Welding Certification – Guidelines

Welding procedures or the practicing code, consist of standards such as:

• BS 2971 Class 2 Arc Welding of Carbon Steel Pipework
• BS 2633 Class 1 Arc Welding of Carbon Steel Pipework 
• BS 4677 Arc Welding Of Austenitic Steel Pipework. 
• BS 806 Boiler Pipe Work (Refers to BS 2971 and BS 2633) 
• PD 5500 Unfired Pressure Vessels (Formally BS5500) 
• BS 2790 Shell Boilers 
• BS 1113 Water Tube Boilers 
• BS 5169 Air Receivers 

The above standards require welding procedures to EN ISO 15614 Part 1 (Formerly BSEN 288-3) and welders coded to BSEN 287 Part 1. 

There is also a welding procedures sheet to advise how the weld should be performed, EN ISO 15609 (formerly EN288 Part 2) specifies the contents of such a specification.

UK & European pressure equipment directives, are there to prevent dangerous situations occurring – there is a Health &Safety ExecutiveGuidance Booklet to advise of relevant precautions.

The welding procedure specification (WPS) set-down the requirements for appropriate welding procedures from;
Welder Approval – for companies to demonstrate all the employed welders are knowledgeable to put down a clean solid weld.

The weld needs to tested to check it’s clean, fused & solid for stress – this is normally a visual examination, followed by a radiography scan.

Welder approval without a procedure – BS 4872 is for welders where a weld procedure isn’t required by both the application standard or by a contractual agreement.

A WPS document describes how a weld much be engineered; the amount of specifications in a WPS is dependant on the application and for the work to be carried out.

For a lot of welding applications, the information required is similar to what’s required for a Procedure Qualification Record (PQR) or Welding Procedure Approval Record (WPAR).

Items usually found on a WPS:

• Procedure
• Process
• Position of weld
• Pipe diameter
• Preparation of joint fit, dimensions, thickness etc
• Pre-heat temperatures & method
• Post-weld – time & temperature recorded
• Arc Energy Limits

Other things to accompany a WPS;
Sketches
Production sequence
Non-Destructive Test

CSCS (Construction Skills Certification Scheme) Card Training:
As professional welding is usually carried out on construction sites, the CSCS cards are mandatory.
Course timetable – 2 days in Health & Safety training to CITB (ConstructionSkills Industry Training Board) standards.week-end & evening courses also available.