Developing a Quality Management System Manual

Perhaps you are a Certified Welding Inspector (CWI) with a few years under your belt. Perhaps you were lucky enough to have worked under a seasoned inspector who served as your mentor. Now you are working for a new company that wants you to develop its quality management system (QMS) manual. This may seem overwhelming at first. Nevertheless, you have been tasked with it, and you are expected to produce a functioning quality product. After all, you’re a CWI. You’re supposed to know everything, correct?

Take a deep breath and relax. Think back to when you first decided to achieve your CWI certification. No doubt that seemed overwhelming, too. The CWI test humbles both seasoned inspectors and engineers alike. It notably has a very high failure rate among first-time test takers, and rightly so.

However, you achieved it. Getting started, it felt like you had to eat an elephant, and yet you did, one bite at a time. Developing your first QMS manual can be done in the same way.

Although quality control manuals are required in many industries, this editorial focuses on the boiler, pressure vessel, and power piping industry, which comprises most of my experience.

Developing your QMS manual boils down to understanding the codes of construction your company operates under, including ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code Section IX; the requirements of your local jurisdiction; and the problems fitters and welders face every day in their work. Whether your company’s focus is new construction, repairs, or both, the premise remains the same. Simply put, your job is to ensure your company complies with the law.

Make no mistake, boiler and pressure vessel codes are set in stone. Throughout the history of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and the National Board of Boiler Inspectors (NBBI), catastrophic failures have occurred that resulted in loss of life and/or significant financial losses, often forcing businesses to go out of business. Rules were adopted and modified from lessons learned. Much is at stake for your company, its employees, and the people they serve.

Take another deep breath. You can do this.

First, familiarize yourself with the rules and regulations of the jurisdiction in which your company operates. Those rules typically reference adopted construction codes. Ensure your company has the latest editions of those codes, including ASME Section IX and the National Board Inspection Code (NBIC) when applicable.

Ensure you are well-versed in ASME Section IX and the qualification of welding procedures and welders. Ensure your company’s welding procedure specifications, procedure qualification records, and welding procedure qualification records satisfy the requirements of Section IX, the applicable construction codes, your jurisdiction, and the NBIC, when applicable. Also, it is crucial that you fully understand what it takes to fabricate your company’s product or facilitate a repair.

Now it’s just a matter of envisioning each step of the process, considering the quality control measures needed, and methodically putting pen to paper as thoroughly and concisely as possible. Proofread and condense what you can without sacrificing the message.

Lastly, if your product or service falls under the NBIC, get to know the staff at the National Board. They are happy to answer any questions you may have and will review your manual and make appropriate recommendations to save you time, effort, and heartache when it’s time to submit it for approval.

JIM MASON (jim.mason@grda.com) is NBBI technical program manager QA/QC, Grand River Dam Authority (GRDA), Chouteau, Okla. He is an AWS CWI and a National Board-commissioned In-Service Inspector with an R endorsement.