Grady Hatton: About the Author
Operations Manager, Versa Integrity Group
Grady Hatton has been in the welding and inspection industry for over 30 years, holding positions as both an owner-user and as a contract mechanical integrity professional. Mr. Hatton is a voting member of the API and serves on several API Standards committees, as well as the API/ICP subcommittee for the certification of inspection personnel. He is currently the Operations Manager for the Advanced Reliability Resources division for Versa Integrity Group. He is a firm believer that no matter your title or position, you did not get there alone.
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Published Articles
The concept of reducing Condition Monitoring Locations (CMLs) is misguided, and the number and location of CMLs should be OPTIMIZED, not systematically reduced. CML allocation in piping requires a good process, otherwise, you can run into a lot of dead ends before arriving at your intended destination.
Many plants inspect PRDs on preset intervals as recommended by inspection code API 510, and implement inspection practices such as API RP 576. Just seeking PRD compliance with codes and standards usually results in mediocre mechanical integrity and process safety. Companies must go further to climb the ladder to “excellence.”
When heading down the path of becoming an inspection professional, it’s helpful to understand the characteristics that truly make someone an outstanding inspector.
One difficulty new company inspectors typically have is becoming comfortable in their new role. This is due to the fact that they have received little guidance about where they fit in with the "team." Where are they on the organization chart?
