Maintenance procedures, including a maintenance log, are required for LP-Gas bulk plants. This requirement is shown in the LP-Gas Code, NFPA 58, in Chapter 15.

NFPA 58 section 15.5.1.3 has a clear requirement. “Persons who perform maintenance on LP-Gas systems shall be trained in the hazards of the system and in the maintenance and testing procedures applicable to the installation.”

Further, section 15.6.1.3 has a similar requirement. “Any maintenance contractor shall ensure that each contract maintenance employee is so trained or under the immediate supervision of such a trained person to perform the maintenance procedures.”

These sections clearly require that the person who performs maintenance must be trained or under the supervision of a trained person. This cannot be confirmed if there is no record of who did or who supervised the work. For this reason, it is reasonable that the person must sign off on the maintenance items they performed. In addition, the signature on the maintenance document must be legible, so when reviewing the documents it is clear who did the work.

There is no need to sign or initial every item in a long list. If a signature/initials are shown at the beginning of the listing and a line drawn to indicate the items included, that should be sufficient. If initials are to be used, then a printed name or signature for those initials must also be somewhere on the document. Whatever method is used, it should be logical and clear to the person who reviews it. Also, remember to date it.

This is not to be considered our interpretation of the LP-Gas Code. It is a logical extension of requirements in the code. We will be sure that our inspectors all understand this and perform their inspections consistently.