Weld Inspection: What the Job Involves

Weld inspectors decide if a weld meets the code. They check materials, procedures, welders and finished welds, and they write down what they find. The job calls for sharp eyes, a good memory for code rules and the backbone to reject work when a schedule is tight. Many inspectors start out as welders, and most of the job happens on the same shop floors and job sites.

What You Will Be Able to Do

• Describe what a weld inspector does in a day.
• Name the main inspection methods.
• Explain the common AWS credentials.
• Name the hazards that can hurt you on day one.
• Start training your eye.

What the Work Looks Like

Inspectors work for fabricators, construction companies, testing labs, plant owners and government agencies. You could spend one day in a clean fabrication shop and the next on a bridge or a pipe rack.

Work happens at three stages:

Much of the job is paperwork: reading specifications, comparing them to what you see, and writing reports. A good inspector can explain a rejection clearly and fairly. You will be saying no to people who are under pressure, so tact counts as much as technical knowledge.

Inspection Methods

Visual testing is the starting point on nearly every job. Other methods are done by technicians with separate training and certification, often to a program such as ASNT's.

Credentials

The American Welding Society runs the best-known US program for inspectors.

The CWI exam has three parts: Fundamentals, Practical and Code. You need documented experience, which depends on your education, and you must pass a vision test. Details are set in AWS QC1, so check the current version. A guide such as this one does not qualify you to inspect or to sign reports.

Your employer or the job's code may also set their own requirements, so a credential is usually a starting point.

What Will Hurt You on Day One

Inspectors spend their time around the same hazards as welders, but often with less protection, because you are not the one doing the work. Assume that everything around you is hot, live or moving.

Arc Flash

You will stand close to welders, so a flash can catch you off guard. Wear safety glasses with side shields, and carry a shaded lens or helmet. Do not look at an arc to check a weld in progress without protection. Arc eye often shows up hours later, as a painful, gritty feeling.

Hot Metal

Preheated joints and fresh welds can burn you through a thin glove. Check before you touch, and use tools or a temperature crayon.

Falls

Inspections often happen on scaffolds, lifts, steel and ladders. You may be looking at a weld and not at your feet. Follow the site's fall protection rules, and use a harness where required.

Confined Spaces

Tanks, vessels and box sections may need inspecting from inside. Never enter one without the correct permit, air testing and an attendant. A pipe or tank that has been purged with argon can have no breathable air.

Radiation

Radiographic crews use X-ray machines or gamma sources. When a crew ropes off an area, stay out until they clear it.

Grinding and Chipping

You will often be near grinders and chippers. Keep your safety glasses on, and add a face shield when you are close to the work.

Trips and Overhead Work

Leads, hoses and steel litter the floor, and cranes move overhead. Watch where you walk, and stay out from under loads. Wear a hard hat and safety boots.

Fume

If you can smell it, you are breathing it. Stand clear of the plume when you check a weld in progress. Use the respirator the site requires.

Tools You Will Use

• Fillet weld gauges
• A Cambridge gauge, which measures several weld features
• A flashlight, for holding at a low angle
• Temperature crayons or an infrared thermometer
• Calipers and a steel rule
• A mirror
• A copy of the code and the job specifications
• A clipboard, tablet or report forms

Your First Week

If you are new, you will likely follow an experienced inspector. Watch how they read the job's documents, how they talk to welders and how they write things up. Ask how they decide when to measure and when something can be passed by eye.

Your First Exercise

Take a sample of finished welds, or some test coupons in the shop. Pick five. For each one, write down what you see, then measure the fillet size and look for undercut with a flashlight held at a low angle. Then ask an experienced inspector to go over the same welds and compare notes. You will find things you missed, and that is the point. Training your eye takes a lot of practice.

Common Mistakes

• Looking without measuring. Your eye can fool you.
• Using the wrong code or edition. Limits differ.
• Arguing with welders. Report facts and let the code do the talking.
• Focusing on the weld and forgetting where you are standing. Watch for hazards around you.

Check Your Understanding

A welder says a weld is fine and asks you to pass it to save time. What do you do?

Measure it and compare it to the code. Report what you find, even under schedule pressure.

You need to check a joint inside a tank. What do you need first?

The permit, an air test and an attendant. Never enter a confined space on the strength of someone's word.

A crew has roped off an area for radiography, and your inspection is on the other side. What do you do?

Wait until the crew clears the area. Do not cross the rope.

A beginner asks if passing a course makes her a CWI. What do you tell her?

No. She needs documented experience, a vision test and a passing score on the three exam parts.

Key Takeaways

• Inspectors check the work before, during and after welding.
• Visual testing comes first, and other methods need trained technicians.
• CAWI, CWI and SCWI are the common AWS credentials.
• Inspectors share the same hazards as welders, so protect your eyes and watch your step.
• Report what you find, with the facts and the code to back it up.