Welding Audit

Correcting what a welding audit finds

A welding audit finds the gap between your documentation and how welding actually happens on your floor or in the field. Qualimet checks that shortfall against ABSA and TSBC pressure requirements, TSASK requirements for Saskatchewan operations, CWB structural certification and ASME code compliance. This applies whether you’re preparing for a scheduled audit, responding to findings already received or confirming your program hasn’t drifted since the last one. The same engagement that finds the shortfall can close it, since Qualimet’s engineering, quality and inspection teams work in-house.

What a Qualimet welding audit reviews

• Quality program documentation.
• WPS/WPDS alignment.
• Welder qualification records.
• Inspection and traceability records.
• Actual shop and field practice, beyond what the paperwork shows.

Qualimet checks all five together, since a weak point in one usually shows up as a finding in another.

The audits Qualimet performs

• Design and drawing review.
• Welding procedure review.
• Shop audits before you award the work.
• Pipe mill and pressure equipment audits.
• Structural steel construction audits.
• Post-fabrication and NDT audits.
• ABSA jurisdictional implementation audits, including at Qualimet’s Edmonton facility.

The risk isn’t the next audit. It’s everything between audits.

Most programs treat audit readiness as a countdown to the next scheduled date. The real risk lives in between. Processes drift, teams revert to habit, documentation goes stale and the same finding shows up again next cycle, because the root cause was never actually fixed the first time. The same shortfall shows up whether you’re staring down a scheduled ABSA, TSASK, TSBC, CWB or ASME audit, or sitting on findings that already came back. It also shows up when you’re wondering whether a change you already made still holds up. The drift version is what Qualimet runs into most, and it’s usually already a finding by the time we hear about it. Left unaddressed, your crew ends up dealing with the same issue twice.

The audit closes the loop, not just flags it

Most audits stop at the finding. A report lands, and it’s on you to fix what it says. Qualimet’s engineering, quality and inspection teams work in-house. That means the same engagement that finds a shortfall can also rewrite the procedure, requalify the welder, fix the quality document or realign the inspection process. A pure inspection body can tell you something is wrong. Qualimet can also make it right, in the same visit.

How the full audit cycle works

1. Before the audit: Qualimet identifies gaps across your quality program, WPS/WPDS alignment, qualification records and actual shop or field practice and gets those aligned before the auditor arrives.
2. During the cycle: Qualimet supports your response to any findings and clarifies what the auditor actually needs, in real time.
3. Between audits: Processes drift and teams revert to habit. Qualimet’s coaching, program updates and day-to-day support are what keep that from happening before the next cycle starts.

Qualimet Case Study: A pressure program that passed without findings

A pressure program holder preparing for an ABSA audit had documentation that looked complete on paper, but procedures and qualifications didn’t fully match current operations and inspection records were inconsistent. Before the audit, Qualimet identified the shortfalls across procedures, records, and execution, implemented corrective actions and aligned the team on what the auditor would expect. The audit proceeded without major findings, with no approval delays and the program came out more consistent than it went in. It’s the same find-and-fix cycle we’d run against your program before your next audit date.

Qualimet’s credentials

Qualimet’s audit team works independently, and that independence is backed by real credentials. We’re CWB-certified and hold an ABSA Certificate of Authorization. We’re also an APEGA permit holder, with P.Eng. registrations across six jurisdictions: British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and the Yukon. We run our own in-house testing lab and have operated since 1973. 

Full-cycle audits catch drift before it becomes a finding

Once a program is audited across the full cycle, the same finding stops repeating year after year and your team stops scrambling in the weeks before an inspector shows up. Qualimet stays engaged between cycles, so drift gets caught and corrected before it becomes a finding again. Related support: CWB Retained Engineers, Quality Manuals and Codes and Standards.

Qualimet welding audit questions

Will an audit just hand us a list of problems?

No. Every Qualimet audit ends with a structured gap summary and prioritized corrective actions, tied to both regulatory expectations and how your operation actually runs. You’ll know what to change, how to change it and what matters most, and we can support you through the correction itself.

Will a welding audit slow down our project?

The goal is the opposite. Identifying shortfalls before a scheduled audit, or clarifying findings quickly once they’ve landed, is what keeps a project moving. We have seen an audit scramble cause more delay than the audit itself, which is exactly what our full-cycle model is built to prevent.

Why trust Qualimet’s third-party audit over our contractor’s own QC?

We have no financial stake in the project being audited, so we have no incentive to find, or not find, problems. You get an unbiased read on quality, performed by our CSA-certified inspection personnel.

How often should we audit if we already passed our last one?

Passing doesn’t mean staying compliant. Processes drift and teams revert to habit between cycles, which is why the same finding often repeats audit after audit. Qualimet offers between-cycle coaching and program checks to catch that drift, and our support exists specifically to close that window before it becomes a finding again on your next audit.

What makes a third-party welding audit independent?

It comes down to who’s doing the checking. Qualimet’s audits and inspections are performed by CSA-certified inspection personnel, against your specifications and the applicable codes and standards, not against a scope the auditor had any hand in setting. That’s what keeps the result usable if a regulator or a client ever questions it.

Can Qualimet support our ABSA implementation audit in Edmonton?

Yes. We host ABSA implementation audits at our Edmonton facility and provide the space for them. Our audit team receives and reviews your materials ahead of time, coordinates the audit itself and provides quality control technical support throughout the process.