ASME SPPE 1A-1991 — Quality Assurance and Certification of Safety and Pollution Prevention Equipment Used in Offshore Oil and Gas Operations (Addenda 1A)

🐬 ASME SPPE 1A-1991 is the first Addenda to ASME SPPE-1-1991, Quality Assurance and Certification of Safety and Pollution Prevention Equipment (SPPE) Used in Offshore Oil and Gas Operations. It was issued on November 1, 1991, and approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) on September 3, 1991. Like all SPPE addenda, it takes the form of replacement pages that incorporate revisions directly into the base document. The focus of this first addenda is the establishment, documentation, evaluation, and continuing compliance of a manufacturer’s Quality Assurance Program — the backbone of third-party certification for SPPE products.

1. What This Addenda Changed 📌

Four page locations were revised, inserted, or added, as summarized below:

All revisions are flagged by the margin note (a). The 1991 edition text and all pages not replaced remain in effect. ASME recommends retaining the addenda title and copyright pages, this summary page, and all replaced pages for reference and traceability.

2. Core Certification Requirements 🔧

SPPE-1 establishes a third-party certification mechanism built around the Certificate of Authorization and the OCS Symbol. This addenda refines several elements of that mechanism:

• Applicants: An applicant must establish a Quality Assurance Program for assuring the quality of the parts/SPPE it proposes to produce, and must request evaluation on forms designated by the Society.
• Quality Assurance Manual: The Program must be documented in a Quality Assurance Manual, which becomes the basis for demonstrating compliance. Once accepted and a Certificate is issued, a controlled copy remains on file with the Society, and the Certificate Holder keeps another copy readily available to the Society’s audit team.
• Change control: Program changes requiring Manual revisions must be submitted to the Society for acceptance and implemented within 90 days of notification of acceptance. Organizational changes affecting compliance require prior Society approval.
• Exclusive use: The Certificate, issued to a specific location, authorizes a defined scope of work; the Holder must not permit any other party to use the Certificate or OCS Stamp issued to it.

3. Evaluation, Audits, and Certificate Renewal 🔍

The Quality Assurance Program is evaluated at the initial survey, at each Society audit, and at each renewal survey. The three evaluation forms differ in depth and purpose:

If the Program is not in compliance, corrective action must be taken or the Society may withdraw or refuse to issue a Certificate of Authorization. The Holder must apply for renewal six months before the Certificate’s expiration date; late applications with incomplete documentation may cause loss of accreditation until reaccreditation procedures are completed.

4. Status Identification and Nonconformance Control 🛠️

OE-4215, revised in this addenda, addresses inspection, test, and operating status: the status of inspection and testing must be indicated on the parts where practical, or in records traceable to the parts, to assure required inspections and tests have been performed. Parts that have satisfactorily passed required inspections and tests must be identified. The authority for applying and removing status indicators must be defined, and controls such as tagging, keepers, and seals assist the Operator in proper installation and use of parts/SPPE.

Application of the OCS Symbol must be controlled by written procedures that assure its use only on SPPE meeting this Standard, and the procedure must identify the organizational position responsible and accountable for applying the Symbol. Nonconforming materials, parts/SPPE, services, or activities must be controlled to assure proper disposition and prevent inadvertent use — through identification, documentation, evaluation, segregation where practical, disposition, and notification of affected organizations. Nonconforming materials may be upgraded when conditions permit.

• 🔍 Traceability: status indicators and records must be traceable to individual parts — a key audit focus.
• 🔧 Operator protection: tagging, keepers, and seals directly support correct field installation.
• 📊 Upgrading: upgrading a nonconformance requires evaluation and satisfaction of original requirements, not simple waiver.

5. Frequently Asked Questions ❓