16.3 NCR, Reporting & QC Documents

16.3 NCR, Reporting & QC Documents

Quick Answer: When product or process fails a specified requirement, raise a non-conformance report (NCR), record objective evidence, obtain disposition (rework, repair, use-as-is, scrap, etc.), and track corrective/preventive actions. Final acceptance rests on a dossier of certificates, qualifications, ITP releases, NDT and tests. IWI-S competence includes deciding whether those documents meet construction requirements—and understanding that early detection is far cheaper than late failure (WI2.12–2.13, IAB §3.1 reporting themes).

Inspection that never writes non-conformances is either perfect production or weak inspection. Standard-level inspectors are expected to be fluent in reporting culture: factual, timely, and linked to requirements—not personal opinions or vague “looks bad” notes.

What Is a Non-Conformance?

A non-conformance is a failure to meet a specified requirement. The requirement may come from:

• Drawings and dimensional tolerances
• WPS essential variables
• Acceptance standards (e.g., ISO 5817 quality level)
• Material specifications and certificate requirements
• ITP hold/witness obligations
• Contract specifications and statutory rules

Examples:

• Fillet throat undersize vs drawing/ISO 5817
• Crack confirmed by MT
• Wrong heat of plate welded into a pressure part
• Welder outside qualified range
• RT performed after PWHT was required before RT, or vice versa, against the ITP
• Missing 3.1 certificate where 3.1 was ordered

Non-conformance ≠ every imperfection. An imperfection within the contracted acceptance level is conforming. Calling every cosmetic ripple an NCR destroys system credibility; failing to NCR a crack destroys integrity.

NCR Content — What Good Looks Like

A usable NCR typically includes:

1. Unique NCR number and date
2. Item identity (drawing, weld ID, serial/heat, location)
3. Requirement reference (clause, WPS no., acceptance level)
4. Description of non-conformance with measurements/photos where relevant
5. Discovery stage (receiving, fit-up, in-process, final, NDT)
6. Immediate containment (quarantine, stop welding, mark the joint)
7. Disposition proposed/approved (rework, repair procedure, use-as-is with concession, scrap, return to supplier)
8. Cause analysis (when required by system severity)
9. Corrective action and preventive action
10. Verification of effectiveness and close-out signatures

Write so a person who was not present can reconstruct the event. Quantify: “undercut 1.2 mm deep over 40 mm on toe of weld W-17, exceeding ISO 5817 level C limit for this thickness” beats “undercut bad.”

Corrective vs Preventive Actions

Inspectors often initiate NCRs and verify that repairs meet requirements. Root-cause ownership may sit with production or welding coordination—but the inspector should not close an NCR until objective evidence shows the item now conforms (and, where required, that actions are implemented).

Use-as-is dispositions need authorised concession from the party who owns the requirement (engineering/client)—not informal shop agreement. “Use-as-is” for a crack is almost never appropriate without a formal fitness justification outside normal IWI-S routine acceptance.

Reporting Duties (IAB §3.1 Themes)

IAB-041-type guidance treats reporting as integral to inspection. Reports may be interim (progress on long jobs) or final (handover reference). Good reports:

• Trace production parameters and responsibilities later if service problems arise
• Serve client, jurisdiction, or code structured needs
• Separate facts from opinions
• Attach or reference supporting evidence (NDT reports, certificates, photos, ITP pages)

Oral examiners love: What goes into your final report? and Who receives an NCR?

Final Inspection Dossiers

A final dossier (manufacturer’s data book, MDR, QC package—names vary) is the structured collection that supports release. Typical contents include:

• Index and drawing list with revisions
• Material certificates and traceability maps
• Consumable batch records
• WPS/WPQR and welder/welding operator qualifications
• ITP with completed sign-offs
• Inspection reports (VT and others)
• NDT reports and (where applicable) RT film packages or digital media with quality records
• Heat-treatment charts
• Pressure/leak test records
• NCR log and closed concessions
• As-built drawings or weld maps
• Certificate of compliance / release note

IWI-S is expected to review such packages for completeness and consistency—not merely stack paper. Cross-checks catch classic errors: weld ID on NDT report not on weld map; certificate heat not on map; WPS number on weld record not approved for the joint; missing PWHT chart for a code weld that requires it.

Documents IWI-S Must Decide On

Guideline competence for Standard level emphasises deciding on quality documents against construction requirements, including:

“Decide on” means accept, reject, or query—with authority limits respected. If the contract requires client approval of concessions, the inspector does not silently approve use-as-is.

Economics of Early Detection

Quality cost curves are harsh:

1. Receiving inspection catches wrong plate → replace plate (relatively cheap)
2. Fit-up hold catches bad geometry → recut/refit (cheap vs welded repair)
3. Root NDT hold catches lack of fusion → re-weld root (moderate)
4. Final NDT catches buried defect → deep repair or cut-out (expensive)
5. Site/service failure → shutdowns, injuries, legal exposure (catastrophic)

This is why ITPs front-load holds on materials and roots for critical work, and why inspectors who “don’t want to slow production” can create the largest delays later. Application of Standards scenarios may ask which stage would have been the most economical detection point.

Practical Workflow When You Find a Problem

1. Stop escalation of risk (containment): mark, quarantine, stop further welding if needed
2. Record evidence against the requirement
3. Raise NCR per site system
4. Support disposition with technical facts
5. Verify repair under approved method
6. Confirm document updates (weld map, NDT, dossier)
7. Close only with evidence

Never hide a finding to protect a schedule or a colleague. Ethical reporting is part of professional practice and oral assessment.

Exam Focus

Expect definitions of NCR vs accepted imperfection; corrective vs preventive; dossier contents; and “what do you do if the RT report accepts a weld but film quality indicators fail?” The last item tests whether you decide on documents intelligently: an NDT report is not automatically valid if quality of examination is inadequate.

You have now closed the production QA loop from ITP through certificates to NCR and dossier. The final section of this guide turns those professional habits into exam strategy: Application of Standards at 70%, PE-S practical, oral assessment, scoring rules, and a full 16-chapter checklist.