API RP 1161

The purpose of this recommended practice is to provide guidance for developing and maintaining an Operator Qualification (OQ) program compliant with OQ regulations.

Note: Operators should be aware that the OQ regulation is applicable only to United States Department of Transportation (DOT) jurisdictional pipelines

Operators may elect to use all, part, or none of this document. Additionally, many components of this recommended practice apply to Gas Transmission Lines regulated under 49 CFR 192. Therefore, Operators may elect to utilize the recommended practice as applicable for these lines.

This document is written to provide guidance for achieving compliance with the regulation at the time of publication and is comprised of four individual components: the Guidance Document, the API Covered Task List (Annex A), the Covered Task Standards (Annex B) and the Evolution of the Covered Tasks (Annex C).

For purposes of this document, the word “pipeline” is used interchangeably with pipeline, pipeline facility, and pipeline system and any and all jurisdictional pipeline components as defined in 49 CFR Part 195.