7.5 Documentation, Records & System Turnover

Why Documentation Is Tested

NITC weights conducting, documenting, and recording inspections and tests at 6% of the written exam. Documentation questions are also some of the easiest points to win, because the rules are specific about what is documented, when, and who receives it.

Before Work Starts

Some jurisdictions also require construction documents before work starts. The California Plumbing Code, for example, requires duplicate construction documents filed with the AHJ and approved before a permit is issued. Those documents show the plot plan with cylinder storage, the piping layout with alarms, valves, sources, outlets, and inlets, the demand and loading, and a complete materials specification.

During Construction

• Material certification: the installer furnishes documentation certifying that all installed piping materials were cleaned for oxygen service per CGA G-4.1. Metallic flexible joints arrive with a factory certification of cleanliness.
• Brazing continuity: under NITC's program, an authorized employer representative documents each brazer's continuity every six months. The employer keeps the Record of Brazer Qualification.
• Inspection before concealment: the ASSE 6020 or 6030 inspector records that labeling and valve tagging of concealed piping and components were present and correct.
• Test records: log the system, date, test pressure or vacuum, duration, start and end readings, temperatures, the person performing the test, the witness, and the result for:
  • initial blowdown
  • initial pressure test (witnessed)
  • initial cross-connection test
  • initial piping purge test
  • 24-hour standing pressure test, positive pressure (witnessed)
  • 24-hour standing vacuum test (witnessed)

Handing Off to the Verifier

NFPA 99 requires forms indicating that the initial pressure tests and the 24-hour standing tests were performed and witnessed to be provided to the verifier at the start of the verification tests. Verification may begin only after all installer-performed tests are complete, and these forms are how the verifier confirms that.

Reports and Permanent Records

• Inspection and testing reports go directly to the party that contracted for the testing, which passes them through channels to the responsible facility authority and anyone else who requires them. Reports contain detailed listings of all findings and results.
• Final tie-in tests: permanent records must be kept.
• Some plumbing codes require a report delivered to the AHJ before acceptance, covering leakage, zoning, labeling, cross-connection, flow, alarms, purge, purity, and gas identity. They may also require that as-built plans and valve identification records remain on the site. California's plumbing code is one example.

Turnover to the Owner

What the Facility Does Next

After turnover, the responsible facility authority runs the systems. That person must be qualified, for example through an ASSE 6010, 6020, 6030, or 6040 credential plus competence on the facility's specific equipment and design, or through an equivalent education program the governing body accepts. NFPA 99's operation and management rules include:

• Calibrating carbon monoxide monitors at least annually, or more often if the manufacturer recommends
• Maintenance programs for the medical air compressor system, the vacuum piping and the equipment attached to vacuum inlets, and the WAGD system
• Periodic testing of audible and visual alarm indicators, with records kept at least until the next test
• Never using medical-surgical vacuum or WAGD for nonmedical applications

The installer's records feed directly into these programs. A facility cannot plan a safe shutdown without accurate valve identification records, or judge an alarm without knowing where its sensor was installed.

Documentation Checklist

1. BPS and PQR (signed and dated by the employer) on site before work
2. Brazer qualification and continuity records on site
3. ASSE 6010 cards for every installer
4. Material cleanliness certifications per CGA G-4.1
5. Inspection record for labeling and valve tagging before concealment
6. Installer test logs: blowdown, initial pressure, cross-connection, purge
7. Witnessed forms for the initial pressure tests and the 24-hour standing tests, handed to the verifier
8. Final tie-in test records, kept permanently
9. As-built drawings and valve identification records, where required
10. Manufacturer's instructions left with the owner