Welding procedures and welders

Guidelines on approval testing

WG 01 Issue 03
Dated 06 November 2020
The Safety Assessment Federation (SAFed) represents the interests of companies engaged in independent inspection and safety
assessment of engineering and manufacturing plant, systems and machinery.

ISSUE STATUS AND REVISIONS

ISSUE DATE PAGES

01 1998 New Document
02 November 2012 New Document
03 November 2020 New Document

Proposed revisions should be notified to the appropriate

SAFed Technical Manager

© 2020 – Safety Assessment Federation (SAFed)

Welding Procedure Qualification and Welder Qualification

Guidelines on Approval Testing

Contents Page

Foreword 4

1. Introduction 5

2. Obtaining Welding Certification 6

3. Welding of Test Pieces 7

4. Testing 8

5. Certification 9

6. SAFed Member Organisation Services 9

Appendix I 10

Welding Procedure Qualification Record (E1) 11

Record of Weld Test (E2) 12

Record of Weld Test Continuation Sheet (E2) 13

Test Report (E3) 14

Welder Qualification Test Certificate (E4) 15

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Foreword

This revision on WG01 has been prepared under the direction of SAFed Technical Committee No. 4 (TC4). It
incorporates technical and editorial changes developed from experience gained in the use of the document since it was
first published in 1998. WG01 Issue 03 supersedes WG01 Issue 02 which is now withdrawn.

SAFed member organisations should abide by the principles and practices referenced in WG01.

WG01 does not purport to include all the necessary provisions of a contract. Users are responsible for its correct
application.

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1.0 Introduction

1.1 The primary purpose of Weld Procedure Qualification is to demonstrate that the joining process proposed for
construction can produce joints having the required mechanical properties for the intended application. When qualifying
welders, the emphasis is placed on the welder’s ability manually to manipulate the electrode, welding torch or welding
blow pipe, thereby producing a weld of acceptable quality.

1.2 Terminology and Definitions

The more commonly used terms associated with Weld Procedure and Welder Qualification Testing (definitions taken
from PD ISO/TR 25901-1)

 Preliminary Welding Procedure Specification (pWPS)

Document containing the required variables of the welding procedure which has to be qualified.
 Welding Procedure Test
Welding and testing of a standardized test piece, as indicated in the preliminary welding procedure specification,
to qualify a welding procedure.
 Weld Procedure Qualification Record (WPQR)
Record compromising all necessary data needed for qualification of a preliminary welding procedure
specification
 Weld Procedure Specification (WPS)
Document that has been qualified and provides the required variables of the welding procedure to ensure
repeatability during production welding
1.3 Commonly used Welding Standards in the United Kingdom

 BS EN ISO 9606 Series. Qualification Testing of Welders

BS EN ISO 9606-1 - Steels
BS EN ISO 9606-2 - Aluminium and Aluminium Alloys
BS EN ISO 9606-3 - Copper and Copper Alloys
BS EN ISO 9606-4 - Nickel and Nickel Alloys
BS EN ISO 9606-5 - Titanium, Zirconium and Alloys
BS EN ISO 9606-6 - Nickel and Nickel Alloys
 BS EN ISO 15614 Series. Specification and qualification of welding procedures for metallic materials.
BS EN ISO 15614-1 - Steels, Nickels and Nickel Alloys
BS EN ISO 15614-2 - Aluminium and Aluminium Alloys
BS EN ISO 15614-3 - Non Alloyed and Low Alloyed Cast Irons
BS EN ISO 15614-4 - Aluminium Castings
BS EN ISO 15614-5 - Titanium, Zirconium and Alloys
BS EN ISO 15614-6 - Copper and Copper Alloys
BS EN ISO 15614-7 - Overlay
BS EN ISO 15614-8 - Tube to Tube Plate Joints
 BS EN ISO 14732
BS EN ISO 14732 - Welding Personnel, Qualification testing of welding operators and weld setters for
mechanized and automatic welding of metallic materials
 BS 4872 Series. Specification for approval testing of welders when welding procedure approval is not
required.
BS 4872-1 - Steels
BS 4872-2 - Aluminium and Aluminium Alloys

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2.0 Obtaining Welding Certification

The following flow diagram shows the route for the development and qualifications of a WPS (taken from Annex C, EN
ISO15607)

2.1 Initial Investigation – Contract Review

Ultimately a contract is an agreement between two parties. Each party is asking for and receiving something in exchange
from the other party. If a problem were to arise, both parties can refer to the contract and pinpoint exactly what is
expected of them.

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The SAFed member organisation should seek access to the contract documentation to confirm what standards are
involved. This will subsequently lead to being able to work with the manufacturer to determine the relevant ranges of
approval, essential variables, and the selection of appropriate tests/test pieces.

In some cases, end user ‘application standards’ or National ‘product standards’ may also be applicable, and the
manufacturer should work with the SAFed member organisation to ensure that these are adhered to.

2.2 Pre Visit Preparation

Prior to the SAFed member organisation arriving on site, it is advisable that the manufacturer completes the following
steps:

 Preparation of a pWPS (see Para 1.2)

 Machining of Test Pieces (in accordance with pWPS)
 Procurement of all consumables
 Weld test trials – this can be done as a part of pWPS development
 Welder Briefing – Many manufacturers fail to see the importance in briefing the welder regarding his/her role
 Manufacturer Briefing – The SAFed member organisation should make the manufacturer aware of their role
during the visit.
The SAFed member organisation should pass on as much information and provide as much guidance as possible, based
one experiences within the industry. Note – This does not extend to offering consultancy services.

2.3 Examining Bodies

An Organisation that has been appointed to verify compliance with the applicable standard.

It is the responsibility of the manufacturer to ensure that the Examining Body is acceptable to all contracting parties.

An examining Body which holds national accreditation and International notifications (approvals) is recommended as
acceptability can vary between industry sectors.

Where authority to issue welding certification is not fully defined by legislation, the major UK Examining Bodies
generally utilise notification under relevant European Union (EU) Directives as the criteria by which to assess potential
Examining Bodies. This approach provides assurances of the Examining Body's quality system, technical competence
and adequacy of liability insurance. SAFed members adopt the above approach to assess the capability of members and
other bodies to issue welding certification.

The United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) is the sole national accreditation body
recognized by government to assess against internationally agreed standards.
Organizations that provide welding certification and testing services should have such described in
their schedules of accreditation.

3.0 Welding of Test Pieces

3.1 A SAFed member organisation should be contacted directly so that a suitable location, date and time can be
arranged. The SAFed member/examining body is contracted by a manufacturer and appointed to verify compliance with
the applicable standards. SAFed member organisations shall verify compliance by being present for the duration of the
welding activity. The welding activity includes, but is not limited to, the following:

-Weld preparations and joint type/Set up

-Tacking of joint

-Confirmation of Welding Position

- Confirmation of Material being welded

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- Confirmation of Consumables

- Confirmation of Gas Flow Rates

-Application and monitoring of Pre Heat

-Welding Plant and Electrode Details (if relevant to process)

-Welder/Operator Identification

-Amperage, Voltage, Wire Feed, Travel Speed (recording thereof)

-Method of Back Gouging

-Interpass Temperature (from Start-Completion)

-Run Sequence (from Start-Completion)

-Post Weld Cleaning, Peening, Cooling (if applicable)

- Specific pWPS/WPS requirements.

Some of the above are applicable to WPQR/PQR and or Welder/Operator qualifications as relevant.

The examiner/examining body shall satisfy themselves that welding has been conducted in accordance with the relevant
standard (see Para 2.1)

During welder qualification tests, the welder will be expected to show adequate practical experience and knowledge of
the welding process, materials and safety requirements for which approval is being sought. The examiner/examining
body may stop the test if the welding conditions are not correct or if it appears the welder does not have the skill to fulfil
the requirements, e.g. where there are excessive and/or systematic repairs.

3.2 Job Knowledge Testing

Testing a welder's job knowledge is non-mandatory in BS EN 9606 (series), but it may be specifically
required by some European countries.
Job knowledge testing can be performed by the SAFed member organisation and would be an
additional activity carried out by the engineer surveyor. BS EN ISO 14732 has a mandatory requirement that job
knowledge is tested.

4.0 Testing
On completion of welding, and in accordance with the applicable standard, the test pieces shall undergo non-destructive
and/or destructive testing.

Suitable facilities are provided by laboratories accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) against
the requirement of ISO/IEC 17025 - General
requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories. The examiner / examining body shall ensure that
the scope of accreditation covers the required tests.

It may be that a non 17025 accredited NDT / test facility is used, where this is the case the examiner / examining body
shall ensure that such a facility is competent to perform the applicable testing. The examiner / examining body shall also
identify during a contract review process with the client if a 17025 facility should be used to ensure contract compliance.

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5.0 Certification

5.1 Description of Certification

When Certification is issued by the SAFed member organisation it will be in a standard format bearing the SAFed logo
and watermark.

If manufacturers wish to use their own certificates, such certificates will be endorsed by a
SAFed member company provided they are presented in a format that is both technically and factually correct (to the
relevant Standard).
In all cases, certification will only be issued on satisfactory completion of the approval
process and will only be valid when bearing the SAFed member company stamp and signature
of a SAFed member organisation representative.

5.2 Validity and Renewal of Welder Qualification Certification

Welding Procedures, once approved, remain valid indefinitely and are thus valuable
documents, this is of course subject to them continuing to meet the requirements of the current version of the applicable
standard)
For the most common Welder Approval Standard in the United Kingdom, BS EN ISO 9606-1,
the revalidation of welder qualification remains valid for:

 3 years; then a retest is required (Subclause 9.3a)

 2 years; then two welds made during the last 6 months of the validity period shall be tested by radiographic or
ultrasonic or destructive testing in accordance with Subclause 9.3b of the standard.
 Continual Validity; providing Subclause 9.2 and Subclause 9.3c are satisfied - Note – this option is not permitted
for categories II, III and IV products relating to EU Directive 2014/68/EU (PED)
Is should be noted that revalidation of welder qualification is only possible if Subclause 9.2 has been adhered to. This
Subclause is applicable to all parts specified above and requires the person responsible for welding activities/SAFed
member organisation to confirm every 6 months that the welder has worked within the range of qualification.

6.0 SAFed Member Organisation Services

SAFed member companies are major providers of Welding Certification United Kingdom.
Considerable experience and expertise is available to make the whole process of obtaining Weld Procedure Qualifications
and Welder/Operator Approvals easier for manufacturers. SAFed member companies can share experiences and
knowledge relating, but not limited to:

 Product and Welding Standards

 Test methods, regimes and programmes
 Qualification process
The above not only ensures technical accuracy but reduces costs and maximises the future worth of the approvals gained.

SAFed member companies, via a nation-wide network of engineer surveyors, can deal with all aspects of welding
approvals including:

 Examiner/Examining Body Services (Surveillance, Witnessing and Inspection)

 Weld Testing (Non-Destructive and Destructive)
 Issue of Certification
SAFed member organisations have considerable technical involvement in the drafting and issuing of British, European
and International Welding Specifications/Standards, thus providing the ability to give advice on known or anticipated
future developments.

SAFed has a technical committee infrastructure that assists uniform application of the relevant Standards and provides
authoritative interpretations of key issues within the Standards to aid the fabrication industry.

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Appendix I

Welding Procedure and Welder Qualification Certification

It is essential, for the validity of the certificates, that the details entered are accurate and complete. (Examples of correctly
completed certificates are shown in the next section).

Welding certificates, correctly completed, potentially span many projects and can therefore have a long life: they are
valuable documents and their accuracy is of the utmost importance.

Welding Procedure and Welder Qualification Certification takes the form of one, or a combination of, the following:

El - Welding Procedure Qualification Record (WPQR)

This is a record compromising all necessary data needed for the qualification of a preliminary welding procedure
specification.

E2 – Record of Weld Test

This details the actual welding parameters recorded during the welding of the WPQR test coupon. A continuation sheet
E2c is available.

E3 - Test Results
This document is used to record the results of the relevancy Non-Destructive and Destructive Testing. It is mandatory to
issue this with any WPQR, failure to do shall result in the WPQR being invalid. For Welder Qualification Certification, it
is not necessary to issue such a document as a summary table showing acceptability is included on the Welder
Qualification Test Certificate (E4).

Application Standards or End User Requirements may dictate the need for additional information to be included within a
WPQR package such as, but not limited to:

 Photomacrographs
 Individual Technique NDT reports
 Material Certification
 Consumable Certification
 PWHT Graphs/Reports
E4 - Welder Qualification Test Certificate
Ref EN ISO 9606 (series) this single certificate will include details of the welder who is gaining qualification, the
pWPS/WPS followed during the test, test piece Details, range of qualification gained, test results, route of chosen
revalidation, and SAFed member organisation signatures and stamps.

Certificates E1 - E4 supplied by SAFed have translation details on the reverse for use if necessary.

NB: - SAFed was once a member of CEOC, which is now Known as the TIC Council – you may see these certificates
with or without a CEOC Logo.

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70 South Lambeth Road
Vauxhall
London
SW8 1RL
[Link]

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