QP 1 is the Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP) standard that qualifies contractors for industrial and marine painting, and more customers are writing it into their bid requirements. Before you commit to QP 1 certification, it helps to know exactly what the standard asks of your company. This article walks through the specific requirements in four areas: the work QP 1 covers, quality control, health, safety and environmental management, and personnel training.
What does QP 1 cover?
QP 1 is a standard intended to evaluate the qualifications of contractors in the field of industrial and marine painting. “Industrial and marine painting” is defined as projects for the painting of industrial or marine steel that contains different shapes and configurations. This includes, but is not limited to, the following:
- Ships and other marine structures
- Bridges and towers
- Processing plants
- Storage tanks
- Waste treatment facilities
QP 1 covers both surface preparation, e.g., blasting, as well as coating application. More specialized processes, such as hazardous paint removal or coating of concrete surfaces are covered by additional standards developed by AMPP.
Quality control
QP 1 requires the implementation of a quality management system (QMS) with documented procedures that describe how the company handles the processes it performs in managing its business and completing projects. These include:
- Control of internal and project documentation
- Quality control programs, e.g., inspections, corrective actions, etc.
- Communication of requirements to office and field personnel
- Craft worker training and evaluation
Quality control programs are managed by a designated Quality Control Supervisor (QCS). The QCS must be a full-time employee with at least three years of coatings industry experience and additional training (described below). The QCS can be assisted by Quality Control Inspectors who are primarily responsible for conducting field inspections of completed and in-process work. Quality Control Inspectors must have at least two years of coatings industry experience and additional training.
Health, Safety, and Environmental Management
The QP 1 standard requires the company to create and implement a written health, safety, and environmental (HSE) management plan and ensure that employees have been trained on it. Some requirements of an HSE plan include:
- Safety procedures applied in the field, e.g., personal protective equipment, ladder/scaffold setup and use, etc.
- Accident reporting
- Documentation of safety meetings, toolbox talks, training sessions
- Procedures for management of wastes, e.g., leftover paint, wastewater from blasting or cleaning, etc.
- Job hazard evaluation and recordkeeping
The company’s HSE program must be managed by a full-time employee designated as the Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) Manager. The EHS Manager must have at least three years’ experience in industrial coating safety or construction safety, along with additional training.
Training
QP 1 has rigorous training requirements for craft workers, quality control supervisors, and environmental health and safety managers. On projects where the contractor is required by the customer to have QP 1 certification, at least 50% of the craft workers working on the project (for groups of 4 or more) must have Certified Application Specialist (CAS) Level 2 or 3 certification. Information about AMPP’s CAS training courses and certifications is available here.
Quality Control Supervisors, in addition to experience, must also have the following training:
- A course in quality control supervision specific to the painting industry
- A coatings inspector certification of level 2 or higher
Quality Control Inspectors, in addition to experience, must also have the following training:
- A training course approved by AMPP, with at least 24 hours minimum contact time
Information about AMPP’s Coatings Inspector Program (CIP) courses and certifications is available here.
Environmental Health & Safety Managers, in addition to experience, must also have the following training:
- A trainer course in applicable safety standards including prerequisite courses, such as OSHA 500, OSHA 501, or OSHA 5400; or
- A course in industrial coating safety management, plus an additional 40 contact hours of health and safety training
The QP 1 standard is technically demanding, but certification can open up significant opportunities to grow your coatings business. If you’d like to know more about how Freer Consulting can help, email us at [email protected] or contact us for a no-obligation scoping call.
