ASME has been defining piping safety since 1922.



ASME B31Q establishes the requirements for developing and implementing an effective Pipeline Personnel Qualification Program. It specifies the requirements for identifying covered tasks that impact the safety or integrity of pipelines, for qualifying individuals to perform those tasks, and for managing the qualifications of pipeline personnel.



With the following exceptions, this Standard applies to tasks that impact the safety or integrity of pipelines: design or engineering tasks and tasks that are primarily intended to ensure personnel safety.

Key changes to this revision include the enhancement of the qualification standards to provide more in-depth evaluation criteria for the balance of the task list, addition of seven new tasks to the task list, removal of nine tasks specific to diving that are covered sufficiently by NDT, welding, and other land-based tasks, removal of one task that is being combined with a similar task, addition of a Nonmandatory Appendix that provides guidance for implementing ASME B31Q and the nonmandatory Task List, and clarification on the following issues: construction documentation clarified in the definition of documentation in the nonmandatory Task List, and redesignating sections and appendices to follow ASME guidelines.

B31Q joins with ASME’s other B31 codes on piping systems. Together, they remain essential references for anyone engaged with piping.