The collapse of the Westgate Bridge in Melbourne, oil refinery in Texas and other major structures overtime has highlighted the devastating consequences when poor welding practices and procedures compromise the integrity of the welds that hold these structures together. Strict requirements of Occupational Health and Safety Acts and Australian and International Standards are in place to ensure weld safety and integrity and mitigate the risk.

Yet many Australian welding structures, components, plant and pressure plant are not compliant, potentially putting lives at risk. Due to the complex nature of welding and metal fabrication the legislation requires extensive documentation of processes and procedures from the design through to the construction stage as well as regular mandatory testing and inspection by qualified professionals to ensure welds, plant and equipment are compliant and pass the strict Australian and International standards of safety and integrity.

While the industry is heavily regulated and mandatory Australian and International standards are in place, many are either ignorant, confused or assume that engineers, architects and contractors understand the compliance requirements. As a result many projects are at risk. They do not have the mandatory 'objective evidence' of procedures and testing in place.

When things go wrong, or literally when cracks appear, it is extremely costly and time consuming to track who did what welds when and the products used so that problems can be fixed. It is alarming that up to 85 per cent of the welds in infrastructure projects in Australia may not compliant. Non compliance may result in long delays in bringing the project up to standard and in some cases projects may be forced to be dismantled and re-built.

Not only is this costly but as we have seen poor techniques and procedures increase the risk of injury from unsafe welding practices or disaster when machinery and/or components fail. From our playgrounds to submarines, the welds that fuse together structures, plant and equipment are everywhere. Locally, nationally and internationally we have seen what can happen when poor welding procedures or welding defects fail. While the industry is self regulated, it is essential that project managers, engineers and designers seek the advice of an accredited expert to ensure they meet their legislative responsibilities and mitigate the financial and human risks.