Commonarc,
Stress can often be purely a state of YOUR mind, attitude, and spirit. How you cope and/or let others get to you is usually the major contributor.
Having said that, I don't see any less STRESS as an inspector than I did as a weldor or company owner of a fabrication shop. It just comes in different forms and from different people.
You still have paperwork, insurance, liability, questions of judgement, application of code and inspection techniques and procedures, and so much more.
I'll bet there are others here who can really open this up.
Have a Great Day, Brent
commonarc,
I agree that it all depends on the person and how they deal with stress. My first CWI position I was thrown in to the fire and they said I'm a CWI so I should know what to do. I learned the hard way for a lot of things, but sometimes that is the best way.
The nice thing about being a CWI is that if you are confident and you are knowledgable than you shouldn't get any stress, especially in the field. If you have a Super yelling at you, or some other guy from the erector, about something that they don't think is wrong or needs to be fixed then you just tell him, "ok I will just put it in my report" and walk off. Once the report gets back to the owner, and it will eventually, than the erector will have done all that yelling for nothing. That is if your right about the situation.
To me that is how I deal with the stress. As long as you can leave the job site and not think if you did the right thing than you shouldn't be stressed. You will most likely second guess yourself a few times but that is how we learn.
You will be asked to let unethical things go, but just do your job correctly.
By Joey 
Date 04-28-2010 16:05
Edited 04-28-2010 16:11
It was said "that the most difficult time is during the first few weeks at a new work location. During that time you will be tested for weaknesses in your inspection policy. Remember, the applicable contract documents define the specific requirements, as well as your duties, authority and responsibilities. If you are informed, fair, consistent and follow the intent of the contract specifications, you will earn respect and cooperation."
I dont have a problem with the above mentioned except for working with a group of people that practice racism. You cant avoid being emotional, depress and it also affects the amount of rest you get.
Are screaming and yelling common???....oh yes bullying tactics! it will become more common when you don't know how to retaliate with your middle finger :)
Regardless of what job you are doing, stress "happens" - and it's usually because your expectations are not the same as someone else's expectations.
As was said, the individual has the most impact on how much stress s/he feels. (I'm not trying to come across as being very good at managing stress - on the contrary, I'm a good example of what not to do).
On the first 3rd party inspection job I did, the shop kept trying to paint me as a "know-nothing". I didn't know everything but I had fabricated and welded for many years prior to that - and I knew that even though it wasn't raining in the shop, they still needed to keep the rod oven plugged in (and similar things). I was tested often to see if I would catch the problems created for me. I did better than that - I found many problems they didn't know they even had. For that I was "overbearing and knew-nothing" and they asked to have me removed.
On another job, my name was called out over the radio, the DOT sent several a car out to the bridge pier, with flashing lights no less, to collect me for an "emergency" meeting. Once there, the GC started screaming at me because another inspector had rejected a PQR plate being welded at a fabricator's shop several states away. And things only got worse from there.
There were many other examples and very rarely did I have another CWI around to "bounce things off of".
What you may want to remember though is this: It is not all bad; I have not been subjected to lots of screaming and yelling - we just remember the bad times more than the good.
There will be difficult times with any job. If you act in a professional manner, treat others as you want to be treated, and be confident in your work while realizing that you still have much to learn, you can "manage your own stress level".
But, please, above all - BE there to do your job. Don't be one of those people that asks a shop to cover for him while he's out playing golf. And DON'T let anyone pressure you into accepting work you know is defective. Re-check your findings, re-check your specs, get another opinion, whatever it takes to be fair - but you owe it to yourself, and to lots of people you may never meet, to reject work you know is bad.
I'll get off the soap box now.
I was on a 3rd party job and the plant manager and i got off to a bad start,
I introduced myself and informed him that I would need a copy of all the welders
certifications, company WPS, WPQR, etc and he told me he wasn't going to give me anything l
told him that i had to have the documents to ensure the right procedures were being used
for the type welds being made and that the welders were qualified and without them
i would have no choice but to reject every weld. He called my Boss and asked that I be removed
from the project. Thank god my boss stood up for me. Sometimes fab shops hate you just for the fact
your there nobody likes anyone monitoring there facilities. If you don't know the answer DON'T Guess
take the time do a little research and obtain accurate information. Be as professional as possible
both in attitude and appearence. Do not look the other way, the smallest error can come back and get you,
document everything in writing in your reports. I think being a welder had a lot more stress. JOE
I just wanted to say this is one of my biggest pet peeves. I'm young (23) and look even younger, people assume I'm wet behind the ears or don't know anything. I don't claim I'm top dawg and have every answer under the roof, but I've spent quite a bit of time designing weld procedures, teaching and qualifying welders. I had a job where a boss continually blew me off for "knowing-nothing" because I didn't go along with his wanting to bend welding specifications because "they had done this longer than I had been alive". He wasn't even a welder or had any welding qualifications and he's trying to claim he could interpret D1.1 better than I and it was "over my head". I actually won out on that issue, I keeps me on my toes because everyone thinks my opinion means about 90% less than those with grey hairs.
I have this quote from Gandhi on the wall in my office:
"Peace is an internal choice, not an external event."
I do not let inspection work stress me. It is my job and I stay busy so I believe I am pretty good at it.
It is my career. Are there days I want to tear someone's head off? Sure. And I am sure I get on others nerves at times too.
Oh I KNOW I can get on others nerves.
But I was given some advice about three years into my career. I still had my welding equipment "just in case" A older inspector told me If I was going to weld, weld and if I was going to inspect inspect, but I could not be excellent at both. At some point a I would have to work with a contractor I had worked for before.
Would this cloud my judgment?
He did not answer that just let it hang. When I got home I sold my machines and most of my tools and have never looked back.
If you cannot handle confrontation, that is another subject. I can get belly to belly with the best of them. And if I am working for a organization that for what ever reason will not back me then there is other work.
But sometimes things get taken out of your hands. This used to bother me but no longer does. I have my own field notes for why I made the decision I did and if it gets overturned for some reason, then it is not my responsibility. We sometimes do not know what happens above us and something rejected in the field may be accepted by the customer or engineering. My experience has been that the reason is usually passed down.
My attitude toward others taking responsibility has changed over time as I have become the person who sometimes has to make that call. I have learned to depend on the council of others rather than depending entirely on myself. But at the same time I am not afraid to make a decision and back that decision. To the point if the decision I make is wrong and I get dismissed then I take my medicine. But I have learned the ability to make a decision, accept the consequences and go down the road separates a lot of people.
So do not worry about the stress. Inspection is a great career and welding inspection especially is a great starting point. But decide you are going to be the best at it. Not be a dick. You can reject work without rejecting the person making the work. And when you run into one of those people or companies that treats you like a dick and you cannot change the situation, then shake hands and move on. There are other companies and work out there where you knowledge and skills will be utilized and appreciated.
Thanks dbigkahunna.
I wish someone with 25 year of power plant welding inspection could put a checklist together on how to handle issues involving confrontation.
I want to jump in but my personal ethics code will not let me rubber stamp total crap welds in pressure piping/tubing that could get someone hurt.
I've been in the welding trade for over 25 years and I'm not picking apart marginal welds on sloppy apperance or wavy beads. It's the total crap with porosity, etc that I see being signed off on that concerns me. I'm sure you know what I mean.
I only wish there was a checklist of things. Like children, what works for one may not work for another.
And as a inspector, you have to learn not to call them crappy welds. Welds can be rejected for appearance, but you better be able to list the reason. You have to have the accept/reject criteria in you hand. I have worked with a lot of inspectors over the years that say, I know a crappy weld when I see one.
Well I do to, but you have to be able to reject it. Crappy is a subjective term. I it excessive reinforcement, porosity, concave, convex, ???
If the weld has too much porosity, you as the inspector has to define "Too much" Is it because of a single GP or cluster.
I have no issues ever with a inspector that visually rejects a lot of welds as long as they can show why. If the spec allows "X" amount of porosity then if it is below that. the weld is acceptable. But I am assuming this falls under 31.1 or 31. and porosity on a visual is rejected.
I know your frustration and I used to be under it too. And it can make for a good inspector or a former inspector.
Here is a list of things a inspector needs to come to terms with.
One, you will never win every battle.
Two, every bad weld made was not made to piss you off. Sometimes welders have a bad day.
Three, sometimes your decision gets overrode.
Four, sometimes you miss something
Five, sometimes the welders, contractors and supervisors are messing with you
Six, given time, you get them back
Seven sometimes a person you cross up with turns out to be a good friend
Eight, learn not to take it personal
Nine, If you cant do that, consider another career
Ten, Learn to make decisions, live with them and go on.
Inspection is a skill just like welding. It has taken 25 years to get to the welding skill level where you are now. If you want to be a inspector, it is going to take 3-5 years before you get your skill set developed to be able to do this and sleep well at night.
But YOU need to decide if you have the temperament for this work. If not, then move on. But if you decide to stick it out, give yourself time.
CWI work is great and not too stressfull just ask this young man who got his cwi after high school and has been in the business for 3 years.
I don't think that is a fair assessment. I know the guy in the picture (Charlie) thats what he looked like in high school. :)
Jim
Just drink after work - then it will all go away.
Repeat daily!
3.2
I have my CWI but have never used it. Had a few job offers but they were too far away and seemed to have high CWI turnover once I researched them. I found out why and the reasons were obvious.
The reason I ask about the rubber stamp CWI's and pressure to pass substandard welds is from what I have seen a few times working in the field. Power plant outages. When they get real far behind, the xray's seem to stop because of high failure rate. Then they switch over to UT and everything starts to pass inspection. It's like a miracle happened. Same crap welds by the same poor quality welders but they all pass. Visual alone would have failed most. I just couldn't do it if I was asked to pass these welds with a 3/4" high cap, loaded with surface porosity on a 2" chrome steel heavy wall boiler tube attached to a steam header. I saw multiple welds being rejected until the job became seriously behind schedule. Then, like a miracle, everything passed. How would you handle something like this? The CWI's just went along. I've seen this on more than one occassion. Thanks for the input.
I wonder if Mr Pirie was at Calvert Cliffs 12yrs ago. For years no sheetmetal worker could pass the welding test. So when RFO time came around my hall chose 4 ringers. 1 CWI/instructor, 1 28AWScerts, 1 one of best I have seen, and 1 who has been working nukes since they were wood fired.
When first 2 arrived (Best and Old) they were told that they busted out and accepted it. The next day CWI/Instructor and myself were told that we busted out. When asked by CWI/insp "how did we fail" after going into a tizzy the inspector pulled out the book and rattled off a list of crap that did'nt even pertain to the test taken. When informed of this he flew off the handle and asked "And who do you think you are". My friend replied "I'm an AWS CWI" who are you? His next words were "OK you 2 pass you have 2 welders and 2 firewatchers". Gotta Love Politics John B
Mikeqc1 - I'm ROTFLMAO!!!!
Kipman, I like that quote, but Gandhi wasn't a woman in the trades... I'm going to let loose a little here, because the question was asked.
Just for a little back ground... I started in construction as a carpenter in the late 80's, then joined IUOE as a heavy equipment operator. Left for a few years and worked welding and machining in a shop. Came back to construction and over the years have earned these certifications:
AWS/CWI,
ICC for Reinforced Concrete,
Prestressed Concrete,
Structural Masonry,
Structural Steel and Welding,
High Strength Bolting,
and Spray Applied Fire Proofing.
I have my nuke gauge for soils
I have completed my 40 hour course work for both Level 1 and Level 2 Ultrasonic Testing.
And I have a B.A. Degree.
In other words, I have half a brain and some experience.
Not bad.
Now, here is what the view looks like from my end.
First, the only people who don't HATE inspectors are the people who want to BE inspectors.
Second, for a long time it has been 'acceptable' to be an A__hole in the construction trades. It's hard to imagine another industry tolerating bad attitudes, hostility and posturing to the extent that the construction industry has.
Third, being a woman in the trades can really SU_K.
Most people seem to resent inspectors in general, but a woman inspector is soooo insulting. Ouch!
For example, just last week I worked a 12 hour night shift doing concrete QC and every driver made sure that my wheelbarrow was filled to the brim with concrete (less than a 1/3 is standard). They knew exactly what they were doing. That was a long and painful night – 97 trucks and I had to test every 5th.
On a field welding inspection job recently the fab shop had a painter who sprayed primer on my truck and laptop.
On more than half of the long term welding inspection jobs I've been on at least one of the welders eventually gets around to asking me about my personal sex life. Essentially, they are not really asking questions so much as they are making statements to me. I can't count the number of bananas that have been thrown at me. I get it but I have to earn a living too. No one pays my way. If I could do life over again, I would never have gone into construction, but I was good at it and...
Certainly, many of the not so great experiences I've had would have happened even if I was a guy, but most of them are because I'm a woman.
On the flip side, the best folks to work with are the ones who aren't phased by an inspectors presence. It's just business as usual. Many of the shops here (Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino Counties of California) are good to inspect in because they have a lot of experience with fabricating to strict code compliance and they tend to have really experienced welders. Out in the field can be hit or miss.
I'm also old enough and have been in the trades long enough (20+ years) that I have seen a shift in generations. The younger welders seem to have less machismo swinging around smacking into people.
HVYMAX, that situation you talked about is very similar to the situation that was occuring at Hanford a few years back. No sheetmetal tradesman could passed a plate test there either. Also the last time I was there the Boilermakers where going to pull up because very few of them could pass either. Now, you noticed I didn't say anything about the Pipe fitters. Politics was the rule there, with the inspector running that show.
