Risk based inspection-developments in the USA

In 1985, under the direction of the Council of Engineering, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) formed a Risk Analysis Task Force to consider the use of risk based methods In the formulation of policies, codes and standards. In 1988, following the recommendations of this Task Force, the ASME Centre for Research established a research programme to determine how risk-based methods could be used to establish inspection requirements. Here, the author presents an overview of the current development status of risk-based inspection in the USA