theofficeofnilsjohansson

Documentation Guide — What Records to Keep and Why

Document No.	JDS-MAN-MEC-001
Revision	A
Date	2026-03-25
Status	CURRENT
Author	N. Johansson

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What Is This?

This guide explains what documentation you must maintain for a pressure vessel maintenance program. Good documentation isn’t bureaucracy — it’s your proof of compliance and your protection if something goes wrong.

The Golden Rule

If it’s not documented, it didn’t happen.

Every inspection, every repair, every modification, every test — must be on paper (or in this system). When a regulator asks “show me your records”, you need to be able to produce them within minutes.

Required Documents Per Vessel

Every pressure vessel in your program should have the following documents available:

At Commissioning (when first put into service)

Document	What it is	Where to get it	JDS Category
Manufacturer’s data sheet	Nameplate data, design parameters, materials	From the manufacturer	Reference (keep in references/)
CE Declaration of Conformity	Confirms the vessel meets PED requirements	From the manufacturer	Reference
Design drawings	Technical drawings of the vessel	From the manufacturer	DWG
Strength calculations	Proof that the vessel is designed to withstand its rated pressure	From the manufacturer	Reference
Material certificates	What materials the vessel is made from (e.g., EN 10204 3.1)	From the manufacturer	Reference
Welding documentation	WPS, WPQR, welder qualifications	From the manufacturer	Reference
Pressure test certificate	Factory pressure test results	From the manufacturer	Reference
Risk assessment	Identifies hazards and controls	You or the manufacturer	RPT
Equipment register entry	Vessel added to the inventory	You	LOG

During Service (ongoing)

Document	When created	How often	JDS Category
Inspection reports	After each inspection	Per inspection interval	RPT
Inspection certificates	Issued by accredited inspector	Per inspection interval	Reference
Repair reports	When repairs are performed	As needed	RPT
Modification records	When the vessel is modified	As needed	RPT
Safety valve test records	After each safety valve test	Typically annually	LOG
Equipment register updates	After each inspection or status change	Ongoing	LOG
Incident reports	If anything goes wrong (leak, overpressure, failure)	As needed	RPT

At Decommissioning (when removed from service)

Document	What it is	JDS Category
Decommissioning record	Date, reason, method of making safe	RPT
Equipment register update	Status changed to DECOMMISSIONED	LOG

How Long to Keep Records

Record type	Minimum retention	Why
Manufacturer documentation	Lifetime of the vessel	May be needed for re-certification or incident investigation
Inspection reports & certificates	Lifetime of the vessel	Proves compliance history
Repair & modification records	Lifetime of the vessel	Affects future inspections and design limits
Decommissioning records	10 years after decommissioning	Regulatory requirement in most jurisdictions

In JDS, retention is simple: Everything stays in the Git repository forever. Git never forgets.

Filing Structure for Active Programs

When you run a real client program, organise their files like this:

03-active-programs/
└── client-name/
    ├── equipment-register.md         ← Their filled-in inventory
    ├── inspection-calendar.md        ← Their annual plan
    ├── vessel-files/                 ← One subfolder per vessel
    │   ├── PV-001/
    │   │   ├── manufacturer-docs/    ← Datasheet, CE cert, drawings
    │   │   ├── inspections/          ← JDS-RPT inspection reports
    │   │   └── repairs/              ← JDS-RPT repair reports
    │   ├── PV-002/
    │   │   └── ...
    │   └── HE-001/
    │       └── ...
    └── correspondence/               ← Client communication

Quick Checklist: Is My Documentation Complete?

For each vessel, can you answer YES to all of these?

• Is it in the equipment register with all fields filled?
• Do you have the manufacturer’s data sheet and CE declaration?
• Do you know the regulatory class and inspection interval?
• Are all past inspection reports on file?
• Is the next inspection date in the future (not overdue)?
• Are all safety valve tests documented?
• Are all repairs and modifications documented?

If any answer is NO, that’s your next action item.

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Revision History

Rev	Date	Author	Description
A	2026-03-25	N. Johansson	Initial release — documentation requirements and filing structure