Everyone's thoughts please.
Do you think it is necessary to have been a welder to be a welding inspector? I understand that of course you must have knowledge in the discipline that you inspect, but are inspectors given less respect for having not been a welder for at least 5 years, or however long? Curious on peoples thoughts. I have been in QC (welding and machining) for about 6 years, have little welding experience, but believe I am a fairly good inspector.
It would benefit you to have been a welder but it is not necessary. In my opinion you would have a better understanding as to what caused the defect of flaw in weld.I was a welder for over 10 years before I became a CWI.I can walk by a person welding and just by listening to the sound of the weld being run can tell if the welding machine is set right.
I am the Quality Control Manager in a steel fabrication shop.I know how to run every piece of equipment in the shop.Do I have to know how to do everything? No. But I feel it gives me a better understanding of what happened when things go wrong.
As far as the respect part goes I could not tell you.If you tried to tell me how to weld ,as a welder,I would have a problem with it.But you telling me I have to fix a weld,would only make me mad at myself.
I agree with QCCWI that it's not necessary to have been a welder prior to being a welding inspector, but it definitely helps you to understand things and I think that you would be better received if you are experienced. I think welders are easier to work with, tend to listen to you and are easier to talk to if they know you have actual welding experience. Then, when you talk welding, you're speaking the same language as the welder. It's also hard for someone to take someone else rejecting their work if that person has never actually performed the work. An inspector who has welding experience, for example, can show a welder who has just had some weld profiles rejected exactly what he's doing wrong and how to correct it. That's not something they're required to do, but over the years I've seen inspectors with welding experience help in many different ways such as this. To me, to learn from each other's experiences is what its all about. You can still make a great impression on a welder by being book smart, but I think actual hands on experience is a major plus. My advice to you is to learn all you can about welding, and get as much hands on experience as time permits. I think that you could change from a fairly good inspector to a very good inspector. You can read about welding as much as you want to, but you really can't fully understand it until you get hands on experience. It will only make you better at what you do.
tito: It would have helped me had I been a welder before becoming a CWI and I'm sure that if welders were radiographers before becoming welders they would become better inspectors. We never stop learning no matter how we got here (CWI). Our learning curve is dependant where we came from in the welding world. Another way to look at is to measure the amount of exposure one has to the welding world. Pulp and paper, petrochem, cross country pipelines, fab shops, or welding on a dam on the Tenn. River are just a few to name of. The more exposure the better.
Regards, Donnie Mann
tito; as one who was a welder before becoming a CWI and a CWI before becoming a Welding Engineer, I am in complete agreement with what the others have posted and will add only this, which is one of the very most important traits of an Inspector: Good communication skills are a prerequisite of respect, as is sufficient knowledge. How we present the results of our inspections has far more bearing on the respect we receive than does ones work history. State your case in a factual manner with adequate reasons and reference to the applicable code, spec., etc., when you have rejections and always remember no one likes to be critisized of their work even when it may be warranted. Present everything in a professional manner and don't back down but remember too, that a little praise does wonders for the pride of a person who is trying hard to do a good job.
Thanks for everyone's comments. Now I see that I have been doing this a few years, I know that a little more "hands on" experience would greatly benefit me. As for all the other things that make an inspector good at his job, I think I am good to go in that department. Of course, there is ALWAYS more to learn though. I have gained experience in with an NDT co., piping contractor, pressure vessels, and structural steel fabricator. I have seen alot it the past six years, more than I would have if I'd only stayed at one company, that has given me a broad knowledge from different aspecs of the industry. Not bragging by any means, just stating that I'm not one of those that went to school, got a degree, and look at the same part everyday and call myself a good inspector. Bottom line is...I need more welding experience to be complete.
Yes get all the welding experince you can. I've had CWI's with only NDE background, it makes the job had when you have to stop to explane something that should be a simple ansewer with a welding background. I can't hire any CWI's with NDE background for shutdowns here, the client won't let us hire them.
Faron
My thoughts echo some of the comments already posted - No, I don't think welding experience is absolutely necessary, but it sure helps. Many aspects of welding are not observable after the welds are completed but an inspector with experience will notice "signs" that help to evaluate the work. Some of those "signs" may not be noticed unless you have the experience, although there are people who have caught on without learning how to weld.
Respect is earned by the way we conduct ourselves. If a person is lacking experience but is observant and exercises fairness and integrity in everything he/she does, the respect will be earned. The little things in life a person does shows that person's character just as much as how the bigger things are dealt with. This is not meant to be a sermon on ethics, simply an observation I have made.
Chet Guilford
I have been a CWI since 1991. I started in the steel industry in the mid 80's when a gentleman hired me to assist him performing UT gagings in the local shipyards. After about a year of submitting my own UT gaging reports, an ABS inspector asked me if I was a Level II. My brilliant response was Level II what??? I was sent off to UT school and have been taking training classes and working around welding in many different fields ever since. I have been learning everything I could about welding by carefully watching those around me, often putting on a welding hood and watching them weld. My specialty is NDE and inspection. But I am a dirt dauber at best. I do not have good eye hand coordination and did not pursue learning how to weld. I am much more book smart about welding than many of the "welders" I work around who have no training other than seat of the pants. I understand what is happening within a weld puddle better than many of them.
That said, not being a welder has always hampered my inspector career. I would not recommend it as an easy path to a successful inspector career. I certainly have not broadcast that as a weakness in my toolbox of skills. I understand my limitations. Those welders that know that I am not a welder do not give me the same respect as some of my acquaintances that were welders but not as experienced an inspector. And they have a point!
If you are not a welder, it will be harder to gain respect until you are able to demonstrate that the skills that you have can help them to deposit a better weld. Book knowledge has helped solve several problems that the "welder" could not figure out with his seat of the pants training.
An inspector that is a welder will usually be a better inspector than one that is not; at least when it comes to problem solving. That said, I can tell you if a chocolate cake is good even if I can not bake it!
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