ICC AST

By yojimbo (***)

Date 12-18-2014 18:29

Lo-hy

Are you a licensed contractor? If you are your role is to work to the contract document provided from the owner which will tell you all the details and specifications you are required to meet including what code you will be working to, what WPSs you can expect to need to provide, your safety, operational and insurance requirements, what inspections you can anticipate and every other related detail of your scope of work.

If you're not a licensed contractor and you are doing work in a tank farm or facility, you are somebody's employee whether anyone want's to accept that responsibility or not and when you are somebody's employee it is the employers responsibility to provide the employee the directions necessary to complete the work.

If you're just winging this as an "independent contractor" without the business structure or licenses to support that role description both you and the owner are opening the door to a **** storm of potential liability exposure you would be foolish to include yourself in. All of us need to take calculated risks sometimes in order to make a living. If this is the case here just be damn sure they shut the tank valves and maybe blind them before you get started and double check any valve they said they closed.

If the job is big enough to justify the risk, at the very least get something in writing. If it's really not more than a small paycheck you might consider walking away or negotiating a fixed price for the work as their temporary employee. Best of luck.

By lo-hi

Date 12-19-2014 00:36

I am a one rig welder and work for a few local mechanical contractors. Have proper ins., certs are current and I keep a log. The main part of the question was about the ICC AST certification. I was just curious what it entailed, because a few tank farms are going in and they will need inspectors. I appreciate your concern about the liability and danger of working in this environment and no matter how long we work in this trade everything you said should be taken to heart. Perley

By dbigkahunna (****)

Date 12-31-2014 19:44

Several states have adopted the ICC requirements for UST and AST. Not knowing where you will be doing the work, check the ICC bulletin;
http://www.iccsafe.org/Certification/Bulletins/UST-AST_EIB.pdf
They may require all technicians doing retrofitting to possess the ICC certifications before they are allowed to do maintenance at the facilities. Depending on how much work you can or want to do at these places it may be worth the hassle. It tends to be large facility maintenance companies who are part of PET who pay for their technicians to get the certification.
If you could generate a lot of work I would pursue it but not for one or two jobs unless they were paying stupid money to do it.

By lo-hi

Date 01-02-2015 01:48

Looked at the ICC website and may take the plunge if this works out. The company has several certified people that will oversee the piping. Our state has minimal license requirements for the trades, plumbing, electrical, gas fitter. If I understood our states requirements,the AST and UST are mostly for new installs and decommission. I think at the least I will research the codes that apply to my part of the work. Thanks Perley