Design Verification
What is Design Verification?
In design verification, independent checks are made to ensure that the design is safe and code compliant, that the correct materials are specified, that the designer has not made unsupportable assumptions or applied incorrect logic and that arithmetic errors have been identified and corrected.
Verification is carried out against the relevant standards recognised by the New Zealand PECPR Regulations, including ASME B31.1, ASME B31.3, ASME B31.4, ASME Section VIII Divisions 1 and 2, ASME Section I, PD 5500, AS 1200, AS 1210, AS1228 and EN12953.
Who can carry out design
verification in New Zealand?
In New Zealand, design verification of higher hazard pressure equipment must be carried out by an accredited inspection body, using a competent design verifier, under the Health and Safety in Employment (Pressure Equipment, Cranes and Passenger Ropeways) Regulations 1999 (PECPR), administered by WorkSafe. Index Engineering is one of those inspection bodies. We have been an IANZ accredited inspection body for design verification since 2011, and we design verify pressure vessels, pressure piping, boilers and cranes for clients throughout New Zealand and for overseas clients bringing equipment into NZ.
IANZ Accreditation
Index Engineering is an IANZ accredited inspection body for design verification of pressure equipment in New Zealand.
Index Engineering became accredited as an Inspection Body for Design Verification in 2011 and provides design verification inspections in accordance with the Health and Safety in Employment (Pressure Equipment, Cranes and Passenger Ropeways) Regulations 1999 in the areas of:
- pressure vessels
- pressure piping
- boilers
- cranes
Index Engineering is a Type C Inspection Body. This means that we have satisfied IANZ that the inspection body activities of Index Engineering are a clearly identifiable part of our business and that we provide safeguards within the organisation to ensure adequate segregation of responsibilities and accountabilities between inspection and other activities. We have been approved to design and design verify pressure piping and pressure equipment, with assurance of impartiality. For this kind of work, we satisfy the requirements of PECPR Regulations Policy – Type B&C Design Verification [Regulation 25(1)(i)] and follow the required reporting path configuration, giving you confidence that an engineer does not design verify his or her own designs.
We adhere to a well-developed quality management system in accordance with ISO/IEC 17020:2012, and are subject to annual internal and external audits.
Design Verification FAQs
Who can carry out design verification of a pressure vessel or boiler in New Zealand?
In New Zealand, design verification of higher hazard pressure equipment must be carried out by an accredited inspection body, using a competent design verifier, under the Health and Safety in Employment (Pressure Equipment, Cranes and Passenger Ropeways) Regulations 1999 (PECPR). Index Engineering is one of those inspection bodies. We have been IANZ accredited for design verification since 2011 and can design verify pressure vessels, pressure piping, boilers and cranes for clients throughout New Zealand.
What is a Type C inspection body?
A Type C inspection body is one that IANZ has accredited to carry out inspection work as a clearly identifiable part of its wider business, with safeguards in place to keep that work independent. For Index Engineering it means we have satisfied IANZ that our design verification is properly separated from our other engineering work, so an engineer never design verifies their own design. It is the accreditation the PECPR Regulations require for this kind of work.
What pressure equipment can Index Engineering design verify?
Our IANZ accreditation covers design verification of pressure vessels, pressure piping, boilers and cranes. Jobs can range from a single certificate and one drawing, potentially covering just a valve, right up to large projects involving multiple drawings and certificates. If you are not sure whether your equipment needs design verification, talk to one of our engineers and we will point you in the right direction.
Can Index Engineering design verify a design that Index Engineering created?
Yes. Because we are accredited as a Type C inspection body, our design verification is kept independent from our design work, and the engineer who verifies a design is never the engineer who created it. That separation is built into how we are accredited, so you still get an independent check even when both pieces of work sit with Index Engineering.
How we can help
With our team of three design verifiers, we can complete design verification jobs ranging from one certificate and one drawing (and potentially covering just a valve), right up to very large design verification jobs involving multiple drawings and certificates.
We understand that you want your design verification to go smoothly! If you are new to design verification, it is best to talk with one of our engineers before submitting your job for verification. We can guide you on the information requirements, and provide you with one of our checklists if appropriate.
We design verify pressure vessels, pressure piping, boilers and cranes, and issue a Certificate of Design Verification for your equipment.
Next step
Please contact us for advice on the information we require in order to design-verify your equipment