MC3231 - Manufacturing and Modifications

Manufacturing  

Manufacturing: Any useful product made directly by human labor or by the aid of machinery directed and controlled by human power, and either from raw materials or from materials worked up into a new form. 

All in-house manufacturing must comply with relevant regulatory guidelines, standards and codes.  

Departments must report to the supervisor any items planned to be fabricated and must provide information which will allow for recording asset information into the inventory system (e.g., asset description, cost, useful life, location, custodian, etc.). An equipment tag will be provided and must be affixed to moveable fabricated equipment. 

Any request to fabricate a product(s) must first be approved by the department supervisor.  A design must be created in advance that would comply with certifications or regulations that exist for the area in which a fabricated product is being produced.  If certifications or industry regulations do not exist, the plan design will be reviewed by a qualified structural engineer who has agreed to perform this service.  Once the design is approved, the entity who requested the product must sign the DMACC Release and Waiver of Liability and Assumption of Risk Acknowledgement. 

Modifications 

Modification: Any change to equipment which is different from the manufacturer’s design. 

OSHA 29 CFR 1926.1434 applies to modifications that affect the capacity or safe operation of equipment. This provision safeguards against unsafe equipment modifications and provides that the modifications are reflected in the equipment’s instructions and specifications so that the modified equipment can be used safely.  

Manufacturer Review and Approval 

The equipment’s manufacturer is uniquely qualified to evaluate any proposed modifications to the equipment. If the manufacturer is willing and available to evaluate the proposed modifications, any modifications or additions that affect the capacity or safe operation of the equipment are only permitted where: 

• The manufacturer approves the modifications/additions in writing, and 

• The load charts, procedures, instruction manuals, and instruction plates/tags/decals are modified as needed according to the modification/addition. 

Manufacturer Review Unavailable 

In the event the manufacturer is not willing or unavailable to review the proposed modification/addition or to reject it in writing, fails to initiate the review or acknowledge the request within 30-days, or fails to complete the review within 120-days, the modification/addition may be made if a qualified registered professional engineer with respect to the equipment involved: 

• Approves the modification/addition and specifies the equipment configurations to which that approval applies, and 

• Modifies load charts, procedures, instruction manuals, and instruction plates/tags/decals as needed in according to the modification/addition. 

Under this option as well as that involving manufacturer approval, the original safety factor of the equipment may not be reduced. 

Updates to this procedure should include collaboration with Executive Academic Deans and Faculty in affected programs. 

Legal Reference:
American Welding Society (AWS) D10.9-69 Standard Qualification of Welding Procedures for Welders for piping and Tubing 

AWS B3.0-41 Standard Qualification Procedures 

AWS D1.0-1966 Code for Welding in Building Construction 

AWS D8.4-61 Recommended Practices for Automotive Welding 

Cross Reference:
HR3335: - Personal Use of College Property by Employees