Mechanical integrity and management of change, on one record.
Oil, gas, and chemical processing facilities run under OSHA Process Safety Management (29 CFR 1910.119) and EPA Risk Management Programs (40 CFR Part 68), with Safety Instrumented Systems per ISA/IEC 61511. The PSM elements Wēlr serves: (d) Process Safety Information, (g) Training, (h) Contractors, (i) Pre-Startup Safety Review, (j) Mechanical Integrity, (l) Management of Change, and (m) Incident Investigation. RBI per API 580 / 581 drives inspection intervals; API 571 classifies damage mechanisms; API 579 evaluates fitness-for-service; in-service codes API 510 / 570 / 653 govern the inspection regime. Wēlr is the mechanical-integrity and management-of-change side of the PSM record — where MI, MOC, PSSR, SIS proof-testing, and qualification at the dispatch gate converge.
Four pains across the PSM record.
- 01
Work is dispatched without verified qualification — and the audit finding lands on the work card.
PSM (g) operator training, (j)(3) maintenance qualification, and (h) contractor employer + task qualification are tracked in three different systems — operator LMS, maintenance CMMS, and contractor gate-pass. None of them fail-closed at the work-card dispatch moment. Turnaround season brings hundreds of contract welders, fitters, scaffolders; gate-pass verifies their employer is on the approved list, but task-by-task qualification (this welder, this WPS, this work card) is hand-managed. The audit finding lands on the work order, not on the LMS configuration.
- 02
Mechanical-integrity audits collect evidence from five systems.
Inspection records sit in IDMS (Meridium, Pinnacle); rotating-equipment service history in the CMMS; pressure-vessel U-1A / NB R-1 forms in document control; damage-mechanism classifications (API 571) and fitness-for-service evaluations (API 579) in engineering archives; calibration data in a separate database. PSM (j) MI audits are reconciliation projects, not query operations.
- 03
PSI drifts from as-built configuration across MOC events.
The MOC approves a plan. The crew does the work. In the field, a fit-up issue causes a substitution — different valve manufacturer, different gasket grade, an additional support that wasn't drawn. Nobody updates the MOC scope to reflect the field substitution; the MOC closes; PSI updates against the MOC scope, not the field state. Five years later, a PHA revalidation team or an incident investigation finds the discrepancy. The OSHA NEP for refineries consistently cites PSI inaccuracy as a top finding; the root cause is MOC-to-as-built drift, not just MOC-to-PSI lag.
- 04
SIS proof-test and instrument calibration are conflated on the calendar.
Safety-instrumented system proof tests (per IEC 61511-1 §16) run on a schedule. Demand-rate changes, partial-stroke testing data, and bad-actor signals don't shorten the interval against the SIL target. Meanwhile, instrument calibration runs on its own calendar — even for the SIF instruments that just passed proof-test. Two different evidence regimes, two different disciplines (functional safety engineer for proof-test; metrology / I&E for calibration), one record that doesn't separate them.
Four primitives. One PSM-aligned record.
Dispatch-gate qualification across operator, maintenance, and contractor workforces
PSM (g) operator training, (j)(3) maintenance qualification, and (h) contractor employer + task-specific qualification — checked at the work-card dispatch moment, not at gate-pass entry. Dispatch fails closed when the welder hasn't qualified on this WPS for this work card, or when contractor task-qualification hasn't been verified. Turnaround scale-up handled.
Mechanical-integrity record per asset (API 571 / 579 / 580 / 581 native)
In-service inspection records (API 510 / 570 / 653), damage-mechanism classification (API 571), fitness-for-service evaluation (API 579 Level 1/2/3), RBI (API 580 / 581), deficiency correction (j)(5), and QA of replacement parts (j)(6) share one append-only record per asset. CAP audit becomes a query.
MOC → as-built reconciliation — not just MOC → PSI update
Field substitutions flow back into MOC scope before close. Structured PSI updates against the field state, not the planned scope. The P&ID drawing-change-request auto-issues to drafting; Wēlr is the source of truth for structured PSI data, the drawing lives downstream in CAD. PHA revalidation finds zero drift between MOC, field, and PSI.
SIS proof-test and instrument calibration tracked separately
Proof-test intervals computed from demand rate, partial-stroke testing data, and PFD against the SIL target per IEC 61511. Calibration cadence — for SIF instruments and non-SIF instruments — driven by criticality and metrology requirements, on its own track. Different responsible disciplines, different evidence regimes, both on the same equipment record.
Why not extend the IDMS / CMMS stack you already run?
Most refineries and chemical plants run an IDMS for inspections, a CMMS for execution, document control for PSI, an LMS for operator training, gate-pass for contractor entry, and a spreadsheet for SIS proof-test scheduling. Six systems, six audit trails — and the PSM CAP reconciliation is the project.
| Capability | Wēlr | Generic IDMS + CMMS stack Meridium / Pinnacle + SAP PM + LMS + gate-pass | Custom-integrated suite Multi-vendor integration project |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dispatch-gate qualification check (operator (g) · maintenance (j)(3) · contractor (h)) | Fails closed at work-card dispatch | Three systems · gate-pass + manual | Custom integration |
| MOC → as-built reconciliation (field substitutions update MOC scope) | Field state ↔ MOC scope · before close | Manual reconciliation, weeks | Manual reconciliation |
| API 571 / 579 / 580 / 581 in the inspection record | First-class · damage class + FFS linked | Spreadsheet + RBI tool | Multiple tools |
| SIS proof-test vs instrument calibration (separated) | Per-SIF PFD-driven · per-instrument criticality-driven | Both calendar-only | Both calendar-only |
| PSSR (1910.119(i)) as a gate before restart | Enforced in workflow | Manual checklist | Manual checklist |
RBI → damage classification → FFS → MOC → field as-built → PSSR → PSI — one record.
An API 581 risk calculation flags pressure vessel PV-2814 for re-inspection. UT thickness scan finds CML-12 below minimum. The damage mechanism is classified per API 571 (sulfidation corrosion); an API 579 Level 1 fitness-for-service evaluation rejects run-with-monitoring and sets the repair scope. The MOC opens, routes through PHA per (l). In the field, a fit-up substitution is logged — and the MOC scope updates to match the field state, not the other way around. The weld overlay executes with welder and WPS qualification per ASME IX; NDE accepts; NB R-1 signs. PSSR per 1910.119(i) clears restart. Structured PSI updates immediately; the P&ID drawing-change-request auto-issues to drafting. Drift between approved-change, field execution, and PSI is zero.
- Damage classification per API 571 · fitness-for-service per API 579 · on the same record as the inspection
- Field substitutions flow back into MOC scope before close · PSI updates against the field state, not the plan
- PSSR per 1910.119(i) as a gate before restart · evidence logged in-band, not on a manual checklist
- Wēlr is the source of truth for structured PSI · the P&ID drawing-change-request auto-issues to drafting · the drawing itself lives downstream in CAD
- D+00RBI ALERTPressure vessel PV-2814 · API 581 risk 1.4e-4 · above threshold · re-inspection due
- D+03UT INSPECTUT thickness scan · CML-12 reading 0.327″ vs minimum 0.380″ · deficient
- D+04DAMAGE MECHAPI 571 classification · sulfidation corrosion · in-kind repair viable
- D+05FFSAPI 579 Level 1 evaluation · run-with-monitoring rejected · repair scope set
- D+07MOC OPENMOC-7204 · weld-overlay repair · PHA review per 1910.119(l)
- D+30WO EXECWeld overlay · WPS-2841-A · welder 6291 qualified ASME B&PV IX · NDE accept
- D+30AS-BUILTField substitution: support SB-3 added · MOC scope updated to field state · NB R-1 signed
- D+30PSSRPre-Startup Safety Review per 1910.119(i) · cleared for restart
- D+30PSI UPDATEStructured PSI updated · P&ID-2814 drawing-change-request auto-issued to drafting
If any of these are true, we should talk.
- ✓Work was dispatched against a PSM-covered process in the last cycle without verified qualification (welder · WPS · contractor task · operator certification), and the audit finding landed on the work card.
- ✓Your last MI audit collected evidence from IDMS, CMMS, document control, an engineering FFS archive, and a calibration database — and the reconciliation took weeks.
- ✓PSI drifted from as-built configuration across an MOC — a field substitution didn't propagate back to the MOC scope — and the discrepancy surfaced at a PHA revalidation or incident investigation.
- ✓Your SIS proof-test intervals and your instrument calibration cadence run on the same calendar, and demand-rate / partial-stroke data doesn't shorten the proof-test interval against the SIL target.
- ✓A PSM CAP audit, OSHA NEP review, or RAGAGEP audit found a gap the team traced to evidence that couldn't be reconciled inside the response window.
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Ready to stop stitching service evidence together?
If your team is juggling PDFs, support packages, work orders, customer updates, and QA evidence across five systems, Wēlr is worth a look.
Welr LLC · Delaware