Hiring Quality Welders

Over the past several years I have become concerned with the quality of the welders I see during welder testing. Welders must understand that Inspectors must adhere to Code requirements. These requirements are not negotiable. "Looks Good" just won't cut it. Before sending your welders into the field, ensure they understand what is required by the engineers and what the visual weld acceptance criteria is. Not only do welders need to know how to weld, but they also need to know what is acceptable and what is not. Rejected welds costs the company time and money, and this may be the best-case scenario. If a weld fails to meet the engineer's criteria, and a catastrophic failure occurs, the company may be held liable for its unacceptable weld. In order to protect the business from liability, the hiring process is crucial for keeping subpar welders out of our welding programs. Hiring quality welders will help keep the business out of trouble and will increase the quality of weld work leaving the shop.