Energy & Chemicals

Energy & Chemicals

USA is one of the world’s leading chemical hubs: over 100 global chemical firms conduct major operations in the country, and it is among the largest refinery export hubs and chemical exporters worldwide.

This is on the back of rapid developments in production process and systems. The pace of change means that a more comprehensive and active form of safety monitoring is now a key priority. Conformity assessment is a crucial tool for this purpose – it ensures both safety and quality at every stage of production, and is a requirement from most regulators and customers.

Chemical producers can maintain these standards with the aid of Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs). CABs provide testing and certification of personnel and components, as well as calibration of high-precision measuring devices. This allows manufacturers to maintain the highest standards from procurement to operational stages.

The International Directorate of Accreditation (IDA) has accreditation schemes for laboratories and bodies offering these services, to provide further assurance over the credibility of assessment.

The energy industry can be grouped into petroleum, gas, electrical, coal and renewables. For petroleum refiners and other oil companies, CABs are able to inspect and validate fuel quality, in addition to the services outlined above.

Laboratories test for gas compositions and even LNG ship calibration to meet the needs of gas industry players. In the coal industry, they also cater to additional needs such as cargo inspection.

Infrastructure maintenance is also vital to businesses in the industry; the continued functionality of important equipment can be maintained by conformity assessment services. These include services such as mechanical testing and inspection of pressure vessels. Industry players may also undergo conformity assessment to support sustainability initiatives. For example, IDA has an accreditation scheme for validation and verification bodies for the reduction and removal of greenhouse gases. These can be used to support ongoing ESG schemes, and maintain the company’s relationship with environmental watchdogs.