Welder personal qualification under the supervision of a Notified Body – pressure equipment manufacturing

Finspection | February 25, 2025 | Articles

Welder personal qualification is a key part of pressure equipment manufacturing, as the quality of permanent joints directly affects the durability and safety of structures. Pressure equipment delivered to Europe must meet the requirements of the Pressure Equipment Directive PED 2014/68/EU, according to which the qualification of persons performing permanent joints must be carried out under the supervision of a Notified Body (Annex I, section 3.1.2). The Pressure Equipment Directive itself does not distinguish between different joining techniques but uses the term permanent joint. In addition to welded joints, there are other types of permanent joints such as for example brazing or expanding. In this article, regarding the qualification of permanent joints, we address the most commonly used qualification – the welder personal qualification – which is carried out under the supervision of a Notified Body. In this article we describe how the welder personal qualification is implemented and what requirements are related to the process.

In the manufacturing of pressure equipment, the Pressure Equipment Directive requires the involvement of a third party in the qualification of persons and procedures performing permanent joints for equipment in categories II–IV. As a Notified Body, Finspection Oy is authorized to carry out the qualification of persons and procedures for permanent joints according to the Pressure Equipment Directive. As a general rule, welder qualifications are carried out in accordance with harmonized EN standards, e.g., EN 9606-1 or operator qualification according to EN 14732, but qualification can also be carried out, for example, in accordance with ASME Section IX.

When qualifying welders for work under the Pressure Equipment Directive by a Notified Body, it concerns personal certification, and in such cases the Notified Body operates in accordance with the accreditation requirements of SFS-EN ISO/IEC 17024. As an essential part of starting the personal certification process, an application must be submitted to the Notified Body.

When a manufacturer or repairer of pressure equipment needs to qualify welders, it is possible to turn to us in several ways to start the process. Traditionally, we can of course be reached by phone and email, but the process can be started more conveniently by applying an application in the Finspection App. As an alternative, the application (welder) or application (operator) can also be downloaded from our website, filled in and returned by email.

Our existing customers already have credentials for the Finspection App after the first certification process, and the application is completed after logging in. New customers can submit an application directly from here. Based on the entered information, a customer account is opened in the Finspection App. Passwords are delivered during the processing of the application when the account is opened in the application.

Our nearest inspector will process your application and contact you regarding practical arrangements and scheduling. If the application requires supplementation, we will inform the applicant about it. If incorrect information has ended up in the application, we will check all essential variables during the test supervision and record them in the system.

The actual qualification test is usually performed at the customer’s own premises. In general, companies apply for qualification for their personnel, for example through the welding coordinator, but since this is about personal certification, the welder must personally sign the application to initiate the certification process. The qualification test supervisor reviews together with the welder and the welding coordinator the essential variables of the qualification being applied for and possibly updates the application if necessary.

The qualification to be performed is locked, and the welder’s identity is verified. Common identity documents such as a driving license, ID card or passport are the most typical ones for verifying identity. Other essential things to be verified include, for example, the necessity of a theoretical test or an supplementary fillet test according to the standard.

Sometimes companies want to extend the qualification range for the same certificate, and in that case, a combined welding test, where both a smaller and a larger pipe are welded. This way a wider qualification range is achieved specifically for pipe diameter and thickness.

When all essential items have been verified and the test pieces marked, the qualification test supervisor goes through the rules of the qualification test with the welder and then gives the welder permission to start welding. The qualification test supervisor verifies that the person applying for qualification can follow the instructions given to them, for example welding procedure specifications (WPS or pWPS), and can produce a permanent joint that meets the requirements.

During the test, the supervisor ensures the correctness of welding parameters using measuring instruments calibrated according to Finspection’s management system. The welding time of the test must correspond to the working time used in normal production conditions. Possible post-weld heat treatment required in the welding procedure specification (WPS or pWPS) can be left undone if defined so by the manufacturer.

After the welding has ended, the welder must perform a preliminary visual inspection of the test piece. If the welder believes the test meets the requirements, he/she hands it over to the test supervisor for inspection.

The qualification test supervisor visually inspects the weld and checks that all required markings are still visible on the test piece. If the supervisor approves the test piece in the visual inspection, the test piece is sent further to the required testing in accordance with the qualification standard. An approved test is stamped with the supervisor’s personal stamp.

The qualification test supervisor has recorded all essential variables of the test during the examination on the supervision protocol. After the test is completed, the supervisor records the result of the approved or rejected visual inspection on the supervision protocol and defines the required testing. The supervision protocol is delivered to the customer in Finspection App or alternatively sent along with the test piece to the testing organization. The testing organization receives all essential information from the supervision protocol about the qualification test and the required testing.

You may submit the tests to us for delivery to a testing partner selected by us, or deliver them yourself to your own partner. We have a wide network of partners and have negotiated competitive prices for testing services. If you use your own testing organization, please ensure in advance the approval of the testing organization by the test supervisor. At a minimum, the person performing the testing must be qualified by a third party according to ISO 9712 for the required NDT method.

When all the required tests for the exam have been successfully completed and the test material has been delivered to Finspection, it is time for the qualification test review. The review and the subsequent certification decision are performed by Finspection’s competent certification decision-maker, who is a different person than the test supervisor. The certification decision-maker reviews the test supervision material, and the certificates related to the test, for example material certificates and testing certificates, and makes the certification decision based on them.

As proof of a successfully completed welder qualification test, a qualification certificate according to the applicable standard is granted to the person who took the test. The qualification certificate is delivered to the customer electronically signed in Finspection App. The customer will receive a notification about the approved qualification test by email, and the certificate can be downloaded after logging in to Finspection App. All the customer’s qualification certificates can be downloaded and managed by logging into Finspection App. If the same customer has method qualifications for permanent joints or other inspections performed by Finspection, they can also be managed with the same credentials. Several credentials can be opened for the same customer account according to the customer’s needs.

Finspection App is the best tool for a welding coordinator in qualification management. All qualifications granted by us are manageable in the application. The coordinator can do 6-month extensions electronically in the system, thus avoiding time-consuming printing, signing, and scanning. The coordinator receives reminders from the system about the expiration of qualifications and extensions according to the desired schedule.

All qualifications can be listed with versatile listing functions, and the coordinator can print different listings from the system freely formatted, for example by welder or by project. This is a very handy function for example when preparing final documentation of a pressure equipment, as the welders who participated in the manufacturing can be listed as part of the documentation.

In the future, when qualifications expire, applications for new qualifications are easy to make by copying the previous qualification. Often companies use the same WPS in qualification, in this case it is only necessary to change the welder entered into the application for the copied application and the application is ready to be sent. Convenient and fast!

Use of the Finspection App application is free of charge for our customers.

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Finspection is a Finnish inspection body that offers the industry top experts in the field and a wide range of services.

We operate flexibly and customer-oriented ensuring that our services adapt precisely to the customer’s needs – always with personal service and uncompromising quality. See from the map the location of our nearest inspector, we operate throughout Finland. We also operate in international projects.

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