Icp-102 CPD 20240510
Icp-102 CPD 20240510
Icp-102 CPD 20240510
Introduction:
Beginning in 2022, ICP will include Continuing Professional Development (CPD) hours, as part of new
recertification requirements for API 510, API 570, and API 653. These will be applicable for the 3
certifications coming up for renewal on or after January 1, 2023. The new CPD requirements are in
addition to existing recertification requirements for continued inspection experience and the Web Quiz
required every 6-years or every other recertification.
Certificant should plan their CPD activities to relate to the petroleum and petrochemical industry. As per
the industry related topics identified below, ICP staff will review and determine acceptability of the
activity. It is up to the certificant to provide proof of attendance, including duration, topic, activity type.
Registration documentation alone is not evidence of proof of attendance. Activities fewer than 50 minutes
will not be accepted.
The new CPD recertification requirements will be phased-in over 3 years, according to the table below.
Find your recertifying year in the table below to see how many CPD hours are needed.
Recertifying
Number of CPD Hours Required
Year
• Joe Inspector has an API 510 certification expiring in June 2023. Joe would need to include a
minimum of 8 CPD hours earned between June 2020 and June 2023 (with documentation) with his
recertification application.
• By the same standard, Jill Inspector has an API 570 expiring in March 2024. Jill would need to
submit a minimum of 16 CPD hours earned between March 2021 and March 2024 (with
documentation) with her recertification application.
• In 2025, all recertifications in that year and going forward will need to include a total number of
24 CPD hours earned within the previous 3 years (with documentation) with their recertification
application.
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Table of Contents
Introduction: ............................................................................................................................................................ 1
Phased Implementation Plan: ................................................................................................................................ 1
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Hours .......................................................................................... 5
Defining CPD hours.............................................................................................................................................. 5
CPD Carry Over.................................................................................................................................................... 5
Industry Related Topics for CPD .......................................................................................................................... 6
Continuing Professional Development Requirements Overview: ....................................................................... 7
Determining CPD Hours for Recertification Applications: ................................................................................ 7
Third-Party Training ............................................................................................................................................. 9
Approved Third-Party Training: ........................................................................................................................... 9
Continuing Education Units.................................................................................................................................. 9
Verification of Activities: ................................................................................................................................... 10
Employer-Provided Training............................................................................................................................... 10
Verification of Employer-Provided Training: .................................................................................................... 10
Computer-based/Self-paced Training ................................................................................................................. 10
College/University Courses .................................................................................................................................. 11
Verification for University Courses:................................................................................................................... 11
Participation in industry events........................................................................................................................... 11
Verification for participation in industry events: ................................................................................................ 12
Supporting Industry Related events: .................................................................................................................. 12
Verification for supporting industry events: ....................................................................................................... 12
Technical Committee Service: ............................................................................................................................. 12
Verification for Participation in Technical Committee Service: ........................................................................ 12
Webinars: .............................................................................................................................................................. 13
Verification for Webinars: .................................................................................................................................. 13
Verification for API Sponsored Industry Events ................................................................................................ 13
Presenting/Speaking ............................................................................................................................................. 13
Verification for Presenting/Speaking:................................................................................................................. 13
Technical Papers ................................................................................................................................................... 14
Verification for Technical papers: ...................................................................................................................... 14
Technical meeting in the Certificant’s company................................................................................................ 14
Verification for technical meetings within the Certificant’s Company .............................................................. 14
Patent ..................................................................................................................................................................... 15
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Verification for Patent credit .............................................................................................................................. 15
Verification and submission of CPD Hours: ....................................................................................................... 15
FAQs ....................................................................................................................................................................... 17
Appendix A: Sample API CPD Activities Forms ................................................................................................ 20
Technical meeting ................................................................................................................................................. 20
Participation in industry events........................................................................................................................... 21
CPD Submission.................................................................................................................................................... 22
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Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Hours
For ICP, one CPD hour is defined as one contact hour of an activity in an industry-related topic as defined
below. An “activity” is an umbrella term that ICP has deemed, in consultation with industry experts, to be
acceptable for recertification purposes. Acceptable activities include training, publishing technical papers,
participation in industry conferences, and other activities as outlined in this document.
Each contact hour shall have at least 50 minutes of related activity.No activities under 50 contact minutes
may be submitted to ICP for CPD credit. ICP does not grant partial hours of CPD for activities under the
50 minutes minimum.
Examples:
• For example, a one-day activity that begins at 8 am and ends at 5 pm. With a one-hour lunch break
this is considered 8 contact hours and ICP will accept it as 8 CPD Hours.
• If that day-long activity includes multiple small breaks, at least 50 minutes of every hour needs to
be spent doing the activity.
Participation in CPD related activities may be in-person or virtual. However, all must have the required
documentation.
A Certificant that completes more than the required hours for a recertification period may carry over a
maximum of 12 CPD hours to the next recertification period.*
Examples:
• A Certificant in API 510 is expiring in 2024 and completes 25 CPD hours prior to their expiration
date. 16 CPD hours will be applied to the 2024 recertification and 9 CPD hours can be carried
over and applied to the 2027 API 510 recertification period.
• A Certificant in API 570 is expiring in 2024 and completes 30 CPD hours prior to their expiration
date. 16 CPD hours will be applied to the 2024 recertification period and 12 CPD hours can be
carried over and applied to the 2027 API 570 recertification period.
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Industry Related Topics for CPD
Topics considered relevant by ICP must be directly related to fields of inspection and mechanical integrity
assurance in the petroleum/petrochemical industry. Examples are included in the list below; this is not
intended to be all inclusive.
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40. Remote inspection techniques (e.g., drones)
41. Risk-Based Inspection (RBI)
42. Statistical Analysis
43. Tank Design
44. Technical Writing
45. Upstream/offshore topsides inspections
46. Welding inspection
47. Welding Processes
REMEMBER: These are topics. Actual field inspection time as part of the normal work responsibilities
cannot be used for CPD hours.
Once fully implemented, API 510, API 570, and API 653 Certificants must complete 24 CPD hours for
every 3-year recertification period.
The recertification period is the three-year period when the certification is active (as listed on the
certification) and the 90-day grace period. ICP will accept activities completed in the same year as the
start of the recertification period or, for recertifications occurring at the start of the year, ICP will consider
activities completed in the six months of the previous year.
Activity criteria:
All CPD activities must meet one of the Industry Related Topics and may be applied to API 510, API
570, and API 653.
For each recertification period, it is recommended that Certificants’ CPD hours be in a minimum of two
different activities.
Certificants should complete their CPD hours throughout their three-year recertification period and avoid
front or back loading their hours.
All CPD activities below should meet one of the Industry Related Topics listed above.
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• Provided by an individual’s company, or a
third-party provider within the company.
• Receive documentation of attendance that
identifies duration of training.
College/University Course Quarter credit hour: Maximum of 30
• Receive a passing grade CPDs
• Directly applicable to inspection and Semester credit hour: Maximum of 45
inspection technologies CPDs
Participation in industry events
• Includes seminars, workshops, conferences,
or webinars
• Meetings must be a minimum of 50 minutes
in length to be granted CPD credits.
Supporting industry related events No more than 36 hours will be granted
• Incudes planning, organizing, reviewing for one event
abstract, managing rooms and panels at
conferences and other similar events
Technical committee service
• Includes API committees and other industry
organizations technical committees
o Includes activities for ICP programs
Activities to maintain ASNT SNT-TC-1A will not be accepted for CPD hours.
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Third-Party Training
ICP does not have a list of “approved” trainer’s courses or providers. Certificants must ensure that the
following criteria are met to be considered for CPD hours:
* A recognized party is a company or organization which is legally incorporated by the laws of its
country. It must have a public-facing presence, such as a website, that includes descriptions of the
courses being offered.
**A qualified individual is a person who is certified or qualified, through education and/or experience,
in the information being taught. Certificants must be prepared to submit the qualifications of their
trainer if not evident.
Note: Training intended as preparation for an ICP certification exam that the certificant already holds will
not be considered for CPD activities.
Continuing education units (CEUs) are an internationally recognized unit of measure for professional
education and training. In accordance with International Accreditors for Continuing Education and
Training (IACET), through the ANSI/IACET 2018-1 Standard for Continuing Education and Training, 1
CEU is equivalent to 10 contact hours. Therefore, ICP will recognize 10 CPD hours for 1 CEU.
Lack of IACET accreditation does not preclude training from being accepted as valid CPD hours by ICP.
ICP will grant CPD hours based on contact hours-only.
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Verification of Activities:
Certificants must provide ICP with documentation of completion or mastery of the training course either
as a certificate or a transcript. Certificants must also provide ICP with the number of contact hours
attended, and the public website of the provider.
Employer-Provided Training
An employee may choose to provide in-house training or bring a third-party expert to train employees in
Industry Related Topics. ICP will accept CPD hours for such trainings equivalent to contact hours
attended.
**A qualified individual is a person who is certified or qualified, through education and/or experience,
in the information being taught.
Certificants must provide ICP with documentation of completed training, which includes the name of the
company, name of the Trainer, the trainer’s company if they’re a third-party, summary of training, and
number of contact hours. If the Trainer does not provide an official certificate or transcript, the Certificant
shall use the API CPD Activities form, found on the website, and have the Trainer complete it.
Computer-based/Self-paced Training
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* A recognized party is a company or organization which is legally incorporated by the laws of its
country.
**A qualified individual is a person who is certified or qualified, through education and/or experience,
in the information being taught.
College/University Courses
Certificants that complete a college or university course in an Industry Related Topics, or directly
applicable to the field or industry operations, may receive a maximum of 30 CPD hours per quarter credit
hour and a maximum of 45 CPD hours per semester credit hour. Certificants must receive a passing grade
on their course. If Certificant receives a failing grade that will be considered as not having demonstrated
required knowledge for the course.
Certificants must provide a transcript with their name, education institution, identification of whether this
was a “quarter” or a “semester” course, and final passing grade. If the course title does not show a direct
linkage to an Industry Related Topics, Certificants should provide a copy of the class syllabus.
ICP encourages Certificants to participate in events in Industry Related Topics coordinated by technical
and professional organizations or attend industry events to stay familiar with current and emerging
inspection topics.
Relevant technical or professional organizations include, but are not limited to:
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To be accepted by ICP, the meeting must last at least 50 minutes, which is equal to (1) ICP CPD hour.
Certificants will provide ICP with documented proof of attendance. If the industry meeting does not
collect attendance, the Certificant may use the API CPD Activities form, found on the website, and ask
the speaker, presenter, or a panelist to complete the form.
Volunteering to help support industry related events (e.g., conference, symposia etc.), run by relevant
technical or professional organizations are eligible for CPD hours. Examples of relevant technical
organizations provided under Participation in Industry Events.
Activities that would be recognized as supporting an industry event would include, but not limited to:
• Actively participating in the planning of an event
• Organizing an event
• Acting as an abstract reviewer
• Assisting in administrative activities during the event (e.g., room managers, day managers)
ICP will grant up to 36 hours of CPD credit in any certification cycle, with proof, for one event.
To receive credit, certificants will provide ICP with a letter or other documentation of their support
activities and hours from the event organizer, a member of the organization’s staff, or the volunteer leader
of their track.
Certificants will provide ICP with proof of attendance in the form of an attendance sheet, or confirmation
of attendance from the sponsoring organization, that will detail hours of participation. If the sponsoring
organization does not collect attendance, the Certificant may use the API CPD Activities form found on
the website and ask the host/chair to complete the form.
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Webinars:
Certificants may watch webinars on Industry Related Topics and receive CPD hours for the duration of
the webinar. The webinar less than 50 minutes will not be granted 1 CPD credit.
**A qualified individual is a person who is certified or qualified, through education and/or experience,
in the information being taught. ICP may not accept an activity if they cannot verify the instructor’s
qualifications.
Certificants will provide ICP with proof of completion for the webinar with the duration (contact hours)
listed.
Certificants may not complete the same webinar for two different recertification periods.
Certificants may have the opportunity to participate in API sponsored industry events, such as API’s State
of American Energy, for CPD hours. In those instances, API/ICP will send out an invitation to all certified
individuals with registration details.
Presenting/Speaking
Note: Speakers and trainers will be given credit for the initial development of training. Updates to existing
training will not be granted credit as a CPD activity. Speakers/trainers will be given credit for the first
time they provide the training, subsequent redelivery will not be accepted as a CPD activity.
Certificants who are speaking, presenting, or part of a panel should provide ICP with a schedule or
agenda. This should include the name of the organization and industry event, the name of the Certificant
as a presenter, speaker, or panelist, and a brief content summary with CPD hours claimed. If such a
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document does not exist or does not provide all the information requested, the Certificant may have the
host/organizer complete the API CPD Activities form, found on the website.
Technical Papers
A Certificant may receive credit for writing and publishing articles and papers on Industry Related
Topics. The article must be published in a reputable journal or online publication for ICP to consider it for
CPD hours; ICP will not accept blog posts for CPD credit. ICP will consider up to 8 CPD hours for
research and writing per article.
Certificants who publish an article or paper on an Industry Related Topic must provide ICP a copy of the
article or paper or abstract along with the date and name of publication. If the article or abstract are
available online, a link should be provided. If the article is in a hard copy only: an image or scanned
version of the article should be submitted showing the name of the publication and the date published.
The Certificant must identify how many hours were spent researching and writing the article or paper.
ICP will grant no more than 8 CPD hours per article or paper.
Certificants may receive CPD hours from attending, presenting, or facilitating technical meetings within
their company or at a contract company. To be considered, the meetings must be at least 50 minutes in
duration.
General company safety meetings are not accepted by ICP for CPD hours.
No more than 8 company technical meetings can be applied in any 3-year recertification period.
Verification for technical meetings within the Certificant’s Company
Certificant must provide ICP with a document showing the company name, the topic, and the duration of
the technical meeting. This should be submitted along with the API CPD Activities form. If the
Certificant is a participant, the facilitator of the meeting should complete the form. If the Certificant is the
presenter/facilitator, their direct supervisor should complete the form.
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Certificants who attend several company technical meetings must complete the API CPD Activities form
for each date attended. Multiple meetings shall not be on a single API CPD Activities form.
Patent
For those involved in the research and development of new technologies for or within their company, or
personal endeavor, ICP will grant a maximum of 24 CPD hours to Certificants who have a patent issued
during their recertification period. The patent must be directly related to an Industry Related Topic.
Certificant/Inventor must submit official proof from the patent agency for their patent. It must include the
Certificant name as the inventor or co-inventor as well as a description that links the patent to an Industry
Related Topic.
Proof of CPD hours will be uploaded to the Education page on the ICP Portal. It is recommended that
Certificants submit their CPD hours as they are completed. However, they may also be submitted at the
time of their recertification application. See the Appendix at the end of the document for examples of
completed forms and acceptable documentation.
Any documentation that is not in English must be professionally translated into English.
On the Education History page, click “Add Certification” under the section listed as Certification/Training
page in the application or account level. Then select Continuing Professional Development from the drop
down and complete the fields. Make sure to upload the proof of completion.
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Acceptable Verification Types for Completed CPD hours:
Certificants must provide ICP with documentation of completion including the number of contact hours
attended, and the public website of the provider.
The following are examples of acceptable evidence of CPD hours, Certificants do not have to provide
everything on the list. Acceptable verification types are noted in the relevant CPD activity areas above
and should be reviewed before submission.
• Certificate of completion
• Transcript
• Published article/abstract
• Agenda/program schedule/public web link to program showing proof are acceptable
o Any of the above should document participation with the Certificant’s Name
• Proof of workshop/seminar attendance
o Copy of sign in/attendance sheets
• Confirmation of attendance
o Confirmation email that includes name, date, length (contact hours) of activity
• Completed API CPD Activities Form (must be completed and signed by Event Host or Supervisor)
o Download the form prior to event
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FAQs
Q: Does the CPD requirements replace ICP’s requirement for proof of continued inspection
experience or the web quiz?
A: No. The CPD hour requirement is in addition to the existing recertification requirements. For
each recertification period, Certificants must also still be verified for continued inspection
experience for 20% of the last 3 years. Every six years (every second recertification), Certificants
must also still take and pass a short online web-quiz.
Q: What if I am a few hours shy of the required CPD hours when my certification expires?
A: Recertifications have a 90-day grace period after your certification expiration date. You may
complete the remaining hours within the 90-day grace period and submit them to ICP.
A: ICP recommends that you submit CPD activities as you complete them using the CPD
Tracking tab in the portal (See Appendix A). CPD activities will be reviewed after the
recertification application has been submitted. ICP Staff will not pre-approve or review the CPD
activities before recertification applications are submitted.
A. No. You can apply CPD credit hours across certifications that are expiring within a 3-year
recertification period. If you hold an API 510 and API 653 both recertifying in 2024, you need 8
CPD hours for each certification each year. If you take a Mechanical Integrity training course for 8
CPD hours in 2023, these 8 CPD hours can be applied to both the API 510 and API 653 for those
recertification terms.
A: No. While taking training is one way to get CPDs, ICP has several categories that allows for
other ways of obtaining CPDs table listed in Determining CPD Hours for Recertification
Applications.
Q: Does ICP have a list of approved trainers/training courses that grant CEUs?
A: No, ICP does not have a list of approved trainers or courses. When selecting a training
program, Certificants should ensure the following are met:
A: No. There is no requirement that training/CEU courses must be through API-U. API-U is one
of many organizations that offer applicable training course. It does offer in-person and virtual
courses that may be relevant to your certification. Their courses are IACET accredited and provide
a certificate of completion at the end of the course. Refer to the requirements identified in the
CEU’s/Training Section.
Lack of IACET accreditation does not preclude training from being accepted as valid CPD hours
by ICP. ICP will grant CPD hours based on contact hours only.
Q: Do I have to participate in API conferences to get credit for “participation in industry events”?
A: No. Other related industry events, such as those run by AMPP/NACE, ASNT, ASME, AWS,
that are related to your certification(s) are acceptable.
Q: I am attending the Inspection and Mechanical Integrity Summit, some sessions are only 40
minutes long, can I still get CPD credit hours?
A: While ICP typically grants credits for sessions 50 minutes or more, Certificants attending the
Inspection and Mechanical Integrity Summit will receive credit under the “participation in
industry events” option. Certificants must attend, and obtain proof of attendance, for a minimum
of 4 sessions a day to receive credit for a full day’s attendance (8 hours).
At the Summit, attendee’s badges will have a QR code linked to their Summit registration. At each
session, scanners will be located at the entrance. Attendees will solely be responsible for scanning
their badge as they enter. Attendees who fail to scan themselves into their session will not receive
credit and credit cannot be retroactively granted as there will be no other proof of attendance for
that session. Once scanned, the session will be logged on their registration information. Attendees
will receive an email after the Summit that will list all sessions attended. This will be the proof
that can be used for ICP CPD credits or other Professional Development Hours needed for other
organizations.
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Q: If I must complete CPD hours for other industry certifications, can I also submit them for my
ICP certification(s)?
A: Yes. If the activities/training you completed for your other industry certifications are applicable
to your ICP certifications, then you may use those hours for your recertification requirements.
Example: ICP will accept the 9 yr. recertification bootcamp for CWI certification
Exception: ICP will not accept activities related to maintaining ASNT SNT-TC-1A
Q: What should I do if my activity is not included in the activities listed in the table above?
A: If you are planning to participate in an activity that does not fit in any of the activity categories
listed above but are Industry Related Topics, email inspector@api.org, with the subject CPD
Additional Related Topic.
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Appendix A: Sample API CPD Activities Forms
Technical meeting
ABC Company is holding an internal corrosion review run by their Senior Inspector Gary U. Larson. Al
Attendit, who is a certified API 510 and API 570 inspector is attending the two-hour meeting with other
inspectors in their company.
Al Attendit prepares the API CPD Activities Form before going into the meeting with all his information
(Certificant Information) and information about the technical meeting (Activity Information).
After the meeting Al Attendit asks Gary U. Larson to complete the “Verification of Attendance.”
N/A
Verification of Attendance
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Note: Verification of attendance must be completed by the trainer or supervisor overseeing the CPD
activity. Certificants may not verify their own attendance on the API CPD Activities Form.
Sally Ann Wright is attending the 2021 API Storage Tank Conference as a participant. The first
presentation she attends is Flo T. Rulf’s “STI vs API Tank Inspection and Repair Standards, what are the
differences and when do you use each.” The meeting does not collect attendance on who comes so to
provide the necessary verification for ICP CPD hours, Jane will need a completed API CPD Activities
form.
Before the meeting, she completes the Certificant and Activity Information sections of the API CPD
Activities form.
After the presentation, she asks the speaker, Flo T. Rulf, to fill out the Verification of Attendance.
Storage Tank systems require proper inspection and maintenance to comply with regulatory and
business obligations. A tank inspector may have more than one choice in inspection and repair
standards when evaluating a storage tank system. In some circumstances more than one
inspection process may work, but one may be more appropriate. This presentation will give
inspectors needed information to apply the most appropriate inspection standard to a particular
storage tank system.
Website link for event (if applicable):
https://www.api.org/-/media/Files/Events/Storage-Tank/2021-API-Storage-Tank-Conference-
Program.pdf?la=en&hash=9ACEA13AA96D0FB4314EB7FCAD7F184A9C8DE025
Verification of Attendance
Flo T. Rulf
Flo T. Rulf
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Printed Name Signature
Position:
Keynote Speaker at API Storage Tank
Conference
Company: Date Signed: October 14, 2021
XYZ Company
*For attendees, the leader of the meeting, host, trainer or supervisor may sign off
For trainers/presenters, the host or trainer’s supervisor may sign off
Note: Verification of attendance must be completed by the trainer or supervisor overseeing the CPD
activity. Certificants may not verify their own attendance on the API CPD Activities Form.
CPD Submission
After attending their respective meetings, Al Attendit and Sally Ann Wright login to their accounts on
https://inspector.api.org, and upload their completed form and other necessary verification to their account
level CPD Tracking, or during their application submission.
In this area (see above), they should select “Add CPD Activity.”.
They should complete all the information in the window and upload all verifications.
For the Technical Meeting, the Certificant must provide documentation showing the company name, the
topic, and the duration of the technical meeting. This should be submitted along with documentation as
proof, and if no official documentation is available a completed API CPD Activities form, signed by the
appropriate parties, may be uploaded.
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Certificants who “participate in industry events” must provide proof of registration as well as proof of
attendance, either as an attendance sheet or a completed API CPD Activities Form.
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ICP staff reviews the CPD Tracking during application processing. Once the activities have been
reviewed the hours credited by API will be noted.
If ICP Staff awards the certificant CPD Carryover Hours, it will be listed under “Carryover Hours.”
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