Qualification of Welders for Welding of Piping Systems

Welders on piping systems shall be qualified in accordance with the ASME Section-IX or other applicable codes like ASME B31.3, par. 328.2.3 and par. 328.2.4 or ASME B 31.1 par. 127.5.2 and par. 127.5.3. . The Owners inspector reserves the right to witness the test and certify/approve the qualification of each welder separately. Only those welders who have been approved by the Owner’s Inspector shall be employed for welding.

Contractor shall submit the welder qualification test reports in the format as per Exhibit shown below and obtain express approval before commencement of work.

It shall be the responsibility of Contractor to carry out qualification tests of welders. For welding of the steam piping, falling under the purview of Indian Boiler Regulations, only those welders with IBR
Certification, qualified by Boiler Inspectorate, and acceptable to the local Boiler Inspector authority shall be employed.

The welders shall always have in their possession, an identification card containing necessary information information contained in Exhibit-G and shall produce it on demand by the Engineer In-Charge or his representative. It shall be the responsibility of the Contractor to issue the identify cards after it has been duly certified by the, owner’s Inspector. No welder shall be permitted to work without the possession of the identify card.

If a welder is found to perform a type of welding or in a position for which he is not qualified, he shall be debarred from doing any further work. All welds performed by an unqualified welder shall be cut and redone by a qualified welder at the expense of the Contractor.

Qualified welders shall be identified by means of an exclusively assigned ID symbol which shall be stencilled at 20 mm from the weld bead, on both sides of the joint, prior to weld execution. Punching is not permitted on austenitic stainless steel. Paints free from Zn, Pb and halides will instead be used. In the case of joints executed by more than one welder, each welder shall stencil his own symbol to allow a clear identification of the joint portion executed by him.

Safety measures for the protection of welders and operators involved in welding and cutting shall be in accordance with the practices specified in the American National Standard F49.1.

Format for Manufacturer’s Record for Welder or Welding Operator Qualification Tests