Inspector

Westlake offers you the potential to enrich your work life and career experience in an entrepreneurial environment. We work together to enhance peoples' lives through our products and presence in the communities in which we operate.​

SUMMARY

Westlake makes chemical and plastic products, which in turn make life better for people every day. We are a quality manufacturer and dependable global supplier of petrochemicals, plastics and building products. Our mission is to serve our clients by enhancing daily life through the products and services we provide.

The API Inspector is the primary fixed-equipment Mechanical Integrity inspection representative for an assigned operating area. The role plans, performs, evaluates, and documents inspections in accordance with regulatory requirements, recognized and generally accepted good engineering practices, applicable API, ASME, NBIC, jurisdictional requirements, and company policies and procedures.

The position evaluates equipment condition and credible damage mechanisms; maintains inspection plans and intervals; coordinates qualified nondestructive examination resources; and provides technical recommendations for continued service, monitoring, repair, rerating, alteration, replacement, or removal from service. The inspector maintains accurate, timely, and auditable records and communicates equipment-integrity risk across Operations, Maintenance, Reliability, Engineering, Planning, and site leadership.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

May include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Serve as the assigned-area inspection representative and maintain awareness of equipment condition, inspection status, due dates, recommendations, temporary repairs, and deferred activities.
• Develop and maintain inspection plans using equipment design, service conditions, history, credible damage mechanisms, remaining life, inspection effectiveness, and risk.
• Plan, perform, coordinate, witness, and evaluate external, internal, on-stream, and condition-monitoring inspections for fixed equipment and associated pressure-retaining systems.
• Identify damage mechanisms; select appropriate examination methods, locations, coverage, hold points, and acceptance criteria; and coordinate qualified NDE personnel.
• Perform or support corrosion-rate, remaining-life, minimum-thickness, similar-service, and other condition assessments within assigned authority.
• Evaluate results and determine whether conditions support continued service or require monitoring, engineering evaluation, fitness-for-service assessment, repair, alteration, rerating, replacement, or removal from service.
• Prepare clear, technically complete inspection reports that document scope, observed conditions, results, measurements, photographs, calculations, conclusions, and recommendations.
• Translate findings into complete SAP notifications, work orders, or approved corrective-action records with the technical basis, priority, required timing, and interim controls.
• Monitor findings from identification through evaluation, mitigation, planning, repair, post-repair inspection, documentation, and closure; escalate overdue or increasing-risk conditions.
• Review repair methods and applicable quality records; establish inspection hold or witness points; and perform or coordinate in-process and final inspections.
• Verify corrective actions address the original finding and that required examinations, tests, acceptance criteria, and closeout records are complete before recommending return to service or closure.
• Maintain accurate and auditable equipment histories, inspection plans, condition-monitoring data, intervals, reports, recommendations, and supporting records in SAP and the approved inspection data management system.
• Coordinate with Operations, Maintenance, Reliability, Engineering, Planning, Scheduling, Projects, contractors, and specialty resources while preserving independent technical judgment.
• Develop inspection scopes using equipment history, damage mechanisms, operating information, monitoring data, applicable requirements, and anticipated access opportunities.
• Identify required resources, specialized NDE, access and cleaning needs, inspection hold points, and repair contingencies; review contractor qualifications and procedures before quality-critical work begins. Coordinate field inspection and contracted NDE; evaluate discovered conditions; provide timely technical recommendations; and complete final reports, repair records, and system updates.
• Work extended hours or alternate schedules when required for turnarounds, outages, equipment failures, or other emergent conditions.
• Strong communication, computer, organizational and interpersonal skills required to work in a team-based environment
• Fully support Company goals of continuous improvement and operational excellence at strategic and tactical levels including reviewing area of responsibility for improvement opportunities to initiate projects or communicate ideas to management as well as active participation on project teams.
• This position will be required to drive company vehicles from time to time.

EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS

• High School Diploma or equivalent.
• Associates/Technical degree, ABC or NCCER Certification (preferred)
• API 510/570 Certifications (required); Additional credentials such as API 653, API 571, API 577, API 580, API 936, AWS CWI, applicable NDE Level II, or a jurisdictionally recognized inspection credential.
• Experience with SAP or a comparable CMMS and an inspection data management system such as PCMS, Meridium, PSAIM, or equivalent.
• Five years skill related experience (required)
• Practical experience with ultrasonic thickness, magnetic particle, and liquid penetrant testing; applicable certification is required when independently performing examinations that require certification.
• Valid driver’s license and ability to obtain and maintain required site-access, safety, emergency-response, and job-specific qualifications.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit; stand; walk; use hands to touch, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; and talk or hear.  The employee is occasionally required to stoop, kneel, or crouch.  Employee may be required to use stairs/elevators and have the ability to occasionally work at elevated heights.  The employee must regularly lift and/or move up to 10 pounds, frequently lift and/or move up to 25 pounds, and occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds.  Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus. Additionally, this position must take general decisions requiring judgement and perform activities requiring sustained concentration.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate as normally based in an office.  Some of the work may be required in the operating units which can require usage of required PPE including safety glasses, hearing protection, FRC (flame retardant clothing) etc.  May also result in exposure to outside elements and may require usage of stairs and elevators.  Travel including air travel or auto travel may occasionally be required.

Westlake is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any characteristics protected by applicable legislation.

If you are an active Westlake employee (or an employee of any Westlake affiliates), please do not apply here. You will apply via the Jobs Hub application in Workday.