PU Chief Inspector

Sullivan Environmental Services Inc•Galveston, TX

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Chief Inspector is accountable for the integrity management, inspection programs, and regulatory compliance of all pressure equipment, piping systems, storage tanks, and related fixed assets within the refinery. This role serves as the single point of authority for inspection governance under applicable industry codes (API, ASME, OSHA PSM) and ensures the refinery operates within design limits, inspection intervals, and mechanical integrity requirements.

Requirements

API 510 – Pressure Vessel Inspector
API 570 – Piping Inspector
API 653 – Tank Inspector
Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Mechanical preferred) or equivalent experience
10+ years in refinery inspection or mechanical integrity
Demonstrated leadership of inspection programs and teams
Deep knowledge of API and ASME codes
Strong judgment in balancing risk vs. operability
Data-driven inspection planning (RBI expertise)
Ability to challenge operations when integrity risk exists
High attention to documentation and audit readiness

Responsibilities

Own and maintain the Mechanical Integrity (MI) program in compliance with OSHA 29 CFR 1910.119.
Ensure all covered equipment is inspected, tested, and maintained in accordance with API 510 (Pressure Vessels), API 570 (Piping Systems), and API 653 (Storage Tanks).
Define and enforce inspection intervals, Corrosion Monitoring Locations (CMLs), and applicable damage mechanisms.
Develop and maintain Risk-Based Inspection (RBI) programs (API 580 / 581).
Ensure execution of routine inspections, on-stream inspections, and turnaround inspections.
Maintain inspection plans aligned with corrosion circuits and process conditions.
Ensure refinery compliance with OSHA PSM, EPA RMP, ASME Section VIII / B31.3, and State and local jurisdictional requirements.
Serve as the primary point of contact for regulatory audits, compliance reviews, and inspection authority interactions.
Lead or approve Fitness-for-Service (API 579) assessments for degraded equipment.
Define repair vs. replacement decisions based on risk ranking, remaining life analysis, and operational constraints.
Provide technical interpretation of inspection findings to Operations and Engineering.
Develop and control inspection scope for all planned outages, including defining mandatory inspection worklists, identifying high-risk equipment, and prioritizing based on consequence of failure.
Validate inspection execution quality during turnarounds.
Approve return-to-service decisions.
Own and govern inspection data systems, ensuring accurate equipment records, complete inspection histories, and reliable corrosion rate calculations.
Maintain auditable documentation for all MI activities.
Maintain a living Damage Mechanism Review (DMR) for all units, including Corrosion, Stress Corrosion Cracking (SCC), High-Temperature Hydrogen Attack (HTHA), Sulfidation, erosion, fatigue, etc.
Ensure inspection plans directly address identified risks.
Approve and monitor NDE contractors and Inspection vendors.
Enforce qualification requirements and quality standards for vendors and contractors.
Ensure all inspection work complies with refinery specifications and applicable codes.