Welders join metals in a wide range of industries, such as aerospace, construction, defence, mining, marine and structural engineering. Welding contributes to the UK economy through the creation and repair of engineered goods and assets. Welders may be employed in any size of business from small companies to large multi-nationals. They work in a range of settings including fabrication shops, assembly yards, construction and building sites, factories and operational facilities requiring maintenance and upgrade. They can be employed by supply chain companies, the direct owner, or operators.
Welders are responsible for the production of welds using manual and mechanised arc welding processes to sector standards. They will weld using a minimum of two weld process and material combinations, with at least one process being manual welding.
Manual processes can include: manual tungsten inert gas (TIG), plasma arc welding (PAW), manual metal arc (MMA), metal inert or metal active gas (MIG or MAG), flux cored arc welding (FCAW). Mechanised processes can include: submerged arc welding (SAW), tractor-mounted metal inert or metal active gas (MIG or MAG), tractor-mounted flux cored arc welding (FCAW), tractor-mounted or orbital tungsten inert gas (TIG), tractor-mounted or orbital plasma arc welding (PAW).
Material groups include: carbon steel, low alloy steel (3-7% alloy content), high alloy ferritic or martensitic steel (>7% alloy content), austenitic stainless steel, duplex stainless steel, nickel and nickel alloys, aluminium and aluminium alloys, titanium and titanium alloys, copper and copper alloys. Given their close similarity when welding, for the purpose of this standard, MIG and MAG welding will be deemed to be the same process.
The role requires production of welds in components covering two welding positions, in at least two joint layouts. These can be from butt (including seams), T-butt, fillet (including outside corners), buttering or cladding. Each welding process requires different welding equipment, assemblies, controls, skills and techniques, and represents a separate production process.
Welders work with people from other teams and functions, such as plate fabricators, steel erectors, steel workers, riggers, stores operatives, supervisors, inspectors, testing and quality control technicians. Their work may be checked to ensure continued quality of welding: this includes visual inspection and dimensional checks. It may also include non-destructive and destructive testing. They must ensure that the process and products meet quality standards and are produced to schedule. They must comply with health and safety regulations and procedures, including wearing personal protection equipment (PPE). They also need to meet environmental and sustainability regulations and procedures – reducing waste and recycling materials. They may work on their own or as part of a team. They work with minimal supervision and are responsible for the quality of their own work. They will typically report to a workplace supervisor. Welding operatives may need to work shifts and flexible work patterns. They may be required to work at height, and beside or over water.
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Duty 1 Conduct safety checks of welding equipment and surrounding work areas |
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Duty 2 Receive and read welding data and documentation, engineering drawings and technical data |
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Duty 3 Identify, check and inspect materials to be welded and ensure they conform to quality standards. Report issues, such as incorrect grade, dimensions and thicknesses |
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Duty 4 Plan and prepare for welding activities. Ensure that consumables, work area and materials for use are correct. This applies to basic or complex welding tasks |
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Duty 5 Set up, operate and adjust welding controls for the welding equipment being used |
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Duty 6 Weld components to create an interim assembly or finished product |
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Duty 7 Inspect welds produced for dimensional and surface weld quality to ensure compliance prior to release |
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Duty 8 Identify, communicate and report issues affecting weld quality |
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Duty 9 Complete welding documentation at all stages of the work activity. For example, Production Control Cards |
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Duty 10 Restore the work area and equipment to a safe and reliable condition on completion of welding, including remediation and recycling |
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Duty 11 Ensure tools, consumables, unused materials and equipment are returned to a safe, clean and approved condition on completion of welding work |
K1: Awareness of health and safety regulations, standards and guidance and impact on role. Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (CoSHH). Fire safety. Health and Safety at Work Act. Safety equipment: guards, signage, fire extinguishers. Safety signage. Slips, trips, and falls. Working in confined spaces. Working at height. Manual handling.
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K2: Safe systems of work, hazards and risks, isolation and emergency stop procedures, situational awareness.
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K3: Material properties for welded materials: carbon steels, austenitic stainless steels, duplex stainless steels, nickel and nickel alloys, aluminium and aluminium alloys, titanium and titanium alloys, copper and copper alloys and associated heat treatments.
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K4: Welding power sources: invertor, rectifier, transformer, alternating and direct currents and positive and negative polarities.
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K5: Ancillary equipment: cabling and their assembly, interconnecting communications cables, torches and tongs.
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K6: Welding gases and equipment: cylinder colours, regulators, storage.
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K7: Manual and mechanised welding processes and techniques.
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K8: Welding positions and progressions.
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K9: Welded joints: types, preparation, permanent and temporary backing.
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K10: Technical documentation requirements. Job specifications, drawings, manufacturer's instructions and manuals, quality documents.
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K11: Material preparation and removal methods using both powered and non-powered tools.
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K12: Control of weld settings.
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K13: Weld visual inspection, dimensional tolerances and alignment of the welded component.
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K14: Causes and prevention of welding defects and distortion.
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K15: Common faults and issues within the welding environment. Problem solving techniques.
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K16: Verbal communication techniques.
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K17: Equity, diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
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K18: Impact of the activity on the environment. Efficient use of resources. Recycling, re-use and efficient disposal of waste.
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K19: Principles of good team working.
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K20: Non-destructive testing (NDT).
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K21: Personal protective equipment (PPE).
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K22: Principles and practices of restoring the work area on completion of welding.
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S1: Apply health and safety procedures including the use of personal protective equipment (PPE).
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S2: Collect and use information - text and data. For example, manufacturer's instructions, manuals, job instructions, drawings and quality control documentation.
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S3: Prepare welding materials and work area: sourcing, checking and protecting.
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S4: Prepare welding machines or equipment and safety protection measures, for example, check calibration and maintenance dates, inspection for cable damage.
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S5: Check and use or operate tools and equipment.
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S6: Set, modify and monitor welding controls, for example, current, arc voltage, wire feed speed, gas flow rates, polarity, mechanised tractor units.
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S7: Identify issues and actions required. Escalate issues or concerns.
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S8: Use manual processes and equipment to remove material before and after welding.
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S9: Weld using processes, for example, tungsten inert gas (TIG), plasma arc welding (PAW), manual metal arc (MMA), metal inert or metal active gas (MIG or MAG), flux cored arc welding (FCAW), submerged arc welding (SAW), tractor-mounted metal inert or metal active gas (MIG or MAG), tractor-mounted flux cored arc welding (FCAW), tractor-mounted or orbital tungsten inert gas (TIG), tractor-mounted or orbital plasma arc welding (PAW).
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S10: Adapt welding technique to weld different material groups, for example, carbon steel, low alloy steel (3-7% alloy content), high alloy ferritic or martensitic steel (>7% alloy content), austenitic stainless steel, duplex stainless steels, nickel and nickel alloys, aluminium and aluminium alloys, titanium and titanium alloys, copper and copper alloys.
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S11: Weld materials in different joint configurations, for example, butt, T-butt, fillet, cladding or buttering.
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S12: Adapt welding techniques to weld materials in different positions, for example, down-hand, horizontal-vertical, horizontal, vertical-up, vertical-down, overhead, inclined.
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S13: Identify surface defects.
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S14: Apply visual inspection, dimensional and alignment checks.
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S15: Restore the work area on completion of the welding activity, for example, clean equipment and machinery, tidy the work area, return excess resources and consumables.
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S16: Communicate verbally with others, for example, internal and external customers, colleagues, supervisors and managers.
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S17: Follow procedures in line with environmental and sustainability regulations, standards and guidance. Segregate resources for re-use, recycling and disposal.
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S18: Follow equity, diversity and inclusion procedures.
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S19: Follow work instructions - verbal or written.
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S20: Apply team working principles.
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B1: Puts health and safety first.
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B2: Considers the impact on the environment when using resources and carrying out work.
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B3: Takes ownership of given work.
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B4: Adapts to changing requests.
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