1. (a) No person may make a plastic pipe joint unless that person has been qualified under the applicable joining procedure by:

   1. (1) Appropriate training or experience in the use of the procedure; and
   2. (2) Making a specimen joint from pipe sections joined according to the procedure that passes the inspection and test set forth in paragraph (b) of this section.

2. (b) The specimen joint must be:

   1. (1) Visually examined during and after assembly or joining and found to have the same appearance as a joint or photographs of a joint that is acceptable under the procedure; and

   2. (2) In the case of a heat fusion, solvent cement, or adhesive joint:

      1. (i) Tested under any one of the test methods listed under § 192.283(a), and for PE heat fusion joints (except for electrofusion joints) visually inspected in accordance with ASTM F2620 (incorporated by reference, see § 192.7), or a written procedure that has been demonstrated to provide an equivalent or superior level of safety, applicable to the type of joint and material being tested;
      2. (ii) Examined by ultrasonic inspection and found not to contain flaws that would cause failure; or

      3. (iii) Cut into at least 3 longitudinal straps, each of which is:

         1. (A) Visually examined and found not to contain voids or discontinuities on the cut surfaces of the joint area; and
         2. (B) Deformed by bending, torque, or impact, and if failure occurs, it must not initiate in the joint area.
3. (c) A person must be re-qualified under an applicable procedure once each calendar year at intervals not exceeding 15 months, or after any production joint is found unacceptable by testing under § 192.513.
4. (d) Each operator shall establish a method to determine that each person making joints in plastic pipelines in the operator's system is qualified in accordance with this section.
5. (e) For transmission pipe installed after July 1, 2021, records demonstrating each person's plastic pipe joining qualifications at the time of construction in accordance with this section must be retained for a minimum of 5 years following construction.

[Amdt. 192-34A, 45 FR 9935, Feb. 14, 1980, as amended by Amdt. 192-34B, 46 FR 39, Jan. 2, 1981; Amdt. 192-93, 68 FR 53900, Sept. 15, 2003; Amdt. 192-120, 80 FR 12779, Mar. 11, 2015; Amdt. 192-124, 83 FR 58718, Nov. 20, 2018; Amdt. 192-125, 84 FR 52245, Oct. 1, 2019; 86 FR 2240, Jan. 11, 2021]