Hi all,

Regarding the assessment for the validity of qualification for welder, I have a case as below:

A third-party company qualifies and issues the welder certificate for my company, and there is a sentence on the certificate:

The validity of qualification must be subjected to satisfactory assessment at the period of six months since initial approval or last endorsement

There are 2 questions:

1/ Is it possible that my company itself assesses the validity of qualification through the quality document which prove that the welder has worked in his qualified process during the previous six month period? And which Clause or Sentence in the AWS D1.1-2015 show that content?

2/ How long that the six-months-assessment-process can be last? 2 years, 5 years, or timeless?

My position is QC supervisor from the QC department.

Thanks.

The employer is responsible for certifying their welders are properly qualified (by the third party or in-house). I question the validity of the third party or AWS to certify the welders. That is the responsibility of the employer.

The third party is referring to what is commonly called welder continuity. The employer is responsible to ensure the welder has no lapses in excess of 6-months in the use of the welding process for which the welder is qualified. That lapse could be due to a different job assignment, a layoff, an illness, etc. The welder qualification is valid indefinitely if the employer ensures the welder uses the process at least once during any 6-month period.

There is no requirement for a written welder's log in D1.1. That is something auditors often look for to make their job easier. The welder's log can be used as objective evidence of welder continuity, but so can job tickets. It is more difficult and time consuming for the auditor to review the job tickets to verify continuity. However, once again, it is the employer that certifies the welder and it is the employer's responsibility to verify the welder has no lapses in excess of 6-months. How they elect to do that is their call, not the auditor's.

While AWS D1.1 does not define how continuity is maintain (the word or term appears no where in AWS D1.1), the contractor's quality control manual may (if there is one), or the project specification may requires some formal method of maintaining continuity, or if the contractor is certified by AWS or AISC, i.e., certified fabricator or certified erector, there may be formal requirements for a welder's log, but it isn't a requirement of AWS D1.1.

Ask the auditor to show you where he is pulling the requirement from and verify it applies to your organization. If your company isn't an AWS certified fabricator, those requirements don't apply. If your employer isn't an AISC certified fabricator, those requirements don't apply. If your employer's QC manual (if he has one) doesn't address the need for a welder's continuity log, it doesn't apply.

It isn't that I am not in favor of a welder's continuity log as a means of ensuring the welders have used the welding process, it just that it isn't a requirement per AWS D1.1. Some auditors have a "that's how it is always done" mentality. If the Owner wants a record of continuity, it must be specified in the project specification or other working document referenced by the contract.

Best regards - Al