By Mina Hanna

All welding companies must maintain and update its records and documents that reflects its quality system. A company with an efficient quality control system integrated in all departments are capable of managing all types of projects from thousand dollars projects to multi-million-dollar projects. Therefore, one of the main steps that any company must do is to have a quality control manual that covers all the company’s scopes from quality managers and supervisors’ responsibilities to all operations such as fabrications, installations and inspections happening in the shops or fields.

Based on each company’s scope of work, the quality manual follows all the standards in accordance with ASME Section IX codes and ASME B31.1 Power Piping Code, B31.3 Process Piping Code and B31.5 Refrigeration Piping Code. In 2019, ASME code books have been updated with new changes in standards and regulations that are expected to be reflected in all companies’ quality manuals that are followed during all steps in operating projects. Since all companies in Ontario are being regulated and licensed by TSSA, it is extremely necessary that all companies that are considered to be TSSA CofA (Certificate of Authorization) holders reflect those changes in their quality manuals and get their teams trained with the reflected changes.

TSSA website offers many types of information about quality control system certification process and essential information. The quality manual on the TSSA website has a great reflection of the required quality standards and regulations. However, it does not reflect the recent changes in the 2019 version of ASME code books. For example, one of the recent changes affects the role of the welding supervisor in qualification of welders. Therefore, it is essential step in the re-certification process to prepare and update a quality manual that comply with the current codes.