ABSA / AB-515 Compliance for Inspection Service Providers

Any person or organization providing in-service pressure equipment integrity assessment services in Alberta and certifying the results, plus firms constructing, repairing or altering boilers, pressure vessels, pressure piping and fittings, or servicing pressure relief valves. Owner-users may be directed in writing to hold their own permit. Personnel are qualified under employer-based certification, so a contracted Level III can sign the written practice and administer examinations for the firm.

Organizations located outside Canada are not required to hold an ABSA permit but must satisfy ASME and National Board stamping requirements instead. ABSA requires an inspection firm performing in-service integrity assessments to hold a Quality Management System Certificate of Authorization Permit and to document its system against AB-515. The written description must address scope, organization, impartiality, confidentiality, competence, measuring and test equipment, integrity assessment procedures, plans and work plans, reporting, repairs and alterations, internal audits, and control of NDE. Authorized scope is fixed on form AB-515(a), and work outside it is prohibited until a revised AB-515(a) is accepted. Individuals who certify equipment for continued operation must personally hold an Alberta In-Service Pressure Equipment Inspector Certificate of Competency. AB-515 renamed these firms Integrity Assessment Organizations, formerly Inspection Companies.

Source: ABSA AB-515 Quality Management System Requirements for Integrity Assessment Organizations, Edition 3 Revision 0, issued 2022-09-19 (next scheduled revision 2027); ABSA AB-526 In-Service Pressure Equipment Inspector Certification Requirements, Edition 3 Revision 3, issued 2025-01-17; ABSA AB-512 Owner-User Pressure Equipment Integrity Management Requirements, Edition 4 Revision 0, issued 2025-10-14; Pressure Equipment Safety Regulation, Alta. Reg. 49/2006 as amended by AR 195/2015, ss. 11-13 and 41-44; ABSA Fee Schedule for Delegated Functions effective 2025-11-01; ABSA QMS-CAP FAQs. All verified against absa.ca and the Alberta King's Printer on 2026-08-21.

ABSA / AB-515 at a glance — authority, scope and what it demands
Item	What applies	Why it matters
Authority	ABSA, the pressure equipment safety authority (originally incorporated as the Alberta Boilers Safety Association; a Delegated Administrative Organization under the Boilers Delegated Administration Regulation, Alta. Reg. 32/2002, administering the Safety Codes Act)	The body that issues, audits and can withdraw
Applies to	Any person or organization providing in-service pressure equipment integrity assessment services in Alberta and certifying the results, plus firms constructing, repairing or.	Whether this binds your firm at all
Personnel certification	Employer-based — the firm certifies its own, under a qualified Level III	Decides whether an outsourced Level III can sign for you
Renewal	The normal term of a Certificate of Authorization Permit is three years. ABSA conducts surveillance audit(s) within the term and continued validity depends on an acceptable audit. Renewal requires review and updating of the manual and submission of a new application for re-certification, approximately six months before expiry. In-Service Inspector Certificates of Competency run on a separate five-year cycle: form AB-98 plus the renewal fee of $188.90 must be submitted at least 21 days before expiry, with at least 15 weeks of in-service inspection experience in the last five years, a minimum of 80 hours of technical training (of which up to 12 hours may be in-house) and a re-certification examination.	Diarise from the certificate date, not from memory
Methods in scope	UT, UTT, PAUT, TOFD, RT, MT	Each method needs its own procedure and qualified personnel
Industries	Oil and gas production, Oil sands, Gas processing, Refining, Petrochemical	Where this regime shows up in contracts

Who does ABSA / AB-515 apply to?

Any person or organization providing in-service pressure equipment integrity assessment services in Alberta and certifying the results, plus firms constructing, repairing or altering boilers, pressure vessels, pressure piping and fittings, or servicing pressure relief valves. Owner-users may be directed in writing to hold their own permit. Organizations located outside Canada are not required to hold an ABSA permit but must satisfy ASME and National Board stamping requirements instead.

Can an outsourced Level III sign for ABSA / AB-515 compliance?

Yes. ABSA / AB-515 accepts employer-based certification, which places the obligation on the employer and allows a contracted Level III to write and sign the written practice, approve procedures and administer examinations. The Level III must be qualified in each method they sign for, and the employer still owns the records.

What documents does a ABSA / AB-515 audit ask for?

Form AB-29 Application for Certificate of Authorization Permit, Written description of the Quality Management System (the AB-515 manual), Form AB-515(a) Integrity Assessment Organization Authorized Scope of Activities, Form AB-515(b) Integrity Assessment Organization QMS Written Description Checklist, Statement of Authority and Responsibility signed by a principal company official. Auditors open records before they open manuals, because a manual describes intent while records show practice. The most common failure is a documented system that does not match what the technicians actually do.

How often is ABSA / AB-515 renewed?

The normal term of a Certificate of Authorization Permit is three years. ABSA conducts surveillance audit(s) within the term and continued validity depends on an acceptable audit. Renewal requires review and updating of the manual and submission of a new application for re-certification, approximately six months before expiry. In-Service Inspector Certificates of Competency run on a separate five-year cycle: form AB-98 plus the renewal fee of $188.90 must be submitted at least 21 days before expiry, with at least 15 weeks of in-service inspection experience in the last five years, a minimum of 80 hours of technical training (of which up to 12 hours may be in-house) and a re-certification examination. Firms that diarise renewal from the certificate date rather than from the last audit avoid the lapse that forces a full reapplication.

What are the most common ABSA / AB-515 findings?

Work performed outside the scope listed on form AB-515(a). AB-515 prohibits undertaking activity outside the accepted scope until a revised AB-515(a) covering the new scope is accepted by ABSA., NDE procedures in use that have not been reviewed and signed by a Level III, which AB-515 §4.14 identifies as a control the organization is expected to verify., No documented verification that subcontracted NDE personnel actually hold the qualification and certification the work order specified., Impartiality and conflict-of-interest measures missing from employee and subcontractor contracts, which AB-515 §4.7.2 requires those contracts to incorporate.. These recur because they are records problems rather than capability problems — the work is being done correctly and the evidence is not being kept.

Which NDT methods does ABSA / AB-515 cover?

UT, UTT, PAUT, TOFD, RT, MT, PT, VT. Each method in scope needs its own approved procedure and personnel qualified in that specific method; a Level III qualified in ultrasonics cannot sign for radiography.

Personnel certification under ABSA / AB-515

Two separate credentials apply, and only one can be outsourced. NDT technicians work under employer-based certification: AB-515 §4.14 states an NDE organization conforming to ISO 9712, SNT-TC-1A or CP-189 (ACCP/ASNT) is desired, requires NDE procedures approved and signed by a Level III, and explicitly accepts a Level III who is 'contract or employee'. An outsourced Level III can therefore own the written practice and sign procedures. The in-service inspector credential cannot be handled that way: the person who certifies pressure equipment for continued operation must personally hold an ABSA Certificate of Competency issued under AB-526.

The audit sequence

Information meeting with ABSA covering the Safety Codes Act, CSA B51, the applicable ASME code of construction and the AB-515 requirements. Optional for out-of-province applicants and not required for renewals.
Submit form AB-29, a draft written description of the QMS, form AB-515(a), the AB-515(b) checklist and the non-refundable application fee of $1,253.50 (ABSA Fee Schedule effective 2025-11-01).
ABSA reviews the written description and accepts it as the basis for review. Review is charged at the hourly rate of $163.50 with a minimum of four hours.
Applicant arranges a live project demonstrating the activities applied for and agrees an audit date with ABSA.
An ABSA auditor attends the work site, witnesses the work being performed and audits against the firm's own written description, assisted by the firm's management.
On a successful audit ABSA issues the Certificate of Authorization Permit; issuance fee $163.50. The normal term of a permit is three years.
ABSA conducts surveillance audit(s) within the certification term; a recommendation to continue validity of the permit is based on an acceptable audit.

Documents an auditor asks for

Form AB-29 Application for Certificate of Authorization Permit
Written description of the Quality Management System (the AB-515 manual)
Form AB-515(a) Integrity Assessment Organization Authorized Scope of Activities
Form AB-515(b) Integrity Assessment Organization QMS Written Description Checklist
Statement of Authority and Responsibility signed by a principal company official
Independence, impartiality and integrity policy, with conflict-of-interest clauses in employee and subcontractor contracts
NDE procedures reviewed and signed by a Level III, plus the NDE contractor's written practice for qualifying and certifying examiners
Personnel competency assessment records and copies of Alberta In-Service Inspector Certificates of Competency
Calibration records for measuring and test equipment, including subcontractor-owned equipment
Form AB-40 Repair/Alteration Report where repairs are inspected and certified

Findings firms get against ABSA / AB-515

Work performed outside the scope listed on form AB-515(a). AB-515 prohibits undertaking activity outside the accepted scope until a revised AB-515(a) covering the new scope is accepted by ABSA.
NDE procedures in use that have not been reviewed and signed by a Level III, which AB-515 §4.14 identifies as a control the organization is expected to verify.
No documented verification that subcontracted NDE personnel actually hold the qualification and certification the work order specified.
Impartiality and conflict-of-interest measures missing from employee and subcontractor contracts, which AB-515 §4.7.2 requires those contracts to incorporate.
Specifying integrity assessment or NDE activity in excess of what AB-506 requires, which AB-515 §4.7.2 gives as an example of compromised independence of judgement.
The manual fails to state which records are the client's property. AB-515 requires it to be clear that inspection reports, work plans and integrity assessment records created for the owner belong to the owner and must be returned on request.
Calibration status of measuring and test equipment used by subcontracted NDE companies not tracked by the certificate holder.
Personnel certifying pressure equipment with a lapsed Alberta In-Service Inspector Certificate of Competency; AB-526 states a certificate is no longer valid once expired and a person must not certify any item without a valid one.