Pressure Vessel Engineering Ltd. has been doing registration work in Canada for over ten years and 1200 CRNs. It is obvious to someone that works in this field that the CRN system is not simple or logical. In my opinion three particular issues need to be addressed:
1 - the need to register vessels in each province/jurisdiction where they are used. It is my opinion that registering vessels in each jurisdiction is a waste of time and money. Proper respect is required for how dangerous a pressure vessel or piping system can be. However, registering the same vessel multiple times for each individual jurisdiction does not make them any safer.
2 - The need for Ontario P. Eng. stamps for vessels registered in Ontario works only as long as one province has this regulation. It has even brought more business to my company at the expense of those engineers not located in Ontario. However, if this is ever duplicated by other provinces, then engineers like myself will have to carry multiple stamps. Regulations like this just raise the cost for everyone. It is important to note that other provincial engineering associations have attempted to achieve what the Ontario engineers have succeeded at but so far have failed. Some are probably trying again right now.
3 - This is a system that only applies to Canada. In a world that is increasingly globalized, limiting the access to our markets for products that safely meet global standards only hurts Canadians through limiting the products we can use, and by increasing our costs. We can not say that we are building the worlds safest pressure vessels and piping systems if we can not use the best products that the world has to offer, with or without our CRNs. Our manufacturers tied up with illogical provincial regulations do not have time to seek out global markets for their products.
The CRN registration system has been around for many years. I do not know when it started, but I have seen vessels that were registered in Ontario in the 1950's. It is clear that it will be around for a long time to come. The National Board system might be a lot simpler and more logical, but so far only Saskatchewan allows National Board vessels without CRNs.
Due to long term complaining from industry groups, CSA has been attempting to create one stop fittings registration. Their proposed process does not make sense to me - send the file to CSA, who will then send it to one jurisdiction who registers it and sends it back to CSA who provides a CCRN number valid Canada Wide. This process has been written into the 2003 B51 standard, but has not been accepted by all of the member jurisdictions and is currently stuck in the courts so it can not be implemented. Perhaps some year it will take effect. When it does, it will only affect fittings, not vessels. So far no one has convinced anyone on the committee to call the whole CRN system a bad idea and scrap it all.
Enough complaining. It is my hope that this page is useful and accurate. If you have information to add or comments to make please contact me.
Laurence Brundrett