Arc Welding 101: Which welds need visual inspection?

Q: We work on off-road and lifting equipment, and our welders are qualified per AWS D1.1. Which welds are required to be inspected visually and by whom?

A: When you asked which welds are required to be inspected visually, I had to snicker. There was a time in my life when one side of my hard hat was printed with “AWS D1.1 Sec. 6.9.” I would get this question, smile, point to my hard hat, and say, “Look it up!”

All Welds Should Be Visually Inspected

AWS D1.1 keeps it simple. See Clause 6.9—Visual Inspection, which states, “All welds shall be visually inspected.” Section 10.6 of D14.1 is similar: “All welds shall be visually examined.” That doesn’t leave a lot of wiggle room and means that a qualified inspector needs to inspect all welds visually.

As to who the qualified inspector is, well, a certified welding inspector (CWI) isn’t required. Welding codes and standards typically accept the qualifications of a CWI but they don’t require certification. AWS D1.1 and D14.1 require inspectors to be qualified and that the bases for qualification be documented. In addition, D1.1 requires a regular eye exam.

This means visual weld inspection can be handled internally as long as your company writes a qualificiation procedure for your inspectors; the inspectors conform to Para: (1), (2), or (3) [see D1.1 Para: 6.1.4.1 or D14.1 Para: 10.1.3]; and you maintain documentation that those inspectors meet the qualification requirements.

Other Specifications You Should Have

A great document to use as a guide for developing your weld inspector qualification procedure is AWS B5.1—Specification for the Qualification of Welding Inspectors, which is available as a free download from the American Welding Society at www.aws.org.

Here are a few more documents you should consider adding to your welding library:

• AWS D14.1—Specification for Welding Industrial & Mill Cranes & Other Material Handling Equipment
• AWS D14.3—Specification for Welding Earthmoving, Construction & Agricultural Equipment
• AWS D14.4—Specification for Welded Joints in Machinery & Equipment

As for what I had printed on the other side of my hard hat … “AWS D1.1 Sec. 3.1, 2nd Sentence.” Look it up! But that’s a whole other column.