How To Explain The Lifelong System Of Engineering Quality Responsibility

How to explain the lifelong system of engineering quality responsibility

Project leaders responsible for riveting and welding work in the pressure vessel manufacturing industry, if they refuse to sign the commitment letter on lifelong responsibility. According to relevant regulations. They will be fined at least 10,000 yuan. Most of the time. You may be fined 30,000 yuan. Such a very clear rule. In fact, most of the directors are engaged in riveting and welding workshop management. Basically they had never heard of it.

Who is given the lifelong responsibility?

The project leader is the core

The responsible subject targeted by this system is the project leader, not the team or the supervisor. The relevant five-party responsible parties regulations issued by the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development in 2014 are very clear, that is, whoever signs the contract will bear the corresponding responsibilities. There is no room for transferring responsibility. From the day of signing, the responsible person is bound to this for life.

Extension of the riveting and welding station

In pressure vessel manufacturing plants, the person in charge of the riveting and welding workshop usually needs to be in charge of multiple processes including blanking, assembly, welding and flaw detection at the same time. When cracks or pores appear in the weld, the direct target of accountability will fall on the head of the person in charge. In this case, pulling out the underlying welder as a scapegoat is not an option.

The consequences of not signing the commitment letter

Correction within a time limit plus fines

When the competent authorities notice that the commitment letter has not been signed, they will first issue an order ordering the parties to make corrections within the specified period. If corrective actions are not completed after this period, you will directly face a fine of 10,000 to 30,000 yuan.

What needs to be made clear is that this is an administrative penalty rather than a matter of civil negotiation. There is no room for bargaining and the parties only need to fulfill their obligation to pay the fine.

credit file

Fine information is synchronized to the credit files of construction market entities. For pressure vessel manufacturers, the interpretation of the lifetime responsibility system for pressure vessel riveting and welding quality is that such a record will directly affect the annual review of special equipment manufacturing licenses, which is equivalent to blocking the channel for receiving orders, causing new orders to be unable to be approved.

Permanent signage and information archive

The nameplate cannot be removed

After the pressure vessel leaves the factory, the name of the project leader, construction unit, and completion date engraved on the permanent sign must be handed over with the equipment. When relocation or transfer operations are carried out later, the updates of relevant information must also be synchronized. As long as a blank field is left in this situation, it is definitely a violation.

File locked until scrapped

The retention period of files such as flaw detection reports, material certificates, welding records, and installation logs is consistent with the design life of the equipment. Interpretation of the lifetime responsibility system for riveting and welding quality of a reactor pressure vessel with a designed operating life of 30 years. The entire set of files must be kept intact for 30 years. If lost, this is a serious dereliction of duty.

Riveting and welding special stuck points

Weld full inspection signature

According to the TSG 21 standard, 100% of pressure welds must undergo non-destructive testing. This requirement is not a random inspection. The person in charge needs to sign and confirm the flaw detection results of each weld one by one. If one is missed and not signed, then when an accident occurs in the future, it is likely to be deemed as management dereliction of duty.

Welder certificate validity period

Riveting welders and flaw detectors must hold special equipment operator certificates to work, and the person in charge must verify the copy of the certificate. After the State Administration for Market Regulation updates the catalog in 2024, the validity period of some welder certificates will be changed from 4 years to 6 years. Please do not continue to use those old certificates.

Violation accountability process

Focus on market supervision

Pressure vessels are classified as special equipment, and the competent authority responsible for imposing fines is the market supervision and administration department, not the Housing and Urban-Rural Development Bureau. Once you find the wrong handling department, it will lead to a wasted trip, and it will also delay the necessary window period for rectification, causing matters that were originally possible to be resolved through negotiation to eventually turn into administrative penalties.

Criminal liability can be pursued

This accident caused casualties and also caused very significant economic losses. In this case, the relevant person in charge may be guilty of major engineering safety accidents. According to the law, they may be sentenced to up to seven years in prison. Regarding the issue of lifelong liability, it does not mean that the matter is over with just a fine of 30,000 yuan. There is no upper limit on the statute of limitations for the prosecution of criminal liability.

What to do if something goes wrong

Insurance does not cover everything

Engineering quality liability insurance only compensates for personal injuries and property losses involving third parties, while administrative fines and criminal prosecutions are not within the scope of compensation. Once something does happen, the relevant responsible person must bear all legal consequences by himself, because the company cannot provide you with protection.

Early trace protection

Every time you inspect a weld, you should take a photo, scan the code to record the timestamp, and save a screenshot of the signature to the cloud for backup. If a dispute arises in the future, these electronic evidences can prove that you were operating in accordance with the regulations and are key materials for you to clarify your responsibilities.

Regarding the process of the project leader signing the commitment letter in our factory, do you think there are a lot of people who actually take the lifelong responsibility as such? You should have a good chat in this comment area. If you find this content useful, how to explain the lifelong responsibility system for engineering quality, then give it a like and share it with your peers.