Boneham Engineering Consultants

Another busy week has commenced, with a mix of external and internal pressure vessel inspections, as well as verifying and documenting the fitting of a number of pressure relief valves.

At Boneham Engineering Consultants, we emphasise the critical importance of clear and durable identification for pressure equipment. Properly labelling pressure vessels, piping, and relief devices is not just a best practice but a vital component for effective plant operation and maintenance.

We are pleased to announce our new service offering for the procurement of stainless steel and various tag materials. These materials are designed to align with Australian Standards and WHS regulations, ensuring compliance for both new installations and existing assets. Our services include:

- Sourcing and specifying appropriate tags
- Ensuring alignment with AS/NZS standards
- Seamlessly integrating tags into inspection and audit processes

Accurate identification plays a key role in ensuring safety, traceability, and regulatory adherence. If your facility requires compliant tagging solutions, we are here to provide the necessary support.

Feel free to reach out to us to discuss your specific requirements or to incorporate tag procurement seamlessly into your upcoming inspection procedures.

🔧 Why Every Workplace Needs a Pressure Relief Device Management System

In my 30+ years work experience inspecting plant and equipment across mining and industrial sites and investigating incidents, I continue to encounter a troubling trend: pressure relief devices (PRDs) are often poorly managed, inadequately documented/ recorded, or incorrectly fitted/ maintained. These oversights aren’t just technical, they’re safety and compliance risks usually resulting from systemic deficiencies. We need to keep in mind PRDs are safety devices.

Common Issues I See in the Field:
❌ No unique site identification for PRVs/PSVs (the same goes for the pressure equipment they are fitted to)
📋 Missing certification, incomplete, or inaccurate registers
⚠️ Incorrect devices fitted, eg. wrong size, thread type, set pressure, or flow capacity
🛠️ Deficient standards of fitting and maintenance
📅 Recertification periods expired

These issues can compromise asset integrity, regulatory compliance, and ultimately, workplace safety.

Why a Management System Matters:
A robust PRD management system ensures:
✅ Traceability of every device through unique ID and register
🔍 Verification of correct sizing, pressure ratings, and installation
📆 Scheduled inspections and audits to maintain compliance

At Boneham Engineering Consultants, our mission is simple, "We provide our clients with the best service we can to help them achieve compliance and assist them in ensuring their plant is safe". We offer inspection, auditing, and system reviews and sound advice. Whether it’s field inspections, reconciling registers, verifying device specs, or aligning with AS/NZS standards, our goal is to make compliance practical and reliable.

If you're unsure about the state of your pressure equipment and relief systems, know they need attention, let’s talk. A small fix today can prevent a major failure tomorrow. Let my 30+ years of deep regulatory insight, technical expertise and experience help you to support safe, compliant operations.