IIW History 1990-2015

at the same time very active in refining the rules and guidelines for the development and implementation of the authorisation systems, mainly quality control, and the harmonisation and training of assessors to undertake audits of prospective applicants for approval as IIWANBs. The question of including certification in the future activities of IIW was first raised in 2002 during a presentation to the IIW Board of Directors on the possible opportunities for the certification of personnel as well as company certification. After considerable discussion it was decided to set up a five-member Task Force Certification (TF-CERT) headed by Smallbone, now from Australia, to investigate the future role of IIW in the different fields of certification and report back to the IIW Board of Directors on their findings. 20 A detailed written proposal

Chris Smallbone

recommending that IIW should take up certification was submitted in 2003. After further consideration by the Board it was agreed in principle, two years later at the IIW Annual Assembly in Prague, Czech Republic in 2005, that IIWwould enter the field of certification. The EWF systems for company and personnel certification were transferred to IIW for implementation in 2007. This included company certification and welding coordination personnel certification but did not include welding inspector certification since it was agreed that would be dealt with at a later date. Further discussions did take place at a Board of Directors level in January 2008 when the IIW IAB Chair at that time, Mr Bertil Pekkari (Sweden), reported that the IIW IAB had requested that the introduction of a welding inspector certification scheme be discussed again. This was

in response to requests from qualified and certified welding inspectors, plus IIW IAB members, for an IIW certification system to cover welding inspection. The matter even then was considered sensitive due to the potential negative impact on the pre-existing welding certification business of some IIW Member Societies. The IIW Board of Directors agreed to such a proposal and a Task Force was established with von Hofe as Chair. 21 The Task Force, which included the IIW IAB Chair, Mr Germán Hernandez (Spain), later reported that it had failed to agree on the development of an IIW scheme and an alternative compromise proposal had been put forward. This proposal prohibited the use of the IIW logo and the word ‘international’ on certificates issued in the name of the IIWANB. 22

Germán Hernandez

Harmonised ETQ&C