Pipeline Facility Construction 101: What Inspectors Must Know for Compressor and Pump Stations (and How API 1184 Fits)

Pipeline facilities are where the network breathes and moves. Compressor stations keep gas moving, pump stations drive liquids, and both sites concentrate risk, schedule pressure, and documentation load. If you inspect or manage these builds, API Recommended Practice 1184 (Pipeline Facility Construction Inspection) gives you a common language for quality, safety, and acceptance. Below is a practical overview you can share with others, followed by how to earn the API 1184 credential and who is asking for it in the job market.

What “facility construction” includes...

Facility work spans civil, mechanical, electrical, and controls. At a typical compressor or pump station, the inspection scope touches:

• Civil and site prep: grading, foundations, piling, containment berms, drainage, and access roads.
• Process piping: material receipt and traceability, welding and NDE, supports and restraints, hydro or pneumatic testing, and final tie-ins.
• Mechanical equipment: compressors or pumps, gear drives, coolers, lube systems, strainers, seals, and rotating alignment.
• Valving and overpressure protection: block valves, reliefs, set-pressure checks, vent routing, and hazardous area considerations.
• Electrical and instrumentation: MCCs and VFDs, grounding and bonding, cable trays and terminations, instruments and loop checks.
• Control systems: PLC/RTU configuration, interlocks, ESD logic, cause-and-effect validation, SCADA communications.
• Commissioning and turnover: pre-start checks, documentation packs, punchlist clearance, and handoff to operations.

API 1184 sets expectations for the facility construction inspector’s responsibilities, safety and environmental controls, and inspection methods across those disciplines. Source: API

High-value inspection checkpoints
Use these as your "small guidelines" during station builds:

1. Materials and traceability
   Verify mill certs, heat numbers, and MTRs match the BOM and drawings before fit-up. Catch substitutions early.
2. Welding and NDE
   Confirm WPS/PQR/WPQ alignment, preheat, interpass, and hold points. Track repairs with unique IDs.
3. Supports and alignment
   Spring cans set to cold load, anchors and guides in the right order, rotating equipment aligned at operating temp expectations.
4. Pressure testing
   Calibrated gauges, correct medium, strength vs leak tests, hold times, and documentation that actually ties back to line numbers.
5. Electrical/controls quality
   Torque logs, breaker settings, cable IDs that match drawings, and loop checks that trace from sensor to SCADA screen with as-found/as-left records.
6. Commissioning discipline
   Cause-and-effect, permissives, relief set points, trips, and black-start procedures validated with owner reps present.

API 1184 encourages inspectors to document these checkpoints with measurable acceptance criteria and stop-work authority where needed. Source: API

How to earn the API 1184 credential
Exam format

• Duration: 3 hours
• Questions: 120 total, 110 scored and 10 unscored pretest items
• Mode: computer-based testing at a test center (no remote testing)
• Materials: no paper notes or printed references in the room
  These exam facts are published by API and in the current Body of Knowledge. Source: API

Content coverage
The Body of Knowledge identifies inspector responsibilities, safety and environmental controls, general facilities construction, materials and equipment, electrical and control systems, and commissioning. Study to that scope and the editions listed for your window. Source: pipelinecourses.com

Preparation tips

• Practice a split routine: fast recall for closed-book style topics and disciplined lookups for detailed criteria.
• Build a personal index of frequent clauses, tables, and drawings you rely on for station work.
• Take realistic practice tests that mirror the CBT flow and question types reported for API 1184.
  For structured prep with timed exams and instructor access, see API 1184 Exam Prep (Velocity Training) and API 1184 Online Training & Practice Tests.

Who asks for API 1184
Demand is growing as operators and major contractors formalize facility QA expectations. Recent postings show “API 1184 certified” as required or preferred for civil, welding, electrical, and coating inspector roles on pipeline facility projects:

• SGS listings in Canada cite “API 1184 certified” for civil and welding inspector roles tied to pipeline and facility work. Source: LinkedIn
• Indeed postings for electrical and civil inspectors note “API 1184 and API 1169 preferred” for facility-heavy scopes, with experience on MCCs, VFDs, PLCs, and industrial facilities. Source: Indeed
• A hiring guide for pipeline safety inspectors highlights API 1184 alongside API 1169 and 570 as key credentials to verify for facility and construction roles. Source: EHSCareers

These examples are not an exhaustive list, but they show the direction: facility projects are asking for API 1184 to validate competence across multi-discipline construction. Keep screenshots or links in your portfolio when you negotiate roles and rates.

Why API 1184 matters at compressor and pump stations

• System risk is concentrated: ignition sources, high pressures, and rotating equipment live inches from control wiring and network gear. A common inspection framework reduces hand-offs and blind spots. 
• Schedule slips are costly: a missed support, mis-set relief, or unlabeled cable can cascade into days of rework during commissioning.
• Documentation must be audit-ready: facility work produces drawings, set-points, loop sheets, and test packs that must align for turnover. API 1184’s emphasis on inspector responsibilities and code of conduct helps keep records consistent. 

A simple study plan for working professionals

1. Calibrate to the BoK
   Print the Body of Knowledge for your window and highlight the disciplines you touch daily: civil, mechanical, electrical, controls, commissioning. Map your weak areas. Source: pipelinecourses.com
2. Two focused study sessions per week
   One on general facility construction and safety controls, one on a discipline topic, for example MCC/VFD basics or hydro test documentation.
3. Weekly timed practice
   Run a 25 to 30 minute set to build speed reading drawings, tables, and acceptance criteria.
4. Final two weeks
   One full-length timed exam per week plus a light review of your miss log. Confirm your test center location and ID requirements. API currently lists in-person testing only for API 1184. 

If you prefer a ready-made path with narrated lessons, study documents, and live instructor help, enroll in API 1184 Exam Prep (Velocity Training) or go straight to the virtual campus via API 1184 Online Training & Practice Tests.

Bottom line
Compressor and pump station builds succeed when inspection ties civil, mechanical, electrical, and controls into a single, documented acceptance path. API 1184 gives you that path, and employers are increasingly calling it out in job posts for facility-focused roles. Prepare with realistic practice, align to the Body of Knowledge, and choose training that mirrors the exam’s scope and format. When you are ready, start here: API 1184 Exam Prep or API 1184 Online Training & Practice Tests.