Periodic inspections of pressure vessels: the manufacturer’s role
Periodic inspections of pressure vessels: the manufacturer’s role
The safety of a pressure vessel does not end with design, testing and delivery. Once installed in a plant, the equipment must be operated correctly, maintained and monitored over time to ensure that it retains adequate conditions of preservation and efficiency.
Periodic inspections of pressure equipment are part of this process, but they should not be confused with the routine checks and maintenance carried out by the user company. They are activities governed by legislation and entrusted to specifically designated bodies.
Who must request them? Who may carry them out? And what contribution can the manufacturer make throughout the plant’s life cycle? Let us take a closer look.
What are the periodic inspections of pressure vessels
Legislative Decree 81/2008 requires that certain work equipment, including that belonging to the gas, steam and heating group, be subject to periodic inspections.
The aim is to ascertain their actual state of preservation and their efficiency for safety purposes.
The operating procedures are set out in the Ministerial Decree of 11 April 2011, while Ministerial Decree 329/2004 governs the commissioning procedures, the inspections and the operating arrangements for pressure equipment and assemblies.
For pressure vessels, periodic requalification comprises two main types of assessment: the operational inspection and the integrity inspection.
The former checks that the actual operating conditions are consistent with the declaration of commissioning and with the manufacturer’s instructions, also verifying the functionality of the safety accessories.
The latter concerns the structural condition of the equipment. It may include external and internal visual examination, where accessible, thickness measurements and further investigations made necessary by corrosion, erosion, deformation or other signs of damage.
The intervals are not the same for all vessels. They depend on the type of equipment, the fluid contained, the classification and the frequencies laid down by the regulations. Any more restrictive indications given by the manufacturer in the operating and maintenance manual, together with the requirements arising from the last inspection, must also be taken into account.
Who carries out the periodic inspections of pressure vessels?
Responsibility for initiating the procedure lies with the employer or user of the equipment. It is therefore the company operating the vessel that must notify its commissioning, request the inspections within the prescribed time limits and retain the relevant documentation.
The notification of commissioning and the requests are managed through INAIL’s CIVA platform. Where required, the user must also request the commissioning check governed by Ministerial Decree 329/2004.
The first periodic inspection falls within INAIL’s remit; INAIL may carry it out directly or make use of authorised public or private bodies. Subsequent periodic inspections may be performed by the bodies designated by the regulations, including the competent ASL/ARPA authorities or bodies authorised under the Ministerial Decree of 11 April 2011. The user must therefore turn to a body authorised for the relevant territory and for the specific type of equipment.
The manufacturer does not replace these bodies and does not assume legal responsibility for the request. It can, however, make an important technical contribution by providing the information needed to correctly identify the equipment and reconstruct its design characteristics.
The manufacturer’s role in inspections and documentation
The manufacturer’s role begins long before the periodic inspection. During design and manufacture, it defines the allowable pressure and temperature, the materials, the configuration, the safety accessories and the operating conditions of the vessel.
This information is set out in the documentation accompanying the supply:
•declaration of conformity;
•identification nameplate;
•operating and maintenance instructions;
•technical design and manufacturing documentation.
Complete documentation facilitates commissioning and enables the inspector to compare the actual operating conditions with those originally established. Even the more restrictive frequencies indicated by the manufacturer take on concrete value: Ministerial Decree 329/2004 in fact requires that they be observed when they are shorter than the ordinary intervals, particularly where corrosion or deterioration may occur.
At Baglioni, we provide vessels intended for the European market with the required technical documentation and declarations, so as to facilitate the administrative tasks, the management of the equipment and any subsequent inspections.
Beyond supply: the manufacturer as a partner throughout the plant’s life cycle
The proper management of a vessel calls for continuity between design, installation, operation, maintenance of the industrial plant and inspections. When these stages are considered separately, there is a greater risk of losing important information or of intervening without full knowledge of the equipment’s original characteristics.
As an integrated solution provider, we aim to be a technical point of reference even after delivery. We make our know-how available to interpret the documentation, assess the operating conditions, manage modification or replacement needs and support the customer in scheduling activities throughout the plant’s life cycle.
This does not alter the responsibilities established by law: inspections must be requested by the user and carried out by the authorised bodies or entities. It does, however, make it possible to approach them with complete information and with the support of those who know the design, the materials and the manufacturing process of the vessel.
Being an industrial partner therefore means going beyond the individual supply, placing design, manufacturing and documentation expertise at the service of the plant’s reliability over time. This is the approach with which, at Baglioni, we develop standard and bespoke solutions for different international markets.
Discover more about Gruppo Baglioni and our approach as a solution provider.
Do you need to manage the documentation or the life cycle of a pressure vessel? Contact us.
FAQ
How often must periodic inspections of pressure vessels be carried out?
The intervals are not the same for all vessels. They depend on the type, the fluid contained and the classification, according to the frequencies set out in the Ministerial Decree of 11 April 2011. Any more restrictive intervals indicated by the manufacturer in the manual must also be observed, particularly where corrosion or deterioration is present.
Who must request the periodic inspections of pressure vessels?
Responsibility lies with the employer or user. It is the company operating the vessel that must notify commissioning through INAIL’s CIVA platform, request the inspections within the prescribed time limits and retain the documentation.
What is the manufacturer’s role in periodic inspections?
The manufacturer does not carry out the inspections and does not assume legal responsibility for them. It does, however, provide the technical documentation, such as the declaration of conformity, nameplate, instructions and design data, that makes it possible to identify the equipment, reconstruct its characteristics and compare the operating conditions with the original ones.
