Welding Continuity Logs
We’ve written about welding as part of Ironwork in the past. Learning to weld is a standard part of Ironworker training in our apprenticeship program. Ironworkers obtain certifications for various types of welding. After they earn those certifications, they have to maintain those skills by welding in those processes at least once every six months. Those instances of welding in the certified processes are tracked in what’s called a welder’s continuity log.
American Welding Society Requirements
The reason for this is very simple: what you don’t use, you lose. And that’s definitely the case for welding. The American Welding Society (AWS) establishes the standards for welding in the United States. These standards are set according to the rules of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). The AWS code book Specification for Welding Procedure and Performance Qualification says, “When he or she has not welded with a process during a period exceeding 6 months, his or her qualifications for the process shall expire.” Maintaining the continuity log means a welder can document that they have welded in a specific process for each 6-month period. If the log is kept up properly, the welder’s certification could go on indefinitely. All of this is to ensure that Ironworkers stay current on their skills and are performing the work correctly and safely.
Staying Certified
This requirement covers all welding processes, which is a long list of acronyms, only a few of which are generally relevant for Ironworkers. Our focus is on SMAW (shielded metal arc welding) and FCAW (flux cored arc welding), with GTAW (gas tungsten arc welding) and GMAW (gas metal arc welding) coming in a distant third and fourth. Within the identified processes, there are hundreds of individual certifications a welder can obtain. Some of them get a little redundant or are superseded by other certifications. A recent Ironworker Local #512 Apprentice graduated from the program with 15 certifications; that’s the most we know of held by an Ironworker.
If an Ironworker goes six months without welding in a certain process or certification, their certification expires. Recertification takes time and money. A typical recertification test costs about $50 in plates and filler metal. Then there’s the time required, about 6 hours, for the Certified Welding Inspector (CWI) on staff at the Ironworkers Local 512 Training Center. The typical certification test usually takes a minimum of 4 hours of welding to complete. All told, recertification might cost about $500 to the Ironworkers Training Center. If an Ironworker has to recertify in 2-3 processes, that cost adds up quickly! (We should note that there is no cost to the welder, other than their time and whatever it costs them to get to the Training Center.)
Far better (and less expensive) is just keeping the continuity log and welding skills up to date. If an Ironworker is getting to the end of their 6-month period, and they haven’t been welding, or haven’t been welding in one of the processes they’re certified on, the solution is simple and similar to recertifying: schedule a time to come to one of the Training Centers and weld in the process needed. This occurs under the direction and observation of the CWI on staff. The welder performs exercises to satisfy the AWS requirements, keeping the 6-month continuity window alive. When the process is complete, the CWI signs the welder’s continuity log, and they are good to go.
How Ironworkers Local 512 Does It
Each Ironworker who holds a welding certification is responsible for filling out their continuity log and getting it signed for each 6-month period prior to their expiration date. The easiest way is for the Ironworker to have their supervisor sign the log book and send Local 512 a picture of it. Ironworkers can also come into the Training Center, weld for the CWI, and then have the CWI sign their log book. It’s the welder’s responsibility to get a copy of the logs for the two 6-month periods preceding the expiration date to the Training Centers. Every week the Training Centers check the logs for accuracy and send them to the International Weld Control Program for final approval. The welder can expect a new welding certification card a few weeks after approval.
Nobody likes doing paperwork, but keeping continuity logs is important for keeping Ironworkers available for that part of the job. And technology makes this easier than ever. Set a reminder on your phone, recurring every six months, to make sure you get your continuity logs updated. It’s a good refresher if you haven’t been welding in one or more processes, and it’s required.
