Administering Welder Qualification Question

By pipewelder_1999 (****)

Date 01-11-2013 12:06

There are no industry codes that I am aware of that require a CWI to be involved with welder performance qualification. At least not D1.1, ASME sec IX, or API 1104.

However often the manufacturer or contractor for which the welder will be working is responsible for performance qualification. In some cases codes allow 3rd parties to perform this with the engineer of records approval (AWS D1.1) but no requirement for a CWI. In other cases the actual administering of the test is required to be performed by the contractor or manufacturer and only the actual inspection and testing of the weld may be subbed out.

So in short, someone can administer a weld test and send it out for testing or perform the testing in house. Each individual code has details on what can and cannot be done. I would suggest getting the code book and looking it up. Of course then you may have even more questions.

Gerald Austin

By welderbrent (*****)

Date 01-11-2013 14:16

To add a touch of detail to Gerald's explanation from a slightly different point of view, many of the structural General Notes on plans for buildings will specify that welders are qualified through an outside third party agency. Not necessarily a CWI, but an agency seperate from the fabricator/erector. Regardless of who does the qualifications, the paperwork is to be submitted to the engineer before work begins for his approval. SUPPOSEDLY they look through all of it and if they send everything back as accepted then you are good to go. The same with shop drawings and other pertinent information that will normally be specified in the job specs/contract documents.

Have a Great Day, Brent

By welder2 (*)

Date 01-12-2013 00:38 Edited 01-12-2013 02:00

Thank you both for your assistance. I have an instructor wanting a few students qualified and I was wondering if the instructor can administer the test, cut and prep straps and then I would bend the specimens when needed. But my responsibility is to perform visual inspection before bend testing so maybe just have the instructor administer the exam and then I would come in and do the inspection process. Sound right?

By Lawrence (*****)

Date 01-12-2013 13:28

If you are going proceed as you suggest, my counsel would be to insure that the Welder Qualification Test Report was generated in such a way that your stamp/signature was placed in specific boxes that represented EXACTLY the inspection steps you participated in ALONE.

D1.1 Annex has examples

I don't see anything out of order if an outside party performs things like.. Bends, RT, Tensiles, etc. As long as each of those tasks have a specific area in the form for sign off approval/Fail.

If you are not going to wittness the test, it is impossible for you to verify that the WPS was followed. So somebody else needs to sign off on that compliance area and the form really should be clear as to who did what.

I would be more than hesitant to sign off as a qualifier if I wasn't a wittness to the test.

It's an easier matter to sign off for simply performing specific inspection duities on a coupon.

By OBEWAN

Date 01-12-2013 13:37 Edited 01-12-2013 19:08

It can also depend on the customer. I have worked for customers in the past that had their own weld standards which clearly stated what the witness requirements were. In some cases, a company representative had to be present to witness and sign off. Contracts often override code requirements by either exempting from them or going above and beyond.

By 803056

Date 01-12-2013 18:43

If you are a CWI, review the code of ethics you agreed to when you applied to become a CWI.

Al