No.  A CWI needs to know a lot of welding-specific information, how to read a welding code book, etc.  A CWI qualifies for ASNT VT, but not the other way around.  Someone who is ASNT MT Level II could perform the MT on the weld, but it is still the CWI who is responsible for final acceptance.

Hg

As several of you have mentioned, you need to review the requirements of the code or welding standard you are using as well as the project specifications. What is defined as a structural weld? Different welding standards include different types of structures as structural welding, for example; structural steel for a building frame, machinery bases and foundations, non-pressurized joints, etc.

D1.1 will accept the credentials of a current or past AWS CWI, but it isn't required. The fabricator can set up their own training, qualification, and certification program if that is how they would like to approach the problem.

I believe it is AWS B5.2 describes a method of setting up an in-house program and uses a method similar to SNT-TC-1A. Likewise, SNT-TC-1A describes a means of establishing a system to train, qualify, and certify VT inspectors as well as technicians for other NDT methods. AWS B5.2 is focused on the inspection of welds, where as SNT-TC-1A can be more general or focused on one area of interest (Limited) if that's how the company sets up their system.

As of last spring the Navy, with their new revision of NAVSEA TP271, is not going to accept AWS CWI credentials and will require the VT inspector to be qualified and certified per SNT-TC-1A.

Every welding standard has their own requirements for the visual inspector that needs to be reviewed and complied with.

Best regards - Al

One of the problems that I encounter with SNT-TC-1A is that it allows the employer to modify the recommendations for training, experience, etc. provided they include provisions for doing so in their written practice. I encountered a testing company that included a NDT category called the "test witness". The Level II "test witness" did not require any training, experience, or written or practical examination. This category of inspector was developed to circumvent a customer requirement that all NDT performed by a contractor be witness by a third party Level II to verify the testing was performed correctly and that they agreed with the test results. It was a clear abuse of the intent of SNT-TC-1A which by its title is only a "recommended practice".

AWS QC1 does not include a training requirement for the three levels of certifications, i.e., CAWI, CWI, and SCWI. However, many of the people taking the AWS examinations have completed the AWS training seminars which are on the order of forty hours of training. Compare that to the training recommendations (not requirements) of SNT-TC-1A, assuming the individual has a high school education, only 24 hours (total) of classroom training is required for the combination of Level I and Level II. SNT TC-1A does not exclude "self-study" (I passed the ASNT ACCP Level III VT examinations based on "self-studying"). Then compare the hours of work experience required for the Level I and Level II combination, it totals 210 hours over a period of less than a year recommended by SNT-TC-1A to that required by QC1. If I remember correctly, AWS QC1 requires a minimum of five years of experience for a person with a high school education to become a CWI.

An employer that meets the intent of SNT-TC-1A's recommendations, or better yet, meets CP-189, by providing "real" training is going to have an inspector that is qualified to perform the required inspections for the work being performed for that employer. There is nothing in SNT-TC-1A that would exclude the CWI training/certification as meeting the requirements of SNT-TC-1A if the employer includes it in their written practice for their Level I and Level II inspection personnel.

As for manipulating the work experience, any program is only as good as the people that participate in it. There are companies that falsify work experience everyday of the week and it isn't restricted to the world of inspection and NDT.

I still encounter NDT technicians certified to SNT-TC-1A at all levels that are qualified and certified in name only by employers that abuse the qualification/certification process. That's why I elected to certify to ASNT's ACCP program. It adds third party involvement to the qualification and certification process. It helps to minimize the vulgarities of certifications that are solely employer based. Still, the work experience is by an affidavit signed by the employer. That is easy enough to falsify.

However, it's more difficult to falsify the examinations when they are administered by a third party such as AWS or ASNT. In general the ASNT examinations do a pretty good job of separating those with knowledge and experience from those that only read the book. Every program has limitations. The limitation of ASNT's ACCP Level III VT examination is that covers a lot of different areas and materials that are subject to visual testing. Due to the breadth of the ASNT ACCP Level III examination there are a limited number of questions on welding, brazing, and soldering. If the primary function of the inspector is to inspect welds, I believe the AWS CWI and SCWI examinations do a better job of assessing a person's knowledge of welding than the ASNT's Level III VT examination.

Every program has its limitations. Every program is subject to abuse. Organizations that offer certification programs such as AWS, ASNT, API, can not be policemen. The certification program's success is dependent on the individuals that participate in the programs and their on-the-job performance as certified individuals. The code of ethics that the AWS CWI, SCWI, and ASNT Level III place their signature on when they become certified doesn't include a clause whereby they can have their certifications revoked for "stupidity". It's unfortunate that a few "bad apples" can ruin the reputation of a certification program. And it is unfortunate that many people that sit on the code committees still do not appreciate the differences are between ASNT's SNT-TC-1A, CP-189, and ACCP.

I believe it is very worthwhile to have both the AWS and ASNT VT certifications. AWS is very focused on welding and ASNT requires a good understanding of visual testing of a wide range of materials that CWIs are often assigned to inspect, but have little or no background with. One certification does a very nice job of complimenting the other.

Best regards - Al

Jim, I agree that there are companies that use SNT-TC-1A as a basis for their in-house training, qualification, and certification programs that have competent inspectors. They have excellent programs for training their in-house personnel and they provide services to their clients that are second to none.

At the same time there are companies that "play the game" and provide less than adequate service to the unsuspecting public that does not understand that SNT-TC-1A is a recommended practice and as such, the recommendations are just that, they are not requirements. Most of the companies purchasing NDT services do not read, much less understand, the NDT contractor's written practice

CP-189 is a standard and it goes a long ways in addressing the weaknesses of SNT-TC-1A in that it set minimum requirements that must be met if it is invoked by contract.

As I said, SNT-TC-1A does not disallow home-study, the employer does not have to provide classroom training. Classroom training is a recommendation, not a requirement. The hours of training, the examinations, the hours of relevant work experience are all determined by the employer with the sweep of the pen (or the touch of the keys on the keyboard) under the auspices of SNT-TC-1A.

I am very happy to hear that the large contractors such as Fluor and Bechtel have stringent training requirements and rigorous work experience requirements. I believe if you look at their client base, you will see that they are also the "big players" in the industry and they have the where with all to properly review and comprehend the written practice and the NDT procedures that are submitted by their construction contractors. Flour and Bechtel would get their butts handed to them on a plastic plate if they tried to pull the wool over on their customers. Unfortunately, many companies purchasing NDT services don't have that level of in-house expertise or if they did, they would not be purchasing outside NDT services. 

As for the CWI program, it is a fair statement to say that the AWS seminars do a good job of providing the general background information needed by welding inspectors. It is important to remember that the seminars are intended for individuals that have experience in the inspection of welds before attending the seminar or taking the AWS examinations. It is the employer's responsibility to ensure the inspector has the experience and training necessary to perform the job assigned. It is not stated anywhere in QC1 that the CWI is qualified to do every type of weld inspection. However, the CWI certification does tell the employer that the individual has a good understanding of what weld inspection entails, an understanding of the fundamentals of welding processes (a CWI knows that GTAW welds will not have slag inclusions), welding symbols, destructive testing, and welding documentation. That doesn't mean that the employer should not or does not have to provide additional training to prepare the CWI for job specific requirements. A CWI that took the open book API 1104 examination is not necessarily well versed in ASME Section I or Section VIII requirements. Likewise, the CWI that passed the D1.1 open book examination is not necessarily prepared to function as a piping inspector that works with the requirements of B31.3. Hence, now there is the opportunity to demonstrate a level of proficiency in using ASME codes and other AWS welding codes and standards by taking the AWS endorsement examinations.

I can not say that I ever received the all the knowledge I needed by attending any one course or seminar. I've taken courses through AWS, ASM, ASME, ASNT, and too many college courses to list,  that have added to the "body of knowledge" I've acquired over the years. There is a limit to the subject material can be covered in a course that lasts for XX hours. I judge the value of a seminar or course by the information presented, not that any one is an all-inclusive package.

A newly minted CWI is like a fresh graduate of an engineering college, they both still have a lot to learn before they are ready to tackle the world on their own. I believe the same can be said about a new Level I, Level II, or even a Level III. I've been a SCWI for 10 years or so and I've been a ASNT Level III in several test methods for 12 years (or so) and there's still plenty that I have to learn. (Hell, I just learn that I can't perform MT through paint. I guess all those magnetic particle indications I've seen were figments of my imagination.) It's a fair statement to say that I make it a point to learn something new everyday. My daughter said she would love to find a book or magazine in the bathroom that wasn't about welding, metallurgy, or NDT. 

I'll repeat myself by saying that I believe that when it involves welding inspection, the AWS and ASNT certifications compliment each other. No certification program is perfect. Both organizations are continually working to improve upon their existing certification programs. Both programs depend on the people involved "doing the right thing" and both programs can be weakened by individuals that insist on taking "short cuts" or circumventing the certification requirements.

Best regards - Al