The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) accredited three of the American Petroleum Institute’s inspector certifications for pressure vessels, piping, and aboveground storage tanks.
API’s individual certification programs (ICPs) provide the natural gas and oil industry with a pool of independently certified technical and inspection personnel with demonstrated knowledge and experience. ICP testing, developed in partnership with industry leaders, is used to certify that inspectors and personnel can demonstrate competence in areas important to the safe and sustainable operation of energy facilities. The new accreditation serves to identify ICP certifications as meeting the highest standard for openness and integrity.
The three newly accredited ICP certifications include:
- API 510—Pressure Vessel Inspector.Designed to determine if an individual possesses the knowledge required to conduct inspections of repairs, alterations, and maintenance activities of pressure vessels.
- API 570—Piping Inspector. Used to determine a candidate’s knowledge related to maintenance, inspection, alteration, and repair of in-service metallic piping systems.
- API 653—Aboveground Storage Tank Inspector. Establishes a uniform knowledge base relating to tank inspection and repair of aboveground storage tanks that meet state and local government regulations.
“Accreditation by the ANSI National Accreditation Board confirms that our certification programs are developed transparently and by consensus to enhance safety and sustainability across the industry,” API Senior Vice President for Global Industry Services (GIS) Debra Phillips said. “The recognition gives our programs further validity in both US and international markets as we see participation numbers increase in nearly every region of the world.”
This accreditation formally recognizes that the inspector certification programs for API 510, API 570, and API 653 meet the requirements established under the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 17024, Conformity Assessment—General Requirements for Bodies Operating Certification of Persons.To qualify for accreditation, certification bodies like ICP need to meet ISO 17024 to demonstrate competency in personnel credentialing.
“ANSI accreditation ensures that a high degree of consistency and accountability is instituted through the entire credentialing process,” API’s ICP Manager Andri Orphanides said. “Just as our inspectors prove their value through acquiring our certifications, receiving this recognition by ANSI validates our ability to provide certifications meeting global standards.”