Standards Spotlight: The National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors

The National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors, often referred to simply as National Board, was established in 1919 to “promote safety for life and property through uniform construction, installation, repair, maintenance and inspection of pressure equipment.”

Today, National Board’s membership oversees adherence to laws, rules and regulations relating to boilers and pressure vessels and are the chief boiler inspectors representing most U.S. major cities and states and provinces in Canada. Its materials are also being used in other municipalities in cities and countries around the world as the gold standard in pressure vessel safety oversight.

Training and certification are a large part of the role NBBI plays in industry, offering classroom and online training programs for inspectors and pressure equipment professionals. And NBBI administers three accreditation programs for inspection organizations: Authorized Inspection Agencies (AIA), Federal Inspection Agencies (FIA), and Owner-User Inspection Organizations (OUIO). These organizations are authorized to employ National Board Commissioned Inspectors for in-service inspections and inspections of repairs and alterations performed by NBBI R and NR accredited companies. Accreditation of these inspection organizations involves a thorough evaluation of an organization’s quality system manual to ensure compliance with NBBI’s accreditation requirements.

The National Board Inspection Code is a flagship publication produced by NBBI. This internationally recognized standard governs and maintains rules for pressure equipment. The NBIC is adopted into law by most U.S. and Canadian jurisdictions and is the basis for the National Board’s four accreditation programs, R, VR, NR and T/O.

• R Stamp: applies to the repair and or the alteration of boilers, pressure vessels and other pressure-retaining items;

• NR Stamp: applies to the repair and replacement of nuclear components;
• VR Stamp: applies to the repair of pressure relief valves, and
• T/O Mark: used for the in-service testing of pressure relief valves.

The accreditation programs involve evaluation of the applying organization’s “quality system manual and requires a demonstration of its ability to implement the system.” More than 5,000 repair organizations in over 60 countries use the NBIC to perform repairs on pressure-retaining items.

NBBI administers three accreditation programs for inspection organizations: Authorized Inspection Agencies (AIA), Federal Inspection Agencies (FIA), and Owner-User Inspection Organizations (OUIO). According to the website: “These organizations are authorized to employ National Board Commissioned Inspectors for in-service inspections and inspections of repairs and alterations that were performed by NBBI R and NR accredited companies. Accreditation of these inspection organizations involves a thorough evaluation of an organization’s quality system manual to ensure compliance with NBBI’s accreditation requirements.” To become credentialed, individuals must complete specific training and education, pass a comprehensive exam and have documented their experience and adherence to NBIC and the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code (ASME Code).

The National Board also maintains records of pressure-retaining products that are registered by individual manufacturers who meet a set of requirements. Registration with the National Board indicates that a pressure-retaining item is constructed in accordance with the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code and is inspected by a qualified National Board Commissioned Inspector. The NB Mark is used by manufacturers to identify items registered with the National Board.

National Board operates an international testing facility for pressure relief products. It is the only independent ASME-certified flow lab in the world today.

Kim Beise, former chairman of the Valve Repair Council, is a member of National Board and has been a longtime contributor to the organization. Beise says, “The work that the National Board does keeps the boiler and pressure vessel industry safe and reliable.” The industry is grateful for the contributions of professionals like Beise.