PESO CERTIFICATION

INTRODUCTION

Peso Certification : Since British India, PESO Department has been working to administer the explosives. PESO stands for Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organization (PESO). In the 1890s, this department was established as the Department of explosives, at the time of its inception its main motive is to regulate the safety of Hazardous substances like petroleum, compressed gases and explosives. We all know how toxic petroleum and compressed gases are, and a single spark coming into contact with them can result in a life-threatening disaster. Compressed gases are a combination of flammable, toxic, oxidizing and corrosive hazards.

For more than a century, the organization has gained legendary status as an association of excellence in areas connected to hazardous material safety in manufacturing/refining, storage, transportation, handling, and usage. Today, the organization works on a variety of topics such as explosives, petroleum, compressed gases, pressure vessels, gas cylinders, cross-country pipelines, LNG, CNG, Auto LPG, CBG, Ammonium Nitrate, flame proof electrical fittings, and so on.

PESO is a Petroleum and Explosive Safety Organization, also known as the Chief Controller of Explosives (CCOE). This organization administer, control and looks after the safety requirement in the Manufacture, importers, exporters, sellers, storage, transport and handling of the explosives, flammable material, Pressure vessels petroleum and compressed gases. It also administers the petrol stations in India. PESO is a regulatory body with an independent status headed by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade and Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

PESO Certification outlines the oil and gas sector's obligatory approval system for goods that deal with gases, are employed in the oil industry or must survive extremely corrosive environments. PESO headquarter is in Nagpur, Maharashtra.

MANDATORY LICENSEE / STAKEHOLDERS FOR PESO

Following Licensee/Stakeholders are covered under the PESO Certification, who is in business of:

1. Petroleum / Gas Cylinders / SMPV(U)
2. Explosives / Ammonium Nitrate
3. Degassing and Purging under SMPV(U)
4. Fabrication Shops
5. Gas Cylinder Testing Stations

SMPV (UNFIRED) RULES FOR PESO CERTIFICATE

SMPV stands for the Static and Mobile Pressure Vessels. Static pressure containers are designed to store linear loads with mass and volume variation that considerably surpass the materials ambient pressure characteristics. The justification for this form of fabrication is based on safety concerns, with a secondary focus on preventing contamination of pure contents. Pressure vessels are designed to hold liquid, gases or vapors at high pressure.

THE STATIC AND MOBILE PRESSURE VESSELS (UNFIRED) RULES, 1981

Some of the rules relating to Peso Certificate are as follows

1. According to the rule, 1981 drawing, design, specification and code must be approved by the Chief Controller. Chief Controller is the competent person who is an expert for carrying out the test, examination, inspections and certification of the installation and transport vehicles as stipulated in this rule.


2. Under Rule 47(7), a new sub-rule specifies that the district authority must give no-objection certificates or notify the applicants in writing of his refusal to grant no-objection certificates with reasons within two months.


3. General Exemptions - Nothing in these rules shall apply to vessels that form part of a processing plant. For the purpose of this rule, vessels forming part of a processing plant shall mean vessels in which a unit process or unit operation is carried out and vessels that contain, as a process requirement, a compressed gas received from and consumed in the same processing plant, provided that the water capacity of the vessel(s) shall be such that the gas stored therein at the maximum working pressure shall not exceed the requirement for feeding the consuming point(s) for a period not exceeding 16 hours at the designed flow rate.


4. Restriction on manufacture, filling and import:
   1. No one shall fill a vessel with compressed gas or transport a vessel filled with compressed gas unless the vessel was produced in accordance with a type, standard, or code mentioned in rule 12.
   2. Without the prior approval of the Chief Controller, no vessel allowed under sub-rule (1) may be manufactured.
   3. Without the prior approval of the Chief Controller, No person shall import any vessel.


5. Restriction on delivery and dispatch:
   1. Any compressed gas filled in a vessel may not be delivered or dispatched to anyone other than the holder of a storage permit issued under these regulations, a port authority, or a railway administration.
   2. No compressed gas given or dispatched under sub-rule (1) shall exceed the quantity authorized to be stored by the person to whom it is delivered or dispatched under the licence obtained by him.


6. Employment of children aged under 18 and intoxicated persons is prohibited.


7. Smoking, fires, lights etc. is prohibited at any time in proximity to a place where any compressed gas is stored, handled or transported in a vessel.


8. Supervision and operation within the licensed premises - Person must have knowledge of equipment and be trained in handling hazardous substances.


9. All empty vessels containing flammable or poisonous gases must be kept securely closed until they have been cleaned or liberated of the gas, as the case may be, except when they are opened for the purpose of filling or cleaning or for rendering them gas-free.


10. Any modification to the machine or pressure vessel must be submitted for inspection.

PROCEDURE FOR GRANT AND REVOCATION OF RECOGNITION TO A COMPETENT PERSON UNDER SMPV (U) RULES

1. Recognition is granted to competent persons under the SMPV (U) Rules, 1981, under rule 18 (for testing of Safety Relief Valves fitted to pressure vessels), rule 19 (for periodic testing of pressure vessels including /excluding Horton spheres/mounded/Underground vessels for ALDS), and rule 33 (for the issue of Safety Certificate for pressure vessel installations including /excluding Horton spheres/mounded/Underground vessels for ALDS).


2. (A)- Application is accepted in Appendix IIIA with the following documents:
   1. Qualification Certificate
   2. Two passport size photographs
   3. Specimen signature of the applicant
   4. Scrutiny fee
   
   
   (B)-In Appendix IIIB
   1. Person holding degree in Chemical/Mechanical/Marine/Metallurgical Engineer or equivalent experience) along with scrutiny fee inspection of the pressure vessel.
   
   
3. If the qualification and experience of the Technical Person(s) sought to be recognized are deemed to be in compliance with Appendix II of the SMPV (U) Rules, 1981. The person is summoned to appear before the PESO Interview Board, which consists of three to four senior officers.


4. The Interview board will be sitting once a quarter, i.e., in the month of January, April, July and October of the year.


5. During the interview by the Board of Technical Officers for assessment to grant recognition as Competent Person/Inspector, technical discussions related to experience in the fields of design, fabrication, quality control, inspection, testing, operation, and maintenance of pressure vessels, including fittings, as well as knowledge of national/international codes, the procedure to be followed for inspection/testing of pressure vessels, and so on are conducted. The Interview Board's suggestions are transmitted to the Chief Controller of Explosives for review and finalisation of the required recognition under the SMPV (U) Rules,1981.

PROCESS OF PESO CERTIFICATION

1. Documentation - Prepare the application with required documents, especially ATEX/IECEx certificates and test reports. Test reports must be 2 Years old. ATEX certificate is issued to the equipment which has been fully tested and approved to be safe to use in explosive/hazardous atmosphere. IECEx is a certification to Standards related to the equipment for use in explosive/hazardous atmosphere.


2. Submit Application - Submit the application at PESO authority with the commercial data includes sales numbers, client lists and client reviews.


3. Scrutiny - PESO Officials verify the application and documents.


4. Audit - Factory audit is done only for certain products such as pressure vessels.


5. PESO Certification - If PESO officials get satisfied with the documents and test report, PESO Certificate will be granted.


6. Licence to AIR - Licence is also issued to the Authorized Indian Representative.

Note: The product can be imported once the PESO licence has been approved. Internationally recognized test reports, such as IECEx or ATEX, are usually accepted by the authorities. In any event, if you don't have these test reports, the products must be evaluated in India.

DOCUMENTS REQUIRED FOR PESO CERTIFICATION

1. Application documents (application form, contract with AIR for min. 5 years, technical competence proof of AIR, etc.).
2. Business Licence of manufacturer, plant and AIR.
3. Global organization chart.
4. Product ATEX/ IECEx certificates.
5. Test Reports, QAR/QAN.
6. Manufacturer profile.
7. List of production equipment and test instruments.
8. ISO Certificate.
9. Video of the Production facility.
10. Commercial information includes 3 years sales figures, a list of Indian customers, hazardous area installation information like installation location, the intended use of equipment etc.

TIMELINE

90 - 100 Days

VALIDITY

Licence is valid for 3 years and must be renewed after that. PESO licences for static pressure vessels are only valid for three years and must be renewed after that.