The Critical Need to Train Welders in Welding Inspection

In today’s highly competitive manufacturing world, the relationship between production and quality departments is pivotal to a company’s overall success. Nowhere is this more pronounced than in welding operations, where the quality and integrity of every weld joint can directly impact product safety, customer satisfaction, and a company’s reputation. Yet, across industries, friction often arises between production personnel and inspection personnel. This friction can erode trust, delay schedules, and increase costs. One of the most effective ways to reduce or eliminate these barriers and foster collaboration is to ensure production welding personnel receive training in welding inspection.

It is not uncommon for production and quality teams to operate in silos. Welders focus on welding products within the allotted time, while inspectors are tasked with identifying and marking up discontinuities and defects to ensure compliance with product requirements. When welders lack an understanding of inspection criteria, it is easy for divisions to arise. Production personnel may view inspectors as the adversary, a necessary evil of sorts, whose primary role is to nitpick and find fault, rather than as teammates in delivering a high-quality product.

This adversarial mindset is not just detrimental to workplace culture but can have significant operational consequences. Miscommunication leads to rework, scrap, and lost time. Training welders in inspection can empower them with knowledge and a sense of shared responsibility while creating accountability.

When production welders are trained in codes and standards along with the principles and practices of welding inspection, many positive results occur. First, welders gain awareness of the standards and acceptance criteria against which their work will be judged. This awareness allows them to proactively address potential nonconformances before the inspector is requested. Welders equipped with inspection knowledge can self-assess and correct issues in real time, reducing the number of defects and the need for costly rework. If the first-pass yield is measured within your organization, this is the biggest impact you can make to improve that metric.

Second, welders who understand inspection methods, such as visual inspection, nondestructive testing, and documentation requirements, are more likely to appreciate the role of quality assurance. This understanding creates respect for inspectors’ expertise and the value they bring to the process. Instead of seeing inspection as an obstacle, welders begin to view it as an essential part of their job and a safeguard for their own craft.

Training in welding inspection also creates a common language for production and quality teams. When both groups share an understanding of the criteria and rationale behind inspection decisions, discussions become more productive and less combative. Welders can ask informed questions, propose solutions, and participate meaningfully in root cause analyses when defects are found. Inspectors, in turn, can offer guidance and feedback that is more likely to be received constructively.

The result is a collaborative culture where both production and quality are aligned toward a common goal: delivering safe, reliable products that meet or exceed expectations. This alignment reduces the “us versus them” mentality and replaces it with a spirit of teamwork.

Organizations that invest in inspector training for their welders see measurable improvements in quality metrics, project schedules, and employee morale. By reducing the number of rejected welds and minimizing rework, companies save time and money. Welders gain professional growth opportunities and a sense of pride in their work while inspectors feel supported rather than isolated.

Perhaps most importantly, customers benefit from products that are built right the first time. In the long run, this approach strengthens the company’s reputation and competitive edge.

The divide of “us versus them” is neither necessary nor impossible to overcome. By providing production personnel with training in welding inspection, organizations can foster mutual understanding, enhance communication, and cultivate a collaborative environment where quality is everyone’s responsibility. This investment in people and knowledge pays dividends in quality, efficiency, and workplace harmony — benefits no organization can afford to overlook.
 

J. TROY MCMURTREY (t.mcmurtrey@honestqualityconsulting.com) is an AWS SCWI, ASNT NDT Level III, and ASQ CQA as well as a member of the AWS B1, D1, and D14 committees. He is also the owner and general manager of Honest Quality Consulting LLC, Weatherford, Tex.