Arc Welding 101: AWS CWIs … Who needs 'em?

Q: I am very interested in a research article that discusses the industry’s perception and the overall value of the AWS certified welding inspector (CWI) certification. Many organizations have established training and certification programs internally and apply job scope-specific training to inspectors. It seems to me that the AWS CWI training and exam are too general and wide-ranging. What is your opinion on this?

A: Although most codes accept the credentials of a CWI for visual inspection of welds, they don’t require that the inspector be a CWI. What they do require is that your inspectors be qualified, and for that qualification to be documented. Those are two very important requirements—qualified and documented—that I typically find are not being followed while I'm conducting fabricator and manufacturer audits with in-house qualified inspectors.In your letter you state, "Many organizations have established training and certification programs internally.” Well, I've worked for many manufacturers and have developed those exact programs, but each program ensured that my inspectors were qualified and that qualification was documented.

It is common in industry today to make the claim that the welder is your first inspector. That's a great approach, but again, to make that claim, your welders would be required to be qualified as inspectors (don't confuse this with qualified as welders) and their qualifications would need to be documented.

The AWS B5.1, Specification for the Qualification of Welding Inspectors, is a great reference to help you develop that training and documentation. It is also a terrific guide for developing a visual welding inspector program. Programs developed to AWS B5.1 by a knowledgeable welding inspector/engineer would typically be accepted by your customers and governing agencies. I have often found it easier to evaluate employees and determine which inspectors may be ready to take the next step to certification once I've developed an in-house inspector qualification.

It is typically your customers or governing agencies that put the requirement in contract documents that visual welding inspectors shall be AWS-CWI's (meaning certified to AWS QC1, Standard for AWS Certification of Welding Inspectors). If it is specified in contract documents, there's no wiggle room for alternative qualification programs.

From my own experience, walking onto a project overseen by an AWS CWI gives me confidence that the inspector has a well-rounded background in different areas, including process, code requirements, inspection techniques, and metallurgy.

When I'm asked to be a third-party inspector in a manufacturing environment where inspectors are trained in-house, I tend to ask a series of questions that help me to evaluate their qualifications. I want to feel confident that they understand the requirements and the acceptance criteria for the weldments they inspect. That is a bad time to find out they don’t, and I'll always ask to see their documentation.

I understand why some folks believe that certification to AWS QC1 (AWS CWI) can, at times, be overkill. When an alternative program is developed, you must ensure that it is done so by an individual with a well-rounded understanding of welding requirements—the kind of understanding you'd typically find in a CWI.