A GUIDE TO WELDING CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

Introduction: What is the CWB Office of Public Safety?The Office of Public Safety was created to educate and advocate for both public safety and Canadian industry, while ensuring the Canadian Welding Bureau’s (CWB) accreditations are maintained and executed to the highest standard. The CWB Office of Public Safety is also a resource for Building Officials and industry to better understand standards related to welding and construction – and how the effective implementation of these standards can assist industry to become more competitive, improve quality, reduce risk and maintain public safety.

Building Officials and Welded Steel ConstructionBuilding Officials are key contributors to ensure that our infrastructure is constructed in accordance with our National and Provincial Building Codes which in turn ensures that our infrastructure is safe and the public is protected.

Steel is a common construction material used in industrial, commercial and even residential buildings. Welding is a one of the most common methods of joining structural steel, and Building Officials must be aware of the requirements of the Building Code related to structural steel and welding.

This guide is intended to provide Building Officials with a summary of the requirements of welding and welding certification as related to the National Building Code of Canada, NBCC and Provincial Building Codes.

What is the connection between the NBCC and CWB?Neither the National nor the Provincial building codes have any direct reference to welding. The requirements for welding are done via the mandatory requirement in the NBCC that CSA Standard S16 be used for all structural steel.

Section 4.3.4.1 of the NBCC states “Buildings and their structural members made of structural steel shall conform to CAN/CSA S16, Design of Steel Structures”.

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THE CANADIANWELDING BUREAU

OFFICE OF PUBLIC SAFETY

A Guide to Welding Certification Requirements For Building Officials

Examples of S16 applications : • Structural Steel• Miscellaneous Structural Steel (platforms, guards, stairs, storage

racks, etc.)• Open Web Steel Joists• Roof and Floor Decking Please refer to F1 (Pg.6) for a visual representation of typical structural steel components.

The NBCC also provides additional requirements for pre-engineered buildings.

Section 4.3.4.3. of the NBCC states that “Steel Building Systems shall be manufactured by companies certified in accordance with the requirements of CSA A660, Certification of Manufacturers of Steel Building Systems”.

Examples of A660 applications :

• Traditional Pre-engineered Buildings• Fabric Covered Buildings • Mini Storage Buildings

CSA A660, CSA S16 and other design standards have mandatory provisions requiring fabricators and erectors to be CWB certified to one of the following standards:

• CSA Standard W47.1 “Certification of Companies for Fusion Welding of Steel”

• CSA Standard W47.2 “Certification of Companies for Fusion Welding of Aluminum”

• CSA Standard W186 “Welding of Reinforcing Bars in Reinforced Concrete Construction

• CSA Standard W55.3, Certification of companies for resistance welding of steel and aluminum

Therefore, where welded structural steel is used in building construction, Building Officials are obligated to verify that those companies/ manufacturers involved in welded construction are certified by the CWB to the relevant standard(s).

Note that other linkages between the NBCC, design requirements and CWB certification requirements are illustrated in F3 (Pg.8 & 9).

What does it mean to be CWB certified?CSA Standard W47.1, CSA Standard W47.2, CSA Standard W186 and CSA Standard W55.3 have similar provisions for certification of fabricators and erectors. Certification means that 3 main components are in place:

• The company employs qualified welders• The company employs qualified welding engineers and welding

supervisors• The company follows approved welding procedures

The nature of welding requires that demonstrated competence of those involved in the welding operation along with competent oversight and proven fabrication methods be in place. Certification ensures that this is the case. In addition, the CWB provides ongoing oversight of a certified company’s welding operation to ensure that the requirements are consistently applied.

Verification: How can I verify CWB certification?Certification is an ongoing process. Care must be exercised to ensure that an organization’s certification is both current and appropriate for the type of work being completed.

There are several methods by which a Building Official may verify certification:

Verify company status on the CWB website Visit www.cwbgroup.org to search our database of CWB certified clients. Be sure to verify that the scope of certification matches the work on the specific project.

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Letter of Validation

During the permit or inspection process, you can request that the steel fabricator and erector provide their current CWB “Letter of Validation” (see F2 Pg. 7). Be sure to verify expiry dates and the scope of certification.

Note that for pre-engineered buildings, each steel building system must be supplied with a “certificate of design and manufacturing conformance”. This is a mandatory requirement of CSA A660 certification.

Call the CWB

You can call the CWB at 1-800-844-6790 to verify any claim of certification. We just need the company name and address to verify their status and scope of certification.

Other Documentation It should be noted that the following items are not proof of certification on their own.

• Welder Tickets• Welding Procedures• Wall Certificates• Welding Supervisor Certificates

Although these documents are part of the certification program, none can be used on their own to prove certification.

Equivalency: Is there any Equivalent System for Certification? The CWB is often asked if there are equivalent certification programs that meet the requirements of the NBCC. There are NO domestic or international equivalents to CSA Standard W47.1, CSA Standard W47.2, CSA Standard W186 and/or CSA Standard W55.3. Other national systems, such as that of the American Welding Society (AWS) do not include key concepts such as independent and on-going verification and qualified welding supervisors and engineers.

The CWB strongly cautions Building Officials around accepting substitutions; doing so may contravene the intent of NBCC and place public safety at risk.

How Can I Get More Help from CWB’s Office of Public Safety? The CWB is here to help, and can assist Building Officials through:

• Assistance with applications requiring CWB certification• Assistance with any aspect of CWB certification requirements• Job site visits• Complaints investigation

Call the office of Public Safety at 1.800.844.6790 ext. 717 for help at any time.

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BEAM SPLICE

BEAM TO POST WITH CAP & BASE PLATE

Backing Bar

Connection Angle

Cap Plate

Pipe Column(Post)

Base Plate

BEAM TO BEAM FRAMING

8080

Clipped for erection80 to 120

typical

CLIPPEDEND PLATE

CONNECTION

CLIPPED 2-LCONNECTION

Int. Stub Ext. Stub

Stub-girder span

HVAC ducting “Gerber” System“Drop-in” beam

Cantilever beam

Drop-in segment

Cap Plate Cantilever segment

Lateral Support Stiffener

28

33

13

10

30

12

38

11

20

22

12

28

23

38

8

29

21

26

17 37

16

27

287

14 4

164

5 621

34

33

10

2432

1

18

37

25

25

2

25

25

19

31

3736

28

15

935

3

The CWB acknowledges that

BRIGHTWELD LTD.

123 Arcweld Way, Teejoint, ON Canada

is certified to CSA Standard W47.1

"Certification of Companies for Fusion Welding of Steel"

in DIVISION 2

for the period April 4, 2013 to May 3, 2014

Company Code: BRIWL1

Scope: Welding and fabrication of structural steel.

The product certification system operated by the Canadian Welding Bureau most closely resembles that described

by ISO/IEC Guide 67, Conformity assessment — Fundamentals of product certification, System 6.

F1 F2

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STRUCTURAL STEELNational & Provincial Building

Codes-Section 4.3.4.1

Design Basis for Structural Steel

“Buildings and their structural members made of structural

steel shall conform to CAN/CSA S16-09, Design of

Steel Structures ”

COLD FORMED STEELNational & Provincial Building Codes-

Section 4.3.4.2Design Basis for Cold Formed

Steel“Buildings and their structural

members made of cold formed steel shall conform to CAN/CSA S136-07 North American Specification for the

Design of Cold -Formed Steel Structural Members”

Clause 16.5.16

Welding Open Web Steel

Joists

Clause 16.8.5Installation of Steel Deck

Clause 24.3Fabricator

and Erector Qualification

Clause 24.2Resistance

Welding

Clause 28.7Steel

Building Systems

CSA A660Certification of

Manufacturers of Steel Building Systems

CAN/CSA S136North American Specification for the Design of Cold-formed Steel

Structural Members

Clause E2aWelding Connections

CSA A23.3-04Design of Concrete Structures

CSA A23.1Concrete Materials and Methods of Concrete

Construction

Clause 6.6.10Welding of

Reinforcement

Clause 6.7Welding of Hardware

CSA W186Welding of Reinforcing

Bars in Reinforced Concrete

Construction

CSA W59Welded Steel Construction (Metal Arc Welding)

CSA S157Strength Design in Aluminum

Clause 14.7Welding

CSA W47.2Certification of Companies

for Fusion Welding of Aluminum

CAN/CSA S16Design of Steel

Structures

CSA W55.3Certification of Companies for

Resistance Welding of Steel and Aluminum

STEEL BUILDINGSYSTEMS

National & Provincial Building Codes-

Section 4.3.4.3Steel Building Systems

“Steel building systems shall be manufactured by

companies certified in accordance with the

requirements of CSA A660, ‘ Certification of

Manufacturers of Steel Building Systems’ ”

CSA A660Certification of

Manufacturers of Steel Building

Systems

CONCRETENational & Provincial Building

Codes-Section 4.3.3.1

Design Basis for Plain, Reinforced and Pressed Concrete

“Buildings and their structural members made of plain, reinforced

or prestressed concrete shall conform to CSA A23.3-04 Design of

Concrete Structures”

STRUCTURAL ALUMINUM

National & Provincial Building Codes-

Section 4.3.5.1Design Basis for Aluminum“Buildings and their structural

members made aluminum shall conform to

CSA S157-05 Strength Design in Aluminum”

CSA W47.1Certification of

Companies for Fusion Welding of Steel

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F3

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GOPSWC 05/22/13

The CWB Group8260 Parkhill Drive

Milton, ON L9T 5V7www.weldquality.org

1.800.844.6790 ext. 717info@cwbgroup.org

THE OFFICE of PUBLIC SAFETY

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Notes