1、Pipeline Personnel QualificationASME Code for Pressure Piping, B31AN AMERICAN NATIONAL STANDARDASME B31Q-2016(Revision of ASME B31Q-2014)ASME B31Q-2016Pipeline Personnel QualificationASME Code for Pressure Piping, B31AN AMERICAN NATIONAL STANDARD(Revision of ASME B31Q-2014)Two Park Avenue New Yo rk,
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12、The American Society of Mechanical EngineersTwo Park Avenue, New York, NY 10016-5990Copyright 2016 byTHE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERSAll rights reservedPrinted in U.S.A.iiiCONTENTSForeword ivCommittee Roster vi1 Introduction12 Definitions.13 References24 Qualification Program.25 Determin
13、ing Covered Tasks46 Abnormal Operating Conditions (AOCs).87 Training.88 Evaluation.99 Qualifications 1110 Portability. 1411 Program Effectiveness 1512 Communicating the Qualification Program and Managing Program Changes. 1613 Documentation Requirements 1714 Bibliography. 19Figure5.4-1 Fault Tree Exa
14、mple 6Nonmandatory AppendicesA Integrated Task List . 21B Summary of Integrated Task List 88C Task List Development Process . 101D Example of Evaluation Criteria . 102E Abnormal Operating Conditions (AOCs) 103F Evaluation Method Selection . 104G DIF Analysis for Subsequent Qualification Intervals .
15、107H Implementation of ASME B31Q 113I Program Implementation and Effectiveness Appraisals . 132ivFOREWORDUsing pipelines for the transmission and distribution of gas and hazardous liquids is one of the safest forms of transportation. However, investigations of pipeline accidents from 1975 through 19
16、86 revealed that human error was a contributing factor to some failures. The failures prompted the United States National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to make explicit recommendations for the training, testing, and qualification of pipeline employees in 1987. The qualification of pipeline pers
17、onnel is an important measure against failures caused by human error. The development of this Standard originated from the need for the pipeline industry to take a rational and technical approach to operator qualification (OQ) and from regulatory actions in the United States from 1987 through 2003.
18、In 1987, the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) issued a notice inviting public comment on the need for additional regulations or a certification program for the qualification of personnel who design, construct, operate, and maintain gas or hazardous liquid pipelines. Shortly thereafte
19、r, work began in the United States Congress to amend the Pipeline Safety Laws to include OQ requirements. The Pipeline Safety Act of 1992 included language requiring that personnel responsible for the operation and maintenance of pipelines be tested for qualifications and certified to operate and ma
20、intain those pipelines.In response to this congressional action, DOT published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in 1994 to establish specific training requirements for the qualification of pipeline workers. This training rule met with varying responses, including a petition for withdrawal of t
21、he NPRM from pipeline industry representatives. In the meantime, Congress amended the 1992 law with the Pipeline Safety Improvement Act of 1996 requiring simply that individuals who operate or maintain pipelines be qualified. In addition, this Act required that the qualifications address the ability
22、 to recognize and react appropriately to abnormal operating conditions (AOCs) that may indicate a potentially dangerous situation or a condition exceeding design limits. In 1996, DOT withdrew the 1994 proposed rulemaking and simultaneously issued a notice to form a negotiated rulemaking committee (R
23、egNeg Committee) to develop a final rule on the qualification of pipeline personnel.The negotiated rulemaking process was intended to provide an opportunity for affected parties to present their views and reach a consensus on a proposed qualification rule. The RegNeg Committee members came from vari
24、ous organiza-tions representing broad interests, including industry, government, labor, and the public. The committee met several times from 1997 through 1999, when consensus on the final rule was reached.The Final Rule on the Qualification of Pipeline Personnel was issued by DOT on August 27, 1999.
25、 This final rule delin-eated the essential elements of a qualification program and limited the scope of the rule with a four-part test for covered tasks. It also set time frames for the development of the operators qualification programs and the completion of initial qualification of pipeline person
26、nel in 2002.The Final Rule was not prescriptive, and the resulting flexibility built into the performance-based rule made it dif-ficult to measure operators compliance with the rule. This led to the development of “protocols” to assist regulators in the evaluation of qualification programs. Protocol
27、s were finalized after a series of public meetings in 2003; however, dif-ferences still existed between the pipeline industry and DOT regarding the implementation, inspection, and subsequent enforcement of the OQ rule. Both groups committed to the development of a national consensus code on personne
28、l qualification, where the outstanding issues could be resolved.The pipeline industry approached ASME to sponsor the development of a consensus code on pipeline personnel qualification. The ASME Standard for Pressure Piping, B31 Committee formed the B31Q Project Team on Qualification of Pipeline Ope
29、rators. This project team met for the first time in August 2003 and began the task of crafting a consensus code for the qualification of pipeline personnel to resolve the outstanding issues and maintain as much of the current regulatory requirements as possible.The B31Q Project Team included represe
30、ntatives from federal and state regulatory agencies, contractors, industry associations, labor, and three industry sectors: hazardous liquid, gas transmission, and local distribution companies. The project team met regularly over a period of 20 months to reach consensus on the content of the code. A
31、dditional resources, including Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), industry associations, and service providers were utilized regularly. In all, over 100 people worked diligently within the ASME process, utilizing technically based data where possible, in an attempt to meet the diverse needs of the indus
32、try and regulators. Unlike most ASME standards, however, this Standard is focused on the human aspects of operating and maintaining pipeline equipment instead of on the instruc-tions for designing or operating this equipment. Therefore, technical-based data were not always available. For those areas
33、 where technically based data did not exist, the project team utilized accepted industry practices or reached con-sensus within the Project Team. Nonmandatory Appendices, which include a covered task list, were added to provide additional guidance to assist pipeline operators in developing or modify
34、ing their personnel qualification programs.vThis Standard provides general and specific requirements for the qualification of pipeline personnel. The implemen-tation of this Standard is intended to minimize the impact on safety and integrity of the pipeline due to human error that may result from an
35、 individuals lack of knowledge, skills, or abilities during the performance of certain activities. This Standard does not impose a requirement to perform specific tasks that affect the safety or integrity of the pipeline. It does, however, set the requirements for qualification of individuals in the
36、 event these types of tasks are performed.This Standard establishes the requirements for identifying covered tasks that impact the safety or integrity of pipe-lines performed during operation, maintenance, or construction, properly qualifying individuals to perform those tasks, and for managing the
37、qualifications of pipeline personnel. Design and engineering tasks are excluded because assur-ance of their quality is provided by the fact that appropriately educated or experienced individuals perform these tasks using guidelines and procedures for the conduct of their work. In addition, the quali
38、ty of the work product is generally confirmed procedurally through review and ultimately by field inspection and testing of the design that are required by the applicable ASME Standard (B31.4 and B31.8 for hazardous liquid pipelines and gas pipelines, respectively) and jurisdictional authority. Desi
39、gn and engineering tasks involving analysis and integration of data associated with integ-rity management are excluded from this Standard.It is recognized that this Standard is being issued at a time when numerous entities have previously developed and implemented qualification programs. Therefore,
40、as part of implementation of this Standard, the implementer should determine what changes to provisions of its existing program (e.g., span of control, subsequent qualification intervals, evaluation methods) are required to meet this Standard. An individual qualified to perform a covered task under
41、the existing program could be considered to be qualified under the program described by this Standard. Individuals cur-rently qualified under an existing program can maintain their qualifications by meeting the subsequent qualification requirements established in this Standard. A documented performa
42、nce evaluation, if not previously performed for a task that requires performance evaluation for initial qualification under this Standard, should be performed either dur-ing the implementation period or at the time of subsequent qualification. The 2010 Edition of the Standard was a compilation of th
43、e 2006 Edition, addition of four new tasks in the task list, editorial refinement, and clarification on handling the following issues: new technology, long-term degradation of physical abilities, qualification exemptions, and new construction.The 2014 Edition of the Standard was a compilation of the
44、 2010 Edition and enhancement of the qualification stand-ards to provide more in-depth evaluation criteria for 145 of 165 tasks in the task list.The 2016 Edition of the Standard is a compilation of the 2014 Edition and enhancement of the qualification stand-ards to provide more in-depth evaluation c
45、riteria for the balance of the task list; addition of seven new tasks to the task list; removal of nine tasks specific to diving that are covered sufficiently by NDT, welding, and other land-based tasks; removal of one task that is being combined with a similar task; addition of a Nonmandatory Appen
46、dix that provides guidance for implementing ASME B31Q and the nonmandatory task list; and clarification on the following issues: construction documentation clarified in the definition of documentation in the nonmandatory task list, and redesignating section and appendices to follow ASME guidelines.T
47、his Standard was approved as an American National Standard on May 18, 2016.Suggestions for the improvement of this Standard are welcome. They should be addressed to Secretary, B31 Standards Committee, The American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Two Park Avenue, New York, NY 10016-5990.This Forewor
48、d is provided as an aid to the user and is not part of the requirements of this Standard. This Foreword should not be interpreted as containing any requirements or limits enforceable or auditable by any entity. Where, in the judgment of the Committee, any of the topics covered by this Foreword ought
49、 to be addressed in the requirements of this Standard, appropriate requirements have been formulated and included in the body of this Standard.viASME B31 COMMITTEEStandard for Pressure PipingSTANDARDS COMMITTEE OFFICERSJ. E. Meyer, ChairJ. W. Frey, Vice ChairA. Maslowski, SecretarySTANDARDS COMMITTEE PERSONNELA. J. Livingston, Chair, Kinder MorganM. Burkhart, Vice Chair, Nicor GasP. D. Stumpf, Secretary, The American Society of Mechanical EngineersL. B. Ables, Enterprise ProductsA. Borgmeyer, Contributing Member, The Mosaic Co.M. J. Bradley, Contributing Member, Pacific Gas tappin
