Why do you need to be Certified?

This is a question that has been asked by many companies and individuals over the years and in this article, the intent is to answer the question as simply as possible.

Within Canada, certain welding standards are developed by the Canadian Standards Association (CSA). There are many different welding codes, standards and regulations that have specific rules when it comes to welding fabrication. With regard to structural fabrication, these standards may invoke certification and if so, such certification would be administered by a third party, the Canadian Welding Bureau (CWB). 

Significant Standards that require certification in Canada are;

• CSA W47.1 “Certification of Companies for Fusion Welding of Steel”

• CSA W47.2 “Certification of Companies for Fusion Welding of Aluminum”

• CSA W186 “Welding of Reinforcing Bars in Reinforced Concrete Construction”

• CSA W55.3 “Certification of Companies for Resistance Welding of Steel and Aluminum”

So why do we need to certify to the various welding standards? 

First and foremost, certification may be mandated by other “motherhood” codes and standards such as the National Building Code of Canada (NBCC) and versions of Provincial Building Codes. Under the NBCC and, for example the Ontario Building Code, certain design codes and standards are listed that mandate companies involved in fabrication and erection of buildings and structures to be certified to an appropriate welding standard. 

In section 4 of the NBCC and Ontario Building Code the following design standards require companies and erectors to be Certified for welding.

• CAN/CSA A23.3 “Design of Concrete Structures, which covers  buildings and their structural members made of plain, reinforced or prestressed concrete. Companies, their personnel and procedures shall be certified to CSA W186 Standard (latest edition) and all welding shall be in accordance with and meet the quality requirements of CSA W186 Standard.

• CAN/CSA S16 “Design of Steel Structures” which covers buildings and their structural members and components made of steel. Companies, their personnel and procedures shall be certified to CSA W47.1 Standard (latest edition) in Division 1 or 2, and all welding shall be done in accordance and meet the quality requirements of CSA W59 Standard (latest edition)

• CAN/CSA S136 “Design of Cold Formed Steel Structural Members” which covers buildings and their structural members made of cold formed steel. Companies, their personnel and procedures shall be certified to CSA W47.1 Standard (latest edition) in Division 1 or 2 or to CSA W55.3 Standard (latest edition) as applicable. All welding shall be done in accordance and meet the quality requirements of CSA W59 Standard (latest edition).

• CAN/CSA A660 “Certification of Manufacturers of Steel Building Systems” which are manufacturers of prefabricated steel building systems. Companies, their personnel and procedures shall be certified to CSA W47.1 Standard (latest edition) in Division 1 or 2 or to CSA W55.3 Standard (latest edition) as applicable. All welding shall be done in accordance and meet the quality requirements of CSA W59 Standard (latest edition).

• CAN/CSA S157/S157.1 “Strength Design of Aluminum” which covers buildings and their structural members made of aluminum. Companies, their personnel and procedures shall be certified to CSA W47.2 Standard (latest edition) in Division 1 or 2 (only if a division is specified), and all welding shall be done in accordance and meet the quality requirements of CSA W59.2 Standard (latest edition)

The CWB, through its Office of Public Safety, has developed a chart that shows the references between the NBCC design codes and the required CSA certification standards. This chart can download from the following link

https://www.cwbgroup.org/document/22710

Secondly there are additional design codes, outside the sphere of the NBCC, that directly reference certification to CSA welding standards, for example;

• CAN/CSA S6 “Canadian Highway Bridge Design Code” which covers all welding of bridge structures and members. Companies, their personnel and procedures shall be certified to CSA W47.1 Standard (latest edition) in Division 1 or 2, and all welding shall be performed in accordance with and meet the quality requirements of CSA W59 Standard (latest edition)

Other safety and product codes that directly reference certification to CSA Welding standards include;

• Amusement Park Rides, such as water parks

• Antennas, Towers and Supporting Structures

• Wind Towers

• Candu Nuclear Generating Plants

• Cranes, Hoists and Lifting Platforms

• Electrical Transformers

• Elevators and Elevating Platforms

• Mobile Homes

• Anchoring Structures

• Scaffolding 

• Ropeways (Ziplining)

• Ships and offshore Structures

The design codes and standards that reference CSA welding certification can be view from the CWB website via; 

https://www.cwbgroup.org/safety/resource-library

Thirdly there may be certification requirements that are mandated through contractual obligations by an owner or operator. Contractual bids may state that all welding shall be in accordance with CSA W59 or W59.2. Such bids generally indicate that you shall be certified to either CSA W47.1 for steel or CSA W47.2 for aluminum in order to be able to procure the contract.

Finally, there are companies that certify to a specific CSA welding standard in order to have a control in place. Such companies want to reduce risk and improve quality through the use of approved welding procedures and qualified welding personnel even though they may be working in an area where certification is not mandatory.

Therefore, the reasons as to why a company needs to be certified are directly related to design codes/ standards that mandate certification, to contractual obligations or to a desire on the part of a company to introduce a level of quality into their product and culture.

The overriding philosophy of “Welding Certification” is to protect the public at large and to limit damage to the environment.

For more information of what “building components” require certification please see the attached page below.