Quality Manual NDT Section for RBQ / ISP
RBQ / ISP names this requirement as "Quality control programme documentation for manufacturing certification, where applicable". The management representative owns it, alongside the certification scheme rather than replacing it.
The finding auditors record against this document is: Performing periodic inspections in Québec without RBQ recognition, where only the RBQ or a personne reconnue may carry them out.. Québec has two gates and a language requirement, which is why it defeats firms that cleared Ontario. First, the organization must be recognized: an inspection or insurance company obtains recognition as a personne reconnue by meeting the conditions in article 83 of the Règlement sur les installations sous pression and supplying the information and documents listed in article 84. Recognition is valid three years and renewal requires a fresh application, not a light-touch extension. Only the RBQ itself or a personne reconnue may perform the periodic external and internal inspections, and the personne reconnue issues the periodic inspection certificate to the owner-user. Second, the individual doing the work needs a provincial occupational certificate.
Source: Règlement sur les installations sous pression, CQLR c. B-1.1, r. 6.1, articles 71, 78 (Table 1), 81, 83 and 84; RBQ Personne reconnue and Respecter ses obligations pages, and La RBQ et les installations sous pression, which notes a regulatory modification published 2026-07-15; RBQ Guide d'application du Règlement sur les installations sous pression, produced by the Bureau d'expertise et d'homologation en équipements sous pression, which references CSA B51 édition 2014 and NQ 3650-900 édition 2013; Québec.ca, Certificat en inspection d'installations sous pression (IISP), issued by the Ministère de l'Emploi et de la Solidarité sociale. Verified 2026-08-21.
| Item | What applies | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Regime | Régie du bâtiment du Québec — Règlement sur les installations sous pression and the personne reconnue recognition regime | Enforced by Régie du bâtiment du Québec (RBQ), Bureau d'expertise et d'homologation en équipements sous pression, administering the Building Act and the Règlement sur les installations sous pression, CQLR c. B-1.1, r. 6.1. Individual inspection certificates are issued separately by the Ministère de l'Emploi et de la Solidarité sociale. |
| Document | Quality Manual NDT Section | where the NDT programme sits inside the firm’s quality system, and how it is controlled |
| Owner | the management representative | The signature an auditor traces back |
| Where it is checked | Perform inspections at the frequencies set out in Table 1 of article 78 and issue the periodic inspection. | Usually against a sampled job, not in isolation |
| Common failure | Performing periodic inspections in Québec without RBQ recognition, where only the RBQ or a personne reconnue may carry them out. | The gap between the manual and the job file |
What must a quality manual ndt section contain under RBQ / ISP?
It has to satisfy RBQ / ISP as Régie du bâtiment du Québec (RBQ), Bureau d'expertise et d'homologation en équipements sous pression, administering the Building Act and the Règlement sur les installations sous pression, CQLR c. B-1.1, r. 6.1. Individual inspection certificates are issued separately by the Ministère de l'Emploi et de la Solidarité sociale. enforces it: where the NDT programme sits inside the firm’s quality system, and how it is controlled. The test is not completeness on paper but traceability — an auditor picks a finished job and works backwards to this document, so anything it claims must be demonstrable on that job.
Who signs the quality manual ndt section for RBQ / ISP?
The management representative. This regime requires central or third-party certification, so the signature works alongside the scheme rather than substituting for it.
How does a RBQ / ISP auditor test this document?
By sampling. They take a completed job, find the technicians and equipment used, and trace each back through this document to the evidence behind it. A document that reads well but cannot survive that trace is the most common finding across every regime, not just this one.
How long must RBQ / ISP records be kept?
Recognition as a personne reconnue is valid for three years, and renewal requires a new application to the RBQ rather than a simple extension. The individual Certificat en inspection d'installations sous pression has a four-year validity, with apprentice cards renewed annually. Equipment inspection frequency is not a single interval but is set by equipment type in Table 1 of article 78 of the Règlement sur les installations sous pression. Note that a regulatory modification was published on 2026-07-15, so confirm current article numbering against the consolidated regulation. Retention is set by the regime and by the client contract above it, and the longer of the two governs. Firms that set one retention period for everything and document it fare better at audit than firms tracking different periods per record type and losing track.
Does a generic template satisfy RBQ / ISP?
No. A downloaded template describes a generic firm, and the first question an auditor asks is whether the document describes THIS firm — its methods, its equipment, its people, its actual workflow. Templates are a starting structure; the content has to be the firm's own or the trace fails immediately.
What happens if this document is missing at a RBQ / ISP audit?
It is a finding, and depending on the regime it can suspend the certificate rather than merely generate a corrective action. The related finding auditors record most often is: Performing periodic inspections in Québec without RBQ recognition, where only the RBQ or a personne reconnue may carry them out.
Where this sits in the RBQ / ISP evidence pack
- Application for recognition as a personne reconnue, with the information and documents specified in article 84 of the Règlement sur les installations sous pression
- Evidence of compliance with the conditions in article 83 of the same regulation
- Certificat en inspection d'installations sous pression (IISP) for each individual performing inspections, or a valid apprentice card
- Periodic inspection certificates issued to the owner-user following each inspection
- The owner-user registry: compliance certificates from permitted installers, all inspection and verification results, the manufacturer's operation and maintenance manual, and the complete maintenance, repair, replacement and modification history
- Maintenance supervisor contact details and owner-user identification within the registry
- Design plans and specifications submitted to the RBQ for Canadian Registration Number assignment
- Quality control programme documentation for manufacturing certification, where applicable
Personnel certification context
The individual credential is the barrier. Québec requires a Certificat en inspection d'installations sous pression (IISP), a mandatory occupational certificate issued by the Ministère de l'Emploi et de la Solidarité sociale, for anyone who inspects the fabrication of pressure installations or installs, repairs or modifies them; working without it or an apprentice card is an offence carrying fines. It requires a minimum 1,000 hours of supervised apprenticeship and a written examination. National Board Inspector Commission holders get a shortened exam. Neither the regulation nor the RBQ application guide names an NDT personnel certification scheme, so confirm whether an SNT-TC-1A written practice is accepted before relying on it.
Related: the RBQ / ISP overview, outsourced ASNT Level III cover, written practice development, NDT procedure development, a programme gap assessment, interim Level III cover.