A lack of special welding of the California Building Code (CBC) inspections and submitting it to the
inspections offers the potential for or Section 1704.2.2 of the building department. The purpose of
quality problems, life safety issues, and International Building Code (IBC). this document is to inform the building
liabilities. The intent of this article is to This process must be completed prior department that a special inspection
provide a reference tool for Certified to any welding being performed. It is agency or special inspectors have been
Welding Inspectors, owners, engineers, from this information that the building retained to perform all required special
architects, building officials, building official makes the decision whether or inspections for the project. This letter is
department staff inspectors, and other not to approve a fabricator and waive usually required to be submitted before
design professionals. the requirement of shop welding the building permit is issued, and
inspections for that specific project. includes the scope of the inspection, a
The Inspection Issue Generally, most building departments list of inspectors and their
throughout California do not approve certifications, and, when requested, the
What constitutes an approved fabricators. Therefore, the owner or inspectors’ résumés. In some instances,
fabricator? There seems to be some owner’s representative must provide the individual inspectors must
confusion about this issue. It is shop welding inspections. These successfully complete an interview
commonly assumed that as long as a inspections must be performed by with the building department in order
welding fabrication shop is AISC qualified inspectors who have to obtain approval to perform special
certified or is licensed by an agency demonstrated competence, to the inspections in their jurisdiction.
such as the Los Angeles Department of satisfaction of the building official, for
Building and Safety, it is exempt from inspection of the particular type of Where the Problem Begins
shop welding inspections. This simply construction or operation requiring
is not the case. special inspection. When shop or field welding for a
Actually, it is the building official During the permit approval permitted project is performed without
for the jurisdiction in which the project process, the owner or his agent is the required inspection, we face the
is permitted who has the authority to required to employ the special issue of visual “after the fact” welding
approve the fabricator. For inspector under Chapter 17, Section inspections. When this situation occurs,
consideration of approval, the 1701, of the CBC or Section 1704 of the special inspection agency usually
fabricator must submit his or her the IBC. The registered design receives a frantic call requesting the
quality information to the building professional is responsible for services of a welding inspector.
official as required by Section 1701.7 preparing a statement of special Sometimes this involves situations
Fig. 1 — Sample of a visually Fig. 2 — Sample cross section of a Fig. 3 — Sample single-V-groove weld
acceptable single-pass fillet weld with single-pass fillet weld with poor fitup. plate showing acceptable weld profile,
poor fitup and lack of effective weld to Notice the lack of effective weld to the yet the weld has been slugged. (See
one member. (See Fig. 2.) vertical member. Fig. 4.)
Fig. 4 — Sample of cross section of Fig. 5 — Sample of visually acceptable Fig. 6 — Sample of the backside view
single-V-groove weld plate with rebar multipass fillet weld with poor fitup of a visually acceptable multipass fillet
slugged weld. and a slugged and bridged root weld with poor fitup and a slugged and
opening that has been welded over as bridged root opening.
an example. (See Fig. 6.)
where weeks of welding have been report stating whether the work • Inspection of multipass fillet welds,
performed, or even entire projects have requiring special inspection was, to the and partial-joint-penetration and
been completed, where no call has best of the inspector’s knowledge, in complete-joint-penetration groove
been made for welding inspections. conformance to the approved plans and welds (AWS D1.1)
The contractor or responsible party specifications and the applicable • Assembly practice (AWS D1.1, D1.3,
assumes the problem will be easily workmanship provisions of this code.” and D1.4)
resolved by simply having a welding The IBC requires a similar statement • Observation of the welding (AWS
inspector come out and do a quick under 1704.1.2, Report Requirements. D1.1, D1.3, and D1.4)
visual inspection of all the completed When limited “after the fact” • Welder, welding operator, and tack
welds and provide a report that will welding inspections have been welder performance (AWS D1.1,
satisfy the building department. performed, this statement cannot be D1.3, and D1.4).
This is where the problems begin. made because the special inspector was The integrity and quality of the
Yes, a welding inspector can, in most not afforded the opportunity to perform welds cannot be positively verified
cases, conduct an “after the fact” all of the required inspection tasks. without performing all required
limited visual inspection of completed Following is a list of tasks that welding inspection tasks. Even though
welds. The inspector can provide a cannot be verified after the fact. The the overall appearance of the welds
limited report to protect himself or inability to verify any one of these may meet all of the visual acceptance
herself and the inspector’s employer tasks, let alone all of them, could result criteria, it cannot be assumed that they
from liabilities for not performing the in catastrophic failure of a welded meet the minimum quality
inspections in conformance with the structure. They are part of the requirements of the code or minimum
codes. The inspector may even be able inspector’s duties and responsibilities design requirements specified on the
to make the statement or statements and are outlined not only by the approved project plans. Without being
that the welds meet the minimum building codes, but by the American able to verify the actual weld joint fitup
visual requirements of the AWS D1.1, Welding Society Codes D1.1, prior to welding, there could actually
D1.3, or D1.4 welding codes and Structural Welding Code — Steel, be existing root openings in excess of
appear to conform to the proper size, D1.3, Structural Welding Code — that allowable by the welding code or
length, and locations as shown on the Sheet Steel, and D1.4, Structural even welds that have been “slugged”
project plans. However, without Welding Code — Reinforcing Steel. and welded over. Excessive root
committing the crime of perjury, the • Positive material identification prior openings in fillet welds or slugging a
inspector cannot provide a report to the to fabrication (CBC and IBC) weld to close a gap or fill in a weld
building official stating that the welds • Verification of welding procedures joint generally results in an inadequate,
were performed and inspected in and Welding Procedure ineffective weld size that could affect
accordance with the California Specifications (AWS D1.1, D1.3, the design performance of the
Building Code, the International and D1.4) structure. These types of situations are
Building Code, and the approved • Verification of welder certifications usually a result of poor workmanship
project plans or construction and positions qualified (AWS D1.1, and are commonly found where
documents as applicable. D1.3, and D1.4) welding has been performed without
The following statement is • Verification of welding process, inspections. Workmanship like this
required under CBC, Section 1701.3, electrode, and electrode storage creates a condition where the visual
Duties and Responsibilities of the (AWS D1.1, D1.3, and D1.4) appearance of the completed weld may
Special Inspector: “The special • Weld joint fitup (AWS D1.1, D1.3, appear adequate in size but in actuality
inspector shall submit a final signed and D1.4) results in a severe lack of effective
References
BRAD A. BOSWORTH
(bradb@technicon.net) is manager
of Special Inspections, Materials
Division, Technicon Engineering
Carestream Health, Inc. Rochester, N.Y. 14608
Services, Inc., Fresno, Calif. He is © Carestream Health, Inc. 2010. Kodak and
the Kodak trade dress are trademarks of Kodak
also an AWS Certified Welding used under license. Exclusive manufacturer of Kodak INDUSTREX Products
Inspector.
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