledge of the operation and use of the inspection
equipment required for the project.
An inspector shall have sufficient coating knowledge to conduct a complete review of the coating
specification and be capable of understanding the requirements of those documents.
There are so many different fields where industrial coatings are utilized, that a persons
background will also determine his effectiveness as a coating inspector. For example, an
inspector that only has experience on bridges might not be the most proficient at performing a
coating inspection on a water tower. A big part of inspection is knowing where to look.
Here after is a typical syllabus of a painting/coating course, showing he large extent of the
knowledge required for this type of inspection.
A simplified Painting Inspection Course can be found in the support pages.
Theoretical Knowledge
Fundamental knowledge of Corrosion
The Corrosion Process
The Galvanic Series
Importance of the Cathode
The Rusting of Steel Plate
Corrosion Environments
Corrosion Prevention Through the Use of Protective Coatings
Material Selection
Design and Fabrication Considerations
Environmental Modification
Cathodic Protection
Metallic Coatings
Inorganic Coatings
Organic Coatings
Basic of paint coatings and chemistry of various kinds of paints, resins and formulations and their
relation to corrosion protection.
The Nature of Coatings
Components of Coatings
Curing Mechanisms
Coating Types
Anti-corrosive Pigments
Selecting the Coating System
Conventional and advanced coating systems
Standards: ISO/ASTM/NACE/SSPC /Swedish Standards
Page 162 / 292
Painting & Coating
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
The Use and Calibration of Inspection Instruments

Inspecting for Ambient Conditions
Surface preparation methods
Surface Conditions or Defects
Surface Repairs
Surface Preparation
Methods of Surface Preparation
Choice and Comparison of Methods
Mixing and Thinning Procedures
Paint Application techniques and equipment
Choice of Application Method
Brush
Roller
Conventional Spray
Airless Spray
Spray Developments
Powder Coating
Curing Mechanisms
Reasons for Paint Failure and its Mechanisms
Paint repair and rehabilitation
maintenance Coatings
Inspecting The Environment
Wind
Rain
Ventilation
Air Temperature
Surface Temperature
Relative Humidity
Effect of Adverse Conditions
Problems
Safety aspects in paint coating
application.
Volatile Organic Compound (VOC): Regulations that control environmental issues
Paint Applications Fields :
Chemical and other allied industries
Offshore structures
Underground pipelines
Rebars for RCC Structures and Coatings for concrete
Coatings for Ships
Automotive paint Coatings
Practical Knowledge
Inspection Of Surface Preparation
Post Fabrication Defects
Blast Cleaning Equipment
Abrasive
Page 163 / 292
Painting & Coating
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Visual Inspection of Surfaces

Surface Contamination
measure of its surface Profile
assessment of cleanliness
Inspection Of Coating Material And Its Applications
The Coating Material
Coating Application
Wet Film Thickness
Inspection Of The Dry film
Dry Film Thickness
Calibration of Measuring Instruments
Inspection Procedures
Pinhole and Holiday Testing
Adhesion Testing
Tests for Cure and Hardness
Coating Problems & Their Remedies
Reasons for Failures
Inspection for Defects
Problems During Application
Problems After Application
Problems Arising After Curing
Coating Breakdown
Health & Safety
Hazards and their Mitigation
Fire Hazards and Explosions
Health Hazards
Scope of Inspection
What steps does an inspector check during a coatings project? Are these steps standard
procedures?
These steps will vary for most specifications, but there are standard steps and procedures which
should be incorporated into all written specifications where they are appropriate.
These include, among many others:
- inspection of the substrate,
- measurement of ambient conditions,
- determination of wet and dry film thickness,
- adhesion testing,
- and witnessing coating mixing.
All of these steps have specific procedures attached to them, and in many cases require
sophisticated instrumentation. Many of these steps and procedures are identified as hold points or
quality check points. Hold points require the inspector to check each item and verify whether or
not it has met the specification parameters prior to allowing the contractor to proceed.
Page 164 / 292
Painting & Coating
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Before the Inspection

Project Specification / inspection plan
For the Client, any good coating project needs to start with a thorough assessment inspection. To
get the maximum life out of an equipment, a comprehensive, detailed, project specification must
be assembled. This document will be the foundation of the project from beginning to end. It is
important that the specification covers not only the technical aspects, but the management and
administrative aspects, as well.
Manufacturers Product Data Sheet/specification
This document, issued by the coating manufacturer, is essential for a correct application of the
coating system. No inspection should be undertaken if it is not available.
It comprises generally instructions about:
- Packaging and storage of the coating,
- Surface preparation,
- Coating application
- Inspection and testing procedures
- Repair procedure,
- Handling of coated products
- Health ad safety requirements
Examples of product data sheets are attached in the support pages.
Pre-Job Conference
A pre-job conference shall be held to review information pertinent to the job. The inspector shall
be present along with the prime contractor/owner and coating contractor.
As a minimum, the following topics shall be reviewed:
Scope of Work
Specification Requirements
Identification of Design Defects
Material Product Data Sheets
Work Schedule
Acceptance Procedures
Reference standards
Prior to job start, the coating contractor shall be advised as to the level and limits of authority and
responsibility that the inspector will be exercising.
If not specifically addressed in the specifications, testing procedures and the required list of
instruments, including calibration, shall be determined at the pre-job conference.
It is best to establish lines of communication with everyone working on the same project, but this
is especially important for the contractor and inspector. The pre-job meeting is an excellent forum
for the contractor and coating inspector to establish a line of communication. At this meeting
point, an understanding must/should be established as to what the inspector is expecting of the
Page 165 / 292
Painting & Coating
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
contractor and vice-versa. A thorough review of the written specification with the inspector prior
to mobilization can be invaluable in establishing basic understanding. For example, at this pre-job
meeting, arrangements can be made to establish a jobsite surface cleanliness standard for blast
cleaning. This single demonstration can aid in one of the most critical (subjective) steps in a
coatings project. Many believe that the tone at the pre-job meeting sets the tone for the rest of the
job.
RESOLUTION OF DISPUTES
To ensure a timely completion of the project, a procedure shall be written to resolve any dispute
or conflict between specifications, manufacturers literature, work in progress, or completed
work.
Minimum resolution procedure shall include:
Establishment of levels of communication, responsibility, and authority of personnel.
Identification of personnel having levels of authority.
Time frame and procedure to identify and resolve disputes or conflicts.
Inspection Hold Points and Documentation

A schedule of points in the sequence of work operations, at which the testing procedures are to be
employed, shall be identified.
The inspector shall understand the project schedule and shall perform his activities in accordance
with the coating contractors schedule. Inspection hold points shall be mutually agreed upon to
minimize disruption to the contractors work.
Non-compliant conditions, work practices or defective work phases shall be immediately reported
in writing to the coating contractors representative.
Inspection of the substrate

Damages to the surface
If the steel has been damaged, the damage must be repaired before the cleaning of the steel. Such
damage is often indentations or laminations. Indentations can be removed by grinding. In the case
of deep dents, the remaining material thickness must be measured. Also laminations in the steel
can usually be repaired by grinding. After grinding, the object must be checked, for example by
X-ray.
It is particularly important to round off all edges and notches. Many specifications include
requirements for rounding of edges to a radius of at least 2 mm. Notches should preferably have a
radius of 15 mm. If welding work has been carried out on the object, all deposits from weld
smoke must be removed by washing, and any rough or uneven weld seams must be smoothened
by grinding.
Page 166 / 292
Painting & Coating
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Weld beads and weld smoke
Assessment of rust grades of steel ISO 8501-1

When the red-hot steel is processed in the steel rolling mill, it reacts with air and forms a layer on
the steel surface. This layer is called mill scale. When the steel is stored outdoors, it breaks down
it rusts. Mill scale and rust often create problems and must be removed by mechanical surface
preparation.
In order to assess the steel surface prior to surface preparation, the International Standard ISO
8501-1 Visual assessment of surface cleanliness is used. The standard is available as a small
handbook in A5 format.
This part of ISO 8501 identifies four levels (designated as rust grades) of mill scale and rust
that are commonly found on surfaces of uncoated erected steel and steel held in stock.
The four rust grades, designated A, B, C and D, respectively, are defined by written descriptions
together with representative photographic examples.
Rust grade A
Steel surface largely covered with adherent mill scale but little, if
any, rust.
Page 167 / 292
Painting & Coating
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Rust grade B
Steel surface which has begun to rust and from which the mill
scale has begun to flake.
Rust grade C
Steel surface on which the mill scale has rusted away or from
which it can be scraped, but with slight pitting visible under
normal vision.
Rust grade D
Steel surface on which the mill scale has rusted away and on
which general pitting is visible under normal vision.
When the surfaces are to be compared, it is helpful, initially, for a person having little experience
in assessing untreated steel surfaces to use the standard. In time, as the different surfaces have
become more familiar, they can be assessed without looking at the photographs in the standard.
ISO 8501-1 applies to not previously treated surfaces. However, an area from which a coating
system has broken down completely will show a rust pattern resembling that of rust grade C or D.
It has therefore become common practice to refer to such areas as being of rust grade C or D.
Inspection of the surface preparation The Visual Standards

The main goal of the surface preparation is to provide a clean, contaminant-free surface to which
the coating can be applied. This is where the visual standards are used as a visual reference to
insure that the blasted surface agrees with the job specs. They illustrate the various degrees of
blast cleanliness starting from various different initial conditions.
The same standard applies to both the assessment of the surface before preparation and the result
after preparation. Indeed for a same preparation the final result will depend on the initial status of
the surface.
The standard lists in detail the appearance of the surfaces after the different surface preparation
methods. The various grades are defined by written descriptions together with photographs that
are representative examples within the tolerance for each grade as described in words.
In addition, the standard lists several conditions to be considered when inspection is carried out,
including removal of dust from the surface after blast cleaning, for example by vacuum cleaning
Page 168 / 292
Painting & Coating
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
or by blowing with compressed air. Furthermore, the standard indicates that the prepared surface
may have a different appearance than the photograph in the book. There may also be various
degrees of corrosion on the surface, tool marks, different lighting conditions, shadows due to the
blasting angle and embedded abrasives.
The ISO 8501-1 includes three preparation grades:
- Blast cleaning, Sa
- Hand and power tool cleaning, St
- Flame cleaning, Fl
Blast cleaning
Four levels of cleanliness are defined which have the following designations: Sa 1, Sa 2, Sa 2
and Sa 3. Only very light blast cleaning is required to achieve a cleanliness of Sa 1 or Sa 2. In
order to achieve a cleanliness of Sa 2 and Sa 3 very thorough blast cleaning is required.
Sa 1 Light blast cleaning When viewed without magnification, the surface shall be free from
visible oil, grease and dirt, and from poorly adhering mill scale, rust, paint coatings and foreign
matter.
Sa 2 Thorough blast cleaning When viewed without magnification, the surface shall be free
from visible oil, grease and dirt, and from most of the mill scale, rust, paint coatings and foreign
matter. Any residual contamination shall be firmly adhering.
Sa 2 Very thorough blast cleaning When viewed without magnification, the surface shall be
free from visible oil, grease and dirt, and from mill scale, rust, paint coatings and foreign matter.
Any remaining traces of contamination shall show only as slight stains in the form of spots or
stripes.
The designation B Sa 2 corresponds to very thorough blast cleaning of steel with rust grade B,
i.e. a steel surface which has begun to rust and from which the mill scale has begun to flake.
When examining the surface without magnification, it must be free from visible contamination of
oil, grease and dirt, and largely free of mill scale, paint and other foreign matter. Remaining
traces of contamination may only show as slight stains in the form of spots.
Sa 3 Blast cleaning to visually clean steel When viewed without magnification, the surface
shall be free from visible oil, grease and dirt, and shall be free from mill scale, rust, paint coatings
and foreign matter. It shall have a uniform metallic colour.
The blasted steel surfaces depicted in ISO 8501-1 have been blast cleaned using an abrasive
called silica sand (quartz sand). Today, due to the silicosis hazard, the use of silica sand is
prohibited in many countries. The use of silica sand gives the steel surface a somewhat lighter
shade than when dark slags are used.
The shade of the steel after blasting has caused extensive problems in connection with the
approval of blasted steel surfaces before paint application. In 1994 a supplement to ISO 8501-1
was issued, showing the appearance of steel with rust grade C before and after blast cleaning with
six different abrasives (metallic and non-metallic). When this supplement is used, this may
Page 169 / 292
Painting & Coating
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
simplify matters both for the operator doing the blast cleaning of the steel and the inspector who
is to approve it before painting or thermal spraying.
The standard also mentions that the surface must be free of foreign matter. This includes watersoluble salts, residues from weld smoke and weld spatter. It can be difficult to remove such
contaminants completely by mechanical surface preparation. In such cases it may be appropriate
to hose down the surfaces before they are blast cleaned, or they can be wet blasted.
Hand and power tool cleaning, St
Surface preparation by hand and power tool cleaning, such as scraping, wirebrushing, machine
brushing and grinding, is designated by the letters St. Two preparation grades, designated St 2
and St 3, can be achieved using hand and power tool cleaning. Preparation grade St 1 is not
included as it would correspond to a surface unsuitable for painting.
St 2 Thorough hand and power tool cleaning When viewed without magnification, the surface
shall be free from visible oil, grease and dirt, and from poorly adhering mill scale, rust, paint
coatings and foreign matter. See photographs B St2, C St 2 and D St 2.
St 3 Very thorough hand and power tool cleaning As for St 2, but the surface shall be treated
much more thoroughly to give a metallic sheen arising from the metallic substrate. See
photographs B St 3, C St 3 and D St 3.
Flame cleaning, Fl
Flame cleaning finds limited use, but was previously widely used on board ships.
Before flame cleaning of a steel surface is started, all thick rust layers must be removed. After the
steel surface has been flame cleaned, it must be free of mill scale, rust, paint residues and other
contamination. Afterwards the steel surface is cleaned with power tool wirebrushing.
Surface preparation by flame cleaning is indicated by the letters Fl. Before flame cleaning, thick
rust layers must be removed by chipping and afterwards the surface must be cleaned by power
tool wire brushing.
Fl When viewed without magnification, the surface shall be free from mill scale, rust, paint
coatings and foreign matter. Any remaining residues shall show only as a discoloration of the
surface (shades of different colours).
SSPC Standards
In the USA and within American shipping companies building ships in Europe or in other parts
of the world, the American standards from Steel Structures Painting Council (SSPC), VIS-1
(Guide and Reference Photographs for Steel Surfaces Prepared by Dry Abrasive Blast Cleaning)
Page 170 / 292
Painting & Coating
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
and VIS-3 (Visual Standard for Power-and Hand-Tool Cleaned Steel) are much more widely used
than ISO 8501-1. Like ISO 8501-1 also these standards are pictorial standards.
VIS-1 is a visual standard showing colour photographs of different surfaces before and after
surface preparation by blast cleaning. The surface preparation grades in the standard are
designated as SP 5 (Sa 3), SP 6 (Sa 2), SP 7 (Sa 1), and SP 10 (Sa 2).
VIS-3 is a visual standard for hand and power tool cleaning of steel. This standard differs slightly
from VIS-1 by containing seven conditions, which are the rust degrees A, B, C and D for new
constructions and E, F and G for maintenance of constructions. The latter three conditions are
previously coated surfaces.
The seven conditions are then prepared by five different methods:
Manual wire brushing
Power wire brushing
Power grinding
Power needle hammering
Power tool surface preparation to bare metal by equipment producing minimum 25 m
roughness on the steel.
The pictures show the condition of welds prior to and after surface preparation.
Preparation of previously coated steel substrates after localized removal of previous
coatings ISO 8501-2
When steel constructions are to be maintained, complete removal of previous paint coatings is not
always necessary. This is especially true where maintenance work is carried out at regular
intervals. In the cases where only a localized area is to undergo surface preparation, it is
important to ensure that The paint remaining on the surface is compatible with the new paint,
and together the system must provide durable protection. During cleaning of locally corroded
areas down to steel care must be taken not to damage adjacent areas unnecessarily.
Work is also in progress concerning recommendations and guidelines for maximum acceptable
chloride and sulphate contents on surfaces in various service exposures.
The standard ISO 8501-2 deals with preparation grades of previously coated steel substrates after
localized removal of previous coatings. Like the ISO 85011 also this standard contains several
photographs.
The standard specifies several surface preparation grades, indicating the preparation method and
the degree of cleaning. The surface preparation grades are defined by written descriptions of how
the surface must appear after it has been cleaned.
Surface preparation by localized blast cleaning of previously coated surfaces is designated by the
letters P Sa.
Surface preparation by localized hand and power tool cleaning of previously coated surfaces,
such as scraping, wire brushing and grinding of surfaces, is designated by the letters P St.
Surface preparation by localized machine abrading of previously coated surfaces is designated by
the letters P Ma. It comprises cleaning by very thorough machine abrading (for example abrasive
discs) or by special rotary wire brushes used in conjunction with needle guns.
Page 171 / 292
Painting & Coating
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Local blast cleaning of previously coated surfaces, P Sa, comprises a total of three surface
preparation grades:
- P Sa 2 Thorough localized blast cleaning
- P Sa 2 Very thorough localized blast cleaning
- P Sa 3 Localized blast cleaning to visually clean steel
Localized hand or power tool cleaning (not machine grinding) of previously coated
surfaces, P St, comprises two surface preparation grades:
P St 2 Thorough localized hand or power tool cleaning
P St 3 Very thorough localized hand or power tool cleaning
Localized power tool grinding of previously coated surfaces, P Ma, only contains
one surface preparation grade:
P Ma Localized machine abrading
The pictorial reference examples in this part of ISO 8501 show typical appearance of surfaces
before and after they have been locally cleaned before repainting. (Magnifications are between
five and six times). The photographs show examples of very thorough localized blast cleaning (P
Sa 2) and localized machine abrading (P Ma).
Preparation of welds, cut edges and other areas with surface imperfections ISO 8501-3
When welding and cutting steel, edges are often left in a condition unsuitable for painting. Such
imperfections are generally not dealt with by blast cleaning alone and require other preparation
methods.
ISO 8501-3 Preparation grades of welds, cut edges and other areas with surface imperfections
describes the various types of imperfections by illustrations.
The areas with imperfections related to this standard are:
Welds
Cut edges
Steel surfaces generally
There are three preparation grades for making the steel surfaces suitable for the application of
paints:
-
P1 Light preparation: Minimum preparation considered necessary before application of

paint
P2 Thorough preparation Most imperfections are remedied and surface prepared for
painting
P3 Very thorough preparation Surface is free of visible imperfections
Page 172 / 292
Painting & Coating
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
The choice of the preparation grade can be correlated on a broad basis with the corrosivity
categories in ISO 12944-2. A general correlation is given in the table below.
Preparation grade
P1
P2
P3
Corrosivity category
C1 and C2
C3 and C4
C5I and C5M
Surface preparation standards for water jetting ISO 8501-4 and SSPC VIS-4
Within European and International Standardization work is in progress concerning the
preparation of an international standard for the area of water jetting. The work is in its final
phase and the standard will be found as a part standard under ISO 8501 with the title ISO 8501-4
Preparation grades of coated and uncoated steel substrates after removal of rust and previous
coatings by high-pressure water jetting.
Six initial surface conditions are defined.
Five initial surface conditions of surfaces degraded after previously having been blast cleaned
and painted with a protective paint system.
One initial surface condition, specified for a steel surface after previously having been blast
cleaned and painted with an iron oxide prefabrication primer.
The initial surface conditions are defined both by written descriptions and by representative
photographs.
Three preparation grades, designated:
- Wa 1 Light high pressure water jetting
- Wa 2 Thorough high pressure water jetting
- Wa 2 Very thorough high pressure water jetting
These preparation grades indicate the degree of cleaning. These are defined by written
descriptions of the surface appearance after the cleaning operation along with representative
photographs.
When cleaned with water, steel will flash rust (definition: oxidation of steel that occurs as water
jetted steel dries). Three flash rust grades are specified; L (low), M (medium) and H(high). They
are defined by written descriptions of the surface appearance before subsequent painting along
with representative photographs.
The standard contains a procedure for the visual assessment of steel substrates where the
substrate is examined with the appropriate photograph.
SSPC has also issued the standard VIS-4 Guide and Reference Photographs for Steel Surfaces
Prepared by Waterjetting. This standard deals with different surface preparation degrees on steel
after high and ultra-high pressure water jetting. In the case of ultra high pressure water jetting
(UHPWJ) pressures above 1700 bar are used.
The standard shows a total of 6 pictures (two uncoated and four previously coated steel surfaces
before and after water jetting. Photographs show four different degrees of cleaning (WJ 1, WJ 2,
WJ 3 and WJ 4) for each condition. The standard also contains photographs showing slight,
Page 173 / 292
Painting & Coating
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
moderate and heavy re-rusting, flash rust, on the surface. The standard is provided with a
description for the photographs as well as a guide to the use of the standard.
Chemical cleanliness ISO 8502
As previously mentioned, an important factor for the lifetime of a coating system is that the steel
surface is as free of contamination as possible before the paint is applied.
An international standardization committee is working on control methods for detecting the
presence of contaminants remaining on metal surfaces after they have been prepared. The
methods established by the committee must be suitable for field use.
The international standard ISO 8502, which deals with chemical cleanliness, will most likely
comprise a total of 13 parts when finished. Some of the parts have been in use since 1992,
whereas considerable work is still outstanding in the case of others before they are ready.
The content of ISO 8502 is listed below, as it is intended today. The number in brackets indicates
the year the standard was accepted.
ISO 8502 Preparation of steel substrates before application of paints and related products
Tests for the assessment of surface cleanliness
ISO 8502 Part 1: Field test for soluble iron corrosion products (1991)
ISO 8502 Part 2: Laboratory determination of chloride on cleaned surfaces (1992)
ISO 8502 Part 3: Assessment of dust on steel surfaces prepared for painting (pressure-sensitive
tape method) (1992)
ISO 8502 Part 4: Guidance on the estimation of the probability of condensation prior to
paint application (1993)
ISO 8502 Part 5: Measurement of chloride on steel surfaces prepared for painting (ion
detection tube method) (1998)
ISO 8502 Part 6: Extraction of soluble contaminants for analysis The Bresle
method (1995)
ISO 8502 Part 7: Field method for the determination of oil and grease (in progress) ISO
8502 Part 8: Field method for the refractometric determination of moisture
(2001)
ISO 8502 Part 9: Field method for the conductometric determination of water-soluble
salts (1998)
ISO 8502 Part 10: Field method for the titrimetric determination of water-soluble chloride
(1999)
ISO 8502 Part 12: Field method for the titrimetric determination of water-soluble ferrous
ions (2003)
ISO 8502 Part 13: Field method for the determination of soluble salts by conductometric
measurement (in progress)
Field test for soluble iron corrosion products (ISO 8502-1)
Even if a surface has been blast cleaned to a cleanliness degree of Sa 2, it may still be
contaminated with salts from the corrosion process. Such salts are usually iron sulphate and iron
chloride.
Page 174 / 292
Painting & Coating
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
These salts are often found in pits on the blast cleaned steel and are colourless. Consequently,
they are difficult to spot, also using a magnifying glass. However, after a certain period of time a
colour change can be seen on such areas in the form of re-rusting of the steel. It can be difficult to
distinguish between re-rusting due to high humidity and re-rusting due to the presence of iron
salts on the surface. However, blasted steel with such salts re-rust locally at low humidity. In the
case of high humidity, the whole surface will re-rust.
If the salts are not removed before repainting, this may result in extensive corrosion, and the paint
system may be destroyed. ISO has worked out a Technical Report, ISO/TR 8502-1, intended as a
guideline for determining the presence of such contamination.
When carrying out the test, plastic gloves should be used in order not to contaminate the surface
and water with salt from the hands. In order to determine the presence of water-soluble iron
corrosion products a marked out area of 100 x 250 mm is swabbed with a certain amount of
distilled water and a cotton pad. It is important to carry out the swabbing in such a way that water
does not run from the marked out area. The wash water is swabbed up with cotton and all the
water is kept in a small glass flask for subsequent analysis.
The water is then analysed with commercially available indicator strips, for example of the
2+
Merckoquant-type, determining Fe . The analysis range of this type of indicator strips is from 0
2+
to 500 mg/l or ppm Fe . If this method is chosen, solutions of known iron concentration must be
2+
prepared in order to calibrate the indicator strips in solutions of known concentrations of Fe .
The method for determining the amount of water-soluble iron corrosion products on steel
surfaces is quite comprehensive. It can also be difficult to use the method on curved surfaces.
Alternative methods for determination are mentioned in the Technical Report.
Page 175 / 292
Painting & Coating
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Water-soluble iron corrosion products on the surface can also be determined by a chemicalimpregnated filter paper producing a colour change. A solution of 4% of the chemical potassium
hexacyanoferrate(III) in distilled water is prepared, the filter paper soaked in the solution and
allowed to dry. Before carrying out the test, put on plastic gloves to prevent the chemical from
penetrating the skin and prevent salt on the filter paper from the hands. A spray bottle with fine
atomization is used for moistening the surface slightly with distilled water. The water must
evaporate a little before the impregnated filter paper is pressed onto the surface and held there for
about 15 seconds. The presence of water-soluble iron corrosion products appears as dark blue
spots on the yellowish filter paper. If considerable amounts of water-soluble iron corrosion
products can be determined, it may be necessary to wash and re-blast. The extent of the
contamination can be seen more clearly if the blast cleaned steel is left for a few hours after
having been blast cleaned. The contaminated areas will then usually be visible as darker blotches
on the steel surface.
Control method for determination of chloride on cleaned surfaces (ISO 8502-2)
The adopted method has been developed for laboratory use. The sample-taking in the standard is
very similar to the procedure explained in ISO/TR 8502-1 for determination of soluble iron
corrosion products.
In order not to contaminate the surface plastic gloves are worn. The method basically consists of
swabbing a marked out area of 100 x 250 mm with a cotton pad with a certain quantity of
distilled water. The used wash water is collected and the solution titrated in the laboratory with a
solution of mercury nitrate. The chloride content is recorded in mg/m.
The standard provides recommended concentrations of chemicals and special formulas for
calculating the concentration of chloride in mg/m. With the recommended chemicals it may be
2
difficult to determine concentrations of chlorides less than 10-20 mg/m .
Assessment of dust on steel surfaces prepared for painting (ISO 8502-3)
The method is suitable for determining the quantity of dust after having blast cleaned steel with
rust grades A, B or C, and removed the dust either by vacuum cleaning or blowing with
compressed air. The method, employing tape, cannot be used on highly corroded areas, rust grade
D, because the tape is not elastic enough to get down into the pittings in the steel.
Comparative samples
Page 176 / 292
Painting & Coating
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
A 25 mm wide and approximately 150 mm long piece of tape is applied on the blast cleaned steel
and worked thoroughly into the surface by rubbing with a thumb or using a soft roller. The tape is
carefully removed and attached on a display board of contrasting colour in relation to the dust.
The background can be glass, black or white tiles, or paper. The tape is rubbed well and
compared to the photographs in the standard. Both quantity as well as particle size of the dust are
assessed and rated from 0 to 5. In order to be able to view the particle size of the dust, the use of a
magnifying glass with up to 10 times magnification may be relevant.
Sample-taking according to the Bresle-method (ISO 8502-6)

We would like to be able to use most of the part standards of ISO 8502 in the field. This requires
sample-taking methods which are simple and accurate when used. In 1995 the ISO 8502-6
Sampling according to the Bresle method was adopted. This standard is intended for use in
connection with the determination of several types of contaminants on the steel surface. So far the
standard has been used for determining conductivity and chloride concentrations on blast cleaned
steel surface before paint application.
When a sample is to be taken according to this standard, a small self-adhesive plastic patch
(Bresle patch) with a latex membrane is used where the area and volume are known. First we
remove the protective tape from the adhesive back of the patch and the cut-out in the patch, and
then we attach it to the blast cleaned steel. When doing this, make sure that as little air as possible
is trapped in the analysis compartment of the patch.
15 ml of distilled or deionized water is poured into a graduated measuring tube. The conductivity
of the distilled water is measured using a calibrated conductivity meter. Note the value. From the
graduated measuring tube 3 ml of the distilled water is drawn using the needle of a syringe. The 3
ml of water is injected into the analysis compartment through the edge of the Bresle patch. The
water is pumped back and forth between the patch and the syringe 2-4 times per minute for about
five minutes. All the water is finally drawn into the syringe and transferred back into the
graduated tube with the 12 ml of water. The meter probe is inserted and the conductivity
2
measured. In order to calculate the salt concentration in mg/m the actual increase in conductivity
(in S/cm) is multiplied by a factor of 6.
Page 177 / 292
Painting & Coating
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Another analysis method for chloride also commercially available is marketed under the name of
Salt Concentration Meter SCM 400. A filter paper is soaked with a known volume of distilled
water and applied to the blast cleaned surface. After this, the paper is placed in the small, portable
instrument SCM 400 which determines the resistivity in the solution across two electrodes. The
method enables us to determine soluble salts (such as sodium chloride) within the range of 0.1-20
g per cm (1-200 mg/m).
The NORSOK standard M-501 Rev. 4 from December 1999 Surface Preparation and Protective
Coating includes requirements for maximum conductivity of the water corresponding to 20
mg/m NaCl.
Substrate roughness
After mechanical surface preparation like blast cleaning the surface obtains a certain surface
profile or roughness. Both the area and shape of the surface vary with the abrasive used. In order
to obtain a high-quality and fast cleaning of the surface the particle size distribution should
contain both small and large particles. Small particles provide fast removal of rust and other
foreign matter, while the larger particles increase the surface roughness of the steel.
What is the purpose of the surface roughness and how rough should the surface be?
This has been the subject of much discussion in recent years. Blast cleaning produces a clean
surface as well as an anchor pattern for the paint, but it also increases the surface area of the steel.
Avoid using an abrasive mix which produces a higher roughness than specified, since this will
result in a higher consumption of primer.
There is no direct correlation between the surface profile and the surface cleanliness.
Consequently, if the steel has been assessed as having been blast cleaned to Sa 2 according to
ISO 8501-1, this does not tell us anything about the roughness of the surface.
Determination of roughness
In the specification, requirements to the surface roughness will be listed. For most paints a
common requirement is a surface roughness medium in accordance with ISO 8503-1. This
indicates a surface roughness of Ry5= 50-85 m.
Two types of roughness will be discussed. Sophisticated equipment (electronic stylus
instruments) is used for determining the roughness.
The maximum height of the profile is called Ry. This is the distance between the top line and the
bottom line of the profile within a reference length. Normally, several measurements are taken.
Sometimes you may encounter Ry5 or R. Ry5 is the average of Ry on 5 adjoining reference lengths.
Rz is the ten-point height of profile irregularities and the mean value of the heights of the five
highest peaks and depths of the deepest valleys within one reference length. Ry5 and R are
approximately equal.
Previously, roughness was usually indicated as Ra, which is the arithmetic mean deviation of the
profile. When the instrument stylus passes across the profile, the instrument stores an imaginary
centre line in its memory. This centre line intersects the profile in such a way that the total areas
on both sides are equal. Ra is then defined as the average distance of all points on the profile
relative to the centre line.
Page 178 / 292
Painting & Coating
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
ISO 8503-1 assesses the average maximum profile height, Ry5, while Rugotest No. 3 assesses the
arithmetic mean deviation of the profile, Ra. The average maximum roughness, Ry5, is usually
four-eight times higher than Ra.
In connection with thermally sprayed coatings it is today common practice to specify a roughness
Grit-medium according to ISO 8503-1.
When checking the roughness, a number of measurements are taken within a reference area of for
2
example 10 m . If the readings taken are either too low or too high, additional blasting may be
required.
If the roughness is too high in relation to the thickness of the paint film applied, the peaks may
penetrate through the paint film. This may cause premature breakdown of the paint system on
such areas.
A brief explanation will be given below of the operating principles of various instruments,
comparators and stylus instruments and how they are used.
Dial gauge method
The dial gauge method was among the first to be used for field
measurements.
The instrument is a small, durable roughness gauge. It comprises a
number dial, which can be adjusted, and a spring-loaded tip. This
instrument records the difference in height between a reference
point and the surface at a certain location.
When calibrating, the instrument is placed on top of a glass plate
and a small screw is loosened so that the number dial can be set to
zero.
The instrument is placed on several spots on the blasted surface.
The tip size is approximately 50 m. As a result of this,
measurements of the deepest and narrowest valleys may not be
adequate. The instrument can show Ry-values of up to 600 m.
Page 179 / 292
Painting & Coating
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
The number of measurements should be specified in advance. If this is not done, 10-15
measurements per square metre should be taken. The average value can then be calculated.
Replica tape
In our opinion this method is very suitable in the field where the surface profile or roughness of
blast cleaned steel is to be measured and documented. In the USA the corrosion organisation
NACE has issued a standard for the use of replica tape, NACE RP 0287-2002.
The method consists of a small, compressible plastic film which is applied onto the blasted steel.
A roller is then taken across a small area of the surface so that a replica of the roughness will be
made in the plastic film. The thickness of the film with the replica of the roughness is measured
with a micrometer. Adjustment must be made for the thickness of the film itself by subtracting 50
m from the values measured. The surface roughness for this area has now been determined.
The tape is available in two measurement ranges, coarse and extra coarse. The roughness can be
determined within the range of 1.5-4.5 mils (thousandths of an inch), i.e. approximately 40-120
m. With this method the maximum roughness Ryis found.
Comparators
Comparators made of stainless steel have been used for a number of years. Previously, within the
shipping and offshore industries, the comparator Rugotest No. 3 was used in many European
countries, while in the USA comparators from Clemtex and Keane-Tator were used.
Even though comparators used in Europe and in the USA look different, they are used more or
less in the same way. The comparators consist of small areas or segments which have been blast
cleaned using an abrasive. This produces two types of comparators, one for grit and one for shot,
with increasing roughnesses.
Comparator procedure
Part 3:
Method for the calibration of ISO surface profile comparators and for
the determination of surface profile Focusing microscope procedure
Part 4:
Method for the calibration of ISO surface profile comparators and for
the determination of surface profile Stylus instrument procedure
Page 180 / 292
Painting & Coating
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
The comparators have four segments and have been blasted with shot or grit abrasives. The
reverse side of the comparator is labelled either S or G, indicating whether the comparator is to be
used on shot blasted steel or grit blasted steel.
These designations apply to measurement of roughness in accordance with ISO 8503
Fine
Medium
Coarse
Roughness lies between segments 1 and 2

Using 8503-1 for determining roughness

The comparator is placed onto the surface of the blast cleaned steel. The surface profile is seen
through the centre of the comparator and in turn compared with the segments of the comparator.
In accordance with ISO 8503-1 the roughness is characterized as fine, medium or coarse. If you
find it difficult to make the comparison, a 7 x magnifying glass can be used.
Avoid using the finger tip for control, as it may leave traces of grease and salts on the surface.
The ISO comparators are widely used. But also other methods for checking the roughness are
available.
Other comparators Rugotest no. 3
This comparator has a rectangular shape and the blasted specimens are grouped vertically
according to the shape of the abrasives with which they have been blasted.
The specimens on the left side, denoted A, are shot blasted, while those on the right side, denoted
B, are grit blasted.
Page 181 / 292
Painting & Coating
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Each half is divided into six roughness areas, from N 6 to N 11. N 11 indicates the highest and N
6 the lowest roughness. The average roughness Ra ranges from 0.8 m to 25 m on the
specimens from N 6 to N 11 on Rugotest no. 3. Some of the specimens, N 6-N 11, have been
subdivided into two specimens. These specimens are designated a or b. a indicates that blasting
has been carried out with coarse abrasive grains, b with fine abrasive grains.
In the offshore industry a roughness within the range B N9a-B N10a is usually required.
Some years back this comparator was widely used all over the world to determine roughness on
blast cleaned steel. But after the adoption of the ISO-compara-tors, a decreasing number of
specifications refers to this method.
Clemtex and Keane-Tator
The Clemtex comparator contains individual, small, rectangular coupons blasted to different
roughnesses on stainless steel.
Each of the three comparators from Keane-Tator contains five projections from a central hole.
One comparator has been blasted with a mineral abrasive, the other two blasted with metallic grit
and shot abrasives.
The comparators from Clemtex and Keane-Tator provide the average maximum roughness, Rz.
Rugotest no. 3, on the other hand, gives the average arithmetic roughness, Ra. When a figure is
given for a roughness with Rugotest no. 3, the result is a much lower value than in the case of
8503-1 or any of the other comparators mentioned.
Other methods for determining roughness
In 1988 the international standard ISO 8503 for determining surface roughness was adopted.
The standard has four parts and is designated EN ISO 8503 Preparation of steel substrates before
application of paints and related products Surface roughness characteristics of blast cleaned
steel substrates.
Part 1: Specifications and definitions for ISO surface profile comparators for the assessment of
abrasive blast cleaned surfaces
Part 2: Method for the grading of surface profile of abrasive blast cleaned steel
In the international standard ISO 8503, in addition to the comparators, an appendix also mentions
other methods for controlling the roughness. This includes microscope (ISO 8503-3) and
electronic roughness instruments (ISO 8503-4). These methods are mostly intended for laboratory
use.
Electronic roughness instruments and stylus instruments
These instruments are highly advanced. They can provide a printout of the profiling of the
surface, with an indication of both Ra, Rz, Ry5 and Ry
The instruments have a small diamond stylus being moved over a reference length of
approximately 5 mm. The instruments record the variations in the substrate. They can be
connected to a printer so that a printout of the substrate roughness can be produced. On the
printouts the measurement values registered by the instrument are magnified both horizontally
and vertically.
Page 182 / 292
Painting & Coating
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
However, these types of instruments are expensive to buy and require a certain amount of training
before they can be used. Today they are available as small, portable types, but they are probably
too advanced to measure the roughness of blast cleaned steel. Such instruments have been used
for a few major projects in Norway, but the comparators are the most common tools.
Determination of the climatic conditions

Both when surface preparation and paint application are carried out, it is important to work under
the optimum ambient conditions. If the conditions are unfavourable, high relative humidity may
cause condensation on the steel, and if this happens while blast cleaning or shortly afterwards, the
steel will flash rust. A thin rust film is formed on the surface. Most paints are sensitive to
condensation on the surface. If paint application is carried out under such conditions, adhesion
problems may occur. Consequently, it is important to check the climatic conditions both before
work is started and while work is in progress, for example air temperature, steel temperature,
relative humidity of the air and dew point.
Relative humidity of the air and dew point may be unfamiliar terms. From our daily life
situations involving condensation or dew formation will be known. After a shower, the bath-room
mirror will often be completely steamed up. If something is taken from the refrigerator, it may be
dewy. Perhaps you may even have seen it in practice at your place of work. Steel having been
stored outside is taken into the blasting hall, and then suddenly water starts running from it. The
condensation having taken place is due to the material being colder than the air, which contains
so much humidity that it condenses on the steel and water is precipitated.
Condensation also occurs at small temperature differences when the relative humidity of the air is
high. In order to avoid such problems it is important to heat the steel in order to obtain a higher
steel temperature than the dew point temperature. Condensation will then no longer be formed on
the steel. Alternatively, an attempt can of course also be made to remove the humidity from the
air, but this is not common practice in places like blasting halls. In other places where it is necessary that the steel keeps its cleanliness degree over an extended period of time before it is painted,
it may be an important point to remove the humidity. During blast cleaning and painting of
penstocks (water transporting pipes) in the mountains, dehumidifying units are often used.
The air contains various gases and water vapour. The volume of water vapour in the air varies.
When the temperature is high, the air can hold more water vapour than at lower temperatures.
At a certain temperature the air is no longer able to contain the water vapour. This temperature is
called the dew point temperature. At the dew point the relative humidity is 100%. The air is
saturated with humidity (moisture). Condensation occurs.
If there is no precipitation in the air, there is usually too little humidity in the air to say that it is
saturated. Consequently, the relative humidity is usually given. The relative humidity (RH) is the
Page 183 / 292
Painting & Coating
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
ratio between the actual content of water vapour in the air and the maximum content of water
vapour to be found at the same temperature.
The instruments to use for this inspection include the sling psychrometer, the psychrometric
tables, and the surface temperature thermometer.
Estimation of the probability of condensation using ISO 8502-4
This part of the standard touches upon the equipment and the requirements which the equipment
used for checking the climatic conditions at the work site must be able to fulfil in connection with
blast cleaning and paint application.
Detailed information on the probability of the formation of condensation is required. In order to
assess this, we can compare the steel temperature with the dew point of the ambient air.
The steel temperature can be measured with a magnetic steel thermometer which is attached to
the steel surface and allowed to remain there long enough to stabilize. This may perhaps take half
an hour. Also electronic steel thermometers can be used on which readings can be taken directly
when in contact with the steel.
The standard ISO 8502-4 also contains several tables showing the dew point temperature as a
function of the temperature and relative humidity of the air. When the air temperature and the
relative humidity have been measured, the dew point temperature can be determined.
Psychrometers
Page 184 / 292
Painting & Coating
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Inspection of coating application

During application of the coating, a wet film thickness gauge is used to assist in determining if
the coating was applied at the proper rate to provide the specified dry film thickness. This step
insures that sufficient material is applied to obtain the correct dry film thickness so that additional
coats are not necessary.
The next necessary requirement in todays job specs is
the measurement of dry film thickness. The coating must
be applied at the thickness indicated by the specifications
in order to provide the intended protection of the
substrate. To insure a correct reading by the gauge, the
calibration standards are used to verify accuracy.
Recording
As for any inspection, keeping track of the inspected
check points and their findings is essential.
You will find in the attached support pages a sample of Coating Inspection Report which can be
used as a checklist for the inspection.
This document should be discussed during the pre-job meeting.
Inspection Equipment
Ah, for the good old days, when paints and coatings could be applied to almost any surface by
anyone able to lift a brush or spray gun. Most paints were tolerant of moist conditions, cold
weather, and dirty substrates.
Times do change. With the advent of high performance coatings (inorganic zincs, epoxy linings,
aliphatic urethanes) and the institution of environmental requirements, protective coatings have
become less application-tolerant. Unless these materials are applied within certain thickness,
temperature, humidity, surface cleanliness, and time requirements, they may fail.
Knowing and using the proper instruments is essential for a professional coating inspector.
Most industrial coating specifications include requirements on:
- relative humidity and dew point temperature,
- the degree of surface cleanliness,
- anchor profile depth,
- wet film thickness,
- dry film thickness.
Therefore, the basic kit of instruments and standards that will satisfy most jobs is as follows:
Surface temperature thermometer
Visual standards (namely the ISO 8501-1)
Micrometer
Replica tape
Dry film thickness gauge
Calibration standards
Page 185 / 292
Painting & Coating
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Wet film thickness gauge

Inspection mirror
Flashlight
Magnifying glasses
The inspection shall also be able to use the following:
Sling psychrometer and psychrometric tables
Holiday detectors
Adhesion test equipment
Where to buy these instruments?
Coatings inspection instruments may be purchased from distributors or companies specializing in
this specific instrumentation (see the attached External Links). Many firms advertise in trade
journals.
It may be less expensive to purchase these instrument in a kit.
How to learn to use all of these gadgets?
Most instruments are accompanied with instructions that can be read and followed with
professional results. Technical support services via telephone and jobsite consultation are also
customer service benefits provided by most instrument sales firms. Other valuable sources of
reference are standards developed by technical societies for coating contractors, inspectors, and
engineers. A good idea is to keep copies of the instrument usage instructions and calibration
procedures in the instrument case.
Calibration requirements
The dry film thickness gauge requires calibration verification
using the calibration standards. Manufacturers of these gauges
recommend that they be returned to factory for repair and gross
recalibration. However, field calibration can be accomplished
using the calibration standards.
More Information
Page 186 / 292
Heat Treatment
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
HEAT TREATMENT
Basic knowledge
188
Metallurgy ........................................................................................................................188
Heat Treatment Techniques .............................................................................................188
Investigation Methods ......................................................................................................188
Classification of Heat Treatments
189
Heat treatments in the Standards, Codes and

Regulations
189
Standards ..........................................................................................................................189
Codes................................................................................................................................190
Regulations.......................................................................................................................190
The Inspection of Heat Treatment
191
Heat Treatment Problems.................................................................................................191

Inspection criteria and methods of inspection..................................................................192
More Information
Abstract: Heat treatment is a manufacturing process in which the properties of a metal are altered by
subjecting it to a series of temperature changes in the solid state. There is no change in the chemical
composition of the metal, only its structure is rearranged. The aim of this operation is to improve the
performance of the metal, essentially its hardness, strength or ductility.
Page 187 / 292
Heat Treatment
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Like welding or painting, heat treatment is one of those so called special processes, i.e. (as per ISO
definition) a process that generates outputs that cannot be measured, monitored, or verified until its too
late. Indeed the effects of a heat treatment are invisible and deficiencies in its performance may not be
obvious until after the resulting products has been delivered.
This is the reason why Bureau Veritas may be asked to monitor critical heat treatment operations.
As the effects are invisible, visual inspection will not be of a great help to the BV inspector. Therefore he
will have to depend on his knowledge of metallurgy, heat treatment techniques and investigation methods.
Basic knowledge
Before conducting heat treatment monitoring inspections, the BV inspector shall make sure he
has clear ideas on the following subjects:
Metallurgy
types of steel
structure of iron
relation between carbon content and microstructure
phase diagrams
austenite, bainite and martensite
hardness and hardenability
effect of temperature, time, composition and structure on properties
precipitation effects
Heat Treatment Techniques

hardening principles
annealing, quenching, tempering
surface hardening
main types of heat treating furnaces
atmospheres and quenching media (pressure, flow)
temperature control systems
case hardening and localized hardening processes
Investigation Methods
NDT and NDE techniques
Metallography, micrography
Eddy current, mechanical testing
tension and compression tests
hardness (macro and micro)
impact , bending, fatigue tests
liquid penetrant, magnetic particle, eddy current
Statistics for sampling of mass production
Page 188 / 292
Heat Treatment
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
The attached support pages provide the required information, sufficient at least to understand
whats going on. It will not make of you a professional heat treater but it will help you
performing professional and enlightened inspections.
Classification of Heat Treatments

There are basically two types of heat treatments:
- those aiming at improving the properties of a metal, essentially its hardness:
- quenching followed by temper
- case hardening (superficial treatments such as carburizing or nitrididing)
- those aiming at restoring a metal in the conditions it was before other manufacturing operations
like welding or forming:
- normalising,
- stress relieving
- annealing
- Post Weld Heat Treatment (PWHT)
Heat treatments in the Standards, Codes and

Regulations
Standards
Material standards specify when a given material can or must be heat treated. They also provides
information about the metal characteristics before and after treatment.
Some steels are specifically designed for heat treatment:
STEELS FOR HARDENING AND TEMPERING
Technical specifications: steel to be used for high surface hardness.
Field of application: agricultural and mechanical sector.
Quality
Standard
C45
EN 10083-1
C50
EN 10083-1
Page 189 / 292
Heat Treatment
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Specific standards also apply to the heat treatment techniques, such as:
MIL-H-6088 Heat Treatment of Aluminum Alloys

AMS-H-6088 Heat Treatment of Aluminum Alloys
AMS-2770 Heat Treatment of Aluminum Alloys
AMS-2772 Heat Treatment of Aluminum Alloys
AMS-2750 Pyrometry
ARP-1962 Certification of Heat Treat Personnel
MIL-STD-1537 Electrical Conductivity Test for Verification of Heat Treatment of Aluminum Alloys
AMS-2658 Hardness and Conductivity Inspection of Wrought Aluminum Alloy Parts
Codes
Codes and regulations are safety oriented and will mainly incorporate descriptions and
requirements of heat treatments aimed at restoring the properties of the material before they have
been altered by production processes like forming (cold or hot) and welding.
Typical requirements are for heavy wall road and rail gas tankers, gas cylinders, safety
equipment.
The inspection of such heat treatments are generally associated with third party inspections and
are out of the scope of this guideline. Inspectors having to conduct such inspection may
obviously find here the necessary information, generally under the sections relating to stress
relieving and annealing techniques.
Post weld heat treatment (PWHT) falls in these categories as its aim is to bring the Heat Affected
Zone (HAZ) in a status as near as possible to the parent metal.
In the fabrication of pressure vessels, a calculation is made regarding the amount of fibre
elongation. If it exceeds a critical amount, heat treatment is required. Sometimes the requirement
for heat treatment is due to service requirements (e.g. prone to stress corrosion cracking). Often,
end-users require heat treatment when fibre elongation values exceed those given in the code.
Regulations
Here are some examples of regulation requirements:
EN 13445-5 Section 6.8 Heat-treatment
Heat-treatments shall be performed in accordance with written procedures and verified by
inspection. Such procedures shall describe the parameters critical to the heat-treatment process.
The procedures shall cover the appropriate criteria depending on the heat treatment process. As a
minimum this shall include where appropriate :
rate of heating
hold or soak time and temperature
rate of cooling
heating medium and furnace type
type and number of temperature measuring devices
support of equipment (if applicable)
records and scope of information to be contained
49 CFR - PART 178 - 178.337-1 General requirements SPECIFICATION FOR CONTAINERS
Page 190 / 292
Heat Treatment
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
(f) Postweld heat treatment. Postweld heat treatment must be as prescribed in the ASME Code except that each
cargo tank constructed in accordance with Part UHT of the ASME Code must be postweld heat treated. Each
chlorine cargo tank must be fully radiographed and postweld heat treated in accordance with the provisions of the
ASME Code under which it is constructed. Where postweld heat treatment is required, the cargo tank must be treated
as a unit after completion of all the welds in and/or to the shells and heads. The method must be as prescribed in the
ASME Code. Welded attachments to pads may be made after postweld heat treatment. A cargo tank used for
anhydrous ammonia must be postweld heat treated. The postweld heat treatment must be as prescribed in the ASME
Code, but in no event at less than 1050 F. cargo tank metal temperature.
49 CFR - PART 179 SPECIFICATIONS FOR TANK CARS - 179.500-6 Heat treatment.
Each necked-down tank shall be uniformly heat treated. Heat treatment shall consist of annealing or normalizing
and tempering for Class I, Class II and Class III steel or oil quenching and tempering for Class III steel. Tempering
temperatures shall not be less than 1000 F. Heat treatment of alternate steels shall be approved. All scale shall be
removed from outside of tank to an extent sufficient to allow proper inspection.
(b) To check uniformity of heat treatment, Brinnel hardness tests shall be made at 18 inch intervals on the entire
longitudinal axis. The hardness shall not vary more than 35 points in the length of the tank. No hardness tests need
be taken within 12 inches from point of head to shell tangency.
I A magnetic particle inspection shall be performed after heat treatment on all tanks subjected to a quench and
temper treatment to detect the presence of quenching cracks. Cracks shall be removed to sound metal by grinding
and the surface exposed shall be blended smoothly into the surrounding area. A wall thickness check shall then be
made of the affected area by ultrasonic equipment or other suitable means acceptable to the inspector and if the
remaining wall thickness is less than the minimum recorded thickness as determined by 179.500-4(b) it shall be
used for making the calculation prescribed in paragraph (b) of this section.
The Inspection of Heat Treatment

Heat Treatment Problems
The effects of poor heat treatment are not always evident to the eye, but are frequently
demonstrated by a reduction in performance and life time. Common problems occurring with
incorrect heat treatment are :
unacceptable or uneven hardness
hardened layer too thin,
non homogeneous hardness distribution
reduced strength and durability
decreased behaviour against stress corrosion
cracking
distortion and dimensional changes
The reasons of these problems are:
Incorrect design
Missing Heat Treatment
Wrong material
Wrong heat treatment
Page 191 / 292
Heat Treatment
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Inspection criteria and methods of inspection

Incorrect design
The heat treatment is governed by the chemical composition and the thickness of the material.
The best heat treatment cannot bring a wrongly selected material to the wished condition.
Heat treatment of pieces with large thickness differences or odd shapes may be problematic.
It is generally beyond BVs inspector duty to evaluate the correctness of a design. It is more of
the responsibility of the heat treater to discuss this issue with his client. Preliminary testing the
heat treatment protocol on a test piece is a good idea. Critical or mass production treatments
require a formal qualification.
Missing Heat Treatment
This may happen in mass production. It is a condition that should be controlled by process
control, but even in the best of factories, mistakes can occur.
Visual inspection will easily detect products which have not been treated at all (different colour,
absence of scale) but is unable to distinguish among products which have been heated at 500C
instead of 550C. Conventionally, eddy current techniques (usually encircling coil) are used to
detect this condition.
Wrong material
The issue here is about treating a material which is not the one selected by the designer. This is
generally controlled by the incoming inspection of the raw material.
The BV inspector shall check the material certificates and the traceability certificate/material.
If the materials are not marked the control is more difficult and requires some sort of non
destructive testing (portable hardness measurement for instance).
Wrong heat treatment
As mentioned earlier, heat treatment is a special process and requires the process to be strictly
controlled.
The BV inspector shall satisfy himself of the capacity of the heat treater to achieve his task. At
the occasion of the first visit to a treatment plant it is a good practice to conduct an audit of the
facilities.
Similar to welding it requires the preliminary checking of availability of:
Trained and qualified personnel,
Process control procedures
Working instructions for conducting the treatment,
Qualified procedure for the treatment to be applied,
Calibration of the measuring instruments (thermocouples,)
Calibration of the furnace (temperature uniformity surveys, atmosphere control)
Proper placement of the detectors,
Control and recording instruments
Marking and traceability of the products
Assuming the above criteria being met and the process being under control, the role of the BV
surveyor is to check that the specific treatment he is in looking for is applied as per the procedure.
Page 192 / 292
Heat Treatment
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
This can be done by attending/witnessing the heat treatment itself. For time constraint reasons,
some protocols requiring soaking times of several hours or days, this is only practical for short
treatments.
More often, monitoring a heat treatment consists two or more visits aimed at :
- attending loading in the furnace,
- checking the recording equipment,
- checking the record,
- attending the off-loading,
- sampling,
- attending the laboratory testing,
- checking the test report.
To ensure the heat treatment has not been disrupted or modified, the inspector shall make sure the
recording device cannot be modified. Stamping/signing the beginning of the recording media is
current practice.
Sampling the pieces or the location to be tested is very critical. The inspector shall select several
items covering as many parameters as possible:
- pieces which were located at various places within the furnace,
- spots on a same item on thin and thick sections,
- items from different batches
Note: the heat treatment of castings may result in non-uniform heat treatment response that can
affect straightness of finished parts. This is due to the melting and cooling processes of castings
which may generate alloy segregation.
Laboratory testing uses classical techniques.
Metallographic examination has a prominent place in the quality control regimen, may it be spot
checks of raw material, control and verification of heat treatment, processes or failure analysis.
Interpretation of structure and defects requires some experience.
The inspector should ask for a comparison of the stages before/after heat treatment.
In a properly document quality system, the heat treater should keep pictures documenting the
acceptance criteria of the treatments.
Hardness measurements, tensile and Charpy tests are also widely used.
Eddy current (conductivity measurement) is a fast and reliable method to verify heat treatment
and alloy composition. It is frequently used in conjunction with hardness and wet chemical
analysis. It is useful mainly in mass production to detect the treated/non treated state and monitor
the quenching efficiency.
The BV inspector shall check the charts and records to verify that this test was effective and
positive all along the production run.
Examples of Metallographic Interpretations

Bainitic microstructures typically have lower toughness than quenched and tempered martensite
which would be expected from correct heat treatment.
Page 193 / 292
Heat Treatment
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Tempered martensite. Material with this

microstructure has an optimum combination of
component strength and toughness
Same material: Bainite with coarse prior austenite

grain size. Material is strong but brittle an
unacceptable microstructure
Microstructural defects due to heat treatment problems: overheating (Fig. 1), decarburisation
(Fig. 2) and intergranular oxidation (Fig. 3), grain growth (Fig. 4)
Fig.1: Melted grain boundary due to overheating
Fig.2: Section of thread showing decarburization
Fig.4: Normal
Grain growth
Fig.3: Oxidation and intergranular melting
More Information
Page 194 / 292
Pipeline
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
PIPELINE
Introduction
197
Various types of pipelines
197
What is Pipeline Inspection ?
198
Pipeline Components
199
Pipes .................................................................................................................................199
Valves...............................................................................................................................200
Compressor and Pumping Stations ..................................................................................201
Metering Stations .............................................................................................................201
Control Stations and SCADA Systems ............................................................................202
Regulations and Standards applicable to

Transportation Pipelines
204
What to look for
206
Design...............................................................................................................................206
The yards ..........................................................................................................................207
Pre-construction survey....................................................................................................208
Surveying and stacking the right-of-way (ROW) ............................................................208
Right-of-way Preparation.................................................................................................209
Timber Clearing .......................................................................................................209
Erosion Control ........................................................................................................210
Clearing and grading ................................................................................................210
Trenching .........................................................................................................................212
Pipe hauling and stringing................................................................................................214
Bending the pipe...............................................................................................................218
Welding ............................................................................................................................220
Non-Destructive Testing ..................................................................................................222
Radiography .................................................................................................................222
Ultrasonic Testing ........................................................................................................222
Joint Coating ....................................................................................................................223
Crossings and special points ............................................................................................229
Continuous concrete coating
230
Trenchless crossings.....................................................................................................230
Backfilling the trench .......................................................................................................233
Page 195 / 292
Pipeline
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Installing valves and special fittings ................................................................................235

Testing..............................................................................................................................236
Cathodic Protection ..........................................................................................................241
Cleaning up and restoration..............................................................................................242
More information
Page 196 / 292
Pipeline
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Introduction
This section is about the inspection of high pressure cross country pipelines.
The following are not covered, although some chapters of the section may be applicable to
them:
- sub sea pipelines,
- water or gas distribution systems,
- sanitary and storm water systems.
Installing a pipeline is much like an assembly line process, with sections of the pipeline being
completed in stages performed by different crews.
The construction process is linear, i.e. each operation follows the previous one without any
overlapping possibility. Alike for mass production in a factory, each operation is assigned to a
specialised crew or spread with specific equipment; everything is done so that the
construction proceeds smoothly without interference between the spreads. No need to say that
there is a lot of pressure on all the participants, including the inspectors.
For large constructions, there will be many inspectors, specialised each in a specific
discipline; civil work, welding, coating, But very often a same inspector will have to check
all ongoing operations, requiring from him many various skills.
Cross country pipe laying spreads the operations over long distances; there might be a
hundred kilometres of rough track between the ROW gang and the backfilling. This is to be
considered when planning pipeline inspection.
Pipeline has its specific vocabulary; have a look first at the Glossary of Pipeline Terms if you
are not familiar with them. You will notice that the pipeline industry is dominated by the US
technology (or at least its terminology) and that most standards and units relate to this system.
Various types of pipelines

Pipelines vary mostly by the material they are built from; steel, cast iron, cement,
polyethylene.
Indeed, the material dictates for instance:
- the diameter and pressure,
- the weight and the length of the components to be joined
- the joining technique (welding, gluing, slip-on,)
- how to make curves and take-offs,
- the trench preparation,
- the lowering-in technique,
- the backfilling,
- the anti-corrosion system,
- the testing.
Obviously, the product to be transported will dictate the material:
- high pressure + big diameter will require steel,
- low pressure + big diameter will be concrete of cast iron,
Page 197 / 292
Pipeline
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Small diameters can be any of those and also accept polyethylene (HDPE), ABS, CISP
If the product or the surrounding ground (swamp) is corrosive, this is handled by the
pipe material itself or by its coating
This guideline deals with welded steel pipelines for the long distance transportation of :
- liquid hydrocarbons such as crude oil or refined products (diesel, gasoline, jet fuel,),
- gaseous hydrocarbons such as natural gas (methane) or refined products (ethylene,
propane, etc)
- water (drinking, raw or sea)
- slurry (a mixture of water and coal or ore powder)
- any other welded steel pipeline
What is Pipeline Inspection ?

Pipelines are huge investments and they are supposed to be operated for several decades.
The main problems with pipelines are:
- during construction: damage to the environment and to the pipes,
- during operation : leakages. They can be extremely detrimental to the environment, to
human life (gas pipelines) and to the image of the operator. The first reason for
leakages is corrosion.
Most of these problems can be avoided/limited by a correct design, appropriate materials and
good workmanship during construction.
Consider that the defects are buried with the pipeline during its construction. Therefore the
owner, the operator or the engineering generally mandates an inspection company to attend
and inspect the ongoing construction operations.
Each operation requires specifics skills from the inspector:
- civil work for earth moving works like clearing, trenching, backfilling,
- welding,
- NDT,
- coating,
- lifting for lowering in,
- pressure vessels for the testing,
- electrical for the cathodic protection.
Inspecting a pipeline is a demanding job, technically and physically.
Page 198 / 292
Pipeline
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Pipeline Components
A pipeline is not just an assembly of pipe joints welded together. It is a system that constitute
a functional transportation system, like a road or railway network.
Many fittings, accessories and facilities are installed on a line for the operations of this
transportation equipment:
- flanges, bolts, gaskets, casings,
- induction bends,
- valves, vents, relief devices,
- thrust blocks
- cleaning facilities: scrapper traps or pig traps,
- metering stations,
- compressor or pumping stations
- cathodic protection, insulating joints,
- line markers,
- monitoring and metering stations
Pipes
Pipelines can measure anywhere from 6 to 60 inches in
diameter, although certain component pipe sections
can consist of small diameter pipe, as small as 0.5
inches in diameter. However, this small diameter pipe is
usually used only in gathering and distribution systems.
Mainline pipes, the principle pipeline in a given system,
are usually between 16 and 48 inches in diameter.
Lateral pipelines, which deliver product to or from the
mainline, are typically between 6 and 16 inches in
diameter. Most major interstate pipelines are between
24 and 36 inches in diameter. The actual pipeline itself,
commonly called line pipe, consists of a strong carbon
steel material, engineered to meet standards set by the
applicable standards, very often the API 5L Standard.
Pipelines are produced in steel mills, which are sometimes specialized to produce only
pipeline. There are two different production techniques, one for small diameter pipes and one
for large diameter pipes. For large diameter pipes, from 20 to 60 inches in diameter, the pipes
are produced from sheets of metal which are folded or rolled (spiral) into a tube shape, with
the ends welded together to form a pipe section. Small diameter pipe, on the other hand, can
be produced seamlessly. This involves heating a metal bar to very high temperatures, then
punching a hole through the middle of the bar to produce a hollow tube. In either case, the
pipe is 100% tested before being shipped from the steel mill, to ensure that it can meet the
pressure and strength standards for transporting natural gas.
Page 199 / 292
Pipeline
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Line pipe is also covered with a specialized coating to ensure that it does not corrode once
placed in the ground. The purpose of the coating is to protect the pipe from moisture, which
causes corrosion and rusting. Coating can also be applied on the inside of the pipes to protect
them against corrosion and to reduce the friction loss. There are a number of different coating
techniques. In the past, pipelines were coated with a specialized coal tar enamel. Today, pipes
are often protected with what is known as a fusion bond epoxy, which gives the pipe a
noticeable light blue colour.
In addition, as the coating is never totally perfect and will deteriorate with time, cathodic
protection is often used. This is a technique of running an electric current through the pipe to
ward off corrosion and rusting.
Valves
International pipelines include a great number of valves
along their entire length. These valves work like gateways;
they are usually open and allow the product to flow freely,
or they can be used to stop the flow along a certain section
of pipe. There are many reasons why a pipeline may need
to restrict flow in certain areas. For example, if a section of
pipe requires replacement or maintenance, valves on either
end of that section of pipe can be closed to allow engineers
and work crews safe access. Some valves are equipped with
actuator that can be triggered by a sudden drop of pressure
resulting from a major leak.
These large valves can be placed every 10 to 30 km along
the pipeline, and are subject to regulation by safety codes.
Page 200 / 292
Pipeline
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Compressor and Pumping Stations

To ensure that the fluid flowing through any one pipeline remains pressurized, compression
(for gas) or pumping (for liquids) is required periodically along the pipe. This is
accomplished by stations, usually placed at 40 to 100 km intervals along the pipeline.
A Compressor Station
On gas pipelines, turbine compressors gain their energy by using up a small proportion of the
natural gas that they compress. The turbine itself serves to operate a centrifugal compressor
that compresses and pumps the natural gas through the pipeline. Some compressor stations are
operated by using an electric motor to turn the same type of centrifugal compressor/pump.
This type of compression does not require the use of any of the natural gas from the pipe,
however it does require a reliable source of electricity nearby. Reciprocating natural gas
engines are also used to power some compressor stations.
On gas pipelines, in addition to compressing natural gas, compressor stations also usually
contain some type of liquid separator, much like the ones used to dehydrate natural gas
during its processing. Usually, these separators consist of scrubbers and filters that capture
any liquids or other undesirable particles (rust for instance) from the natural gas in the
pipeline. Although natural gas in pipelines is considered dry gas, it is not uncommon for a
certain amount of water and hydrocarbons to condense out of the gas stream while in transit.
The liquid separators at compressor stations ensure that the natural gas in the pipeline is as
pure as possible, and usually filters the gas prior to compression.
Metering Stations
Metering stations are placed at take offs and at the boundary between states. These stations
allow pipeline companies to monitor and manage the products in their pipes. Essentially, these
Page 201 / 292
Pipeline
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
metering stations measure the flow of product along the pipeline, and allow pipeline
companies to track the product as it flows along the pipeline. These metering stations
employ specialized flow meters to measure the product as it flows through the pipeline,
without impeding its movement.
Metering stations may be controlled by the state authorities for fiscal duties purpose.
Control Stations and SCADA Systems

Pipeline companies have customers on both ends of the pipeline the producers, the
processors, the neighbour country, the harbour that input product into the pipeline, and the
consumers and local distribution companies that take it out of the pipeline. In order to manage
the products that enter the pipeline, and to ensure that all customers receive timely delivery of
their portion, sophisticated control systems are required to monitor the product as it travels
through all sections of what could be a very lengthy pipeline network. To accomplish this task
of monitoring and controlling the product that is travelling through the pipeline, centralized
control stations that collect, assimilate, and manage data received from monitoring and
compressor stations all along the pipe.
Page 202 / 292
Pipeline
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Pipeline Control Station

Most of the data that is received by a control station is provided by Supervisory Control and
Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems. These systems are essentially sophisticated
communications systems that take measurements and collect data along the pipeline (usually
in a metering or compressor stations and valves) and transmit them to the centralized control
station. Flow rate through the pipeline, operational status, pressure, and temperature readings
may all be used to assess the status of the pipeline at any one time. These systems also work
in real-time, meaning that there is little lag time between the measurements taken along the
pipeline and their transmission to the control station.
This information, relayed to a centralized control station, allows pipeline engineers to know
exactly what is happening along the pipeline at all times. This allows quick reactions to
equipment malfunctions, leaks, or any other unusual activity along the pipeline. Some
SCADA systems also incorporate the ability to remotely operate certain equipment along the
pipeline, including compressor stations, allowing engineers in a centralized control centre to
immediately and easily adjust flow rates in the pipeline.
Page 203 / 292
Pipeline
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Regulations and Standards applicable to

Transportation Pipelines
The following are those most commonly used regulations and standards you will find in the
pipeline industry.
ISO 3183 1996

Petroleum and natural gas industries Steel pipe for pipelines Technical delivery conditions
Part 1: Pipes of requirement class A
Petroleum and natural gas industries Steel pipe for pipelines Technical delivery conditions
Part 2: Pipes of requirements class B
API 1104 Welding of Pipelines and Related Facilities

This standard covers the gas and arc welding of butt, fillet, and socket welds in carbon and
low-alloy steel piping used in the compression, pumping, and transmission of crude
petroleum, petroleum products, fuel gases, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen and, where
applicable, covers welding on distribution systems. It applies to both new construction and inservice welding. The welding may be done by a shielded metal-arc welding, submerged arc
welding, gas tungsten-arc welding, gas metal-arc welding, flux-cored arc welding, plasma arc
welding, oxyacetylene welding, or flash butt welding process or by a combination of these
processes using a manual, semi-automatic, or automatic welding technique or a combination
of these techniques. The welds may be produced by position or roll welding or by a
combination of position and roll welding.
This standard also covers the procedures for radiographic, magnetic particle, liquid penetrant,
and ultrasonic testing as well as the acceptance standards to be applied to production welds
tested to destruction or inspected by radiographic, magnetic particle, liquid penetrant,
ultrasonic, and visual testing methods.
API 5L Specification for Line Pipe

The purpose of this specification is to provide standards for pipe suitable for use in conveying
gas, water, and oil in both the oil and natural gas industries. This specification covers
seamless and welded steel line pipe. It includes plain-end, threaded-end, and belled-end pipe,
as well as through-the-flow line (TFL) pipe and pipe with ends prepared for use with special
couplings. Although the plain-end line pipe meeting this specification is primarily intended
for field makeup by circumferential welding, the manufacturer will not assume responsibility
for field welding.
ASME B 31.4 2002 (formerly known as ANSI B31.4)

Pipeline Transportation Systems for Liquid Hydrocarbons and Other
Liquids
Page 204 / 292
Pipeline
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
This Code prescribes requirements for the design, materials, construction, assembly,
inspection, and testing of piping transporting liquids such as crude oil, condensate, natural
gasoline, natural gas liquids, liquefied petroleum gas, carbon dioxide, liquid alcohol, liquid
anhydrous ammonia and liquid petroleum products between producers lease facilities, tank
farms, natural gas processing plants, refineries, stations, ammonia plants, terminals (marine,
rail and truck) and other delivery and receiving points.
ASME B 31.8 2003-2004

Gas Transmission and Distribution Piping Systems
This Code covers the design, fabrication, installation, inspection, and testing of pipeline
facilities used for the transportation of gas. This Code also covers safety aspects of the
operation and maintenance of those facilities.
API 6D Specification for Pipeline Valves

API Specification 6D is an adoption of ISO 14313: 1999, Petroleum and Natural Gas
Industries-Pipeline Transportation Systems-Pipeline Valves. This International Standard
specifies requirements and gives recommendations for the design, manufacturing, testing and
documentation of ball, check, gate and plug valves for application in pipeline systems.
ASME B 16.49 2000 - Factory-Made Wrought Steel Butt welding

Induction Bends for Transportation and Distribution Systems
This Standard covers design, material, manufacturing, testing, marking, and inspection
requirements for factory-made pipeline bends of carbon steel materials having controlled
chemistry and mechanical properties, produced by the induction bending process, with or
without tangents. This Standard covers induction bends for transportation and distribution
piping applications (e.g., ASME B31.4, B31.8, and B31.11)
European Directives
Pipelines are excluded from the Pressure Equipment Directive, as per below:
Art.1.3.of Directive 97/23/EC
The following are excluded from the scope of the PED Directive:
3.1. pipelines comprising piping or a system of piping designed for the conveyance of any
fluid or substance to or from an installation (onshore or offshore) starting from and including
the last isolation device located within the confines of the installation, including all the
annexed equipment designed specifically for pipelines. This exclusion does not apply to
standard pressure equipment such as may be found in pressure reduction stations or
compression stations; (See Guidelines: 1/17, 1/18, 1/28, 1/31, 1/29, 1/32)
Page 205 / 292
Pipeline
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
What to look for

This section describes briefly each pipeline construction step and for each one gives
indications for its inspection.
Design
As for any other inspection, the inspector uses the approved design and specifications as a
reference for his inspection. Non conformities may only be raised against these requirements.
Before starting any inspection it is important to examine carefully all the requirements of the
design and verify that the contractor uses the last revision of these documents.
Among the many drawings issued for a pipeline construction, a special attention shall be
brought to the typical drawings, these simple A4 sheets showing for instance the minimum
coverage in various situations and how to handle crossings.
Check for
- availability of reference documents,
- coherence of revision numbers client/contractor
- study the documents before any inspection
Page 206 / 292
Pipeline
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
The yards
Pipeline construction starts from the yards. This is where the construction equipment and the
pipes arrive, are stored and sometimes prefabricated and from where they are distributed.
Many inspections are carried out at these locations:

- incoming inspection of the pipes, fittings and other components, traceability,
quality, test certificates
- internal/external coating inspection when pipes arrive coated,
- storage conditions,
- pre-coating inspection when pipes are coated at the yard
- double joining,
- coating of the double joints,
- welding procedure and welders qualifications
- NDT qualification,
- On site coating qualification,
- Document review, meetings and reporting,
Inspecting the inside coating (epoxy here)
Page 207 / 292
Pipeline
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Pre-construction survey
Before construction begins, surveyors check for environmental features along proposed
pipeline segments. Utility lines and agricultural drainages are located and marked to prevent
accidental damage during pipeline construction. This is done not only on the pipeline route
but also on all the site accesses and any other working area.
Check points:
- none at this stage this is done by Permitting
Surveying and stacking the right-of-way (ROW)

The right-of-way is a narrow strip of land that contains the pipeline(s) and is where all onsite
construction activities occur. Prior to any construction , it is surveyed, cleared of brush and
trees, and levelled to give workers and equipment access to build, inspect and maintain the
pipeline.
The route is surveyed and the proposed centreline staked. The outer boundaries of the
construction corridor are staked also (stacks have different colours, typically with a 50m
spacing). The proposed centreline of the pipeline is not in the centre of the construction rightof-way, but offset to one side. The overburden (excavated material)
will be placed on the narrow side of the construction corridor. On the
wider side, there is room for two vehicles to pass and a work area for
laying and welding the pipe.
Depending the type of terrain crossed by the pipeline, the ROW does
not have the same width along all the route. The width also largely
depends on the diameter of the pipe, as this diameter conditions the
size of the construction equipment. Typical widths are from 6m for a
3 pipeline to 20m for a 24 line.
At the end of the construction, a narrow band of the ROW may be
kept for the maintenance of the pipeline. This is generally not the
case in valuable agricultural land.
Check points:
- none at this stage this is done by Permitting
Page 208 / 292
Pipeline
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Right-of-way Preparation
Temporary Fence installation
A fencing crew follows the staked centreline of the pipeline, and installs temporary gates and
fencing where the right-of-way crosses a landowners fence. Prior to cutting a fence, it should
be braced at the boundaries of the construction corridor for a minimum width that would
allow construction equipment to pass prior. The bracing allows a fence to be cut and still
maintain integrity of the overall fence. Temporary gates are installed across the width of the
construction right-of-way to allow the ditch to be excavated, as well as provide room for the
pipe and construction equipment to pass.
Timber Clearing
The right-of-way crew clears the right-of-way of all shrubs and trees. Smaller timber are
properly disposed of or cut and stacked on the right-of-way for use by the landowner for
firewood, if appropriate. Special attention is brought to merchantable timber if this has not
been taken care of by the landowner prior the construction begins.
Page 209 / 292
Pipeline
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Erosion Control
As construction zone clearing is completed, erosion control measures should be installed in
accordance with the Erosion and Sediment Control Plan contained. Best Management
Practices (BMPs) utilized are site-specific, but may include silt fences, straw bales, erosion
control fabric, and water bars. Specific methods would depend on the soil conditions, slope
and other site-specific variables. Once a level access is prepared, dust control should be
accomplished as necessary by periodically spraying from water trucks.
Clearing and grading

After temporary fencing and timber clearing have been accomplished, a crew removes
stumps, shrubs, topsoil and small trees. When the work is done along a hillside, the topsoil
should normally be placed on the uphill side to prevent mixing with other excavated material
during later stages of construction. The right-of-way is then be levelled to allow construction
equipment room to work. In areas along the sides of hills (side hilling), two levels may be
necessary. One level would contain the ditch and material removed from it. The second level
would accommodate the pipe fabrication area, as well as construction equipment and passing
lanes. This technique reduces the amount of material that must be displaced during the
temporary construction phase of the work.
Page 210 / 292
Pipeline
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Top soil to the left, sub soil to the right.

The white sticks mark the centre line of the pipeline.
Top soil is graded and put aside carefully as this material will have to be replaced when the
construction is over.
Page 211 / 292
Pipeline
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Access points to the site require a special attention as a lot of heavy equipment will use this
passage. Damage to the public road network should be avoided as well, many small country
roads or tracks being not used to see so much traffic.
Check points:
- not many at this stage, this is more the job of Permitting
Trenching
After the construction zone is cleared and levelled, trenching machines begin digging the
trench where the pipeline will be buried. In agricultural areas and before trenching, the
topsoil is removed from the work area and stockpiled separately. This is generally part of the
ROW preparation. Materials removed from the ditch would normally be placed adjacent to
the topsoil pile or on the opposite side of the ROW, depending the availability of space.
The depth of the trench can vary, the minimum cover being defined by the regulation (for
hydrocarbon pipelines at least) or the owners specifications. The total depth of a trench
depends on:
- the diameter of the pipe,
- the minimum cover required by the regulation (typically 0.8m),
- additional cover required in special locations (road, river, railway crossings) to protect
the pipeline (see the support page Buried pipe.pdf),
- increased depth to accommodate soft backfill before the pipe is laid (in rocky soil),
- to decrease slope on top of hills.
Pipeline layouts will define for each location the minimum design depth of the trench.
Page 212 / 292
Pipeline
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
The most effective and economical solution is to use a trenching machine. A trenching
machine is capable of cutting through all types of soils except areas that have very large
boulders or rocks. It cuts the trench and side casts the soil.
Trenching machine in action in a sandy area.

See the V shape of the upper part of the trench
Track-mounted excavators are normally be used to dig the ditch in hilly or
mountainous terrain. Extra ditch depth is dug to ease the transition of the
pipeline at the bottoms and tops of hills, at water crossings, road crossings
and railroad crossings. This requires additional temporary right-of-way
width to accommodate the extra material excavated for the ditch.
Trenching machines equipped with special blades are also capable of
trenching through soft rock. Other equipment called rock saws can cut
through rock to the desired depth.
Only in rare occasions would blasting be used to trench through rock. If
blasting is required, the charges are shaped to limit the amount of outward
explosion. To limit the amount of debris spread, heavy mats can be placed over the charges.
Special crushers are used to transform the rocks in coarse sand that can be used to prepare the
bottom of the trench and the backfill material in contact with the pipe.
Page 213 / 292
Pipeline
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Crawler in action, preparing blasting holes
Check for:
- geometry of the trench for each location,
- preparation and condition of the bottom of the trench,
- collapsed walls
Pipe hauling and stringing

Once the pipelines path has been cleared sufficiently to allow
construction equipment to gain access, sections of pipes are laid out
along the right-of-way, ready for welding, a process called
stringing.
The pipe sections are commonly 12m or 24m long. The 24m long
sections are made at the yard by welding together two 12m standard
section; this is called double-joining. The joints made at the yard
may be coated at the yard or left as such for subsequent coating with
the line joints.
Pipes are specific to their destination and the hauling contractor uses the pipeline layout
drawings to string the right pipes at the right place. Indeed, certain areas have different
requirements for coating material, pipe thickness (class) and even pipe material and diameter.
Page 214 / 292
Pipeline
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Pre-coated pipe joints are hauled to the right-of-way on stringing trucks. The pipe are
unloaded from the trucks with a side-boom tractor or the crane mounted on the truck and
placed end-to-end alongside the ditch so they are accessible to construction personnel.
Pipe stringing may occur concurrently with trenching. In some cases, pipe stringing may
occur ahead of the trenching, but it normally follows the trenching crew (to avoid damages to
the pipe by the heavy earth moving equipment).
In cases where the trench is to remain open for extended periods (over night or longer) it is
sometimes barricaded to reduce any safety hazard.
Where water and road crossings are to be accomplished, the appropriate pipes are stockpiled
on one or both sides of the crossing so they are to the construction crews that would follow.
Depending on access and terrain, the trucks off-load the pipe and then turn around and return
to the pipe lay-down area. In cases where there is a narrow construction corridor, the trucks
have to make a continuous loop by driving a significant distance up the corridor, then off-load
the pipe and follow the corridor a significant distance to exit the corridor.
Check for:
- the right pipe at the right place,
- traceability of the pipes,
- damages on the pipe due to hauling and handling,
- damages to the trench and accesses,
- quality of pipe supporting (not in the mud nor on rough soil that could damage
the coating)
- cleanliness of the inside of the pipes.
Page 215 / 292
Pipeline
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Stringing double joints on a narrow track
Easy job
Off loading
Page 216 / 292
Pipeline
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Notice the 2 stockpiles near the water crossing
Entrance to the ROW
Narrow ROW in agricultural area did not

allow for stockpiling near this crossing
Page 217 / 292
Pipeline
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Bending the pipe

A pipeline must cross over hills and curve around special places. A hydraulic pipe-bending
machine bends individual joints of pipe to the desired angle at locations where there are
significant changes in the natural ground contours or where the pipeline route changes
direction. The pipes to be bent, the location of the centre of the bend on the pipe joint and the
angle are defined by the surveyor after stringing. Bending data are marked on the pipe joints.
Bending crew in action one bending machine and one side boom
The bending is limited to making many small bends along the length of a pipe joint until the
desired bend angle is obtained. Doing so, the pipe retains its strength and remains circular
where it is bent because of the characteristics of steel and the bending techniques used.
The bending technique should be qualified before production (maximum angular deviation for
each stroke, distance between strokes, distance from the ends of the pipe, for each
diameter/thickness, material). Periodically a diameter gage shall be pulled through the bends
to check for buckles, circularity or diameter reductions. This is of a particular importance
when the future operation of the pipeline requires pigging.
Page 218 / 292
Pipeline
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
The bending dies (or shoes), those part of the machine in contact with the pipe, shall be
checked periodically to not damage the coating or the surface metal.
Bending machine
Notice the front and rear bending dies which
are pushed upwards by hydraulic jacks
The pipeline centreline should have been
surveyed with bending limitations in mind
(small diameter pipe joints can take more
degrees than large ones). Where the bend
cannot be made gradually enough due to local
conditions, generally at special points, a
preformed factory induction bend would be
inserted into the pipeline.
Check points
- wrinkles, circularity, diameter reductions,
- damage to the pipe and the coating (outside and inside, from the bending or the
handling),
- check the condition of the bending shoes,
- supporting of the pipes after bending
Bending large pipes

The side boom just
maintains the pipe for
balance and to help
moving it in and out the
bending machine.
Page 219 / 292
Pipeline
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Welding
After the stringing and bending are complete, the pipe sections are aligned, welded together,
and placed on temporary supports along the edge of the trench, waiting for NDT and lowering
in.
This step is repeated a number of times until multiple pipe joints are joined to form a pipeline
section which will be lowered in in one shot. Such sections may be as long as 2 km or more in
clear areas.
Automatic welding machines (external and internal) are used where possible and some hand
welding also takes place, generally for repairs and special points. A rigorous quality assurance
and quality control program is followed to ensure the strength and quality of the welding.
As for mass production on an assembly line, the various welding phases are performed by
specialized crews, having each their specific equipment. The purpose of this organization is to
produce as many welds per day as possible (expensive operation). The equipment and staffing
of the welding spread depends on the diameter, thickness and welding procedure. A typical
set-up looks like the following.
Front-End Welding Crew (Pipe Gang) : root pass and hot pass
The pipe gang follows the pipe stringing and bending crews. The pipe gang uses one or two
side booms to set the pipe up on wooden frames (skids) to support the pipe off the ground and
line up the pipe with the contour of the trench. Pipe ends are aligned and clamped in place,
using an internal pneumatic clamp or an external mechanical one.
Pneumatic internal clamp

Once the pipe is in the line-up clamps and proper alignment has been achieved, two welders
perform the first pass (root pass). Upon completion of the root pass, the line-up clamp is
removed and the pipe gang moves on to the next joint of pipe.
Page 220 / 292
Pipeline
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Immediately after the pipe gang has moved ahead, the next group of welders (hot passers)
applies the second bead or hot pass. The hot passers can number anywhere from 2 to 4
st
nd
welders with their helpers. The completion of the root pass (1 pass) and the hot pass (2
pass) is the primary function of the pipe gang. Production from the pipe gang is expected to
be 500m to 2000m per day, depending on weather and terrain.
Firing Line Welding Crew: filling and caping
The firing line crew is the largest crew in the
spread, and consists of 8 to 12 welders using
welding machines mounted on pickup trucks (8
to 12). The welding crews follow and place the
remainder of the weld material into the joint,
including the final cap weld. When completed
there are a total of four or five layers of welds
on the pipe joint. All welders that work on a
joint have unique identifying codes. The codes
are marked on the area adjacent to the pipe so
complete records of the welding are maintained.
Check points
- same as for any welding operation (ref. to the welding section of the Guidelines)
- follow the requirements of the welding procedure (time between passes, grinding,
pre and post heating)
- check the qualifications of the welders,
- storage of the filler materials (special attention to low hydrogen electrodes)
- traceability of the welding operations
Page 221 / 292
Pipeline
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Non-Destructive Testing
Radiography
Shortly after the welding crew has passed, an independent X-ray crew tests the welds. The
codes generally require a minimum of 10 percent of the welds be tested in unpopulated areas
of the pipeline. The minimum percentage increases as the population density in the
surrounding area increases. Welds in highly populated areas and under water and road
crossings require 100 percent testing.
Although the regulations allow for less than 100 percent testing, there is often no 10% or spot
checking on pipelines as the engineering wants to use a weld factor of 1 to save on material
costs.
A portable or yard lab develops the X-rays shortly after they are taken and an evaluation of
the weld can be made. Defects in the welds are normally corrected within a day of the original
welding and the joint is X-rayed again to verify that the repair attempt was successful.
If a weld is found to be defective, it is repaired and X-rayed again. If the repair is not
satisfactory again the bad weld is cut out and the pipe is re-welded and X-rayed again.
Weld repairs are obviously performed by a specific welding crew independent from the front
end and firing line crews.
Ultrasonic Testing
Mechanized Ultrasonic Inspection tends to replace conventional radiography on pipeline
projects for two primary reasons: accurate flaw sizing capabilities and speed of inspection.
Recently a third reason, economics, has emerged as a major driving force. On large diameter
pipelines the ultrasonic inspection and interpretation process is so much faster than
radiography that one three-man crew can keep up with a mainline mechanized welding crew
completing 130+ welds per day, and also provide rapid QC of the welding process.
Check points
- qualification of the NDT procedures and personnel,
- verify the films for quality (density, traceability)
- check the reports,
- verify that all the welds have been tested,
- check the rate of repair and track any abnormalities
- inspect the work done by the welding repair crew (same check points as for the
production crew)
Page 222 / 292
Pipeline
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Joint Coating
Line pipe, normally mill-coated or yard-coated prior to stringing, requires a coating at the
welded joints and at areas damaged by handling operations.
After the welds have been X-rayed, the coating crew cleans the exposed steel at the joint
between the pipes and applies a protective coating to it.
The coating is commonly a heat-shrinkable polyethylene wrapped around the pipe. Heat is
applied to the coating material to shrink it around the joint and form a tight, impervious
covering on the joint. It can be also a fusion bonded epoxy applied on site after shot blasting
of the surface.
Page 223 / 292
Pipeline
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
After the coatings have been placed, an inspection crew checks the entire pipeline for nicks
and abrasions in the coating with a high-voltage testing device, the holiday detector.
The High Voltage Detection Technique locates flaws in insulating coatings on conductive
substrates. A power supply within the instrument generates a high DC Voltage which is
supplied to a suitable probe. An earth voltage return lead from the instrument is connected to
an uncoated area of the metal of the test substrate.
As the probe is passed over the coated surface, a flaw is indicated by a spark at the contact
point with an audible alarm in the detector and a visual alarm in the probe handle.
The probe can have the shape of a brush or a spring that surrounds the pipe and is rolled all
along the line.
Page 224 / 292
Pipeline
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Control of coating at the yard

Some pipes are not mill- or yard-coated and require on-line coating. This operation is then
conducted as a task of the lowering crew.
Page 225 / 292
Pipeline
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Sandblasting of an area to be coated

Check points
- the same as for any coating operation (ref. to the coating section of the
Guidelines),
- check for surface preparation
- storage and handling of the coating materials,
- coating procedure
- verify the bond of the coating on the steel and on the adjacent coating
- verify the holiday detector, check the voltage settings,
- analyse the rate of defect and track any abnormalities.
Page 226 / 292
Pipeline
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Lowering in the pipe

Once the pipe is welded, bent and coated it can be lowered into the previously dug trench.
This is done with specialized tracked construction equipment acting in tandem to lift the pipe
relatively uniformly and lower it into the trench. Care is taken to avoid damaging the pipe and
its exterior coating.
Notice the sand or dirt bags used to protect the pipe

The pipe is lowered off the skids into the ditch by a team of several
side-boom tractors. All rocks are removed from the bottom of the ditch
prior to the lowering operation
In any areas of rocky terrain, sand-filled bags (bedding) would be

placed in the bottom of the ditch to protect the pipe and coating from
damage from rocks.
Page 227 / 292
Pipeline
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Notice the clean shape of the trench, made by a trenching machine

After the pipe is laid in the trench, the wooden skids are picked up and moved ahead for the
front-end crew to reuse. All other debris is removed from the site and the trench is inspected
to ensure that no debris has fallen into the trench.
Check points
-
check the trench before lowering in (no mud, stones, collapsed wall materials,
smooth bottom)
its the last time to check the depth of the trench
check the pipeline section internally from the ends for debris
check for buckles during operation,
check for coating damages,
inspect the trench after lowering in for fallen debris
Page 228 / 292
Pipeline
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Crossings and special points

A pipeline needs to cross rivers and streams, roads, other pipelines and underground
structures. Plans are developed in advance. Crossings can be completed either by open cut
techniques or by HDD Horizontal Directional Drilling (more expensive but compulsory for
the crossing of highways or railways for instance). The selection of a crossing method
depends upon site specific criteria such as fish habitat, water flow, and soil conditions such as
rocks and boulders.
Open cut crossing involves the digging of trenches on the floor of the river to house the pipe.
When this is done, the pipe itself is usually fitted with a concrete casing, which both ensures
that the pipe stays on the bottom of the river, and add an extra protective coating to prevent
any leaks into the water.
Pipeline sections laid in swamps and in valleys prone to flooding need to be ballasted to have
a negative buoyancy. Without this precaution, they will pop out of the ground when empty or
filled with gas under the pressure of the water table. This can be done in several ways:
Set-on weights, simply placed on top of the pipe, are used

in wetland areas not subject to flowing water. Strong
currents can tip these weights off the pipe.
Bolt-on weights, are constructed in halves, then bolted

around the pipe. Designed for use in areas subject to water
currents, these weights can be attached to pipe before it is
placed in the ditch or floated into place and sunk.
Saddle Bag Weights

Used in wetland or environmentally sensitive areas, Saddle
Bags are less expensive to produce than concrete weights,
easier to handle and faster to install.
Page 229 / 292
Pipeline
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
These weights are manufactured-to-specification bags

produced from non-biodegradable materials. They are
filled on-site with sand or rock ballast. With a life
expectancy of 100 years, Saddle Bags will not damage pipe
surfaces. They can be configured for strap-on or set-on
installation.
Continuous concrete coating

Continuous coated pipe is advantageous when lengthy
sections of pipe are to be weighted, such as wide river
crossings or offshore lines. In addition to providing
negative buoyancy, the concrete provides protection for
the pipe. Coated pipe can also be used under road or rail
crossings by pulling the coated sections through a steel
casing or slick bore. This also gives the pipe additional
protection from corrosion induced from galvanic action if
insulators fail.
Concrete coating is available via machine or form-applied
coating. Prepared at the job site to any thickness, formapplied coating saves the cost of transporting heavy coated
pipe over long distances. The process includes application
of a circular outer form to the pipe and filling of that
annular space with concrete.
Trenchless crossings
These techniques include horizontal directional drilling and boring and employs a variety of
cutting, jetting, boring, reaming and jacking techniques. They are generally selected in places
where open trenching would have severe environmental impact such as:
-
major river , roads and railways crossings,

urban and industry areas,
swamps,
rock formations.
Alternately, a form of directional drilling may be employed, in which a sort of tunnel is

drilled under the river through which the pipe may be passed. The same techniques are used
for road crossings either an open trench is dug up across the road and replaced once the pipe
is installed, or a tunnel may be drilled underneath the road.
Roads and railways are often crossed in a casing, laid in an open trench or by drilling. This
protects the pipe against external loads, vibration and corrosion.
Page 230 / 292
Pipeline
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
For all these trenchless operations the major risk is to damage existing underground structures
such as oil and gas pipelines, electric cables and ducts, water and sewer pipes,
telecommunications ducts, fiber optic cables, and cable television facilities. These facilities
are generally properly located on the map but they are often buried deeper than expected.
HDD presents the additional risk of pollution of the area by the drilling fluid.
Check points
- the same check points as for regular pipe laying operations,
- the difficulty of these operations increases the risks of defects,
- check the cover of the pipe,
- check the specific protection system (increased depth, coating, )
- check the weights and the protection of the coating underneath
- for trenchless crossings, make sure the investigations for underground existing
facilities have been done
- for HDD, verify pollution prevention plan and drilling fluid disposal.
Page 231 / 292
Pipeline
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
This crossing will be drilled or jacked
The pipeline section is built in advance and then launched.

Notice the earth moving work to build the slope to the water edge.
The section is concrete coated for negative buoyancy and protection
Page 232 / 292
Pipeline
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Backfilling the trench

Before testing the pipeline, the ditch is backfilled. Sometimes the excavated soil is used to fill
the trench and sometimes other selected backfill is used. The trench is backfilled using a
backfilling or bladed equipment; no foreign materials are permitted in the trench. Care is
taken to protect the pipe coating from potential damage and to provide adequate support to it.
In some areas, backfilling requires special attention:
- in steep slopes (where the soil is generally rocky), the backfill material used to prepare
the pipeline bed and which is in contact with the pipe may be easily washed away.
Indeed, the trench is working like a drain and over the years the backfill will tend to
slip down the hill.
To avoid this, special arrangements are made to stabilize the backfill in place (sand
bag walls for instance) and to evacuate the water under control (drain pipe, diverters).
- When crossing underground structures or in any case when the minimum cover cannot
be achieved, special measures should be taken to provide the same level of protection:
backfilling with concrete, concrete slabs, etc The typical drawings generally
mention these cases. More than in normal cases, the backfill around the pipe should be
properly compacted to provide the necessary strength to the line against static and
dynamic pressure from loads crossing the trench.
- The above also applies when for some reasons the normal cover could not be achieved
due to construction problems: collapsing of the trench during the lowering in operation
for instance
- River crossings: when the crossing is in open trench, the backfill of this trench shall be
stabilized against erosion from the river, especially when the river is prone to flooding
and high speed currents.
Page 233 / 292
Pipeline
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Backfilling with a special equipment which screens the soil from rocks.
Notice the joint coated with a different material than the mill coating (epoxy)
Check points:
- basically the quality of the backfill materials and the way they are put on the
pipe,
- the risk is where the soil is normal but with some exceptional boulder or
debris,
- check the special points
Page 234 / 292
Pipeline
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Installing valves and special fittings

Valves and other components are part of a pipeline. These elements are installed as the
pipeline is constructed.
They include:
shut-off valves that can block off sections of the pipeline for maintenance,
tees for take-offs and branches,
test leads and insulating joints for cathodic protection,
scrapper traps
instruments (pig passage detector, cathodic protection
connections, )
markers
Check points
- welding procedures and welders used for these
operations
- handling of the equipment,
- installation instructions
- coating
- backfilling
Page 235 / 292
Pipeline
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Testing
After backfilling, the pipeline is hydrostatically tested following applicable regulations.
Witnessing this type of test is a third party activity, not covered by these Guidelines.
As a second party inspector, you may have to check the preparation and conducting of this
test.
Actually, pipeline testing is more than just leak detection and resistance checking. Pipelines
are tested even when there is no applicable regulation (water lines for instance). Indeed, the
purposes of this testing operation are multiple:
- remove all debris from the inside (unbelievable what comes out with the first pig !)
- verify that there is no obstruction or diameter reduction, especially if the pipeline is to
be pigged periodically in operation,
- make sure the pipeline will not come out of the ground under pressure (Bourdon
effect),
- make sure the additional weight of the test water can be supported by the trench (in
slopes) or other special supports
- check for leaks with maximum accuracy,
- check for resistance, verify the strength of the pipe and the weld,
- empty totally the test water (even this little tiny pocket under this river crossing)
- clean and dry (mainly for gas pipelines) the internal surface of the pipeline before the
client introduces valuable product into it,
- close the line at both ends to avoid any introduction of foreign materials and water.
And all this should be done keeping in mind:
- avoiding corrosion,
- avoiding polluting the environment with the huge quantities of rusty test water
The test shall be carefully prepared by the engineering and the contractor to achieve the above
requirements.
A typical test procedure will deal with:
Test equipment
The contractor shall provide calibrated
pressure gauges and recorders, pipes,
pumps, meters, and other equipment
necessary to perform the hydrostatic
pressure test. As usual the inspector will
check the certificates.
Page 236 / 292
Pipeline
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Test pressure
When the pipeline is regulated, the minimum resistance and tightness test pressures are
defined by the regulation. In other cases, the engineering will have defined these values.
Individual pipes should already have been 100% tested at the mill.
Test medium
Very generally it will be water. Pneumatic tests may be accepted for gas pipeline sections
where the additional charge of test water cannot be tolerated (some bridges for instance)
Quality of the water
For large pipelines water has to be found in a river or a lake, sometimes in the sea. For smaller
ones it can hauled by trucks or taken from the potable water network.
The quality of the water is important; various treatments may be applied to limit the pollution
and the corrosion of the inside of the pipeline, such as:
- Select a clean source,
- Allow the sediments to settle (in a pond for instance),
- Add a corrosion inhibitor,
- Add methanol to facilitate the subsequent drying (for gas pipelines)
- Add a disinfector agent in some cases (potable water lines)
If source of potable water is from public waterlines, the contractor should provide an
approved and certified reduced pressure backflow prevention assembly. Chlorine content may
be an issue and some specifications include requirements for laboratory analysis of the test
water.
Sectioning of the pipeline in test sections
The less sections the better, but in some configurations one has to cut the line in sections.
First of all, the regulation limits the length of the sections, typically to 10km to 30km; this is
mainly for the accuracy of the tests.
The pipeline profile drawing is here of a special importance; when the pipeline crosses hills or
mountains for instance, the static pressure at the bottom of the hill may exceed the acceptable
limit.
The power of the filling pump may also be an issue. Notice that when a pipeline crosses 2 or
more hills, the pressure heads of each hill cumulates.
Sectioning also depends on the availability of accesses to the extremities of the section and to
the availability of water (and disposal possibilities of that polluted water after the test)
For these reasons, the extremities of the sections will generally correspond to low points with
easy access.
Special points like crossing may be tested separately and then connected to the rest of the
pipeline with welds requiring special attention (NDT).
Page 237 / 292
Pipeline
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Cleaning the pipeline

Before filling the pipeline for the test, it shall be cleaned as much as possible by flushing.
Water is pumped in the line at sufficient speed to carry out the debris.
Then, several pigs, equipped with brushes and separated by some lengths of water plugs, are
pushed with pumped water through the pipeline section. After a while, the water should come
out clean. These operations are conducted with temporary test bulkheads (warning, these are
also pressure equipments) welded at each extremity of the section and allowing the handling
of the pigs.
Page 238 / 292
Pipeline
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Filling the pipeline for the test

After removing the dirt from the end bulkhead, water is pumped in the line, pushing pigs at
reduced speed (typically 1.5 to 2 km/h) to eliminate the air pockets as much as possible.
The primary air contained in the section should normally be pushed out by the filling
sequence. However, when the test water is originally cold and slowly warms up to the soil
temperature, dissolved gases are released from the water and accumulate at the high points of
the line. Air may also be pumped in the pipe with the water by the filling pump itself. These
pockets cannot be remove by pushing more fresh water in the line and their removal requires
the installation of vents at any clear high point of the route. After the test, these vents are
plugged by welding.
If the major air pockets have been removed, residual air should dissolve in the water when the
pressure is raised to the test pressure, the water under pressure absorbing the air like a sponge.
The reverse effect is used when drying a pipeline by vacuum technique.
Air presence test
The presence of air in a pipeline section can alter dramatically the meaning of the readings of
the pressure gages as they will expand or shrink with any temperature modification of the
water and soil (remember PVT= Constant for a gas).
The amount of air can be evaluated by a test that consists in removing a known quantity of
water from the line under pressure (typically some hundreds of litres, depending the total
capacity of the section, or the necessary quantity to obtain a pressure drop of 1 bar) and
compare the pressures before and after removal. A calculation determines the amount of air; if
there is no air the pressure drop is more important than with trapped air, gas acting like a
spring.
Resistance test
This test is the first to be performed (no need to make a tightness test if the pipe is to burst
afterwards or if the resistance test opens new cracks).
Its a very straight forward operation and leaks will show up clearly if high pressure water
escapes the line. In such case, pumping should be stopped immediately to avoid flooding the
area and deteriorating the trench and the environment.
The test pressure is generally applied with a positive displacement pump and the quantity of
water used to pressurized the line is measured with a flow meter.
Filling pumps and those used for raising the pressure are totally different equipment. It is
interesting to have large capacity filling pumps with a fair capacity to raise the pressure also
to limit the pumping time of the high pressure pump.
A test chart or other recording method that shows that the pressure was maintained at the
minimum test pressure throughout the entire test must be documented for all hydrostatic tests.
Make sure it is not possible to stop/re run the recorder or add water in the line.
Page 239 / 292
Pipeline
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Tightness test
This is the more sophisticated type of tightness test you will find in the industry.
Indeed, unlike for the hydraulic test of a regular pressure equipment, tested in a workshop,
neatly presented on the shop floor with full visibility on all the surfaces and welds, a pipeline
is a pressure equipment totally buried and containing huge quantities of water, more or less
mixed with air. The challenge of the test is to detect minute leaks (the accuracy of the test is
fixed by the regulation).
To limit the influence of the various parameters affecting the readings of the highly accurate
pressure gages, the test generally lasts 24 hours, after a stabilisation period. This corresponds
to a complete cycle day/night.
The parameters to be considered in the evaluation of the test are numerous:
- total capacity,
- pressure readings (chart),
- soil temperature (water temperature cannot be measured),
- elasticity of the steel, the water, the air,
- thickness of the pipe and strength of the steel,
- atmospheric pressure (to be recorded),
- air presence test results,
- influence of above ground sections of pipe (length to be limited)
These data are averaged on the section and entered in a formula that will evaluate if the
pressure difference between the start and the end of the test corresponds to a leakage or only
to temperature variations.
Be aware that there might be an increase of pressure during the test, due to a raise of the
ambient temperature or of the atmospheric pressure, masking a real leak.
Recording
All the test data, temperature and pressure readings, calculations and profile drawings shall be
recorded and certified by the contractor. The inspector checks the data book for completeness
and accuracy.
Water disposal
This is dictated by environmental considerations and shall be adhere to by the contractor. In
some case water has to be collected by tank trucks for subsequent treatment.
Check points:
- all the above section
Page 240 / 292
Pipeline
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Cathodic Protection
Coating alone is not sufficient to protect a pipeline against corrosion; it can have leaks and
will certainly loose part of its protective properties during the many years of the pipeline
operation.
Pipeline cathodic protection (CP) systems are designed to limit corrosion of steel pipe and
other underground metallic structures. If left unprotected, the natural electrolytic conditions in
the soil will cause small electrical currents to flow away from the pipes surface, carrying
with it, microscopic metal particles. Cathodic protection prevents metal particles from leaving
the pipes surface by forcing electrical current to flow toward the pipe, which opposes or
cancels out any natural current attempting to leave the structure.
Cathodic protection is, very simply, the use of direct current electricity from an external
source (generally a transformer/rectifier connected to the public electricity network) to oppose
the discharge of corrosion current from anodic areas that would be present naturally. When a
cathodic protection system is installed for maximum effect, all portions of the protected
structure collect current from the surrounding electrolyte and the entire exposed surface
becomes a single cathodic area hence the name.
A well coated pipeline i.e., tape wrapped, no doubt will have some coating defects or
holidays. A cathodic protection system need only protect the minute areas of steel exposed to
the earth at the holidays rather than the whole surface of an uncoated structure. The electrical
energy required to cathodically protect a bare structure may be thousands of times greater
than the energy required to protect the same structure when well coated. The measurement of
the soil resistivity along the route and the current amount necessary to maintain the protection
voltage is a good indication of the quality of the coating.
Impressed current cathodic protection systems is the most commonly system used for long
pipelines. A D.C. Voltage from an outside source is impressed on the circuit between the
protected structure and the anodes. The most common source of power is the cathodic
protection rectifier or D.C. power supply.
This device simply converts alternating current electric power (from the power distribution
system) to low voltage direct current. The output voltage of the unit is usually adjustable.
Cathodic protection rectifiers are available in output capacities of from one ampere to many
hundreds of amperes. Impressed current systems are inherently more complex than galvanic
systems and typically require more maintenance.
Cathodic protection shall be applied on the pipeline as son as possible, sometimes before the
construction is completed. In swampy areas a pipeline may be corroded by bacteriological
activity (that produces sulphuric acid) within weeks.
Page 241 / 292
Pipeline
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Check points
- check the installed equipment,
- check the anode beds,
- check the connections to the pipeline and their coating,
- check the results of the trial run,
- push for fast putting in use of the CP.
Cleaning up and restoration

Once the pipeline has been installed and covered up, extensive efforts are taken to restore the
pipelines pathway and temporary facilities such as camps and yards to their original state, or
to mitigate for any environmental or other impacts that may have occurred during the
construction process.
This includes replacing topsoil, fences, irrigation canals, and anything else that may have
been removed or upset during the construction process.
Indicators are pegged along the route and at each crossing for future operation and
identification of the pipeline.
Check points:
- not many at this stage; this is generally done by permitting
More information
Page 242 / 292
Sampling
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
STATISTICS FOR SAMPLING
Inspection and Sampling
244
Sampling by Attribute
246
Sampling and Statistics
247
Standards
248
The Military Standards.....................................................248
The ISO Standards ...........................................................250
ISO 2859: 1999 Sampling procedure for inspection
by attribute ...............................................................250
ISO 8422: 1991 Sequential sampling plans for
inspection by attributes ............................................250
Steps for Sampling Inspection
251
Glossary for Sampling Inspection
254
More Information
Page 243 / 292
Sampling
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Inspection and Sampling

There are two basic classes of inspection based on the proportion of the output to be
inspected:
-
100% Inspection (or Screening Inspection): the examination of every item in a lot of
raw materials or finished goods.
Sampling Inspection: the examination of n items of a lot comprising N items;

n being usually less than one-tenth of N.
Types of Inspection
100% Inspection
In this category of inspection, one simply inspects every piece (raw material, components or
finished goods) and select only those that meet the quality requirements. Once you have
separated all those that do not meet the quality standard you can be assured that the rest will
be accepted by your customer. For large quantities of products, this form of inspection is
going to be very costly as inspection itself is time and manpower consuming. It might also be
worthwhile to note that 100% inspection cannot guarantee the elimination of all defective
items because of human error resulting from fatigue experienced by the inspectors.
Sampling Inspection
Information is derived from a relatively small random sample for a decision to be made on
whether the whole lot is to be accepted or rejected.
Acceptance sampling plans are used:
- When the cost of inspection is high and the consequences of accepting a
nonconforming article are not serious,
- When 100% inspection is fatiguing and boring and, therefore, likely to result in
errors. In these cases a sampling plan may provide greater protection than 100%
inspection,
Page 244 / 292
Sampling
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
When inspection requires a destructive test. Here, sampling inspection must be used.
Sampling inspection is based on statistical sampling plans and it is obviously not as accurate
as 100% inspection. The client must understand that some items of the purchases lot may be
defective.
There are two subsets of sampling inspection:
-
Control Sampling
It is used to obtain data for the purpose of in-process control, i.e., monitoring the
performance of a process, machine or operator.
Acceptance Sampling
It is an inspection to distinguish between the acceptable from the non-acceptable lots.
A relatively small part of the articles in an inspection lot is selected and inspected.
Based on the results, a decision is made that the inspection lot either does or does not
satisfactorily conform to the specification.
Acceptance sampling is used for:
Incoming or Vendor Inspection: where raw materials or finished products are
inspected before they are used by the purchaser.
Process Inspection: where the components or parts are inspected before sending
from one production department to another for further processing. In this instance,
it is acceptance sampling between two departments of the same company, as
compared to that between two companies in (a).
Final Inspection: where the finished products are inspected before leaving the
factory
In these Guidelines we only examine acceptance sampling by attribute as used in final

shop inspection.
Page 245 / 292
Sampling
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Sampling by Attribute
n
sampling
Inspect & count number

of defectives
Acceptance number
c
Reject lot
Accept lot
N
Sampling by Attribute Concept
:
Notations
Definition
Value in above example
lot size
63
n
p
c
p1
sampling size
proportion of defective
the acceptance number
AQL (Acceptable Quality Level)
the maximum per cent that can
be considered satisfactory
9
4/63*100=6.3%
Defined by the standard
Defined by the client
The Military Standard MIL-STD-105 is a method of sampling by attribute.

It starts from a table defining the sampling size n from the lot size N.
Then, depending the AQL (defined by the client), the acceptance number c is found in the
table.
For each AQL, normal and tightened inspection level and switching rules are defined.
Example:
The sampling inspection plan used by the FDA has been derived from MIL-STD-105E based
on general inspection level II, normal inspection, and an acceptable quality level (AQL) of
2.5% for surgeons gloves and 4.0% for patient examination gloves. Single sampling will be
used for lots less than or equal to 1200 gloves, while multiple sampling will be used for
larger lots.
Page 246 / 292
Sampling
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Sampling and Statistics

An effective sampling method often requires more than objectivity. It requires some means
for establishing sample sizes and appraising sample results mathematically. Such a sample
will have a behaviour that is measurable in terms of the rules of the theory of probability.
When a sample is obtained statistically, it is possible to state, with a stipulated degree of
confidence that the number of errors in the sample applies proportionately to the unsampled
portion of the universe as well. Statistical sampling provides the user with the following
advantages:
The sample result is objective and defensible. It is not subject to questions of bias
that might be raised relative to a judgment sample.
The method provides a means of knowing, in advance, the size of the maximum
sample needed. Sample size and justification for expense or time spent are
defensible as reasonable when confidence level desired is reasonable for the risk
being evaluated.
The method provides an estimate of the degree of risk that the sample may not be
representative of the entire population. This limits deviation due to sampling
variations.
Statistical sampling can be more accurate than an examination of every item in a
large population. This is certainly true where the volume and tediousness of the
data under review can lead to errors of omission or fact by the user.
Statistical sampling may save time and money. Frequently, a statistical sample
may include fewer items than a fixed percentage sample. Also one sample may be
used to test several characteristics of a given record.
Objective evaluation of test results is possible. Statistical sampling provides a
means of projecting test results within known limits of reliability.
Data may be combined and evaluated, even though obtained by different users.
Page 247 / 292
Sampling
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Standards
Standards are essential to provide a rational background to sampling inspection. Inspectors
should have access to the standards specified in the order as they contain valuable information
regarding all aspects of the inspection.
The Military Standards

In our business, when talking about sampling, the first standard that comes to mind is the
MIL-STD-105.
The history : In the US, before and during the World War II, the traditional
approach had been to award military contracts based on competitive bidding,
the contract usually going to the lowest bidder. Upon delivery, the products
were inspected and tested for conformance to specifications. Often this
involved inspecting and testing every single unit of product. This required a
huge expansion of the inspection forces, with massive problems in
recruitment, training, employee turnover and so on. The armed forces tried
to reduce these problems by greater use of sampling inspection. In doing so,
they decided to replace their empirical ways of sampling with methods
based on the laws of probability. With the aid of industry consultants,
especially from the Bell Telephone Laboratories, they adapted the sampling
tables which had earlier been devised by the Bell System. The resulting
tables were published as MIL-STD-105 and were incorporated into the
contracts by reference.
The MIL-STD-105E was officially cancelled in February 1995 by the Air
Force but many companies continue to use this standard for inspection. The
MIL-STD-105E was cancelled to reduce costs through the elimination of
duplication. Many other standards were cancelled as well where nearly
equivalent civilian standards existed.
It has since been replaced by standard ANSI/ASQ Z1.4-2003 and its
companion standard: Sampling Procedures and Tables for Inspection by
Variables for Percent Nonconfoming: ANSI/ASQ Z1.9-2003.
It is interesting to see why the MIL-STD-105 has been discontinued by the
Department of Defense. In fact it has been replaced by the MIL-STD-1916
PREFERRED METHODS FOR ACCEPTANCE OF PRODUCTS which
Scope reads as follows:
The purpose of this standard is to encourage defense contractors and other
commercial organizations supplying goods and services to the U.S.
Government to submit efficient and effective process control (prevention)
procedures in place of prescribed sampling requirements. The goal is to
support the movement away from an AQL-based inspection (detection)
Page 248 / 292
Sampling
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
strategy to implementation of an effective prevention-based strategy

including a comprehensive quality system, continuous improvement and a
partnership with the Government.
The underlying theme is a partnership between DoD and the defense
supplier, with the requisite competence of both parties, and a clear mutual
benefit from processes capable of consistently high quality products and
services. The objective is to create an atmosphere where every
noncompliance is an opportunity for corrective action and improvement
rather than one where acceptable quality levels are the contractually
sufficient goals.
MIL-STD. 105E SAMPLING INSPECTION BY ATTRIBUTE

The standard for sampling inspection since 1958, based on Schuchard, Rommig and
Dodge sampling inspection theories and mathematical formulas.
MIL-STD. 414 SAMPLING INSPECTION BY VARIABLES
Contains procedures on how to inspect using variables sampling methods. Includes easy
to use sampling plans, for inspection by Variables.
MIL- Hand Book-53-GUIDE FOR ATTRIBUTE SAMPLING INSPECTION :
Explains MIL STD 105 AND ANSI/ASQC Z1.4, excellent training book on sampling
inspection and a guide on how to apply MIL STD. 105 and Standard ANSI/ASQC Z1.4.
ANSI/ASQ Z1.4-2003 is nearly identical to MIL-STD-105E. There are no changes in the
tables of sampling plans. The only change in the switching rules is that ANSI/ASQ Z1.4-2003
makes the use of the limit numbers for switching to reduced optional. In addition, ANSI/ASQ
Z1.4-2003 contains additional OC curves called scheme OC curves that describe the
protection provided by the switching procedure during periods of constant quality. Numerous
changes where also made to the explanatory text but which do not affect any procedures.
Page 249 / 292
Sampling
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Example of Sampling Plan
The ISO Standards

ISO 2859: 1999 Sampling procedure for inspection by attribute
Part 0: Introduction to the ISO 2859 attribute sampling system
Part 1: Sampling schemes indexed by acceptance quality limit (AQL) for lot-by-lot
inspection
Part 2: Sampling plans indexed by limiting quality (LQ) for isolated lot inspection
Part 3: Skip-lot sampling procedure
Part 4: Procedures for assessing of declared quality levels
As the 1995 version was similar to the MIL-STD-105E and ANSI/ASQ Z1.4-2003 standards,
the 1999 revision of the ISO 2859-1 standard made it diverge from them.
ISO 8422: 1991 Sequential sampling plans for inspection by attributes
Page 250 / 292
Sampling
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
ISO 8423:1993 Guide for the selection of an acceptance sampling system, scheme or plan for
inspection of discrete items in lots.
Steps for Sampling Inspection

1) define the lot
The lot to be inspected derives from the order; the client purchases 1000 pipes, 2 tons
of bolts, 20 motors. It is the manufacturers duty to prepare the lot for inspection (and
not only a sample of it), either from its current production or specially produced for
that order. The definition of a lot is strongly related with the production process itself
but all items of the lot presented for inspection are reputed complying fully with the
specification.
2) define the characteristics

Products have many characteristics, not all can be inspected or are worth to be
inspected. Unless specified by the order, the inspector will have to use his own
judgement to select which characteristics will be tested. He will obviously select the
most appropriate for the concerned type of product. AT that stage one can already
mention that the selected characteristics shall be indicated in the final report.
3) define the AQL
As we are in the frame of sampling inspection, it must be understood by the client that
some items may be defective. He shall have accepted that fact or should ask for 100%
inspection.
There is always a risk in sampling inspection, but the risk is for both parties. For the
Manufacturer, if the lot does not pass inspection, then all items in the lot may be
discarded (and not only those found defective in the sample).
The AQL or Acceptable Quality Level states this in mathematical terms: for instance,
an AQL of 4% means for the client Yes, I will accept the lot even if 3% of the items
are found to be defective.
Defining an AQL is easy when the client clearly states the AQL in his order.
But most of the time he will not, simply requiring an inspection at random. And the
inspector will state in his report: random inspection at 10%.
A more professional approach would be to state:
- considering the size of the lot and the time allocated for its inspection, a random
sample of 15 items has been inspected, which corresponds to an AQL of 4%.
4) define the sample size
This is where standards become important: the size of the sample is in direct relation
Page 251 / 292
Sampling
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
with the above AQL and the size of the lot. In between lays the standard which will
define how accurate and representative are the results of the inspection.
Again, when the AQL is defined by the client there is no room for discussing the
sample size. On the other hand, when only the duration of the inspection is defined,
the size of the sample will derive from the time allocated for the testing/measurement
of the characteristics.
5) select a sampling plan
The sampling plan defines the applicable acceptance (Ac) and rejection (Re) numbers
at the intersection of the sample size(s) row and AQL column. These numbers together
with the sample size or sizes constitute a sampling plan.
The sampling plan comes from the standard which has been defined previously as the
reference for this inspection.
6) take the samples at random
This is the tricky part of sampling inspection.
Samples selected for estimating the quality of a component or product shall be truly
random. The goal of the sample is to be a representative of the population from which
it is drawn. The way we take an unbiased sample from a population, the sampling
method, is often more important than the size (n) of the sample itself.
Sampling bias may occur when:
Samples are taken from the same location in containers, racks or bins (Example: a
sample consisting of parts taken only from the top layers in a container). The sampler
ignores the portions of the lot which are inconvenient to sample.
The sampler inspects/previews the product population and selects units which appear
to be typical or average(in his/her opinion).
The sampler may knowingly or unknowingly apply a stratification pattern. There is
a great example of an inspector who always takes his/her samples from the four
corners and center of each product tray and the cunning production operator who
carefully fills these same spots with perfect product.
So it appears that taking a sample is not that easy. Fortunately there are several ways
to obtain a an unbiased, random sample:
Simple Random Sampling
This is the equivalent of mixing all units in the population and then drawing out items
one at the time. A random number table or number generator can be used to select the
units for the sample. Ideally, the sample includes specimen from many manufacturing
plants, production periods or batches.
Stratified Sampling
This is done by first separating units into (sub)groups, such as by product design,
manufacturing plant, production machine, date of production, lot of raw material, etc.
A random sample is then taken from each group.
Systematic Sampling
Page 252 / 292
Sampling
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
This is conducted by taking items at fixed intervals (such as every fifth item from a list
with random starting point).
Sampling in Production Evaluation
When inspecting mass produced industrial products, the inspector knows that the
items are manufactured on several different machines, with different settings, different
raw materials, different operators. May by one of these parameters ran out of control
and all the affected items are defective ?
If it were for design evaluation testing, the samples should than consist of units made
of the same design, produced at the same time, by the same manufacturing process,
using the same components. This would be achieved by stratified sampling.
But, when performing acceptance inspection testing, the inspector is presented a lot
for which the manufacturer claims that it meets the specification. It is his
responsibility to ascertain that his process is robust and is not affected by variation
in components, processes, operators, production machines, or place of manufacturing.
Therefore random sampling without stratification may be better in this case. Entering
in the stratification approach, the inspector quickly faces the risk of performing
statistical process control or an other quality control job, which is not his duty.
7) inspect all the items of the sample
All items, which belong to the selected sampling units, are inspected.
Standard inspection rules apply here.
In a comprehensive inspection report, full results shall be recorded and calculation
presented.
Page 253 / 292
Sampling
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Glossary for Sampling Inspection

Acceptance sampling. The art or science that deals with procedures in which decisions to
accept or reject lots or processes are based on the examination of samples.
Acceptance sampling inspection A statistical inspection using one or several samples.
In an acceptance sampling inspection, decisions are made to accept or not accept an
inspection lot based on a sampling plan.
Acceptable quality level (AQL). The AQL is expressed in terms of percent defective or
defects per 100 units. Lots having a quality level equal to a specified AQL will be accepted
approximately 95 percent of the time when using the sampling plans prescribed for that AQL.
Typical AQL values expressed in percent defectives or defects per hundred units are:
0.065
0.40
2.5
8.5
0.10
0.65
4.0
10.0
0.15
1.0
5.0
12.5
0.25
1.5
6.5
15.0
Example: When a client sets an AQL of 2 on a lot of 500 valves, it means that he accepts
10 defective valves (500 x 2 / 100).
Acceptance number (Ac). The number in a sampling plan that indicates the maximum
number of defects or defectives permitted in a sample in order to consider a lot as meeting a
specific requirement. The counterpart number is the Rejection number (Re).
Attribute A characteristic or property which is appraised in terms of whether it does or does
not exist, (e.g., go or not-go) with respect to a given requirement
Conformance Quality Level :Producer or user specifies the conformance quality level for
each data quality measure such that it establishes conformance or non conformance to the
product specification or user requirement.
Consumers risk. The risk a consumer takes that a lot will be accepted by a sampling plan
even though the lot does not conform to requirements. This risk is typically set at ten percent.
Consumer protection. The ability of a sampling plan to reject unacceptable supplies. This is
measured as the complement of the probability of acceptance (Pa) for the Limited Quality
(LQ) lots. The consumer protection is typically 90 percent.
Defect. A failure to meet a requirement imposed on a unit with respect to a single quality
characteristic. A unit may contain more than one defect.
Page 254 / 292
Sampling
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Defective. A defective unit; one containing one or more defects with respect to the quality
characteristic(s) under consideration.
Inspection. The examination (including testing) of supplies (including, when appropriate, raw
materials, components and intermediate assemblies).
(a) Acceptance inspection. An inspection to determine conformance of supplies to
specified requirements in order to accept or reject the supplies.
(b) Estimation inspection. In dealing with attributes, an inspection to determine the
amount of the supplies conforming to a specified requirement usually expressed as a
percentage.
Inspection by Attributes Inspection whereby the product or a characteristic thereof is
classified simply as defective or non-defective. The part passes or fails some go-no-go test.
If the number of non-conforming items reaches a specified rejection number determined by
AQL or LQ, the lot is not accepted.
Example: Valve is tight or not
Inspection by Variables Inspection wherein certain characteristics are evaluated with respect
to a continuous numerical scale and expressed as precise points along this scale. Variables
inspection records the degree of conformance or non-conformance of the unit with specified
requirements for the quality characteristics involved.
If the average and variance of inspected values do not satisfy limiting conditions determined
by AQL, the lot is not accepted.
Example: Valve is tight until 12 bars
Inspection Level An indication of the relative sample size for a given amount of product.
Limiting quality (LQ). The LQ is expressed in terms of percent defective or defects per 100
units.
Lot. A collection of units of the same size, type and style which has been manufactured or
processed under essentially the same conditions. The term shall mean inspection lot, i.e., a
collection of units of product from which a sample is to be drawn and inspected to determine
conformance with the acceptability criteria. An inspection lot may differ from a collection of
units designated as a lot for other purposes (e.g., production lot, shipping lot, etc.).
Lot size. The number of units in the lot.
Operating characteristic curve (OC curve). A curve that gives the probability of acceptance
as a function of a specific lot quality level.
Page 255 / 292
Sampling
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Probability of acceptance (Pa). For a given sampling plan and a given quality of inspection
lots, is that percentage of inspection lots expected to be accepted.
Process capability. Performance of a process under normal operating conditions. The
performance is measured with respect to specific characteristics.
Producers risk. The risk that a producer takes that a lot will be rejected by a sampling plan
even though the lot conforms to requirements. This risk is typically set at five percent.
Random sampling. A process of selecting a sample from a lot whereby each unit in the lot
has an equal chance of being chosen. Ordinary haphazard choice is generally insufficient to
guarantee randomness. Devices such as tables of random numbers are used to remove
subjective biases inherent in personal choice.
Rejection number (Re). The number in a sampling plan that indicates the minimum number
of defects or defectives permitted in a sample that will cause a lot to fail a specific
requirement.
Biased Sampling Sampling procedures which will not guarantee a truly representative or
random sample.
Population group of individual persons, objects, or item from which samples are taken for
statistical analysis.
Sample One or more units of product drawn from a lot or batch, the units of the sample being
selected at random without regard to their quality
Sample Size The number of units of product in the sample selected for inspection.
Sample Unit A unit of product selected to be part of a sample.
Representative Sample The number of units selected in proportion to the size of sub-lots or
sub-batches, or parts of the lot or batch, identified by some rational criterion. When
representative sampling is used, the units from each part of the lot or batch shall be selected at
random.
Sampling The technique of selecting a representative part of a population for the purpose of
determining parameters or characteristics of the whole population. A small part selected as a
sample for inspection or analysis.
Sampling plan. A specific plan which states the sample size(s), acceptance number(s) and
rejection number(s). Typical sampling plans include:
(a) Single sampling plan. A sampling inspection scheme in which a decision to accept or
reject an inspection lot is based on the inspection of a single sample. A single sampling plan
Page 256 / 292
Sampling
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
consists of a single sample size with associated acceptance and rejection number(s).
(b) Double sampling plan. A sampling inspection scheme which involves use of two
independently drawn but related samples, a first sample (n1) and a second sample which is
added to the first to form a total sample size (nt). A double sampling plan consists of a first
and total sample size with associated acceptance and rejection number(s).
Inspection of the first sample leads to a decision to accept, to reject, or to take a second
sample and the examination of a second sample, when required, always leads to a decision to
accept or reject.
Sequential Sampling Plan A specific type of sampling plan in which the sample units are
selected one at a time. After each unit is inspected, the decision is made to accept, reject, or
continue inspection until the acceptance or rejection criteria is met. Sampling terminates when
the inspection results of the sample units determine that the acceptance or rejection decision
can be made. The sample size is not fixed in advance, but depends on actual inspection
results.
Single-level Sampling Plan (Continuous) A specific type of sampling plan in which the
inspection periods of 100 percent inspection and sampling inspection are alternated with the
sampling rate remaining constant.
More Information
Page 257 / 292
Support Documents
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Part IV SUPPORT DOCUMENTS

259
272
0 Introduction
272
1 Materials and Components
275
2 Pressure Equipment
278
3 Machinery
281
4 - Electrical
284
5 Expediting
286
6 - Vendors Assessment
286
7 - Painting and Coating
287
8 - Heat Treatment
289
9 - Pipeline
290
10 Statistics for Sampling
291
Page 258 / 292
Support Documents
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Accreditation
Procedure by which an authoritative body gives formal recognition that a body or person is
competent to carry out specific tasks (general definition as per ISO/IEC Guide 2, 1996).
Approval: permission for a product, process or service to be marketed or used for stated
purposes or under stated conditions
Certificate of Compliance or Certificate of Conformance (CoC)
The Certificate of Compliance, signed by an authorized individual certifies that a product or
service has met all requirements of the Purchase Order including drawings and specifications
at the prescribed revision level.
The COC must be supported by inspection and/or test data.
As a minimum the COC shall contain the following:
Name of company and date,
contract number or purchase order number and drawing number.
Complete nomenclature and supplier or parts together with lot number or other identification.
The quantity in each lot or shipment shall be given.
A statement certifying that the material meets all requirements of the contract.
Signature and title of certifying official.
Certificate of specific product control (PED terminology) or Inspection document based
on specific inspection (EN 10204:2004 terminology)
A material certificate required for the main pressure-bearing parts of pressure equipment in
categories II, III and IV. For metallic materials these inspection documents are inspection
certificates EN 10204 type 3.1 and 3.2.
Answer: a)
Certification: procedure by which a third party gives written assurance that a product,
process or service conforms to specified requirements (ISO/IEC Guide 2, 1996)
Check (verb) : to examine so as to determine accuracy, quality, or condition.
Applies to physical properties such as dimensions, cleanliness, environmental conditions.
Examination
Assessment carried out to determine or verify the acceptability of a component, system or
document
First article Inspection and Test
In a mass production process, inspections and tests performed by the supplier to assure first
article samples conform to all dimensional, chemical and physical specifications.
Page 259 / 292
Support Documents
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Hold point: Point defined in an inspection programme beyond which an activity must not
proceed without the approval of BV
Independence
The conventional description of an inspection bodys independence has been the first, second
and third party.
A new concept has been introduced by ISO 17020 (old EN 45004), based on the
characteristics of an inspection body. Three types Type A, Type B and Type C, are designated
depending on the inspection bodys relationship to the parties involved, its organisation
structure, responsibilities and ownership.
Type A (Third party): Person or body that is recognized as being independent of the bodies
involved. Third party services refers to those services provided by the organisation (BV) to
external organisations (clients).
All inspections performed by Bureau Veritas are Third Party Inspections.
Note: definitions are as per ISO/CEI 17020
Type B (First Party) independent department of an organisation which can only provide
inspections to its parent company.
This is typically the in-house Inspection Department or Quality Department of a supplier.
Type C (Second Party) inspection body which may supply inspection services to other
parties not being its parent organisation.
A second party shop inspection is performed by a person that has a user interest in the object.
Persons performing second party shop inspections include purchasers or users of products.
In case of second party inspections, scope of inspection, inspection programmes,
Manufacturing Operations Surveillance Check lists , or QA/QC plans, are designed and
proposed by the purchasers, users or potential customers. The instructions are clearly
identified. Intervention points subject to inspections, extend of inspections, format of
reporting are properly pre-defined. This can be negotiated with clients, but BV cannot take
any responsibility on the design of the inspection for example nor on the conformity with
eventually related standards out of the identified scope of work.
Note: For the application of the new approach directives, user inspectorates are second
party inspection bodies.
Inspection
- examination of a product design, product, service, process or plant, and determination of
their conformity with specific requirements or on the basis of professional judgement. (ISO
17020 General criteria for the operation of various types of bodies performing inspection
(identical in wording with EN 45004:1995))
- conformity evaluation by observation and judgement accompanied as appropriate by
measurement, testing or gauging (ISO/IEC GUIDE 2, 1996 Standardization and related
activities General vocabulary)
Page 260 / 292
Support Documents
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
- activity such as measuring, examining, testing or gauging one or more characteristics of an

entity and comparing the results with specified requirements in order to establish whether
conformity is achieved for each characteristic (ISO 8402 Quality management and quality
assurance Vocabulary)
- action performed by a BV surveyor to verify the conformity of a product to a requirement.
The main objective of inspection activities is to reduce the risk to the buyer, the owner, the
user or the customer of the item.
Inspection activities may include the examination of:
products,
materials
installations
plants
processes
work procedures and services
An inspection may consist of a single visit or a series of visits all over the production period.
Inspection Body: a body which carries out the examination of the product design, product,
service, process or plant, and determines their conformity with specific or general
requirements.
Tasks and characteristics of an Inspection Body:
Inspection of product according to the requirements or In-service inspection
Not necessarily operated by third party; inspection can be carried out by the first party (inhouse Quality Department, different from the Control Department) or the second party.
Reporting or certifying the inspection results according to the requirements or by professional
judgement,
Inspection report or inspection certificate containing the requirements and the inspection
result is issued,
Name or mark of the inspection body is shown on the inspection report or inspection
certificate,
Marking to show that the products have passed the inspection can be put on the lot which
have been subject to inspection only
Inspection documents EN 10204:2004 Standard (Metallic products Types of inspection
documents) recommends 4 types of certificate. We describe below the types that normally
apply to steel bars, billets, seamless and welded tube and pipe, and wire products. Among
them type 3.1 is the most common and is normally delivered with stock-standard material.
Bureau Veritas services are required for type 3.2 only.
Page 261 / 292
Support Documents
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Types of inspection documents

Type 2 Inspection documents based on non-specific inspection
Type 2.1 Declaration of compliance with the order
Document in which the manufacturer declares that the products supplied are in
compliance with the requirements of the order, without inclusion of test results.
Type 2.2 Test report
Document in which the manufacturer declares that the products supplied are in
compliance with the requirements of the order and in which he supplies test
results based on non-specific inspection and testing.
Type 3 Inspection documents based on specific inspection (i.e. in relation with an
identified order from a customer)
Type 3.1 Inspection certificates type 3.1
Document issued by the manufacturer in which he declares that the products
supplied are in compliance with the requirements of the order and in which he
supplies test results.
The test unit and the tests to be carried out are defined by the product
specification, the official regulation and corresponding rules and/or the order.
The document is validated by the manufacturers authorized inspection
representative, independent of the manufacturing department.
Bureau Veritas intervention is not required for type 3.1 certification.
Type 3.2 Inspection report type 3.2
Document prepared by both the manufacturers authorized inspection
representative, independent of the manufacturing department and either the
purchasers representative or the inspector designated by the official regulation
and in which they declare that the product supplied are in compliance with the
requirements of the order and in which test results are supplied.
It shall be permissible for the manufacturer to transfer on to the inspection
certificate 3.2 relevant test results obtained by specific inspection on primary or
incoming products he uses, provided that the manufacturer operates traceability
procedures and can provide the corresponding inspection documents required.
Inspection of a process
May include inspection of persons, facilities, technology and methodology (ISO/IEC FDIS
17000:2004 Conformity assessment Terms and general principles)
Inspection of a product
Inspection based on the following aspects of the specification:
- Safety: the compliance to safety regulations
Page 262 / 292
Support Documents
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
- Performance : the electrical, mechanical and general function

- Appearance : the condition of finish, printing and marking
- Packaging : the condition of packing, marking and accessories
Inspection Programme
Document which clearly identifies the series of steps to be carried out to cover the inspection
scope. It lists the sequence of activities and documents which must be
reviewed/checked/witnessed and gives details of times (when), places (where), actors (who),
procedures, reference documents and deliverables (how).
The Inspection Programme of the BV inspector is tightly related to the fabrication, control
and inspection programme of the Manufacturer. It shall be defined at the earliest possible
stage between BV, the Manufacturer and the Client.
Synonym: Inspection matrix
Common Items of an Inspection Programme
- Pre-inspection meeting
- Design verification
- Inventory control
- Manufacturing Operations and Surveillance Checklist follow up with relevant witness(W),
review I, hold point (HP) stages.
- Material certificate review as per appropriate and relevant standards
- Mill surveillance, threads and machining
- Welding procedure / welder performance qualification test
- Fit-up / dimension inspection
- Preheating / post weld heat treatment records as per requirements
- Witness non-destructive / destructive test on samples or production test coupon
- Non-destructive tests verification (e.g. eddy current inspection)
- Hydrostatic / pneumatic test
- Dimensional verification
- Painting, coating, lining preparation and final inspection. Thickness checking.
- Packing / shipping preparation / marking
- Marking and visual check
- Review of manufacturers files including the shipping documentation.
- Handling process and conditions specially for heavy lifts
- Monitoring of fabrication work
- Review of manufacturers file (incl. Drawing, Heat treatment and NDT certificates,
inspection certificate or specific test report)
In case of a simple metallic product supplied by a processor or an intermediary such a
programme can be reduced to a following minimum :
- Dimensional verification
- Non-destructive tests verification (e.g. eddy current inspection)
- Marking and visual check
- Review of manufacturers file (incl. Drawing, Heat treatment and NDT certificates,
Page 263 / 292
Support Documents
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Inspection certificate or specific test report)

Following is a typical programme for a new boiler under the survey of an Authorised
Inspection Agency or a Third Party Inspection Company delegated by the Owner:
- Pre-inspection meeting
- Design verification
- Inventory control
- Manufacturing Operations and Surveillance Checklist follow up with relevant witness(W),
review I, hold point (HP) stages.
- Material certificate review as per appropriate and relevant standards
- Mill surveillance, threads and machining
- Welding procedure / welder performance qualification test
- Fit-up / dimension inspection
- Preheating / post weld heat treatment records as per requirements
- Witness non-destructive / destructive test on samples or production test coupon
- Hydrostatic / pneumatic test
- Painting, coating, lining preparation and final inspection. Thickness checking.
- Packing / shipping preparation / marking
- Handling process and conditions specially for heavy lifts
- Monitoring of fabrication work
- Review of manufacturers files including the shipping documentation.
Deliverables of the Inspection
Documents such as Inspection Certificate / Test Certificate / Acceptance Certificate issued
by BV during and/or upon completion of the contract.
The list of deliverables extensive list and clear content (including sometimes the wording)
should be clearly stated, negotiated and reviewed at contract review stage.
Product certification body: a body which performs third party inspection service on the
products, and certification of their conformity to the standards or the specified requirements.
Tasks and characteristics of a Product Certification Body:
- Certifying quality of products according to the standards,
- Normally operated by third party,
- Licence to display standards mark on the products will be granted by judgement of a
certification committee,
- Licence to display standards mark on the products is issued,
- Name or mark of the product certification body is shown on the licence,
-Standards mark can be put on the certified products.
Page 264 / 292
Support Documents
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Model demonstrating the overlapping activities of the three bodies

in relation to the determination of conformity with the requirements
QA versus QC
QC => Product => Tangible results and records => No defect =>
customer satisfaction
QA => Company and organisation => Policy and objectives => No empty
and idle promises => Customer confidence
QAP (Quality Assurance Plan) is for a project or a product. This is a customised plan.
Reference documents: all documents such as specifications, drawings, standards, calculation
notes, technical procedures, specific requirements, QA/QC procedures, qualification of
people, methodological guides, which have been mutually agreed upon by the purchaser,
the manufacturer and BV to constitute the requirements to be complied with.
In many cases, these requirements will include EN, ASTM, ANSI, ISO, API, MIL,.. etc,
standard specifications.
Reference documents should be listed in the contract between the purchaser and the
manufacturer.
In case of an order or a contract without a formal reference to such documents, specimen of
BV Internal Inspection Data Sheet can be proposed.
For instance, for the final assessment of a product, it should be decided how samples are to be
obtained, what tests are to be conducted, and which degree of involvement is needed for
which type of inspection document issued.
Requirement for a certificate
As the issuance of a certificate represents a some time significant expenditure for the
supplier, the requirement for a certificate shall be given in the order, with due consideration to
the intended application of the product and national rules.
Requirements
The various properties a product shall have to comply with the reference documents.
It can be:
- the quantity of items,
- the documents to be supplied with the product,
Page 265 / 292
Support Documents
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
- the characteristics of the product,

- the characteristics of the packing,
-the date of shipment or other time related requirements
Review (verb): to appraise critically; to ensure compliance with relevant specifications
Applies only to the appraisal of documents such as procedures, specifications, designs,
reports, records,...
Scope of Inspection
Area or range of inspection activities. The scope of inspection limits the investigations of the
inspector to the features of the products/services of interest to the client.
It will define whether an activity will be witnessed, fully or at random, or reviewed only.
It may include matters on :
- quantity
- quality
- safety
- fitness for use
- continued safety
- performance
- compliance in operation
In a second party inspection, the scope of inspection is imposed by the client. Its extent shall
be clearly defined at the contract negotiation stage as it impacts heavily on the time spent by
the inspector.
The scope of inspection may not overlap exactly those of the applicable standards, if any;
some inspections may be skipped, others may be added.
Risk analysis
The event tree is an inductive analysis: From upstream, the method proposes to identify how
an event propagates consequences through the system. It allows to look for the results and
checks if the conditions obtained contain an unacceptable situation or not. The key to
successful development of cost effective processes is identification of sources of variation and
appropriate control methods.
Fault tree analysis: From a dreadful event characterised by a safety / quality target the
methods consists in identifying the original leading to the possible situation to avoid. The
fault tree analysis is a deductive method.
Shop Inspection
- Inspection of fabricated or assembled parts at the manufacturers plant prior to shipment to
the project site.
Shop inspection means inspection and testing to determine the meeting of minimum quality
and safety standards of products being manufactured, altered, repaired or installed or in the
process of manufacture, alteration, repair or installation in the shop or on the job site.
- Inspection performed at the manufacturer premises by a BV surveyor for checking
Page 266 / 292
Support Documents
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
compliance of a product with reference documents.

Synonyms: source inspection; vendor inspection; field inspection; inspection at works,
purchaser inspection
Spot check: check at random
Test
Physical activity (destructive or non-destructive) carried out in accordance with a defined
procedure which provides an objective assessment of a characteristic of a material, a
component or system
Testing
Performance of a test or examination and production of a record of results and evaluation of
the results compared to the requirements
Testing laboratory: a body which performs testing (including sampling) by using either the
standard test methods developed by the national, foreign or international standardization
organisation (such as EN, ASTM, ISO, etc.) or the non- standard test methods published in
technical journals or contained in research and development articles of the technical institutes
or the in-house test methods developed by the laboratory itself. Testing may form a part of
inspection or product certification.
Tasks and characteristics of a testing laboratory:
- Testing of products as received
- Not necessarily operated by a third party; testing can be carried out by the first party (inhouse laboratory of the manufacturer) or the second party,
- Reporting the test results as received,
- Only test report is issued; no certificate or licence is issued,
- Name or mark of the testing laboratory is shown on the test report.
Type testing: in mass production, conformity testing on the basis of one or more specimens
of a product representative of the production.
The materials and products, the manufacturing processes, construction and assembly must
conform to the specifications in the type design.
Types of Inspections
1) Inspections applicable to all types of products and services
- VENDORs ASSESSMENTS
Vendor survey and quality audit services for the assessment of mills, laboratories, works and
sites jobs.
BV facilitates customers by carrying out assessment of vendors manufacturing / technical /
quality system capabilities to meet their specific product / service requirements.
Page 267 / 292
Support Documents
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
- Monitoring of Vendor Quality Control

Witness Selected Processes, Operations, Inspections and tests
Verify accuracy, completeness of documentation and records
Issue reports, certificates, non-compliance and/or release notes
The level of surveillance is established as soon as possible, prior to manufacture and
depending on regulation and/or customer requirements, technical complexity, criticality of
equipment and the adequacy of the vendors quality system may involve either continuous or
periodic attendance.
The inspection results are fully documented to provide optimum material traceability.
- PRE-CONTRACT AND PRE-FABRICATION MEETINGS
Attendance to pre-contract and pre-fabrication meetings, where the specification, the
contractors quality control and the role of BV as the independent inspection authority can be
discussed by all interested parties.
- EXPEDITING
Following up with vendors for submission of drawings, delivery schedules, quality plans and
placement of sub-orders. Periodical reviews of progress and highlighting of constraints
/critical areas for timely alternate actions by customers.
2) Inspections applicable to materials and components
- INSPECTION AT MILLS
Surveillance inspection at steel mills to carry out visual examination, dimensional checks,
witness mechanical tests and verify certificates of test.
- INSPECTION AT LABORATORIES
Witnessing of tests including test specimen preparation, testing conditions, adequacy and
calibration of the test equipment, testing and quality procedure, qualification of the personnel.
3) Inspections applicable to pressure equipment, mechanical and electrical equipment

(at contractors work)
Materials Verification
Verification of identification marks to the details shown on the certificates of test.
Materials Traceability
Surveillance inspection of contractors systems for traceability of materials during fabrication.
Procedures and Specifications
Surveillance inspection to confirm that contractors welding procedure specifications apply to
Page 268 / 292
Support Documents
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
the types of connections involved in the project.

Welding Procedure Approval Records
Review of contractors welding procedure approval records and test results documents to
ensure compliance with relevant codes and specifications.
Welder Approval Records
Surveillance inspection to confirm that suitably qualified welders are employed by the
contractor.
Fabrication Inspection
Surveillance inspection of steelwork to ensure that the correct materials are used and
dimensions are in accordance with the drawing details and specification tolerances. This also
includes the manufacture, machining and welding of castings.
Visual Inspection
Surveillance inspection of materials for finish and size, fit-up conditions prior to welding, and
quality of completed welding.
Destructive and Non-destructive Testing
Surveillance inspection to witness destructive and NDT and verify that approved procedures
and techniques are used by the contractor. Verification of contractors radiographs and NDT
reports.
Trial Erections
Witnessing trial erections on behalf of the Engineer or Client. Verification of major
dimensional checks carried out by the contractor.
Quality Control Documentation
Review of contractors QC documentation packages to confirm acceptance prior to the
despatch of items to the project site.
Protective Treatment
Witnessing blasting and painting trials. Surveillance of contractors quality control during
application of the protective treatment system, including checks of specific gravities,
environmental conditions, surface preparation, overcoating times, wet and dry film
thicknesses, adhesion and aesthetic quality of finish.
Performance tests
Witnessing of performance tests including checking of testing procedures and equipment
4) Monitoring Inspections (on site)
BV inspectors are deputed to customers premises / field / project site for inspection of
Page 269 / 292
Support Documents
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
fabrication, erection, installations, mounting, field testing activities such as cross country
pipelines for oil/gas, power plants, cement plants etc.
Welding inspection
Witness and verify fit-up conditions, pre-heat, welding parameters. Welding in progress and
completed welding.
Surveillance inspection to ensure approved welding procedures and welders are used.
Non-destructive Testing inspection
Witness NDT carried out by the contractor. Verify that approved procedures and techniques
are used and that operators are suitably qualified.
Verification of contractors equipment calibration records.
Review of contractors radiographs and NDT reports.
Erection inspection
Checking of site conditions and preparation, handling and securing of the equipment, mouting
procedures, adequacy and capacity of erection equipment
Witness and verify contractors fitting and tightening techniques for high strength friction grip
bolted connections
Visual inspection, dimensional check
Protective Treatment inspection
Surveillance inspection of painting contractor, including checks of specific gravities,
environmental conditions, surface preparation, overcoating times, wet and dry film thickness
checks, adhesion, and aesthetic quality of finish.
Heat Treatment inspection
Surveillance inspection of heat treatment process
Pipeline construction inspection
Surveillance of pipeline contractor, including checks of pipe preparation, trenching, trench
bottom preparation, pipe laying, joint coating, backfilling.
Performance tests inspection
Witnessing of performance tests before and after start-up including checking of testing
procedures and equipment
Validation of inspection documents
Signing or marking in an appropriate way by the person(s) responsible for the validation of
documents.
Because many certificates are nowadays computer-issued, they may not be signed. I this case
a remark about that is made on the certificate: The certificate is produced with EDP and
valid without signature. (EDP = Electronic Data Processing). However, the certificate should
Page 270 / 292
Support Documents
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
state who is responsible for QA and for certificates.

Verification: confirmation by examination and through the provision of objective evidence
that specified requirements have been fulfilled.
The term verified is used to designate the corresponding status.
Verify (verb): to confirm the truth of
Witness (verb)
Inspection of an activity performed by the manufacturer such as testing, measuring, painting,
etc with physical attendance by the inspector.
Page 271 / 292
Support Documents
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Search this Index with the search engine (Ctrl + F)
0 Introduction
17020.pdf : large extract of the ISO 17020 : March 2005 standard itself
17020 APLAC Additional Guidance.pdf: additional guidance from APLAC
17020 APLAC Management Review.pdf,

17020 APLAC Internal Audits.pdf,
17020 APLAC Assessor Training.pdf,
17020 APLAC Testing.pdf,
17020 APLAC Uncertainty.pdf
A series of papers from APLAC detailing the guidelines for various aspects of ISO/CEI
17020
17020 checklist: a BV checklist to assist countries/units to prepare for ISO 17020

certification
17020 Audit report.doc: a typical audit report form used by the accreditation body
17020 IAF_ILAC Guide A4.pdf: the guide
17020 Workshop.ppt : A presentation about accreditation
Certif2000 Content.doc (233 KB 4 pages) : the summary of the information that

can be found on the BV Portal showing which topics are the most interesting for shop
inspection
Code of Ethics BV.pdf (462.4 KB 19 pages)
Page 272 / 292
Support Documents
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
The original BV Code of Ethics dated 2008. A must read at least only once.
Check for update when used for other purpose than information
Convert.exe (572.5 KB 1 page)
A conversion utility for all units commonly used in the industry
General Conditions of Service.pdf (49.0 KB 2 pages )
One version of the General Conditions of Service of Bureau Veritas.
Check for update when used for other purpose than information
Glossary Basic Terminology.pdf (143.5 KB 35 pages)
Lots of terms used in the industry; if you did not find a term in the other specialized
glossaries, check it here
Glossary Trade.pdf (69.2 KB 6 pages )
Helpful for the understanding of trade terminology such as FOB, CIF, bill of lading, letter of
credit,
Introduction to BV Portal & Webdoc.doc (3 pages) A brief overview of the

content of these databases, available on Internet (with a BV password)
ITP for Choke Valve.pdf : An ITP representative of mass produced equipment
ITP for Ducts & Structure.pdf : for ducting and structural works
ITP for Fibre Optic Cable.pdf : an ITP for high-tech optical cables
ITP for Gas turbine.pdf : covers the various components of a gas turbine
assembly
ITP for Gearbox.pdf : several ITPs assembled together

ITP for Heat exchanger.pdf: a very good ITP showing the drawing of the
equipment and inclusive of third parties inspection (ASME and PED)
ITP for Heater burner pipework.pdf : unusual work on burner pipeworks
Page 273 / 292
Support Documents
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
ITP for LPG cylinders.pdf : an ITP for this critical type of equipment for which
pressure vessel technology and mass production problems occur
ITP for Pinion machining.pdf : focus on machining process
ITP for Pipeline PE Coating.pdf: interesting for the extensive presentation of the
ITP, combining the coating specification and the Inspection and Test Plan itself
ITP for Refractory Installation.pdf: unusual ITP on the way to inspect refractory
installation
ITP sample Form.xls: a sample that can be proposed when no form is available
ITP Typical Phases.xls: A list of inspections phases for the most common families
of products of the industry(structural, mechnical, electrical, instrumentation, etc.)
ITP Typical.xls : A compilation of 117 ITPs for various equipment currently

inspected by shop inspectors
External Links
ASME
Data report forms proposed by ASME for boilers and pressure vessels
Eng-Tips Forums
A forum where many of your questions have been already answered
Globalspec
GlobalSpec is designed to meet the demands of engineers and technical professionals. We
have crawled, filtered and indexed the World Wide Web to focus your search on
engineering-related information filtering out what you dont want and delivering only the
relevant results you do.
PSIgate
PSIgate is a free service that offers access to high quality Web resources in the physical
sciences; there are currently more than 13.000 resources in astronomy, chemistry, earth
sciences, materials sciences, physics, and science history and policy
Techstreet
The easiest and most convenient source to search, order, and download industry standards
Page 274 / 292
Support Documents
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
The Engineering Toolbox

Resources, Tools and Basic Information for Engineering and Design of Technical
Applications
TutorGig
Tutorials about just everything
Webster Online Dictionary
A very efficient dictionary even for technical words. Includes translations in many languages.
1 Materials and Components
Accuracy & uncertainty.pdf (76KB 6 pages)

Clarifies your ideas on accuracy, precision, uncertainty, average deviation
Annex to Material Certificates.pdf (408 Ko - 6 pages)
Annex to the Guidelines for Material Certification
BS EN 10204.pdf (336 Ko 14 pages)
Large extract of the standard for Metallic Products Types of Inspection Certificates Ed.
2004
Cast Irons.pdf (613.7 KB 8 pages)
A description of the different types of cast irons
Ductile Iron.pdf (9.01 MB 159 pages )
Advanced paper about ductile iron; the chapter about Inspection is specially interesting
Glossary Casting.pdf (898.4 KB 118 pages)
Large glossary of terms used in casting and related steel industry
Glossary Forging.pdf (471.5 KB 18 pages)
Vocabulary used in forging and related steel industry
Glossary Measurement.pdf (58.9 KB 6 pages)
All terminology relating to metrology and the quality of measurements
Glossary Metallurgy.pdf (236.1 KB 5 pages)
Vocabulary used in the testing laboratories and heat treatment
Page 275 / 292
Support Documents
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Glossary of Commercial forms of Aluminium.pdf (61.8 KB 6 pages )

A glossary of the commercial forms of aluminium which is also usable for any other metal;
includes terms like ingot, billet, rod, bar,
Glossary Plastics.pdf (116.6 KB 14 pages)
Useful when inspecting plastic materials
Glossary Steel.pdf (762.3 KB 49 pages)
All the vocabulary used in the steel making industry and often encountered during material
inspections
Hardness Conversion Tables.pdf ( 218 KB 2 pages)
Conversion between Brinell, Rockwell, Vickers, Tensile Strength
Key to Metals PowerDemo.exe (3.89 MB )
A demo version of a software giving data for non ferrous metals
Key to Steel Cross Reference Table Demo.exe (14.38 MB)
A demo version of a software giving correspondences between various standards
Key to Steel PowerDemo.exe (14.19 MB)
A demo version of a software giving data for ferrous metals
Laboratory Techniques.pdf ( 131 KB 20 pages)
Most of the techniques used in metallurgy laboratories : chemical analysis, mechanical testing,
corrosion and weathering, metallography and some NDT.
Manufacturing Processes.doc (2.28 MB 58 pages )
All processes: casting, cutting, bending, forming, welding, etc
Measurement Good Practice.pdf (431 KB 41 pages)

A beginners guide to uncertainty of measurement.
Non Ferrous Metals.pdf (301.7 KB 22 pages)
An introduction to the most common non ferrous metals used in the industry
Stainless steel Grades Outokumpu.pdf (758.2 KB 12 pages)
Large technical paper from one of the biggest stainless steel manufacturer in the world
(Outokumpu owns now AVESTA). List of EN and ASTM standards and stainless steel
properties
Stainless Steels.pdf (717.1 KB 43 pages)
Basic knowledge of the most common stainless steels; from the effect of chromium to
fabrication methods, classification and properties
Standards organisations.pdf (103.2 KB 2 pages)
Page 276 / 292
Support Documents
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Two pages of an extensive list of Standard Organisations with links to their sites
Standards.pdf (62.6 KB 3 pages )
Some basic knowledge about standards; what it is, are they compulsory, who issues them,
where to find them. Some links to the most important sites for purchasing standards
Steel Castings US standards.pdf (551.1 KB 58 pages)
A supplement to the Steel Casting Handbook from the Steel Founders Society of America
giving a listing of standard specification for steel castings (advanced)
TROUVAY CAUVIN
The complete catalogue (57 Mo 450 pages) of a piping equipment supplier; contains data for
pipes, fittings, flanges, forgings, valves, standards, conversion tables
Typical Standards API 5L.pdf (20.1 KB 1 page )
The Table of Content only, just to get an idea of what is inside
Typical Standards ASTM A53.pdf (13.8 KB 1 page )
UNS Ferrous Metals and Alloys.pdf (61.5 KB 4 pages )
Description of this classification system widely used, mainly outside Europe
UNS Nonferrous Metals and Alloys.pdf (85.4 KB 4 pages )
Description of this classification system widely used, mainly outside Europe
External Links
American Plastics Council
The basics about plastics
AzoM
The Premier On-Line Materials Information Site, Supplier and Expert Directory
Metals, ceramics, polymers, composites
Construction Weblinks
Specifications and technical data for iron, steel, metals, wood, plastics
Corrosion Doctors
The main mission of this popular Web site is to improve the general awareness of corrosion
causes and solutions.
DOW Chemicals
Tutorials about extrusion, injection moulding, thermoforming of polystyrene resins
GLASS on Web
This section contains a brief description of commonly used glass, technical and non-technical,
Page 277 / 292
Support Documents
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
terms.
INDUSTRIAL GALVANIZERS CORPORATION
This section contains technical information about hot dip galvanized coatings and solutions to
common problems as well as a selection of case histories
Key to Steel
Articles and steel database
MatWeb
The heart of MatWeb is a searchable database of material data sheets, including property
information on thermoplastic and thermoset polymers such as ABS, nylon, polycarbonate,
polyester, polyethylene and polypropylene; metals such as aluminum, cobalt, copper, lead,
magnesium, nickel, steel, superalloys, titanium and zinc alloys; ceramics; plus
semiconductors, fibers, and other engineering materials.
Measurement and Uncertainty
Tutorials, drills and quiz. Try your skills on the quiz on Measurements/Significant figures.
Polymer Processing
Information, education, resources and expertise in the field of polymer processing.
Steel Stuff
The site of the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC); oriented towards structural
steel
UMS ABS Ltd
Information about ABS resins
VOCATIONAL INFORMATION CENTER
Machining Metals and Metalworking Resources
WOODWEB
This knowledge base functions as an online wood industry library. It contains an extensive
collection of articles from wood-industry magazines and experts.
2 Materials & Pressure Equipment

AISC Code of standard practice.pdf (592 Ko 80 pages)
The American Code of Standard Pratice for Steel Buildings and Bridges
API RP 572 (2nd 2001 80p)-Pressure vessels inspection.pdf (9.3 Mo 80 pages) :
Inspection of pressure vessels (drums, reactors, heat exchangers, and condensers)
Page 278 / 292
Support Documents
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Connections.pdf (612 Ko 34 pages)

An introduction to the design of steel structures connections
Controlling Fired Heaters.pdf (500.7 KB 27 pages)
Advanced technical paper about the control of a fired heater in view of its function, operation,
control and protection; not its inspection but useful for it.
Controlling Steam Heaters.pdf (383.7 KB 12 pages)
Advanced technical paper about the control of an exchanger in view of its function, operation,
Controlling Tube and Shell Exchangers.pdf (326.7 KB 14 pages)
Advanced technical paper about the control of an exchanger in view of its function, operation,
Controlling Vessels and Tanks.pdf (791.6 KB 22 pages)
Advanced technical paper about the control of a vessels in view of its function, operation,
Design Codes.pdf (30.3 KB 1 page)
One page with a list of the most common design / construction codes used in Europe and in the
US. These are the codes only, not the standards.
Eddy Current.pdf (5.7 MB 19 pages)
Detailed description of this NDT technique
Expansion Joints.pdf (52.8 KB - 3 pages )
Description of the fabric type of expansion joints by the European Sealing Association (ESA)
Flange Gaskets.pdf (50.6 KB 3 pages)
Factors affecting the performance of one type of gasket; shows the importance of inspection of
the flanges
Glossary Oil & Gas.pdf (302.2 KB 24 pages)
Vocabulary in use in this vast industry ranging from exploration to distribution, across drilling,
pipelines, refining.
Glossary.pdf (704 Ko 54 pages)
A glossary of terms for structural and bolts
Heaters.pdf (339.6 KB 18 pages)
A comprehensive list of all industrial equipment for heating; for each type is a short description
and the common uses.
NDT Techniques.pdf (386 KB 14 pages)
A summary of most of the NDT techniques in use in the industry
Steam Traps.pdf (74.8 KB 5 pages )
A technical paper focused on this little equipment mandatory on steam piping; maintenance
Page 279 / 292
Support Documents
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
oriented
Typical Standards piping EN13480.pdf (16.1 KB 2 pages )
Valves and Actuators.pdf (315.3 KB 6 pages)
Description of all the valve and actuators types in use in the industry with pictures of them
Valves Fundamentals.pdf (52 pages) A course about all you may want to know about valves
Weld Defects.pdf (5 pages) Causes of weld defects and How to Correct Them
Welding Inspection.pdf (110.1 KB 15 pages)
All about inspection of welding; the section about visual inspection of welds is particularly
interesting for inspectors
External Links
Gowelding
Excellent site dedicated to welding, welding qualification, EN standards for welding, PED,
pressure vessel design, PWHT; contains lots of interesting links
Lincoln
Knowledge articles about welding from this famous company
NDT Encyclopedia
All you need to know about non destructive testing
Sclumberger Oilfield glossary
The Schlumberger Oilfield Glossary offers many special features:
Comprehensive: definitions for all major oilfield activities
Accessible: definitions for both the technical generalist and the expert
Accurate: definitions reviewed by technical experts
Illustrated: high-quality, full-color photographs and illustrations clarify many
definitions
Thorough: citations of significant technical papers for further reading
Versatile: streamlined navigation, enhanced search capability and key resource links
Interactive: on-line capabilities allow for continual expansion and updating based on reader
input.
Weld Procedures
Pre-qualified welding procedures and lots of articles about welding in general
Page 280 / 292
Support Documents
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
3 Machinery
Alignment Thermal Growth.pdf (187.8 KB 10 pages)
Advanced paper about thermal growth, the main reason behind misalignment of rotating
machinery.
Alignment Vibralign.pdf (511.6 KB 25 pages)
A technical paper by a company providing alignment services; it covers some fundamentals of
precision alignment, as well as the methodology for calculating thermal growth and field
measurements.
Alignment vibration spectra.pdf (283.5 KB 9 pages)
Advanced discussion about interpreting vibration spectra of rotating machinery
Alignment.pdf (223.3 KB 6 pages)
Tips for machinery alignment focused on some typical problems such as soft foot , piping
strain, frame distortion or bearing and shaft problems
ASME Performance Test Codes.pdf (60.8 KB 2 pages )
List of the ASME Performance Test Codes, covering each a different type of machinery. The
codes are not included.
Belts.pdf (132.3 KB 4 pages)
Tips for the maintenance of belts; useful when inspecting machinery with belts
Blowers.pdf (75.7 KB 2 pages )
Tips for the maintenance of industrial blowers; useful for the inspection and testing when new.
Cavitation.pdf (138.1 KB 7 pages)
Advanced technical paper about the cavitation phenomena on pumps
Machinery Directive 2006_42.pdf(1410 KB 63 pages)

Original text of the latest European Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC and all its annexes
Guide for Machinery Directive.pdf (902 KB- 270 pages) Official guide from the
EU. Applies to the 98/37/EC directive but essentially valid also for the 2006/42.
Check for update when used for other purpose than information See Certif2000 on
the BV Portal or the EU official site for uptodate documents
Centrifugal pumps Basic Concepts.pdf (1.57 MB 26 pages)
Basic but very complete concepts for centrifugal pumps for a better understanding of these
machines; oriented toward operation, maintenance and troubleshooting
Page 281 / 292
Support Documents
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Code of Practice for Cranes.pdf (101 pages) The crane code edited by the New
Zealand Department of Labor. A guide for the design, manufacturer, suply, safe operation,
maintenance and inspection of cranes
Compressed Air.pdf (322.5 KB 3 pages)
A paper about how to keep compressed air dry; describes the three major groups of dryers:
refrigerant, deliquescent desiccant and regenerative desiccant
Controlling Centrifugal Pumps.pdf (331.8 KB 14 pages)
Advanced technical paper about the control of a centrifugal pump in view of its function,
operation, control and protection; not its inspection but useful for it.
Controlling Positive Displacement Pumps.pdf (285.8 KB 12 pages)
Advanced technical paper about the control of a displacement pump in view of its function,
operation, control and protection; not its inspection but useful for it.
Conveyors.pdf (100.0 KB 11 pages)
A list of the various types of conveyors (15 of them) one can find in the industry; for each one
there is a short description of the technology in use and the usage of the type. At the end of the
document, a story about conveyors concerns in a South African power station.
Cooling Tower Fans.pdf (55.8 KB 3 pages)
Short technical paper about the problematic of cooling tower fans
Diaphragm compressor.pdf (3.50 MB 19 pages )
Absolutely all you may want to know about diaphragm compressors
EN Standards for Machinery Safety.pdf (4 pages): a list of standards applicable to
machinery safety
Gear Pumps.pdf (53.4 KB 3 pages )
Maintenance oriented, this paper describes also the gear pump technology, its uses and
installation.
Gearbox.pdf (1.29 MB 6 pages)
Advanced technical paper about diagnosing gearbox problems; useful to understand the
underlying problems of gears when inspecting them
Hydraulic systems.pdf (103.4 KB 3 pages)
A technical paper focused on two problems occurring with hydraulic systems: overheating and
rod straightness; gives some insight in the concerns of this field
NPSH.pdf (187.0 KB 7 pages)
An extensive explanation of the Net Positive Suction Head
Pneumatic power circuits.pdf (288.0 KB 3 pages)
Page 282 / 292
Support Documents
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Some problems found on pneumatic power circuits

Pump and Driver Alignment.pdf (92.9 KB 5 pages )
How to perform an aligment
Pump Reliability.pdf (58.5 KB 4 pages )
Paper about problems occurring on pumps; maintenance oriented
Reciprocating Compressors.pdf (135.6 KB 8 pages)
Paper about problems occurring on reciprocating compressors; maintenance oriented
Shaft Seals.pdf (327.7 KB 5 pages)
Short technical paper focusing on the problematic of shaft seals (ring joints and the like)
Shop testing of compressor.pdf (1.25 MB 42 pages )
The story of shop testing of a big centrifugal compressor; a hands-on relation of what is shop
testing
The Basics Of Balancing.pdf (130.3 KB 10 pages)
With alignment, balancing is a classic in all rotating equipment; starts with the fundamental
terms and concepts up to balancers and maintenance.
Vibration in machine tools.pdf (329.4 KB 7 pages)
Vibration is a big issue in machine tools; this is a tentative for standardisation of vibration
levels (advanced)
What is vibration.pdf (132.6 KB 11 pages)
The beginning is easy
External Links
Compressed Air Glossary
Brought to you by Impact RM
Flowserve
Everything about pumps
MachineDesign
Article archives about all fields of engineering
Threaded Fasteners
Educational article about bolts
Page 283 / 292
Support Documents
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
4 - Electrical
Automatic Controllers.pdf (806.4 KB 16 pages)

Advanced discussion about setting automatic controller ; includes a description of the principle
control effects found in controllers and provides an insight in this technology
Batteries.pdf (335.5 KB 23 pages )
General information about batteries from a US manufacturer. Includes information about
batteries technologies and concepts of capacity, discharge, charging.
Extensive list of links to battery related sites
Control Valve.pdf (2.28 MB 6 pages )
Advanced paper from FISHER about the dynamic performance of control valves
Electrical Equipment.pdf (498.5 KB 24 pages)
An extensive list of all types of electrical stationary electrical equipment; batteries, charges,
UPS, relays, switches, )
Electrical Troubleshooting.pdf (271.5 KB 12 pages)
Advanced paper about electrical troubleshooting, the chapters about identification of the
sources of the problem may be useful for inspectors performing a lot of performance testing on
machinery and electrical equipment
Glossary Electricity.pdf (131.0 KB 11 pages)
Vocabulary used in the electrical industry
How do Motors Work.pdf (4.87 MB 41 pages )
This large document discusses the phenomena of magnetism, AC current and basic motor
operation for both AC and DC motors.
Lesson Generators and Motors.pdf (376.3 KB 8 pages)
Back to school to check how they consider these machines over there; better read AC and DC
lessons first. Much easier than the other more academic Lessons
Lessons electricity AC.pdf (3.15 MB 452 pages)
Now that you know every thing about DC, lets face AC.
More than 3 Megs of knowledge and only some pictures.
Lessons electricity DC.pdf (4.22 MB 538 pages )
The Volume I of these series of lessons obviously starts with U=R.I; its just a little bit later
thats getting hard
Lessons electricity Digital.pdf (2.82 MB 424 pages )
Lessons about binary logic, boolean algebra, switches, relays, and more
Page 284 / 292
Support Documents
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Lessons electricity Experiments.pdf (3.58 MB 374 pages )

If you want to set up your home laboratory to check the formulaes
Lessons electricity References.pdf (614.3 KB 157 pages)
All the references used in electricity: equations, conversion factors, color codes, symbols,
etc
Lessons electricity SemiConductors.pdf (1.84 MB 367 pages )
Amplifiers, transistors, diodes and the rest
Limit Switches.pdf (229.7 KB - 9 pages)
An advanced paper about connecting and interpreting limit switches
Page 285 / 292
Support Documents
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
5 Expediting
Expediting PARSONS 1.pdf : sample of report and findings
Expediting Report BV.doc : a report template that can be adjusted to your needs
External Links
Wideman Comparative Glossary of Project Management Terms
NetMBA: Process flow structures, process analysis, GANT and PERT charts, critical Path
Method
GetAhead: PERT and GANT charts Tutorial
6 - Vendors Assessment
The BHEL India Supplier Registration Form (28 pages)
Hard to be more complete; filling in such form is a full time job for a manager and succeeding
to finish it is already an achievement which deserves high consideration. In fact completed
answers already give marks to the vendor.
Part A is to be filled in by the vendor for self assessment and contains general information
about the vendor.
Part B is a self assessment of the quality system and browse through all the ISO 9000
sections.
Part C questions the technical competence of the vendor for the product
Part D is the score sheet and is also to be filled in by the vendor in a self assessment process.
Each factor is given a certain number of marks.
Form Technical Specification: defines what BHEL is willing to purchase
Attitude of Chief Executive of Supplier: interesting approach whereby the emphasis is
given to the human contact/perception of the evaluation team when meeting the CE.
The ESSROC Form (4 pages)
Also suitable for self assessment of the vendor.
Vendor Assessment Form from ELPRO ( 2 pages)
Similar to the Essroc form
Page 286 / 292
Support Documents
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Vendor Assessment by Referee (3 pages)

Interesting document from the purchasing department of the University of Nottingham used to
collect the comments of customers of the vendor.
Efficient and Effective Vendor Management Best Practices (5 pages)
Vendor assessment in the broader perspective of vendor management. Some good ideas to
build a rating system.
Vendor Assessment Checklist (4 pages)
Basically designed for software but can be helpful for any type of product and services.
Pre-qualification and Continuous Vendor Assessment (11 pages)
The document defines the basic criteria by which applicants are assessed for inclusion in a
tender list.
The METAspectrum Methodology (19 pages)
As the sub-title mentions, it is a balanced approach for rating IT vendors. The method can be
source of inspiration for building an evaluation process.
A Pilot Project in Automated Services Procurement (5 pages)
Describes a methodology to assist in the solicitation, evaluation and selection of vendor
proposals. Some charts showing how the results are analysed.
Introduces the web-based survey process www.SurveyMonkey.com.
7 - Painting and Coating

Coating Inspection Report.doc (2 pages): a template that can be used to elaborate your own
coating inspection reports
Coating Inspection.pdf (11 pages): an extract of the excellent Engineers Manual from the US
Army. Full text can be found here.
Coating Standards.pdf (5 pages): a summary of the most common standards used in this
industry
Coatings for Offshore Maintenance.pdf (9 pages): Coating systems in the context of
maintenance
Hempel Book Deco.pdf (97 pages): data sheets for paints for various substrate (concrete,
wood, )
Hempel book marine.pdf (336 pages): hundreds of specifications for marine paints
Hempel Inspection Guide.pdf (21 pages) Inspection methods and equipment
NACE STD RP0274-Inspection of Piping Coating.pdf (6 pages) Standard recommended
Page 287 / 292
Support Documents
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
practice for high voltage electrical inspection of pipeline coatings

Offshore Coatings.pdf (8 pages): A paper covering the evolution of offshore coating systems
over the past 25 years
Paint & Coating Glossary.pdf (46 pages) most of the terms used in relation with painting and
coating technologies
Paint Defects.pdf (46 pages): a glossary of paint defects terms with description and photo of
the defect, probable causes, prevention and repair.
Painting Inspection Course.pdf (43 pages): Complete course starting from the corrosion
theory to the inspection techniques
Performance Testing of Anticorrosive Coatings.pdf (9 pages): A paper about the prediction
techniques for the anti-corrosive and crack resistance behaviour of new coating systems.
Polysiloxane Coatings.pdf (8 pages): Advanced paper on the chemistry of organic paints
Testing of Offshore Systems.pdf (11 pages): Paper on the difficulty to simulate the real life
performance of coatings
Thermal Spray Inspection.pdf (9 pages): inspection techniques focused o the specific system
of thermal spray
Typical Specification Coaltar Epoxy.pdf (5 pages): External application procedures for coal
tar epoxy protective coatings to steel pipe.
Typical Specification for Zinc Rich Coating.pdf (20 pages): Guide specification for coating
systems with inorganic zinc-rich primers
Typical Specification Hot Coaltar.pdf (6 pages): External application procedures for hot
applied coal tar coatings to steel pipe
Zinc Silicate Primers.pdf (9 pages): A explanation on how the zinc rich primers work
Zinc Silicate vs Zinc Epoxy.pdf (10 pages): A study about these two high performance
primers widely used in the industry
External Links
Carboline: paint and coating data sheets for all types of products
Coating Inspection Instrumentation: all you need for inspecting coatings and more about anticorrosion systems
Corrosion Doctor: probably the best site on the Web about corrosion
Page 288 / 292
Support Documents
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Corrosion Lectures Online lectures about corrosion issues

Corrosion resistance of non ferrous metals Specific to aluminium bronzes, copper and nickel
corrosion
Elcometer.com: the site of this famous inspection equipment manufacturer. Multilingual and
includes a glossary
Fitz-Coatings: glossary of 558 painting terms with photos
Galvanizing: the site from the Industrial Galvanizers Corporation. All you may want to know
about galvanizing
Powder Coating Center: more about powder coatings
Powder coatings: all about thermoplastic and thermoset coatings
SSPC Online: the site of the Society for Protective Coatings
Surface Treating : Basic information about surface treating of steel, concrete and wood
The Hendrix Group : Corrosion and Materials Reference Library with special corrosion topics
( Refining Corrosion, Pressure Vessel Corrosion and Cracking, Caustic Corrosion, Crevice
Corrosion in Seawater)
8 - Heat Treatment
- European Standards for Metallic Materials (16 pages) is a list of standards relating
to metallic materials, their mechanical and non-destructive testing and chemical analysis
-
Glossary for Heat Treatment (19 pages) well, it is a glossary for heat treatment
- Grain Growth A GIF animation showing the grain growth phenomena which is
considered to be a defect in heat treatment.
-
Hardness Testing (6 pages)A reminder of who are MM. Rockwell and Brinell.
- Heat Treatment in Casting (2 pages) explains how to specify casting materials and
their associated heat treatments.
- Inspection data sheet for Heat Treatment A Bureau Veritas template that can be
used as a template
-
Principles of Heat Treatment (17 pages) An introduction to HT
SECO Vacuum Carburizing (6 pages) describes some high-tech heat treatment
Page 289 / 292
Support Documents
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
equipment.
- Steel Castings Hardenability (31 pages) is an appendix to the Steel Castings
Handbook from the Steel Founders Society of America
- Temper Designations of Aluminium Alloys (3 pages): a table with the meaning of
the standard designations of aluminium states (F, H111, O, etc)
-
The 4 groups of Steel (3 pages) Introduction to steels
The Heat Treater Manual (22 pages) All about HT technology
- The Heat Treatment Industry (6 pages) is for those who still believe that quenching
is just throwing a piece of hot metal in bucket of water
- The Metallurgy of Heat Treatment (100 pages) is an advanced paper detailing what
happens really inside the metal structure.
External Links
-
EFUNDA Engineering Fundamentals : knowledge base for engineering
- Farmingdale University: easy to read articles about metallurgy, materials properties

and heat treatment
-
Marine Engineering: an other knowledge base for all sorts of industry related topics
Principal Metals: information about all metals
University of Cambridge: tutorial for crystallography
SteelForge: industrial steel products
9 - Pipeline
-
Buried pipe.pdf (83 pages) : A guide from the American Lifelines Alliance. Its
purpose is to develop design provisions to evaluate the integrity of buried pipe for a
range of applied loads.
Glossary of pipeline Terms.pdf (11 pages)
Horizontal Directional Drilling.pdf (84 pages): a paper about the various aspects of
HDD in Pipeline Construction
Page 290 / 292
Support Documents
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Hydrotest Water.pdf (142 pages): Hydrostatic test water management guidelines by

the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers.
Hydrotest.pdf ( 14 pages): a presentation on how hydrotesting is used to assess the

integrity of a pipeline
Integrity Matrix.pdf (6 pages): the classic pipeline inspection checkpoints in a matrix
Orbital Welding of Pipe.pdf ( 6 pages) : a paper about the automatic welding

technology widely used in pipeline construction.
Pipeline Equipment.pdf (2 pages): description of some equipment specific to the

pipeline industry (insulating joints, buckle arrestor, casing, )
Pipeline Inspection Manual.pdf (74 pages): guidelines from the State of Alberta for the
training of their pipeline inspectors. Same topic as this section but better English.
Principles of Cathodic Protection.pdf ( 3 pages) : an easy introduction to cathodic

protection of pipelines
the Trouvay Cauvin catalogue of pipeline materials
UT Testing of Pipeline Girth Welds.pdf (4 pages): a paper comparing conventional

radiography and mechanized US testing for the NDT of pipeline welds.
External Links
-
Acceptance criteria for pipeline girth weld defects: a paper about pipeline NDE and
namely mechanized UT.
SOMICO, a famous pipeline equipment supplier
CAT Pipeline Equipment, an other famous supplier, with prices of equipment for sale
or hiring (if after reading these pages you want to venture into pipeline business)
10 Statistics for Sampling

Basic Statistics Presentation.ppt (165 pages) A PowerPoint presentation of statistics applied
to inspection
- MIL-HDBK-1916.pdf (127 pages) The purpose of this handbook is to: a. Provide guidance
on using MIl-STD-1916 to improve industrial practices through statistical process control and
other continuous improvement techniques. b. Furnish an understanding of how the sampling
Page 291 / 292
Support Documents
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
inspection plans work and how they can be replaced by alternate acceptance methods.
- MIL-STD-1916.pdf (33 pages): The standard that replaces the MIL-STD-105. Although this
replacement focuses more on prevention than AQL, the tables, levels, switching systems,
etc are still there.
- Quality Control.pdf (27 pages): An introduction to the tools used in quality control :
variable and attribute measurement, charts (cause-and-effect, Pareto, trend, histogram, scatter
diagram, ), the six sigma concept and a quizz.
- Sampling Guide.pdf (20 pages): a practical guide on how to conduct statistical sampling
- SPC.pdf ( 82 pages): more than a course on Statistical Process Control, these lessons teach
the basics of statistics which are common to SPC and sampling inspection. Easy to read.
- Standards for Sampling Plans.pdf (25 pages): This is the part 43 of the American 7 CFR
used by the Agricultural Marketing Service. It explains clearly the problematic of selecting
AQLs and sampling plans.
- Statsamp.xls : an EXCEL worksheet for the various calculations you may need when
dealing with sampling by attributes or by variables ( sample size, sampling error, standard
deviation and a random number generator).
External Links
-
American Society for Quality (ASQ): contains a complete glossary of quality and
statistic terms
Stat distributions: an article explaining the various types of distributions
ISI- International Statistical Institute Glossary of statistical terms in all languages
Page 292 / 292

Shope Inspection Guidelines - 2009

Caricato da

Informazioni sul documento

Titolo originale

Copyright

Formati disponibili

Condividi questo documento

Condividi o incorpora il documento

Opzioni di condivisione

Hai trovato utile questo documento?

Questo contenuto è inappropriato?

Copyright:

Formati disponibili

Shope Inspection Guidelines - 2009

Caricato da

Copyright:

Formati disponibili

Guidelines for Shop Inspection V. 2009 - Copyright Dec.

2008 Bureau Veritas

Guidelines for Shop Inspection

additional support pages on:

updating of the external links

Guidelines for Shop Inspection V. 2009 - Copyright Dec.2008 Bureau Veritas

Guidelines for Shop Inspection

CONDUCTING A SHOP INSPECTION

GOOD PRACTICES FOR INSPECTION

INTRODUCTION TO ISO/CEI 17020

PART II : INSPECTION FIELDS

MATERIALS & PRESSURE EQUIPMENT

PART III : EXTENSIONS

EXPEDITING & VENDORS ASSESSMENT

PAINTING AND COATING

STATISTICS FOR SAMPLING

PART IV SUPPORT DOCUMENTS

GLOSSARY OF TERMS USED IN INSPECTION

INDEX OF SUPPORT PAGES & EXTERNAL LINKS

Guidelines for Shop Inspection V. 2009 - Copyright Dec.2008 Bureau Veritas

Guidelines for Shop Inspection

Guidelines for Shop Inspection V. 2009 - Copyright Dec.2008 Bureau Veritas

Guidelines for Shop Inspection

In Acrobat Reader, it is best to open each new document in a

Guidelines for Shop Inspection V. 2009 - Copyright Dec.2008 Bureau Veritas

Guidelines for Shop Inspection

How to use the Guidelines

The Search Engines

All Acrobat Reader facilities can be used within this document:

Browse the CD for

Here is the map of the CD directory.

Guidelines for Shop Inspection V. 2009 - Copyright Dec.2008 Bureau Veritas

Guidelines for Shop Inspection

Inspections excluded from the guidelines

Welding procedure, welder and NDT personnel

Investigations and expertises

Design review and calculations

Non destructive and destructive tests

What you will not find in these Guidelines

Guidelines for Shop Inspection V. 2009 - Copyright Dec.2008 Bureau Veritas

Guidelines for Shop Inspection

CONDUCTING A SHOP INSPECTION

The actors and their role

Why a BV shop inspection ?

What if there is no scope of inspection ?

Before the inspection

Setting the Reference

Attending Laboratory Tests

Inspection during manufacturing

Attending hydrostatic and performance tests

Reviewing the Manufacturer File

Guidelines for Shop Inspection V. 2009 - Copyright Dec.2008 Bureau Veritas

Guidelines for Shop Inspection

The actors and their role

Guidelines for Shop Inspection V. 2009 - Copyright Dec.2008 Bureau Veritas

Guidelines for Shop Inspection

Guidelines for Shop Inspection V. 2009 - Copyright Dec.2008 Bureau Veritas

Guidelines for Shop Inspection

Why a BV shop inspection ?

What if there is no scope of inspection ?

Guidelines for Shop Inspection V. 2009 - Copyright Dec.2008 Bureau Veritas

Guidelines for Shop Inspection

Before the inspection