Regulations and Directives for Pressure Equipment Operation
The Government of Alberta has delegated to ABSA the administration and enforcement
of pressure equipment safety under the Alberta Safety Codes Act and the Power
Engineers Regulation.
Under this delegation, the Chief Inspector and Administrator, Pressure Equipment Safety,
may issue Variances, Directives and Interpretations to the Regulations regarding pressure
equipment in Alberta.
Power Engineers Regulation (AR 85/2003) is available from the Alberta Queens
Printer. Information in this regulation includes, but is not limited to:
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definitions of supervisory duties (shift engineer, etc.)
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plant supervision requirements
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information on the different classes of Power Engineers Certification
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the allowable duties for the holder of each type of Power Engineers Certificate
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certification requirements for each class of Power Engineers Certificate
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information on Temporary Certificates, Out-of-Province Equivalencies, Duplicate Certificates,
and certificate renewals
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information on calculating boiler ratings
For interpretations of the Power Engineers Regulation, see Information Bulletin
IB03-008 Rev. 2, dated July 5, 2006 and Information Bulletin IB05-007, dated December
16, 2005.
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Accessing Your Information On Line
ABSA has developed an internet website that will allow Power Engineers and In-Service
Inspectors access to their information that is securely stored with ABSA.
To obtain your internet access you will need to provide a written request with your
picture ID verified by ABSA staff. This can be done when you write an examination
or at the reception desk in an ABSA office. A
current email address is required. Once
your application has been processed, an access ID and start-up PIN will be sent to
your email address. Log-in access
is located in the top right hand column of the ABSA Home
Page and also located in the right hand column of this page.
When you first access the site, you will be required to change your PIN and select
from a set of security pictures. Your
ID, PIN and security picture choice will be required every time you sign on to the
information pages. It is your responsibility
to keep logon information confidential.
You will be able to see your personal information, exams taken, results achieved,
scheduled examination dates, certificates held and certificate expiry date. You
will be able to submit changes to your personal information. Changes
to your name or date of birth will still need additional verification, with copies
of appropriate certification provided to the ABSA office. You
can also renew your certificate and apply for examinations.
Please note that once you have activated your account online, you will ONLY receive
certificates, receipts and renewal cards via the postal service. All other notifications
will be sent electronically to the email address we have on file.
If you have trouble logging in, please email peonline@absa.ca.
Examination Results and Scheduling Notifications
When you have online access sign-on, you will be able to obtain the result and scheduling
letters online. You will be notified
by email that your account has updated information and ABSA will not be mailing
out notification of examinations or results.
Certificate
of Competency Renewals
Your renewal notification will be emailed to you and you can renew your certificate
online. If your renew online, your renewal cards will be mailed out to
you. If you do not wish to renew online, please submit the form AB-73.
Online Examination Application Information
Before you can apply online for an examination, you must have submitted the required
information and received approval to write.
These are the requirements:
1. Education: you
must be at the correct high school grade level for the examination required or have
course completion. Provide ABSA with
an official high school transcript with the relevant information, if necessary.
2. Experience: you
need to provide ABSA with the correct level of work experience to qualify. See the
Power Engineers Regulation for requirements.
3. You must hold a certificate of
competency one class lower than the one applied for.
Once you have submitted your application online you will receive an email when your
examination has been scheduled. You can then view and print your confirmation letter
from within the Exams tab.
Penalty Rules: If you are under penalty due to failures, you can apply to write your
examination on a date after the penalty expires. You will not be able to schedule
more than 1 examination because that may place you in a penalty again.
Responsibilities and Scope of Practice
As a power engineer, you have a number of responsibilities under the Safety Codes
Act, Power Engineers Regulation, and other pressure equipment regulations. Some of
the responsibilities of a power engineer are:
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when not holding a valid certificate of competency, shall not control, operate,
supervise, or undertake any other activity to which the Safety Codes Act applies,
if this Act requires that the person hold a certificate of competency to do so
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shall not use, operate, or place under pressure a boiler or pressure vessel unless
a certificate of inspection permit has been issued
for it
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must take reasonable actions necessary to maintain pressure equipment (power plant,
heating plant, or thermal liquid heating system) in a safe condition
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shall not operate pressure equipment if under the opinion that it is unsafe to do
so
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shall not operate pressure equipment contrary to the Safety Codes Act and Regulations,
or contrary to any code, standard, or body of rules declared to be in force pursuant
to the Act
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ensure that a log book is updated and maintained to record matters relating to the
operation and maintenance of the pressure equipment. Such records shall include information
on equipment operation, testing, and servicing of safety valves and other safety devices
and controls, and any other matters that may affect the safety of the pressure equipment.
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do not supervise pressure equipment exceeding the scope of practice (as outlined in
the following section) that your certificate of competency authorizes
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display your valid certificate of competency in a conspicuous place on the premises
when working in a power plant, heating plant, or thermal liquid heating system
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renew your certificate of competency annually before the certificate expires
Scope Of Practice
Each type of Power Engineers Certification authorizes the holder to perform specific
duties related to pressure equipment operation. This information is shown in table
form in the Supervision Scope of Practice Tables and in section 2, 3, and 4 of the
Power Engineers Regulation (AR 85/2003).
The Scope of Practice Tables can also be used to determine the certification required
to work in a specific capacity (e.g. Chief Power Engineer) in a specific size
and type of plant. Use of these tables for this purpose is clarified in Supervision
Certificate of Competency Requirements, dated July 15, 2003.
The Scope of Practice Tables can also be used to determine the Type of Supervision (Continuous,
Overall, General, etc.) that is required for a given type and capacity of plant.
For clarifications on using the tables for this purpose, see Continuous, Overall,
and General Supervision - Responsibilities of Power Plant Chief Power Engineer and
Shift Engineer, dated July 23, 2003.
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Updated Jul 08, 2010
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