Section 2 - Requirements for Welding Shops, Approval D, E 2 - 1

Section 2

Requirements for Welding Shops, Approval

A. Approval of Welding Shops

1. General

1.1 Shipyards and welding shops, including branchesand subcontractors, which perform welding work coveredby these Rules must have been approved for this work bythe Society. The preconditions for this approval are thatthe shops satisfy the requirements under B., have beeninspected by the Society in accordance with C. and, wherenecessary, have carried out welding procedure tests inaccordance with D.

Note:

The term “welding shop” used in the following paragraphsis understood to mean the welding production plant which,due to its space and organizational facilities, can beregarded as an independent unit. Branches andsubcontractors shall generally be regarded as“independent” facilities which have to meet the requirementsstated below. In particular, each welding shop must haveavailable its own permanent in-house welding supervisorystaff (cf. B.2.) Outside companies working in welding shopsmay be approved as independent companies. For detailsof this and contract labour, cf. Section 1, F.2.

1.2 Any approval in accordance with 1.1 covers the mostessential welding quality requirements in accordance withthe standards EN 729/ISO 3834. For certification underthe terms of these standards, the requirements set out in2.2 and 3.2 must also be met. These additional requirementsshall be regarded as having been met when the weldingshop has in place a certified quality assurance system inaccordance with the series of standards EN 29000/ISO 9000.

1.3 In individual valid exceptions, e.g. in the case ofrepairs, the Society may grant approval for welding workto be executed even without approval being granted to thewelding shop, subject to a time limit and restricted to aspecific structure, if the welding shop pre-conditions havebeen specified for such work and the quality of the weldsperformed is demonstrated by relevant tests, e.g. non-destructive and/or production tests.

2. Application for approval

Introductory remark:

Where no special provisions are given in the followingparagraphs or, in an individual case, no other arrangementsare made, the provisions for "Approval" set out inaccordance with these rules shall also apply in an analogousmanner to "Certification" in accordance with EN729/ISO3834.

2.1 Approval shall be applied for in writing to theSociety's head office. The application shall contain thefollowing details, which shall be related to each other asfar as possible, (cf. Description of Welding Shop,Appendix 2, item 2.), of the scope of the desired approval:

S Nature of the structure and/or components

S Materials and dimensional ranges

S Welding procedures and positions

S Heat treatments (if necessary)

S Weld factor ( pressure vessels).

2.2 If a certificate of compliance with the welding qualityrequirements stipulated in EN 729/ISO 3834-2, -3 or -4is required over and above approval in accordance withthese Rules for Welding, this must be expressly noted inthe application for approval.

3. Approval documents

3.1 Welding shops applying for approval to carry outwelding work must submit the following documents to theSociety's head office with their application for approval(cf. Appendix 1):

S A description of the welding shop: cf. the form inAppendix 2

S Copies of the qualification documents of the weldingsupervisor(s)

S Copies of the valid welder's certificates or a list ofthe qualified welders (testing standard, testing body,date of testing, test category, date of last retest)signed by the Surveyor.

S Copies of documentation as proof of the qualificationof supervisory and test personnel, as appropriate.

S Copies of reports of welding procedure testsperformed elsewhere, including the approvalsgranted, as appropriate.

3.2 For certification in accordance with 2.2, informationand documents relating to the elements specified in Annex Bto EN 729-1/ISO 3834-1 for the respective grade ofrequirement (EN 729-2/ISO 3834 - 2 = full, -3 = standard,or -4 = basic quality requirements) must also be enclosedwith the application for approval (e.g. in the form of relevantprocedure instructions) :

S contract review

S design review

S treatment of subcontractors

Section 2 - Requirements for Welding Shops, Approval D, E2 - 2

S equipment maintenance

S quality inspections

S non-conformances

S calibration

S identification

S traceability

If the welding shop operates a certified quality assurancesystem conforming to the series of standardsEN.29000/ISO.9000, the QA manual and - if specified inAnnex B to EN 729-1/ISO 3834-1 - documentation relatingto the quality assurance measures performed (quality reports)must be submitted to the Society for inspection in placeof the above information and documents.

4. Period of validity of approval, renewal

4.1 An approval granted according to these Rules orcertification in accordance with EN 729/ISO 3834 shallbe valid for three years. Provided that welding work isconstantly performed under the Society's supervision duringthe validity of the approval and that the preconditions onwhich approval was granted have not changed, approvalmay be extended on application by the welding shop forfurther three years subject to an appropriate inspection.

4.2 If no welding work has been carried out under theSociety's supervision for more than a year, an applicationfor renewal of the approval, enclosing updated informationas specified in 3., must be made no later than the end ofthe 3-year period of validity. Approval may only be renewedif the necessary preconditions continue to apply, which shallbe verified by a re-inspection of the welding shop. Theapproval may then be renewed for a further period of threeyears.

5. Changes, revocation

5.1 If the preconditions under which approval wasgranted change, e.g. through the use of untested weldingprocedures, materials and/or welding consumables, or ifchanges are made to the welding shop supervisory staff,the Society shall be notified voluntarily. As a rule, thisnecessitates a revision of the approval.

5.2 An approval shall cease to be valid if thepreconditions under which it was granted cease to apply.If serious defects are detected in the components or thewelds, the Society is entitled to carry out interim reinspectionof the production facilities and may, if necessary, revokethe approval.

B. Requirements for Welding Shops

1. Technical equipment

1.1 Welding shops must have at their disposal suitableworkshops, equipment, machinery and jigs on a scale

necessary for proper performance of the welding work. Thisincludes, for example, the provision of storage facilitiesand baking equipment for the welding consumables andauxiliary materials, preheating and heat treatment equipment,testing appliances and equipment, and means of weatherprotection for carrying out welding work in the open air.

1.2 Equipment and facilities not belonging to the weldingshop itself, e.g. testing appliances, may be taken into accountwhen evaluating the capabilities of a welding shop, providedthat the preconditions necessary to proper fabrication andtesting are satisfied and that such equipment is availablewithout restriction.

2. Welding shop supervisory staff

2.1 Welding shops or branches (cf. note to A.1.) shallhave at least one fully qualified welding supervisor, whois responsible for ensuring that the welding work iscompetently performed. Welding supervisors shall havetraining and experience corresponding to the scope of thefabrication work and shall provide the Society with thenecessary documentary proof thereof.

2.2 The names of the welding supervisor in charge andhis deputy must be notified to the Society, cf. Appendix2 "Description of the Welding Shop", 3. If the supervisionrole is carried out by more than one person, theresponsibilities and tasks of each person must be establishedand specified. The welding supervisor in charge and hisdeputy shall be recognized by the Society as part of theapproval for the welding shop.

2.3 The following persons shall be appointed as weldingsupervisors depending on the nature and scope of the work:

S Welding engineers1) for fabrication of importantcomponents of the hull structure and of offshoreinstallations, also of handling equipment, steamboilers, pressure vessels, pressure lines and engineand transmission components

S Welding specialists2) for fabrication of simpler orless heavily stressed components.

For information relating to the qualification of the weldingsupervisory staff, their tasks and responsibilities cf.EN 719/ISO 14731.

2.4 The welding supervisor(s) shall be permanentlyemployed by the welding shop. Supervision of the weldingwork by outside staff is not acceptable.

3. Welders and operators

1) e.g. professional welding engineers as defined in theguidelines of the European Welding Federation (EWF) orengineers with an equivalent level of knowledge

2) e.g. welding technicians or welding experts as defined inthe EWF guidelines or, if necessary, other persons withsuitable knowledge

Section 2 - Requirements for Welding Shops, Approval D, E 2 - 3

3.1 Welding shops shall be staffed with qualified weldersand, for fully mechanized and automatic welding equipment,adequately trained operators. The required number ofqualified welders is determined by the size of the weldingshop and the scope of the welding work to be performedunder the Society's supervision. However, a minimum oftwo qualified welders are required for each welding process.

3.2 Welders for manual and semi-mechanized weldingmust have passed a test in accordance with Section 3 andin conformity with a recognized standard (e.g. DIN 8561EN 1418/ISO 9606, or ASME Section IX as applicable).The test shall cover the conditions likely to occur in thefabrication work with regard to the process(es), basematerial, welding consumable and welding position(s). Theproduction of test pieces in a successfully completed weldingprocedure or production test may be taken as proof of manualskill for testing of welders, cf. Section 3, B.4.

3.3 Operators of fully mechanized or automatic weldingequipment and of welding robots must have been trainedin the use of the equipment. They must also be capable ofsetting or programming and operating the equipment in sucha way that the required weld quality is achieved. Thequalification of such personnel must be demonstrated inaccordance with EN 1418/ISO 14732 on welded test pieces,e.g. in welding procedure or fabrication tests or by meansof random tests and operational tests as applicable (pleaserefer to the standards).

4. Test supervisory staff and test personnel

Where the welding shop has its own test supervisory staffand test personnel (cf. Section 10, C.), documentary proofof their qualification (e.g. certificates conforming toEN 473/ISO 9712) shall be submitted to the Society.

C. Inspection of Welding Shops

1. Shop inspection

Before starting the fabrication work, it shall be proved tothe Society's Surveyor in the course of an inspection of thewelding shop that the requirements applicable to thetechnical equipment as stated in B.1 are satisfied. For thispurpose the Surveyor shall be given access to all departmentsand laboratories relevant to fabrication and testing. Thefabrication and quality control procedures shall also bedescribed and explained to him if he so requests. Forcertification according to EN 729/ISO 3834, compliancewith the additional quality requirements stated in thestandards shall be demonstrated to the Surveyor (cf. A.3.2).2. Submission of documentation

As part of the welding shop inspection procedure, originalsof all documents necessary in order to evaluate thefabrication and quality assurance procedures shall besubmitted to the Surveyor. These especially include thewelding supervisors' qualification documents, welder's

certificates, reports on previous welding procedure tests,and results of quality tests and welder's retests. Forcertification according to EN 729/ISO 3834, compliancewith the additional quality requirements stated in thestandards shall be demonstrated to the Surveyor (cf. A.3.2).

D. Welding Procedure Tests

1 General provisions

1.1 If welding procedure tests are required, theirsuccessful performance shall be a further precondition forthe approval of a welding shop or for extending its approval.Requirements for the performance of this tests andrequirements applicable to test results are given in Section4 and in Sections 12 to 16.

1.2 Welding procedure tests shall be performed in sucha way that the conditions of fabrication can be covered withregard to materials, welding processes, welding consumablesand auxiliary materials, wall thicknesses, shapes of weldsand heat treatments. The properties of the base materialsfor the test pieces shall be documented by test certificates.

2. Scope of the welding procedure test

Note:

Please refer to the detailed information given inSection.4,.D.

2.1 In general, a welding procedure test is valid onlywithin the limits specified in the approval and is nottransferable from the welding shop where it is performedto a different welding shop. The Society may permitexceptions in the case of a nearby branch welding shopwhich is under the constant supervision of the main weldingshop, where the same fabrication conditions prevail andwhere the same welding processes are used.

2.2 Welding procedure tests performed in a workshopare in general not simultaneously valid for welding in thefield. In such cases, the welding procedure test must berepeated in whole or in part under field conditions asdetermined by the Society. The Society may waive the repeattesting by prior agreement if the properties of the field weldsare documented by production tests.

3. Recognition of other tests

Welding procedure tests performed under the supervisionof other testing bodies which are independent of the worksmay be recognized in full or in part by the Society at thewelding shop's request if this is acceptable on the basis ofthe test results. In such a case, the complete test reports andthe approval certificate of the other testing body shall besubmitted to the Society for evaluation.

Section 2 - Requirements for Welding Shops, Approval D, E2 - 4

E. Certification of Approvals, Certificates accordingto EN 729/ISO 3834

1. The Society issues certificates for the approval ofwelding shops to carry out welding work and for weldingprocedure tests if the requirements set out in these rulesare satisfied in the tests. These welding shop and weldingprocedure approvals are valid within the limits stated inthe certificates.

2. Where proof has been furnished that the additional

requirements listed in A.3.2 according to EN 729/ISO 3834have been met, the Society issues a certificate based on thisin accordance with this standard.

3. If previously issued approval certificates are replacedor supplemented by more recent ones (cf. A.5.1) and thedetails in the more recent approval certificates contradictthose of previous approvals, the details in the more recentcertificate shall be valid. This applies especially to the rangeof application, e.g. for a specific welding process.