Welding Certification
Unlike other standards in the world Canada has a unique system that involves a 3rd party certification that is carried out by the CWB. An organization certified by the CWB will have qualified welders, accepted welding procedures and accepted supervisory / engineering personnel. All elements of the welding operation will be independently verified by the Canadian Welding Bureau on an on-going basis.
At its core, CWB Certification requires three key things be in place:
- Welding must be done by competent, qualified individuals,
- Welding operations must be overseen by competent, qualified individuals,
- Welding must follow proven, qualified welding procedures.
If any of these three elements are not in place, the risk of welding quality issues - and therefore the risk to public safety - greatly increases.
Welding Personnel
All welders working for a certified company must be qualified by the CWB at least once every two years. This is a practical test administered by the CWB representative that would normally take place at the company's facility. The practical test ensures that the welder is competent to weld in the given process and position that is tested.
Supervisory Personnel
A certified company must have qualified Welding Supervisor(s) and may need qualified Welding Engineer(s) to oversee the welders and welding operations.
In order to be accepted as Welding Supervisors, individuals are assessed by the CWB for meeting requirements of the certification standard with regards to welding related experience and prove control over the welding operations. The supervisors need to complete written examinations on welding symbols, weld faults, quality control and inspection methods and the applicable standard(s) they are fabricating to.
In order to be accepted as a qualified Welding Engineer (in addition to being licensed or a registered professional engineer in a Canadian provincial or territorial association) , the individual needs to meet further requirements related to the welding experience, welding procedures and welding practices. The engineers will need to complete written examinations on welding symbols, weld faults, quality control, inspection methods, welding procedures and practice, and the applicable standard(s).
Welding Procedures
Welding procedures provide the "recipe" needed to make an acceptable weld. These documents describe key variables that must be adhered to during the welding operation including base material, electrodes, preheat, heat input and equipment settings.
All companies are required to submit for CWB's review and acceptance welding procedures data sheets for welded joints used by the company in accordance with the requirements of a design standard. The welding procedure data sheet is considered the recipe for welding. The information contained in a WPDS shall include the type of joint, joint geometry, welding position, welding symbol, welding consumables, gas mixture and the welding parameters that are to be used in making a weldment.
The CWB process and certification provides an added level of confidence and assurance that the documentation, weld quality and knowledge level of fabricators is independently verified against the requirements of the standards, and thereby minimizes liability and public safety risks.