Q: I am relocating my Shop facility (currently listed on the ASME Certificate
of Authorization) to a new location. Do I need an ASME relocation review at
the new shop facility in order to have my ASME Certificate of Authorization
revised to show the new shop location?
A: Where there is no change in jurisdiction or Authorized
Inspection Agency (AIA) and the distance involved is small enough to ensure
that there are no changes in upper management or QC personnel affecting the
company’s quality Control Program have occurred, an ASME review may
be replaced by an audit by the Authorized Inspection Agency of Record if the
relocation is within the same jurisdiction. Certificates Holders who are relocating
within the same jurisdiction should contact ASME at ca@asme.org
if they wish to have an AIA audit conducted in place of an ASME review.
Q: For a Change in shop Location how does a Certificate Holder comply
with the requirements in the above Question if they are not required by the
Code to use the services of an AIA?
A: For Certificate Holder's of V, HV, UV, UV3, TV, UD, and
TD Certificates of Authorization, ASME will require the ASME Designated Organization
to conduct an audit of the Certificate Holder to provide written verification
of the following; 1. The address of the new location, its distance from the
previous shop location and that the new shop location is within the same jurisdiction
as the current location listed on the Certificate(s) of Authorization; 2.
That there are no changes in upper management or QC personnel affecting
the company’s quality Control Program; 3. That there has been no change
in the scope of manufacturing activities as currently listed in the scope
of the Certificate(s) of Authorization; 4. That there is no major equipment
change; 5. A summary of the audit conducted by the ASME Designated Organization
at the new shop location to ensure that the Certificate Holder is implementing
their Quality Control System, previously accepted at the last ASME review;
and 6. That the ASME Designated Organization has tested two pressure relief
devices per test medium manufactured/assembled at the new shop location and
the tested pressure relief devices have met the applicable requirements of
the ASME Boiler Code. The Certificate Holder will have the option of either
having the audit for a revision to their existing Certificate(s) conducted
or a review for early renewal of their Certificate(s).
For H (Cast Iron or Cast Aluminum) a renewal review is required.
Q: I am waiting to be assigned my ASME renewal review dates, or the
renewal review is scheduled to occur less than 6 weeks prior to the expiration
date of my certificate(s). What steps can I take to ensure that I can
continue to fabricate and code stamp components until my new certificate(s)
or Authorization are received?
A: Please review the information contained on the ASME
webpage, listed under "Additional Information" titled "Notice
on Request for Extension of Expiration Dates for Certificate(s)"
- In addition, if the renewal review is conducted less than 6 weeks prior
to the certificate expiration date you can request the ASME Team Leader to
fax the Qualification Review Report (QRR) to ASME along with the Team Leader's
recommendation as to whether an extension should be granted by ASME.
Q: Due to a postal redesignation of the address of our current shop,
I need to obtain a revised Certificate Authorization. What procedure do I
need to follow?
A: The Certificate Holder needs to inform ASME of the address
change due to postal redesignation of the building number, street name, zip
code, etc. ASME will issue a revised Certificate of Authorization provided
the Certificate Holder's AIA of record provides sufficient documentation to
ASME to support the Certificate Holder's request. Where there is no AIA involved
in the Certificate Holder's Code activities, documentation from the postal
authority and/or the jurisdictional authorities where the shop is located
would be needed to support the request. There is no charge to revise Certificates
of Authorization due to postal redesignation.
Q: I recently changed my AIA of record. Do I need to inform ASME or
does the AIA take care of notifying ASME?
A: It is the Certificate Holder's responsibility to immediately
inform ASME as soon as they make a change in the AIA of record. Also, ASME
should receive notification from the previous AIA of record that they no longer
have an inspection agreement with the Certificate Holder and a letter from
the new AIA of record indicating that the new AIA has a contract to perform
inspection services at the facility located at the address listed on the Certificate
Holder's Certificate of Authorization. The Certificate Holder may be required
to provide ASME with sufficient documentation to verify that they had a valid
contract with an AIA at the time that all components were ASME Code Symbol
stamped. This may be required if there a gap between notification of the change
of AIA of record and the date the new inspection contract is signed. ASME
copies the Certificate Holder's AIA of record on most correspondence to the
Certificate Holder. Failure to provide ASME with the name of your current
AIA of record may result in the new AIA not receiving notification of important
information, or even loss of certification.
Q: My Company’s name was recently or is going to be changed.
How do I go about getting a Certificate of Authorization with the new name
on it?
A: See "Process
to Request Name Change on Certificate(s)" Note: Name
changes are available for companies undergoing a reorganization or wishing
to change the "brand name" on their Certificate, where all essential QC personnel
and workforce involved in code activities has essentially remained unchanged
and there has been no change in continuity in their quality program meeting
ASME quality control requirements. A name change is not available to
a company that only purchases the physical assets (i.e., building, equipment)
of a Certificate Holder. Certificate and stamps cannot be transferred
from one corporate entity to another corporate entity. A full ASME review
is required for a different corporate entity to get an ASME Certificate of
Authorization and stamp. When requesting a name change the corporate
entity requesting the name change is required to submit a letter to ASME on
the letterhead of the Corporate name stating that the newly named corporate
entity accepts all responsibility for ASME stamped items produced under the
certificate of authorization bearing the "new" company name but containing
the certificate number previously issued under the "old" company name.
Q: I recently received an ASME U or S Certificate of Authorization.
At the time of the review I did not apply for additional Certification. I
would now like to apply for an A, PP or UM Certificate. Do I need
to have another ASME review?
A: A full ASME review is not required for a Holder of an
ASME S who applies for an A or PP Certificate. A full ASME review is
not required for a holder of an ASME U or S Certificate who applies for a
UM Certificate. ASME will require written verification from both the ASME
Team Leader who conducted the latest review for U accreditation and the Certificate
Holder's AIA, who participated in the review, that the Certificate Holder's
Quality Control Manual and QC System have been revised to include all additional
Code requirements required to fabricate components for the requested Certificate.
Upon receipt of a favorable recommendation from both the ASME Team Leader
and the AIA and the receipt of applicable fees, ASME will issue the requested
Certificate and stamp.
Q: I recently underwent a joint review and received my U Certificate
of Authorization. Now I would like to apply for additional certificates (such
as an S and U2). Do I need another ASME review?
A: The addition of any Certificate of Authorization would
require another joint review with the exception of an S stamp holder applying
for an A or PP, or a U or S stamp holder applying for UM accreditation. The
conditions for those applicants are described elsewhere in other FAQ's.
Requests for additional Certificates, without a full ASME review, made within
three months following the date a full ASME review was conducted can be submitted
to ASME for approval by the Committee on BPV Conformity Assessment.
Q: I do not intend to renew my ASME Certificate of Authorization.
However, I have a job in the shop that I will not be able to complete prior
to the expiration date on my Certificates of Authorization. Can I request
an extension from ASME to complete the work?
A: A Certificate Holder can apply for a "Work-In-Progress"
extension. The Certificate Holder will need to send a letter to ASME
at least 30 days prior to the expiration date on the Certificate of Authorization
requesting an extension of the appropriate Certificate to complete an ongoing
job. The request from the Certificate Holder should include the following
information and be accompanied by the applicable fee (shown in renewal application
package): Description of the work to be completed, including work/job number,
the number and type (S, PP, H, U, etc) of Code components involved and the
expected completion date for the work. ASME will contact the Certificate Holder's
AIA or ASME Designee, as appropriate, and request: 1. Written verification
of the information provided by the Certificate Holder; and 2. Verification
that an audit of the Certificate Holder's shop facility has recently been
performed and the AIA/Designee is satisfied that the Certificate Holder's
Quality Control program is still in place and that they can fabricate Code
components in compliance with the applicable requirements in the ASME Code.
Upon receipt of a satisfactory report from the AIA/ASME Designee and payment
of the applicable fees ASME will issue a Work-In-Progress Extension for a
period of up to six months or until completion of the specified job, whichever
occurs first. No further extensions will be granted and no additional or new
work can be started after the original expiration date shown on the Certificate(s)
of Authorization.
Q: I did not submit my application for renewal of my Certificate
of Authorization to ASME on time. The renewal review was held after the expiration
date on my Certificate of Authorization and I would like to keep my old Certificate
number for advertising purposes. What should I do?
A: It is ASME policy to assign new Certificate numbers under
the following situations: on the issuance of a Certificate of Authorization
for the first time; and when a current Certificate Holder's Certificate of
Authorization has expired prior to the date the renewal review was held and
no extension was granted by ASME due to failure by the Certificate Holder
to submit the renewal application and fees to ASME at least 3 months prior
to the expiration date on the Certificate(s). However, the Certificate
Holder may submit a written request to ASME stating the reason they wish to
have their expired Certificate number reinstated, and the reason for the late
submittal of their application for renewal of their Certificate. ASME may
grant the request provided: 1. The lapse in certification from the expiration
date on the old Certificate of Authorization to the date of issuance or the
new Certificate of Authorization has not exceeded three months; or 2. The
review was conducted within the three month period but ASME was unable to
process the Review Team recommendation within the three-month period.
Q: Which AIA's work outside of the United States and Canada?
A: There are Authorized Inspection Agencies that operate
around the world. Please see the AIA list on the ASME web site. Some have
listed a website where you can find the locations of their local offices.
Otherwise a phone number, fax number and E-mail is provided where you can
ask the AIA directly.
Q: Do Authorized Inspection Agencies help write the manual or just
review it?
A: You may contact the Authorized Inspection Agencies regarding
the services that they provide outside the duties required of them by the
ASME Code. Many AIAs will assist the applicant in developing a quality manual.
Q: During the Shop Review required to get an ASME stamp, is it necessary
to have a product in process of fabrication?
A: A demonstration or implementation of the quality control
system during the Review must include the administrative functions to support
the QC system and the manufacturing, fabrication and testing of product necessary
to indicate knowledge and ability to produce the items covered by the scope
of the system. For evaluation of the QC system, the Applicant must demonstrate
sufficient administrative and fabrication functions to show that they have
the knowledge and ability to produce the Code items for the type of certification
applied for. Fabrication functions may be demonstrated using current work,
a mock-up to current Code rules, or a combination of the two.
Q: Does ASME provide consulting to help a company obtain a stamp?
A: ASME can provide support through the application process
to obtain a stamp. We do not provide consulting services to develop a quality
system that will meet the requirements of the ASME Code. Providing consulting
services to a company to arrange their quality system, which we would then
approve, would pose a conflict of interest. The Applicant’s contracted
Authorized Inspection Agency should be able to provide assistance in development
of an acceptable QC Manual and provide guidance regarding what will be covered
in the ASME review. Additional information regarding development of
a QC Manual can be found in the ASME Applicant’s Checklist which can
be found on the ASME website.