ASME B31.3 Responsibilities
ASME B31.3 specify the responsibilities between the owner, Designer, Manufacturer, Fabricator, Erector and Owner's Inspector.
Owner
The owner's first responsibility is to determine which Code Section should be used. The owner has over-all responsibility within the ASME B31.3 Code for compliance with the Code and for establishing the requirements for design, fabrication, examination, inspection, and testing. Owners are also responsible for designating the fluid service if they desire Category D or M and selecting Chapter IX if they wish it to be used for high-pressure piping. The owner is the individual or organization that will own and operate the facility after it is constructed. For example, in turnkey construction, the owner is not the contractor, but the organization to which the facility will be turned over.
Designer
The Designer is responsible to the owner for assurance that the engineering design of piping complies with the requirements of the Code and with any additional requirements established by the owner. Qualifications for the designer were added in the 2000 Addendum, as para. 301.1. Note that the Designer is the person in charge of the engineering design of the piping system. This is not the job classification typically called "piping designer" nor the design firm.
The qualifications are stated as minimum experience, including some combination of education or professional registration, and experience in the design of related pressure piping. Experience that includes design calculations for pressure, sustained and occasional loads, and piping flexibility is considered to satisfy this experience requirement.
Different systems may require more or less experience, depending on their complexity and criticality. A Designer with less experience may be acceptable in some circumstances; this is permissible with the approval of the owner.
The number of years of experience is not specified for engineers with Professional Engineering registration. Reliance is instead placed on jurisdictional laws that prohibit Professional Engineers from taking responsible charge of work for which they do not have the necessary competence.
Designer
The manufacturer, fabricator, and erector of piping are responsible for providing materials, components, and workmanship in compliance with the requirements of the Code and of the engineering design. Remember that additional requirements specified in the engineering design become requirements of the Code for that piping installation.
Owner's Inspector
The owner's Inspector is responsible to the owner for ensuring that the requirements of the Code for inspection, examination, and testing are met. The Inspector is the owner's representative and oversees the examination and testing work performed by the contractor. The Inspector, therefore, cannot be an employee of the contractor, but could be a third party retained by the owner. The Inspector is a representative of the owner, not an independent third party, such as an authorized inspector. Required qualifications of the Inspector are provided in Chapter V of the Code and are discussed below in Chapter 13. Note that the Inspector is not required to perform examinations or check design.