American Petroleum Institute's API Q1 Standard NINTH Edition

[Blake Slayton]

API recently released (June 2013) the 9th edition of API Q1. From what I have read on other websites, the Q1 no longer mirrors the ISO TS 29001:2010 or the ISO 9001:2008, although many of the elements are still there (just numbered differently now in Q1).

I have been working on getting my company certified to API's QualityPlus program which includes ISO 9001, API Q1 and ISO TS 29001 together for the price of one. However, I do not know if my Quality Manual, Procedures or other documentation should follow the numbering scheme of ISO 9001 or the new numbering scheme of API Q1.

I have sent an email to the API rep who is helping me to get the certification but it may be a while before I hear back from him. Just wondering if anyone here would have some answers for me.

Thanks,


Blake

 

[Boingo-boingo]

Re: API Q1 Standard NINTH Edition

However, I do not know if my Quality Manual, Procedures or other documentation should follow the numbering scheme of ISO 9001 or the new numbering scheme of API Q1.

Do NOT make the mistake of numbering/formatting anything in your Quality System to replicate the designation from any standard. It will save a lot of aggravation, later.

It is YOUR (company's) system; not ISO's; not API's.

Good luck.

 

[Marc]

I don't know anything, but this is interesting. API Q1 threads don't come up here too often but it's interesting to know about API Q1. Any information would be appreciated.

I did see this:

API Spec Q1
Specification for Quality Management System Requirements for Manufacturing Organizations for the Petroleum and Natural Gas Industry - Ninth Edition

Standard published 06/01/2013 by American Petroleum Institute

 

[bpritts]

Re: API Q1 Standard NINTH Edition

I agree with Boingo-Boingo's point, but would just add that what you need to do is
(1) develop the manual to follow the logic of your company's organization
and
(2) develop a cross-reference matrix to show how the customer's/ industry standard is
addressed by your QA manual. This could be as simple as:


ISO 9001 My Manual

4.1 General Requirements Introduction

4.2 Documentation Requirements Procedure 5 - Documentation Control
Procedure 6 - Record Control

...

5.6 Management Review Procedure 11 - Management and Communications


Then you develop a similar cross reference for whichever standard you need to address.

This helps you make sure that you (and auditors!) to easily see how your system
meets the requirements.

I think of the typical standard as a list of ingredients, but the manual as a group
of recipes. If you read the list of ingredients on a candy bar, you get a list with
cocoa, sugar, almonds, etc. Just reading the list of ingredients and throwing them
together will not make a good candy bar. Instead you need a recipe that
moves in a logical effective process.

Best,
Brad

 

[bluepagen]

We are Q1 Certified, and are working on trying to revise what we can to meet the new requirements, and determine what we will have to add. The numbering is all different, so the cross reference is a good idea. Plus, it will help if the long run if you are ISO certified also, because it too will be changing.
Mark commented that there are not too many threads in the Cove for API Q1, and that is one area that I wish more conversations took place on. Medical has gotten big, but here in the south of Texas, we are oil and gas. More expert advice would be helpful.

 

[Boingo-boingo]

Mark commented that there are not too many threads in the Cove for API Q1, and that is one area that I wish more conversations took place on.

Here.

 

[radica]

Blake,

if you read the Annex B of API Spec Q1 Ed.9 you will noticed that the first sentence says that: "For existing quality management systems, there is no requirement to meet a specific quality management system format or numbering system" and "This will allow an organization to maintain its existing formatting and numbering system, if desired, and identify those requirements that have been added to the new edition of the specification"

Regards,

Rada

 

[Marc]

Oil and Gas related Discussions

<snip> Mark commented that there are not too many threads in the Cove for API Q1, and that is one area that I wish more conversations took place on. Medical has gotten big, but here in the south of Texas, we are oil and gas. More expert advice would be helpful.

It takes people in the industry coming here to discuss things which I encourage but can not control.

 

[mszafarczyk]

Greetings!

My name's Maciek, i'm working in a small, family run company from Poland.

Nice to meet you all!

Didn't want to start a new topic, since my question concerns API Q1 9th Ed - hope that's okay with forum's policy.

Okay, so - our company's quality system is ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certified; however, due to some market-related shifts, we are currently working on obtaining API Quality Systems.

Gentlemen, my question is, and please bare with me because it's going to be a twisted one is API Q1 certificate necessary to be eligible for API 6A / API 16A certification process? In order words, can we skip Q1 and focus on obtaining 6A / 16A only?

PS: I am aware of the differences between Q1 and 9001, I know how API 6A differs from API Q1 and so on, as I did some major research on it; unfortunately I can't get any answer to that one precise question that I mentioned above. Hopefully you can help me out.

Thank you very much for your time!

 

[Big Jim]

Unless things have changed with the 9th edition, you need to be certified to Q1 before you can even apply for 6A / 16A.