weldingfabricatorcertificationscheme-iso3834

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Welding Fabricator Certification SchemeWelding Fabricator Certification Scheme

ComplianceCompliance with AS/NZS ISO 3834:2008 with AS/NZS ISO 3834:2008

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Compliance with AS/NZSISO 3834:2008

• An Overview of the Scheme

Fabricators are being encouraged to embrace the ISO 3834 “Quality Management system” as a means of establishing confidence in their Fabrication & Welding operations.

A wider range of major organizations are requesting contractors apply a reliable and effective system of traceability to their business welding activities. E.g.

Bhpbilliton BP Alcoa Caltex Water Corporation ENI

Also there is a reference in the new forthcoming Australian Welding Standards for fabricators to embrace AS/NZS ISO 3834 Quality Management System.


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Compliance with AS/NZS ISO 3834:2008

Maintaining a competitive edge

The development of European and International Standards is having a profound effect on manufacturing and fabrication companies. To be successful in this business environment you have to comply with a bewildering array of requirements which seem to change on a regular basis.

Many companies have achieved certification to ISO 9001 with respect to their quality management systems. But where significant use is made of a special process like welding, such certification is unlikely to provide the required demonstration of capability of the company to manufacture products to the required quality.

ISO 3834 can overcome this shortfall and boost the manufacturing company’s ability to sell its products in a competitive market. Compliance to ISO 3834 provides a “one-stop-shop” to achieve market recognition of the company’s capability.


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Compliance with AS/NZS ISO 3834:2008People are the key to ISO 3834

Entitled ‘Quality Requirements for Welding’ the standard provides details on how to control the various welding and welding-related operations to achieve the desired quality consistently. A key feature of the standard is the requirement to ensure that people with welding responsibilities are competent to discharge those responsibilities. This is achieved by the incorporation of another standard: ISO 14731 “Welding Co-ordination – Tasks and responsibilities”.


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• Compliance initially and then Certification to ISO 3834 – alone or combined with ISO 9001?

• Independent certification to ISO 3834 benefits manufacturers by providing an authoritative third party statement of commercial value. Compliance /Certificationcan be achieved alongside an ISO 9001 certification or it can stand alone. The stand-alone option may be attractive to companies in which the welding operations are a critical part of their manufacturing process.


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Compliance with AS/NZS ISO 3834:2008 Benefits for certified fabricators

• Clear, high profile, independent verification of compliance by the AWI. • Confirmation of welding and fabrication capability and staff competence.• Improved client confidence leading to a reduction in external audits.• Entry of the company’s details on a well-publicized national register.• Increased national and international business potential.• Certification packages to suit individual company requirements e.g. Part 2,3 or

4.• ISO 3834 certification can be achieved alone or alongside ISO 9001 certification.


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Benefits for clients of certified fabricators

• Professional independent assessment of suppliers.• In-depth, authoritative evaluation of fabricators capability.• Consistent assessment.• Uniform presentation of information and data


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How is certification achieved?

• The first decision to make is which level of welding quality requirements are appropriate to your company

• ISO 3438 contains three levels of requirements and the selection will depend on the degree of complexity of your welding operations. Bear in mind that even simple operations require appropriate control and this is catered for in the category described in Part 4 of the standard.

Part 2 and 3 define requirements suitable for more complex welding operations.(The best option and recommendation is compliance to ISO 3834 Part 2

“Comprehensive quality requirements)

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Steps to Compliance with Certification to follow

• Initially the QWS needs to be implemented and in place and applied for a number of months or projects to allow all staff involved to apply and understand the relevant areas and their responsibilities and to fine-tune the system.

• The final step is a formal application to the Accredited Third Party Certification body who will apply a detailed assessment and audit.

• It is best practice to have the system functioning for some time and tweaked before the formal application is submitted to ensure a minimum of delay and cost.

A one-on-one discussion with a qualified technical consultant to carry out a preliminary site visit in order to evaluate:

(a) Which level of compliance is appropriate Part 2,3 or 4,(b) The depth and extent of the company’s existing quality management system(c) The extent of documentation required to cover the quality manuals and

procedures.(d) ISO 3834 document requirements are listed in the following subheadings:

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ISO 3834 Document Sub-headings:

• Documentation• Batch testing of consumables• welding consumables• Post-weld heat treatment• Inspection and testing before, during and after welding• Non-conformance procedures • Calibration and validation procedures for inspection and testing equipment• Identification• Traceability• Quality records

• Contract review • Design review• Subcontractors (NDT,PWHT,Painting etc)

• Welders• Welding coordination• Inspection personnel• Production and testing equipment• Equipment maintenance• List of equipment• Production plan• Welding procedure specification (WPS)• Welding procedure approval• Work instructions,


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Compliance Costs

Compliance cost will vary according to the size of the company, number of locations and any existing certification.

A site/workshop visit will be required in order to evaluate these factors.A surveillance audit by the technical consultant will follow to establish the full

extent of the company quality management documentation and system.Also a oral examination is applied to the elected staff member/s who will fill the role

of the “Responsible Welding Coordinator” (RWC)This assessment is to determine the depth of their technical knowledge and their

ability to fill this role.

Technical ConsultantWeldtraining & Procedure Services Mobile: 0433 174 575

Email: [email protected]

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