TSASK Compliance for Inspection Service Providers
Owners and insurers of pressure equipment in Saskatchewan who want to set inspection intervals by risk rather than fixed regulatory intervals, and the inspection companies that serve them. Personnel certification is central or third-party here, so the firm cannot certify its own technicians internally.
TSASK states that an inspection company providing inspection services of pressure equipment for an approved owner or insurer under a QMS must itself apply for registration with TSASK. Also applies to contractors constructing, installing, altering or repairing pressure equipment. Saskatchewan's Quality Management System of Inspections is voluntary but commercially decisive: it is what lets a company lengthen inspection intervals, remove start-up delays on newly installed equipment and extend PSV service intervals. Three authorization classes exist under Regulation 83(1) — Class A covering periodic inspections, repairs and alterations and acceptance inspections of new piping including boilers, Class B the same without boilers, and Class C for insurers inspecting equipment they insure. Every inspection carried out under an approved QMS must be done by a Licensed Pressure Equipment Inspector whose licence authorizes that inspection, and the holder must designate and employ one. Separately, contractors need a Certificate of Authorization built on a quality control manual.
Source: TSASK Saskatchewan Quality Management System of Inspections, document IP-2011-01-01, including the Class A/B/C authorizations under Saskatchewan Regulation 83(1); TSASK Guide for Quality Control Program Requirements, document IP-2008-07-04, revision September 2017; TSASK Quality Management Systems, Pressure Equipment Inspector licensing and Design Registration pages; The Boiler and Pressure Vessel Act and The Boiler and Pressure Vessel Regulations. Verified on tsask.ca on 2026-08-21.
| Item | What applies | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Authority | Technical Safety Authority of Saskatchewan (TSASK), administering The Boiler and Pressure Vessel Act and The Boiler and Pressure Vessel Regulations, with oversight from the Saskatchewan Boiler and Pressure Vessel Safety Board | The body that issues, audits and can withdraw |
| Applies to | Owners and insurers of pressure equipment in Saskatchewan who want to set inspection intervals by risk rather than fixed regulatory intervals, and. | Whether this binds your firm at all |
| Personnel certification | Central or third-party certification required | Decides whether an outsourced Level III can sign for you |
| Renewal | Renewal applications must be requested at least 120 days before the certificate expiry date. Applications submitted closer to expiration may require an interim extension application to maintain compliance while the renewal audit is under way. A separate timing rule applies at first certification: the implementation audit must be completed within six months of manual approval or a new application and payment are required. TSASK did not publish a fixed certificate term in the material reviewed, so confirm the term on the certificate itself. | Diarise from the certificate date, not from memory |
| Methods in scope | UT, UTT, RT, MT, PT, VT | Each method needs its own procedure and qualified personnel |
| Industries | Oil and gas production, Heavy oil and upgrading, Potash and uranium mining, Fertilizer and chemical processing, Power generation | Where this regime shows up in contracts |
Who does TSASK apply to?
Owners and insurers of pressure equipment in Saskatchewan who want to set inspection intervals by risk rather than fixed regulatory intervals, and the inspection companies that serve them. TSASK states that an inspection company providing inspection services of pressure equipment for an approved owner or insurer under a QMS must itself apply for registration with TSASK. Also applies to contractors constructing, installing, altering or repairing pressure equipment.
Can an outsourced Level III sign for TSASK compliance?
Not for the certification itself. TSASK requires central or third-party personnel certification, so technicians are certified by the scheme rather than by the employer. A consulting Level III still adds value on procedures, documentation, gap assessment and audit attendance — but cannot substitute for the scheme's own certification.
What documents does a TSASK audit ask for?
Application for a Quality Program Review, One controlled copy of the QMS manual covering design, construction, installation, operation, alteration, repairs, inspections and decommissioning information, Quality control manual per guide IP-2008-07-04, with title page, Certificate of Authorization facsimile, statement of authority, organization charts, and sections on drawings and designs, material control, examination and inspection, nonconformity, welding, NDE, heat treatment, calibration, record retention and sample forms, CGSB certification records for NDE personnel, plus annual vision and colour differentiation test results, Licensed Pressure Equipment Inspector licences and the Certificate of Qualification for the Designated Pressure Equipment Inspector. 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 TSASK renewed?
Renewal applications must be requested at least 120 days before the certificate expiry date. Applications submitted closer to expiration may require an interim extension application to maintain compliance while the renewal audit is under way. A separate timing rule applies at first certification: the implementation audit must be completed within six months of manual approval or a new application and payment are required. TSASK did not publish a fixed certificate term in the material reviewed, so confirm the term on the certificate itself. 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 TSASK findings?
NDE personnel holding only employer-issued SNT-TC-1A certification, where the TSASK quality control program guide requires certification in accordance with CGSB., Missing annual vision and colour differentiation test records for NDE personnel., Inspections carried out under the approved QMS by a person whose Licensed Pressure Equipment Inspector licence does not authorize that class of inspection, for example Class 2 covering only pressure vessels and associated piping being used on boiler work., Designated Pressure Equipment Inspector acting without the TSASK Certificate of Qualification required in addition to the LPEI licence.. 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 TSASK cover?
UT, UTT, RT, MT, PT, VT, PAUT, TOFD. 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 TSASK
Saskatchewan is the strictest of the western provinces on this point. The TSASK quality control program guide states that personnel performing NDE must be qualified and certified in accordance with CGSB, with their qualifications maintained by the certificate holder, and requires annual vision and colour differentiation testing. That is central third-party certification through the NRCan NDT Certification Body to CAN/CGSB-48.9712, not an employer written practice, so an SNT-TC-1A Level II will not satisfy an auditor on its own. Inspection personnel need a TSASK Licensed Pressure Equipment Inspector licence, and a Designated Pressure Equipment Inspector also needs a TSASK Certificate of Qualification.
The audit sequence
- Submit the Application for a Quality Program Review together with one controlled copy of the QMS manual to TSASK.
- TSASK conducts the manual review phase against the applicable requirements and the Chief Inspector approves the manual.
- Complete the implementation audit within six months of approval; if the audit is not completed within six months a new application and payment are required.
- TSASK issues the Certificate of Authorization, which must then be reproduced in facsimile inside the manual showing the current physical address of the managing facility and the scope of work from the title page.
- Submit the Letter of Implementation, then maintain the four mandatory reporting streams: May and November inspection reports, pressure equipment inventory updates, and Chief Inspector notifications of designated inspector changes.
- Request the renewal application at least 120 days before the certificate expiry date, and apply for an interim extension if the renewal audit will not complete before expiry.
Documents an auditor asks for
- Application for a Quality Program Review
- One controlled copy of the QMS manual covering design, construction, installation, operation, alteration, repairs, inspections and decommissioning information
- Quality control manual per guide IP-2008-07-04, with title page, Certificate of Authorization facsimile, statement of authority, organization charts, and sections on drawings and designs, material control, examination and inspection, nonconformity, welding, NDE, heat treatment, calibration, record retention and sample forms
- CGSB certification records for NDE personnel, plus annual vision and colour differentiation test results
- Licensed Pressure Equipment Inspector licences and the Certificate of Qualification for the Designated Pressure Equipment Inspector
- Welding procedure specifications and PQRs conforming to ASME Section IX, registered with the jurisdiction before use
- Pressure Equipment Status Report and the QMS Inspection Reporting spreadsheet
- Letter of Implementation and the semi-annual May and November inspection reports
- Pressure Equipment Inventory Updates and written notification to the Chief Inspector of any change of designated inspector
- Design submissions through the Design Submission Portal, with forms TSK-1003 and TSK-1009 as applicable
Findings firms get against TSASK
- NDE personnel holding only employer-issued SNT-TC-1A certification, where the TSASK quality control program guide requires certification in accordance with CGSB.
- Missing annual vision and colour differentiation test records for NDE personnel.
- Inspections carried out under the approved QMS by a person whose Licensed Pressure Equipment Inspector licence does not authorize that class of inspection, for example Class 2 covering only pressure vessels and associated piping being used on boiler work.
- Designated Pressure Equipment Inspector acting without the TSASK Certificate of Qualification required in addition to the LPEI licence.
- Implementation audit not completed within six months of manual approval, voiding the application.
- Certificate of Authorization facsimile in the manual showing an out-of-date physical address or a scope that does not match the title page.
- Welding procedures not registered with the jurisdiction before use, or welder qualification attempted on production welds rather than a registered WPS test.
- Renewal requested inside the 120-day window, leaving the certificate to lapse while the renewal audit is scheduled.
- Inspection company serving an approved owner or insurer QMS without having registered with TSASK in its own right.
Related: the TSASK overview, outsourced ASNT Level III cover, written practice development, NDT procedure development, a programme gap assessment, interim Level III cover.