Welding Inspector

Duties and Responsibilities

Section 1

Main Responsibilities

Code compliance

Workmanship control
Documentation control

1.1

Personal Attributes

1.1

Important qualities that good Inspectors are expected to

have are:

Honesty

Integrity
Knowledge

Good communicator

Physical fitness

Good eyesight

Standard for Visual Inspection 1.1

Basic Requirements
BS EN 970 - Non-destructive examination of fusion
welds - Visual examination
Welding Inspection Personnel should:

be familiar with relevant standards, rules and specifications

applicable to the fabrication work to be undertaken

be informed about the welding procedures to be used

have good vision (which should be checked every 12

months)

Welding Inspection

1.2

Conditions for Visual Inspection (to BS EN 970)

Illumination:
350 lux minimum required
(recommends 500 lux - normal shop or office lighting)

Vision Access:
eye should be within 600mm of the surface
viewing angle (line from eye to surface) to be not less than
30
600mm
30

Welding Inspection

1.3

Aids to Visual Inspection (to BS EN 970)

When access is restricted may use:
a mirrored boroscope
a fibre optic viewing system

by
} usually
agreement

Other aids:
welding gauges (for checking bevel angles, weld profile, fillet
sizing, undercut depth)
dedicated weld-gap gauges and linear misalignment (high-low)
gauges
straight edges and measuring tapes
magnifying lens (if magnification lens used it should have
magnification between X2 to X5)

Welding Inspectors Equipment

Measuring devices:

flexible tape, steel rule

Temperature indicating crayons

Welding gauges

Voltmeter

Ammeter

Magnifying glass

Torch / flash light

Gas flow-meter

1.3

Welding Inspectors Gauges

5m
m

6m

16mm

m
12

G.A.L.

3mm

3mm

9m

9m

4mm

S.T.D.

S.T.D.
16mm

6m
m

4mm

m
12

G.A.L.
T

10mm

5m

10mm

1.3

5
6

IN
1/4 1/2 3/4

MM

M
5 M
10

1/
2
15

20

15

40
50
60

MMIN

TWI Multi-purpose Welding Gauge

HI-LO Single Purpose Welding Gauge

Fillet Weld Gauges

Misalignment Gauges
Hi-Lo Gauge

Welding Inspectors Equipment

Voltmeter

1.3

Ammeter

Tong Tester

Welding Inspection 1.3

Stages of Visual Inspection (to BS EN 970)
Extent of examination and when required should be defined in
the application standard or by agreement between the
contracting parties
For high integrity fabrications inspection required throughout
the fabrication process:

Before welding
(Before assemble & After assembly)
During welding
After welding

Typical Duties of a Welding Inspector

Before Welding
Preparation:
Familiarisation with relevant documents

Application Standard/Code - for visual acceptance

requirements

Drawings - item details and positions/tolerances etc

Quality Control Procedures - for activities such as material

handling, documentation control, storage & issue of
welding consumables

Quality Plan/Inspection & Test Plan/Inspection Checklist details of inspection requirements, inspection procedures
& records required

1.5

Typical Duties of a Welding Inspector

Before Welding
Welding Procedures:

are applicable to joints to be welded & approved

are available to welders & inspectors

Welder Qualifications:

list of available qualified welders related to WPSs

certificates are valid and in-date

1.5

Typical Duties of a Welding Inspector 1.5

Before Welding
Equipment:
all inspection equipment is in good condition & calibrated as
necessary
all safety requirements are understood & necessary
equipment available
Materials:
can be identified & related to test certificates, traceability !
are of correct dimensions
are in suitable condition (no damage/contamination)

Typical Duties of a Welding Inspector 1.5

Before Welding
Consumables:
in accordance with WPSs
are being controlled in accordance with Procedure
Weld Preparations:
comply with WPS/drawing
free from defects & contamination
Welding Equipment:
in good order & calibrated as required by Procedure

Typical Duties of a Welding Inspector 1.5

Before Welding
Fit-up
complies with WPS
Number / size of tack welds to Code / good
workmanship
Pre-heat
if specified
minimum temperature complies with WPS

Typical Duties of a Welding Inspector

During Welding
Weather conditions

suitable if site / field welding

Welding Process(es)

in accordance with WPS

Welder

is approved to weld the joint

Pre-heat (if required)

minimum temperature as specified by WPS

maximum interpass temperature as WPS

1.5

Typical Duties of a Welding Inspector

During Welding
Welding consumables
in accordance with WPS
in suitable condition
controlled issue and handling
Welding Parameters
current, voltage & travel speed as WPS
Root runs
if possible, visually inspect root before single-sided welds are
filled up

1.6

Typical Duties of a Welding Inspector

During Welding
Inter-run cleaning
in accordance with an approved method (& back gouging)
to good workmanship standard
Distortion control
welding is balanced & over-welding is avoided

1.6

Typical Duties of a Welding Inspector

After Welding
Weld Identification

identified/numbered as required

is marked with welders identity

Visual Inspection

ensure weld is suitable for all NDT

visually inspect & sentence to Code requirements

Dimensional Survey

ensure dimensions comply with Code/drawing

Other NDT

ensure all NDT is completed & reports available

1.6

Typical Duties of a Welding Inspector

After Welding
Repairs
monitor repairs to ensure compliance with Procedure, ensure
NDT after repairs is completed
PWHT
monitor for compliance with Procedure
check chart records confirm Procedure compliance
Pressure / Load Test
ensure test equipment is suitably calibrated
monitor to ensure compliance with Procedure
ensure all records are available

1.6

Typical Duties of a Welding Inspector

After Welding
Documentation
ensure any modifications are on as-built drawings
ensure all required documents are available
Collate / file documents for manufacturing records
Sign all documentation and forward it to QC department.

1.6

Summary of Duties
It is the duty of a Welding Inspector to ensure all the welding and
associated actions are carried out in accordance with the
specification and any applicable procedures.

A Welding Inspector must:

Observe
To observe all relevant actions related to weld quality throughout
production.
Record
To record, or log all production inspection points relevant to
quality, including a final report showing all identified imperfections
Compare
To compare all recorded information with the acceptance criteria
and any other relevant clauses in the applied application standard