Part 3. Do the right things, right.

One of the fundamental principles extolled in Simplifying Mine Maintenance by Gerard Wood can be summarised as

“do the right things, right”.?

Getting back to basics and ensuring that tradesmen (and I include women in this general term) understand what to do, how to do it, and why certain things are highly important is key. Welders must be trained and have the necessary technical knowledge, skills and competency that are relevant to carrying out crack repairs. Furthermore, role specific technical training of staff involved in weld repairs (particularly Supervisors) is important so that they can properly plan and manage crack repairs

But this is easier said than done.?

In general, tradesmen learn only the absolute basics as part of their TAFE trade certificate, and much of the practical aspects about techniques and good practices must be passed down by their mentors while they are apprentices. In fact, under the current TAFE curriculum for a Certificate III in Fabrication, with options for 6 different specialisations and lots of electives in each, there is very little in the mandatory courses that is relevant for carrying out repairs. The necessary fundamental knowledge is just not taught and most welders don’t know the basics.?

This issue is further exacerbated when it comes to actual skills and competency with the various processes for actually carrying out crack repairs. Typically welders may be assessed?via a “certification” or “qualification” to standards such as AS1554, AS3992 or AS/ISO9606. However, these standards are based on workshop fabrication conditions, using test pieces with perfectly prepared straight and uniform bevels. This is a far cry from carrying out field repairs of cracking, where the crack must be gouged out first in order to prepare the weld joint, resulting in varying depth, non-uniform profile, and other irregularities. This gets even more complicated for open root single-sided repairs, where the root gap will usually vary and burrs/slag on the back face must be removed prior to welding.?

In addition, all formal "welder qualifications" are based on the application of a Welding Procedure Specification (WPS). However, the truth is that WPS's simply aren't applicable for most crack repairs. This makes it even more imperative that they properly understand the basics and have the ability to "dial in" the correct welding parameters and apply the right techniques and methodologies.?

The lack of any relevant maintenance welding specific accredited VET training content combined with how fabrication based welder qualification assessments do not translate to crack repairs is, for a large part, why nothing has changed in decades when it comes to weld repair management.

So that’s why we (WQMS) decided to fill this gap and develop the Maintenance Welder Competency microcredential. Now (2025) the MWC is formally recognised and mapped as practical evidence for RPL to accredited units in a Cert IV Maintenance Welding Skill Set. The MWC is a 2 day course - 1 day theory and 1 day practical assessment. It teaches the basics for effective repairs in an easy to understand way, and competency is demonstrated using a specialised test piece that simulates a range of typical crack repairs.?

Now there is actually an industry based credential for training, upskilling, and benchmarking welder ability and competency. Now there is no excuse not to do the right things, right.