What is a ‘Coded’ Welder?
A ‘coded’ welder is a person who has passed a test and holds a CURRENT qualification. What most people do not realise is that the qualification is limited by the range of approval granted by the test taken and is usually the property of the ex-employer NOT the welder. So if the test that has been taken is a simple fillet weld using the MAG process he will be qualified to do very little else.

On many occasions we have been asked to supply a ‘coded’ welder but this is like asking for a sportsman. If we send a footballer he probably won’t be any good at table tennis!

What is a Welding Procedure?
A Welding Procedure can mean several things. But what most people mean when a welding procedure is required is a procedure which has been welded and tested to a specification such as BS EN ISO 15614 or ASME IX.

What is a Welding Procedure Specification?
This is a very useful document and can be used in several ways but basically it is the document which is used to give a welder the information which he needs in order to carry out the work. If it is an Approved WPS it has been issued as a result of a successful Welding Procedure test. Additional WPS’s can be issued on the strength of a successful WP test as long as they remain within the Extent of Approval. The document can also be used to plan a procedure when it is called a Preliminary WPS and as a work instruction without an approved procedure when it would be an ‘Unqualified WPS’.

Why does my Approved Welding Procedure not work?
A very common problem, and the reason is usually that when the procedure test was originally carried out it was not witnessed properly. As a result the data recorded was not accurate. This is usually the result of the person responsible for documenting the procedure or carrying out the witnessing having little or no welding knowledge or background. A requirement of the newly introduced Pressure Equipment Directive which became law on 30th May 2002 is that any organisation involved in testing of procedures or welders must be a Nominated Body or a Recognised Third Party Organisation. Code A Weld is a Recognised Third Party Organisation

How do I keep my Welders Qualification up to date?
BS EN 287 and BS EN ISO 9606 are the most common standards in this country. In order to keep qualifications up to date the certificates can be signed every six months providing the conditions in the standard have been met. This can be done for a total of two years.

At this stage a third party such as ourselves can prolongate the certificate but this can only be done if the additional requirements in the standard and Annex D of the standard have been met. For most companies if this is possible it will be expensive and time consuming so it is probably desirable to re-test every two years.

Who do I talk to if I have a Welding problem?
It is always very surprising to us that the wrong people are consulted when there is a welding problem.

The best people to talk to are those with a welding background and possibly a qualification in welding such as European Welding Specialist, Technologist or Engineer.

I asked my sub-contractor for a procedure what more could I do?
1. Check that the material on the certificate actually covers the material to be welded and the welding process to be used etc. etc. I have actually had submitted to me a procedure for welding carbon steel by Manual Metal Arc for a job which was in stainless steel and to be welded by the Tungsten Inert Gas process. One sub-contractor once said to me “I normally don’t worry which procedures I submit because no one ever reads them anyway”.

2. If the basic requirements seem to be correct check if the certificate was issued by an acceptable organisation.
But even if the organisation is acceptable do not assume that this means everything is going to be correct.

3. Examine the parameters used e.g. amperage, voltage, travel speed etc. and consider if the procedure would actually work. I once saw a procedure for MAG welding 10mm Carbon Steel with an amperage value of 5amps. I obviously thought that this was a typing error until I noticed the voltage was 240 volts.

4. The final tell tale area on a certificate is the Range of Qualification. I examine several hundreds of certificates every year and it is rare for me to see a certificate where there are no errors on the Range of Qualification and in fact the work to be carried out is not covered.

5. In order to assist companies and individuals who are not of a welding background but need to examine certificates we run a one day Welding Quality Awareness Seminar to eliminate this problem.

Who should witness my Procedure/Welder Tests?
The Pressure Equipment Directive (PED) requires tests to have been witnessed by a credible organisation. So any company going to the expense of carrying out procedure or welder qualifications would be well advised to do this even if there is no PED requirement because a procedure lasts forever.

In order to satisfy PED requirements a provider must be either a Nominated Body or a Recognised Third Party Organisation (RTPO).

Certificates which have been witnessed by organisations such as non-destructive testing providers etc. may not be acceptable to your present or future clients.

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