Testing, and Inspecting

CEN TC 54 (Unfired pressure vessels) WG E (Testing and inspection) Draft for the EN Standard"... 

Test and inspect cylinders and pressure regulators regularly in accordance with current legislation. 

Manufacturing Schedule Including Design, Procurement, Manufacturing Testing and Inspection, Prep. For Shipments Transportation... 

An inherently safer control system design will, where possible, include options for on-line reliability tests and inspections. Within digital devices, this is done using watch-dog timers to assure the signals are processed. 

The mean time to failure of various instrumentation and equipment parts would be known from the manufacturer s data or the employer s experience with the parts, which then influence inspection and testing frequency and associated procedures. Also, applicable codes and standards—such as the National Board Inspection Code, or those from the American Society for Testing and Materials, American Petroleum Institute, National Fire Protection Association, American National Standards Institute, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and other groups—provide information to help establish an effective testing and inspection frequency, as well as appropriate methodologies. 

Equipment used to process, store, or handle highly hazardous chemicals must be designed constructed, installed and maintained to minimize the risk of release. A systematic, scheduled, test and maintenance program is preferred over "breakdown" maintenance " that could compromise safety. Elements of a mechanical integrity program include 1) identification and categorization of equipment and instrumentation, 2) documentation of manufacturer data on mean time to failure, 3 ) test and inspection frequencies, 4) maintenance procedures, 5) training of maintenance personnel, 6) test criteria, and 7) documentation of test and inspection results. 

Val ve Failure Valve body crack Divert fluid from injection Periodic test and inspection... 

Control switches Limit switch failure Valve binding, in ability to move valve Test and inspection... 

The tests and inspections to be performed to verify that the product is serviceable... 

The quality of the product can be verified by you witnessing the final acceptance tests and inspections on the subcontractor s premises. (If you don t possess the necessary equipment or skill to carry out product verification, this method is an economic compromise and should yield as much confidence in the product as the previous methods. You do, however, need to recognize that your presence on the subcontractor s premises may affect the results. They may omit tests which are problematical or your presence may cause them to be particularly diligent, a stance which may not be maintained when you are not present.)... 

In continuous production, product is inspected by taking samples from the line which are then examined while the line continues producing product. In such cases you will need a means of holding product produced between sampling points until the results of the tests and inspections are available. You will also need a means of releasing product when the results indicate that the product is acceptable. So a Product Release Procedure or Held Product Procedure may be necessary. The standard implies, however, that if you have released product under positive recall procedures you do not need to hold product while in-process inspection and tests are performed. The reference to clause 4.10.3(a) is also ambiguous because the inspections and tests carried out in accordance with the quality plan or documented procedures may not cover those necessary to verify product on receipt into the plant. It would be wise to hold any product until you have... 

To accomplish this, you need to specify either in the quality plan or the documented procedures, the inspections and tests you intend to carry out to verify that the product meets specified requirements. In Part 2 Chapter 4 there is a description of a Design Verification Plan and this includes a specification of the tests and inspections to be performed on each production item as a means of ensuring that the qualified design standard is being maintained. This requires that you produce something like an Acceptance Test Plan which contains, as appropriate, some or all of the following ... 

This requirement can impose unnecessary constraints if you take it literally. Many activities in quality plans and procedures are performed to give early warning of nonconformities. This is in order to avoid the losses that can be incurred if failure occurs in later tests and inspections. The earlier you confirm conformance the less costly any rework will be. 

The tests and inspections carried out need to be to the same specifications and procedures as those used for the original production part approval and as amended by subsequent approved engineering changes. The results of the tests should be recorded in the same format as the original tests, unless otherwise required by the customer. 

The documents that define the calibration process themselves are derived documents and therefore will be governed by your control procedure. They do not need to be listed along with all your other control and operating procedures in the index of quality system documents. A separate index of calibration methods should be maintained. Calibration methods are like test and inspection procedures, they are product specific. 

Unlike the other requirements, which only referred to inspection, test, and measuring equipment, this clause adds test facilities. Facilities include the equipment and the area or room in which it is kept or used. Test facilities are any room, area, or complex in which tests are carried out. Inspection, measuring, and test facilities include functional and environmental test laboratories, test and inspection chambers, calibration rooms. 

Ensure your test and inspection procedures identify the measurements to be made and the accuracy required. 

Procedures for assurance of quality in the design, fabrication, installation, maintenance, testing and inspection for critical equipment are ) red. Safety requires that critical safety devices must operate as i led and process system components must be maintained to be able to contain design pressures. 

Do not assume that such things could not happen in your company (unless you have spent some time in the relief-valve workshop). All relief valves should be tested and inspected regularly. Reference 3 describes model equipment and procedures. When a large petroleum company introduced a test program, it was shocked by the results out of 187 valves sent for testing, 23 could not be tested because they were leaking or because the springs were broken, and 74 failed to open within 10% of the set pressure—that is, more than half of them could not operate as required [4]. 

Issues for consideration under this element include controls or procedures, utilities, raw materials, equipment, and operating environments. Required tests and inspections as well as critical operating parameters, from an ESH/PSM perspective, would be covered here. 

Prerentive Maintenance Program - to ensure tliat EHS equipment is routinely tested and inspected and only authorized modifications are performed... 

In planning the quality dimension, include specifications for the quality and types of materials to be used, the performance standards to be met, and the means of verifying quality such as testing and inspection. Two techniques facilitate planning for quality a work breakdown structure and project specifications. Both are described on the next few pages. 

Planning of product realisation - Plan and develop process for product manufacture based on risk analysis, and determine verification, validation, monitoring test and inspection requirements... 

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