FAQs

A ‘Certificate of Authorization Permit’ is issued pursuant to section 44 of the Safety Codes Act authorizing a person to carry out the activities stated on the CAP.

2a. Organizations located within Alberta:

Organizations who want to:

• construct/Repair/Alter Boilers, Pressure Vessels, Pressure Piping systems, Thermal Liquid Heating systems and Fittings [Pressure Equipment Safety Regulation (PESR) Section 11];
• manage the integrity of in-service pressure equipment (Owner/User) in accordance with the requirements of the Regulations [PESR Section 11];
• service, repair, set or seal Pressure Relief Valves [PESR Section 11];
• perform integrity assessment of in-service pressure equipment (Integrity Assessment Organizations)[PESR Section 11];
• conduct Performance Qualification testing of Pressure Welders or Machine Welding Operators (Renewal of ‘B’ Pressure Tickets and issuance of new/renewal additional qualification Tickets). [Pressure Welders Regulation AR 169/2002, Section 21(1)].

require a CAP from ABSA.

Organizations engaged in the construction of pressure piping, must meet the requirements of the AB-518 document.

Owners who are asked by ABSA to obtain a CAP for the integrity management of their pressure equipment , must meet the requirements of the AB-512 document.

Organizations engaged in the servicing, setting, repairing or sealing PRVs must meet the requirements of the AB-524 document.

Organizations engaged in providing inspection services to the owners, must meet the requirements of the AB-515 document.

Organizations engaged in the repair/alteration of boilers and pressure vessels, must meet the requirements of the AB-513 document.

2b. Organizations located outside of Alberta but within Canada:

Organizations which want to construct/Repair/Alter Boilers, Pressure Vessels, Pressure Piping systems, Thermal Liquid Heating systems, Fittings and service, repair, set or seal Pressure Relief Valves and export them to Alberta for installation and operation, are required to meet the following requirements:

• The organizations must meet the pressure equipment safety requirements of the provincial pressure equipment regulatory body where the organization is located;
• Register the design with ABSA (for new boilers, pressure vessels, fittings or alterations of in-service pressure equipment);
• New boilers, pressure vessels and pressure piping systems must be accompanied by appropriate Manufacturer’s Data Reports such as ASME Data Reports if the equipment is ASME Code stamped, CSA or local provincial Data Reports if the equipment is not ASME Code stamped, AB-83F or AB-83as the case may be for the new pressure piping systems. ASME Section VIII-2 vessels must be ASME code stamped.

2c. Organizations located outside of Canada:

Organizations which want to construct/Repair/Alter Boilers, Pressure Vessels, Pressure Piping systems, Thermal Liquid Heating systems, Fittings and service, repair, set or seal Pressure Relief Valves and export them to Alberta for installation and operation, are required to meet the following requirements:

• Organizations who want to construct Boilers, Pressure Vessels, PRDs and boiler external power piping, must be certified by ASME and hold the required code stamps;
• The design of the pressure equipment must be registered with ABSA;
• New boilers, pressure vessels, PRDs (Pressure Relief Devices) and boiler external power piping systems must be ASME Code stamped and be accompanied by appropriate ASME Manufacturer’s Data Reports. All pressure piping systems other than the boiler external power piping, must be accompanied by AB-83F form(s);
• Repair/Alterations organizations must hold NB ‘R’ stamp;
• PRVs servicing organizations must hold NB ‘VR’ stamp.

Organizations located outside of Canada are not required to:

• obtain a CAP from ABSA;
• register the WPSs (Welding Procedure Specifications) with ABSA. The WPSs must meet the requirements of the ASME Section IX Code;
• use the services of ‘B’ Pressure Welders for pressure equipment fabrication activities. The welders and welding machine operators must meet the requirements of the ASME Section IX Code;
• get the pressure equipment that is under construction inspected by an ABSA A.I. (Authorized Inspector). The equipment may be inspected by a local A.I. contracted by the manufacturers.

A QMS establishes a company’s policies, business practices, commitment, accountability to meet the specified requirements, and describes a system to continually improve and maintain it. Generally a written description of the QMS documents an organization’s management system and is developed by the executive management.

A written description of the QMS may be developed in a manner that best suits an organization’s business needs. The latest version of ISO 10013– Guidelines for Quality Management System provides useful information for developing effective quality management system documentation. A written description of the QMS developed in accordance with the guidelines of the latest ISO 9001Standard provides for a sound basis for the development of the system. A QMS based upon the latest version of ISO 9001is recommended (no registration is required with an ISO registrar).

A written description of the QMS should accurately describe the system in practice. It should be a working document and enable the management, service personnel, auditors, ABSA, customers and other interested parties understand how the design, construction, manufacturing, assembling, installation, operation and maintenance processes are implemented.

The extent of the documentation needed to meet the requirements of this document will depend upon the size of the organization, type, location and complexity of the operations and competence of the personnel. Smaller organizations may find it appropriate to provide detailed descriptions of their work processes within the written description of the QMS documentation. However, as a general rule, including detailed procedures within the main body of the written description of the QMS documentation distracts a user from the key requirements of the management system. For this reason, procedures and other supporting documents that detail the processes may be referred to in the written description of the QMS and maintained separately as controlled documents.

The primary purpose of procedures, engineering standards, manufacturing standards, work instructions and other such documents is to provide detailed guidance to the individuals involved in the implementation of quality processes. These documents must, therefore, be readily available at the point of use. They should be written with the reader in mind to clearly convey what is required to done, and, must be detailed enough so that activities could be completed to meet the quality requirements consistently. The guidance documents may take the form of flow charts, tables, text, a combination of these or other means which may best suit the organization.

The senior management should be actively involved in the development and implementation of the QMS. This is necessary to ensure that the QMS reflects current business practices, is effective, adds value to the organization’s business and ensures that activities are aligned, effectively interlinked to the supporting systems and demonstrates compliance to the legislation.

When and if a management system is already in practice and an organization applies to obtain a CAP from ABSA or the organization already has a CAP and wants to expand the scope of the certification, the organization should endeavor to integrate the additional scope of work into its existing written description of the management system rather than create separate self sufficient quality manuals. The separate self sufficient quality manuals tend to repeat processes such as training, internal audits, document control, corrective action, causing repetitive implementation of the processes and prevent optimization of the management system. Multiple scope items and business locations may be covered under one written description of the management system provided the same company name (the one that exactly matches the company name used in the CAP) is used throughout the documentation.

The following certification process applies to all activities that require a Certificate of Authorization Permit:
Step 1 – Meeting with ABSA – A meeting is held to provide information about ABSA, the Safety Codes Act and regulations; CSA B51 Code; applicable ASME Code of construction; ABSA’s requirement documents when applicable (e.g., AB-518 for the construction of pressure piping, AB-515 for the Integrity Assessment Organizations, AB-512 for the pressure equipment integrity management program, AB-524 for the servicing and setting of PRVs); a written description of the QMS; Certification Process and achievement of a CAP; certification costs and responsibilities of the CAP holder.

Note: Step 1 is optional for out of province applicants and is not required for renewals.

Step 2 – Application – Owner should submit:

• an application Form AB-29;
• a draft copy of the written description of the QMS;
• a duly completed copy of AB-512a or AB-515a if applicable;
• a duly completed AB-5XXb checklist when an AB-5XX document applies;
• an AB-29b form if the owner wants to perform authorized activities at multiple shop locations and/or mobile units under the same company name under a single registration number;
• an Application fee.

Step 3 – Site audit – Upon acceptance of the written description of the QMS as basis for review, the owner is asked to arrange for a project to demonstrate the implementation of the activities applied for and agree to an audit date. An auditor from ABSA visits the work site, witnesses the work being performed and conducts the audit. The auditor uses the owner’s written description of the QMS as a guide for conducting the audit. The site audit is assisted by an organization’s management personnel.

Step 4 – Issuance of a CAP – If the audit is successful, a CAP is issued to the applicant. The normal term of a CAP is 3 years.

Surveillance Audits – ABSA conducts surveillance audit(s) within the certification term to confirm conformance to the QMS, Act and Regulations. A recommendation to continue validity of a CAP is based upon an acceptable audit.

Please contact one of the following ABSA offices for setting up an information meeting or for more information:

• Edmonton Head Office
  Phone (780) 433-0281 Ext 3363 / Fax (780) 437-8797
  Email: cap@absa.ca
• Calgary Office
  Phone (403) 291-7070 / Fax: (403) 291-4545
• Grande Prairie Office
  Phone (780) 538-9922 / Fax (780) 538-9400
• Red Deer Office
  Phone (403) 341-6677 / Fax (403) 341-3377

Anyone who wants to:

• have Boilers, Pressure Vessels, Pressure Piping systems, Thermal Liquid Heating systems and Fittings Constructed or Repaired/Altered in Alberta;.
• engage the services of an Integrity Assessment Organization to get pressure equipment certified under an ABSA certified O/U program;
• have Pressure Relief Valves Serviced, Repaired, Set or Sealed;
• get performance qualification tickets of ‘B’ Pressure welders renewed and get new/renew additional qualification Tickets

Verify that the:

• the CAP is current, and,
• the scope of the job is within the authorized scope of the CAP.

What should you do if you:

• the NEW NAME of your company,
• AQP/AOQP/ASVS number(s),
• A statement that there is no ownership or location change.

(ii) AB-29 bearing the new name of the company;

(iii) AB-512a or AB-515a if applicable;

(iv) An up to date copy of the written description of your QMS bearing the new name of your company;

(v) A new ‘Statement of Authority’ bearing new name of your company. The ‘Statement of Authority’ must be signed by the person who originally signed it or a principal company official (e.g., President, Owner, Plant Manger etc.). Send one copy.

(vi) Return original Certificate of Authorization Permit bearing the old name.

If you have more than one QS Manual covering multiple registration numbers, please complete items (ii) to (v) for each QS Manual.

Upon receipt of the above, ABSA will issue a new CAP under your NEW NAME. Your AQP/AOQP/ASVS number(s) and the certification expiry date(s) will remain the same. A fee to cover administration costs per the Fee Schedule for Delegated Functions shall apply.
Ensure that the above changes are effected in all copies of your QMS distributed by your company.