Finally!! The Canadian Code Credential Update Exams are Available & Online
CPA Council has just announced that the 2019 code update exams are now available online. It has been a long time coming as they have dealt with new computer program migration, membership clarifications to meet international qualification body requirements, and then of all things - a global pandemic. I guess this was a perfect storm from a Personnel Qualification organization, and to be fair we have had our own challenges in being able to offer
New Approach To Code Training Schedules
With the 2019 edition of the CSA Z662 comes increased clarity about the training and qualification required for compliant Safety and Loss Management Systems. Companies are requiring more specialized training to fit their personnel competence programs and as the document as a whole approaches 1000 pages, covering all aspects of the pipeline lifecycle, this becomes a bigger challenge.” While the fundamental concepts apply to anyone involved in the
CSA Z662-19 Summer Tour
It’s that time again. On February 20, 2019 the CSA Z662 Technical Committee voted to accept the final resolutions to comments and close out any further changes to the new 2019 edition. The final text is now in the hands of the CSA publishing group. The new CSA Z662-19 will be published and available late June or early July of this year. As many jurisdictions adopt the Z662 on publication we
Continuous Training Improvement
When I first began teaching in 2007, we had a 5 day course. It covered a little bit of everything for everyone, and not enough of anything for anyone. Over the years we broke the course into smaller and smaller segments, a 3-day and a 2-day, followed by a 2-day and four 1-days, and in 2015, 7 individual 1-day courses. The primary objective was to reduce the amount of class time spent by participants on
Top Down Qualification
It is not an accident that industry groups, including CEPA and CPAC, chose pipeline construction inspectors as the first step in their recommendations for Companies to implement standardized qualifications as part of their competence management systems. Under section 3 of the CSA Z662 and the API 1173, Companies or Owners are required to establish the competency (training, qualification and experience) requirements for each task performed by or for the organization.”
Death by Chocolate Training
Death by Chocolate Training Can you really have too much of a good thing? Training is critical for both safety and competence of personnel. With codes, standards and regulations changing at an ever-increasing pace, is it possible to have too much training? I make my living training, so the obvious answer would be no, send more people to class, its good for business. The real answer of course is
Because Simon Says You Shall!
At a recent Z662 committee meeting there was some discussion about the word "shall". A similar discussion took place at the International Electrical Commission (IEC) meetings on Hazardous Locations in Split, Croatia earlier this spring. Both discussions stemmed from reports of some code users failing to gather documentary evidence for shall clauses as they did not believe it to be required. While a previous blog post had looked at "Shall Consider", I thought this month
An Inspector’s Catch 22
The storyline in Joseph Heller's 1961 book, Catch-22, identified a paradox whereby a pilot is considered insane if he does not ask for relief, but considered fit for service if he does. With this, pilots requesting relief were assigned flights, while those insisting they were fine were grounded. With the phrase coined it is easy to identify Catch 22s in many parts of life and work. Pipelines are no exception.”
2nd Party for CSA Z662
No, it's not that kind of party... In April I attended several standards development meetings dealing with product and personnel competency approvals. One of the key questions in the development of any code or standard is 'who will have the final responsibility for compliance'? Codes and Standards are very carefully written to ensure that they can be used in a manner required by the regulations. Codes and standard, when adopted
Is it a Document? No, it’s a Record!
Following our last blog "Mandatory Thinking" there has been a great deal of discussion on the difference between "documents" and "records" in the CSA Z662. The Safety and Loss Management System requirements in Clause 3.1.2 (e) mandate that Companies have a process to effectively manage documents and records.” There are numerous clauses with mandatory requirements for specific documents and records throughout the Z662, but what
Mandatory Thinking?
What "Shall Consider" Really Means A student told me this story: I was sitting at my desk, minding my own business and staring up at the righthand corner of my office. My boss, who was walking by, stopped, looked at me with a slightly annoyed expression and said, "What are you doing?" I calmly responded, "complying with the Z662 requirements", and showed her a clause that stated, "Shall Consider". She was not amused. She
How Long is Forever?
Record Retention Requirements for Pipeline Systems. A discussion that often comes up in training courses surrounds what documents and records need to be kept and for how long. As you're probably aware, numerous clauses within the Z662 mandate that some records be kept for the life of the pipeline, while other clauses suggest the company can establish record retention and disposition times under their management system. So which is it? Are records forever or
Bubble Gum and Duct Tape!
Temporary Repairs on Pipeline Systems During a recent discussion, it was suggested to me that some organizations may not be following the current Z662 requirements, (CSA Z662–15, clause 10.12) established for making temporary repairs. They suggested they didn't really need to follow the rules because "Nobody Else" was following the rules. Apparently, there are still some people in the field who believed that bubble-gum and duct tape constitute a reasonable temporary repair under pipeline