Inspection and Testing are Effected Appropriately

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VHA DIRECTIVE 2003-050

September 11, 2003

(10N). NOTE: Following the notification of the Deputy Under Secretary for Health for

Operations and Management, a thorough origin and cause analysis must be performed by the

facility and a written report submitted as soon as possible.

c. On-Site Reserve Fuel Requirements are Maintained. NOTE: Where unusual

conditions exist, the Medical Center Director, or qualified designee, may authorize deviations

from the storage quantity requirements. There must be a program of fuel testing and

maintenance, or replacement, to ensure that stored fuel remains suitable for burning.

(1) Facilities firing coal as the main fuel normally store a sufficient supply of fuel to meet

the normal demands of continuous operation for a period of 15 January days.

(2) Facilities firing oil as the main fuel must maintain a supply of fuel sufficient to meet the

normal demands of continuous operation for a period of 15 January days. Plants that generate

less than 50 percent of their annual steam demand by natural gas for 2 consecutive years are to

be considered as burning oil only.

(3) Facilities firing natural gas as the main fuel with oil or propane back-up normally

maintain a sufficient supply of back-up fuel to meet the normal demands of continuous

operations for a period of 10 January days.

NOTE: Fuel storage must be re-evaluated annually against actual fuel used in January.

d. Inspection and Testing are Effected Appropriately

(1) Qualified Testing Staff. A Qualified Inspector is an individual who is determined by

the medical center's management to be qualified to inspect equipment by reason of training and

experience. This is a very important determination. The required services must be procured

from qualified individuals, if no VA staff is qualified.

(a) Hydrostatic testing of boilers and pressure vessels must be conducted after a repair or a

tube replacement, or when the integrity of the boiler or pressure vessel integrity is in doubt.

Hydrostatic pressure must be limited to 150 percent of normal operating pressure of the boiler or

pressure vessel.

(b) Selections of contractors for plant services including boiler inspections, burner

adjustments, testing of safety devices, calibration of instruments, and monitoring of water

treatment must be based on quality as the first priority. The contracting method chosen must

allow contractors to be selected on the basis of qualifications as a first priority.

1. A boiler inspector who has a valid commission from the National Board of Boiler and

Pressure Vessel Inspectors.