A welding shop lives under two disciplines at once. On one side, equipment maintenance — welding sets, fume extraction, gas cylinders, jigs, cranes. On the other, welding compliance — WPS documents, PQR records, welder qualifications with expiry dates, hot work permits, LEV thorough examinations under COSHH. Miss either and the shop stops. A welder with a lapsed EN ISO 9606 certificate invalidates every joint they run, even when the metal looks perfect. A single CMMS backbone must hold both. Book a 30-minute demo to see a live fabrication shop workspace.
The Fabricator's Twin Discipline
Maintenance PPM + Welding Compliance — Two Parallel Tracks, One Backbone
The CMMS that only handles equipment misses half the shop's audit exposure · the compliance stack demands the same rigour
Track A
Maintenance PPM
Asset-based · calendar + meter
Welding sets · MIG, TIG, MMA, submerged arc
Cable + earth clamp inspection cadence
Gas regulators + cylinder trolley PM
LEV fume extraction — arm hoods, ducting
Jig + fixture calibration verification
Overhead crane + lifting gear inspections
Track B
Compliance evidence
Document-based · standard-driven
WPS library · per joint + material combination
PQR / WPQR test coupon records
Welder qualification tracking + expiry
Hot work permits · shift validity
LEV thorough exam · 14-monthly under COSHH
Gas cylinder safety inspection log
↓ ↓
Shop-Floor Work Order · Every Weld Backed by Valid Equipment AND Valid Compliance Chain
The Three-Document Stack: WPS, PQR, WPQ
Every certified weld in a fabrication shop rests on three linked documents. The WPS is the recipe — how the weld must be executed. The PQR (or WPQR under ISO) is the proof the procedure produces sound joints, backed by tested coupons. The welder qualification (WPQ / WQT) is proof the individual welder can execute that procedure. Miss any of the three and the entire audit chain fails. Curious how the linked-document workflow enforces sign-off? Book a demo of the WPS-PQR-WPQ linkage workflow.
WPS
Welding Procedure Specification
The instruction · joint prep · filler wire · shielding gas · voltage · travel speed · preheat + interpass temp
Role · the recipe the welder follows
PQR
Procedure Qualification Record
Test coupon welded under WPS · tensile + bend + macro + Charpy tests · notified body countersign under ISO
Role · proof the procedure works
WPQ
Welder Performance Qualification
Personal certificate per welder · EN ISO 9606-1 or ASME IX QW-322 · essential variables recorded
Role · proof the welder can execute
Governing codes
ASME IX
EN ISO 15614-1
EN ISO 9606-1
AWS D1.1
API 1104
EN 15085
Welder Qualification Expiry: The Silent Compliance Failure
Under ASME IX QW-322.1, a welder qualification expires after 6 months of inactivity with that welding process. Under EN ISO 9606-1, the certificate demands 6-monthly validity confirmation by a designated welding coordinator. A shop that lets this slip discovers the failure only at customer audit — at which point every joint the lapsed welder produced since the expiry date faces potential rejection. The CMMS that tracks expiry dates as active countdown records and raises reminder work orders 30 days out is the CMMS that never gets caught by this. Want to see the live countdown workflow in action? Book a demo of the welder qualification tracker.
Welder Qualification Countdown — Live Expiry Tracking
Welder A · GMAW · 6G
Valid
142 days
Welder B · GTAW · 5G
30-day warn
28 days
Welder C · SMAW · 3G
Valid
112 days
Welder D · FCAW · 3F
Lapsed
-14 days
Welder E · GTAW · 6G
Valid
78 days
Critical
Welder D · qualification lapsed 14 days · every joint since expiry at risk of audit rejection · renewal test must be scheduled immediately
The Hot Work Permit: A Legal Requirement, Not a Formality
Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, a hot work permit is a formal safety document authorising welding, cutting, grinding or brazing outside designated hot work areas. HSE data shows 28% of UK construction fires are caused by hot work — and hot work involvement accounts for 15% of the total cost of UK commercial and industrial fire losses. A permit is valid for one shift maximum, requires a fire watch for 30-60 minutes after work completes, and demands two fire extinguishers staged within 5 metres. The CMMS that manages permit issuance, validity and post-work fire watch sign-off closes the biggest single insurance and enforcement exposure a fabrication shop carries. Teams new to structured permit workflow can sign up free to explore the hot work permit workspace.
Hot Work Permit Lifecycle — Six Stages Every Permit Passes Through
01
Risk assessment
Work area surveyed · flammables identified · controls specified per HSE HSG 168
02
Competent-person issue
Permit issued by designated competent person · signed accepting T+Cs · shift validity confirmed
03
Pre-work checks
Combustibles cleared · extinguishers staged 5m · LEL <1% for enclosed spaces · fire watch briefed
04
Work execution
Hot work carried out · fire watch present throughout · permit displayed at work site
05
Post-work fire watch
30-60 minute fire watch after work completes · slow-develop ignition monitored · logged
06
Permit close + audit
Permit signed off · fire watch confirmation logged · record retained for insurance + HSE audit
See a Live Fabrication Shop Workspace
Watch a 30-minute demo of Oxmaint configured for welding sets, LEV extraction, WPS libraries, welder qualification tracking and hot work permit issuance — all one connected system.
LEV Thorough Examination: The 14-Month Silent Ticker
Under COSHH regulations, every fume extraction system (LEV) in a UK welding shop requires a thorough examination and test at least every 14 months by a competent person. Miss this and the shop is in COSHH breach — welders working under lapsed LEV are being exposed to fume outside the acceptable envelope, and HSE enforcement can follow. Because 14 months is not a calendar-aligned interval, the ticker is easy to lose. The CMMS that tracks LEV exam dates as blocking work orders 30 days out is the CMMS that closes this gap. Curious how LEV cadence integrates with fume-generating asset records? Book a demo of the LEV compliance workspace.
Legal
14-month cadence
COSHH regulation 9 · thorough exam every 14 months maximum · shorter for aggressive service
Scope
What must be checked
Airflow measurement · face velocity · hood capture · duct condition · filter integrity · air discharge
Record
Retention required
Written report retained 5 years minimum · available to HSE inspector on demand · linked to LEV asset
Expert Perspective: The Twin-Discipline Reality
I have audited fabrication shops that spent years building excellent asset maintenance records — every welding set logged, every crane inspection dated, every jig calibration tracked — and then failed a customer audit inside twenty minutes because the WPS library was on a shared drive with no revision control, the welder qualifications had three lapsed certificates the coordinator had not spotted, and the last LEV exam report could not be located. In fabrication, maintenance discipline without compliance discipline is worthless. The two must live in one integrated data structure, with the same rigour applied to a WPQ expiry date as to a crane inspection date. When they do, the audit becomes a filter query rather than a two-week reconstruction scramble.
Curious how the twin-track evidence structure maps against your specific customer audit requirements? Book a demo scoped to your fabrication codes and customer base.
UK Fabrication Sector Context: Aerospace, Rail, Nuclear and Structural
UK fabrication shops serve four demanding customer bases. Aerospace at Rolls-Royce, GKN, Airbus UK and their supply chain under AS9100 with weld procedures qualified to ISO 15614-1 or ASME IX. Rail under EN 15085 (Siemens Mobility, Alstom, Hitachi Rail plus supply chain). Nuclear including Rolls-Royce SMR, Sellafield, Hinkley Point C supply chain with the most stringent qualification regimes. Structural steel at Severfield, William Hare, Billington Structures under BS EN 1090 with CE/UKCA marking discipline. Each demands the WPS-PQR-WPQ chain, hot work permit compliance and LEV records converge on one audit-ready source. Teams new to UK fabrication sector evidence can book a demo scoped to your customer sector.
01
Aerospace + defence
Rolls-Royce, GKN, Airbus UK, BAE Systems · AS9100 · ISO 15614-1 or ASME IX · Nadcap-adjacent weld process control.
02
Rail + nuclear
Siemens Mobility, Alstom, Hitachi Rail (EN 15085) · Rolls-Royce SMR, Sellafield, Hinkley Point C supply chain · stringent qualification.
03
Structural steel
Severfield, William Hare, Billington Structures · BS EN 1090 · CE / UKCA marking · execution class discipline.
A Realistic Rollout for a UK Fabrication Shop
A fabrication shop CMMS rollout should follow the audit exposure. Welder qualifications first — because those expire silently. Hot work permits and LEV exam records second — because those carry legal exposure. Equipment PPM third. Teams planning phased deployment can book a demo and we will scope the rollout against your compliance stack.
Weeks 1–4
Qualifications + expiry
Welder register with all WPQs loaded
Expiry countdown live per welder
30-day advance renewal work orders
WPS library revision-controlled
Weeks 5–8
Permits + LEV + safety
Hot work permit lifecycle configured
LEV exam cadence 14-monthly
Gas cylinder inspection register
Fire watch confirmation workflow
Weeks 9–12
Equipment + audit
Welding set asset PPM cadences
Crane + lifting gear inspection cycle
Jig + fixture calibration schedule
AS9100 / EN 15085 / EN 1090 evidence packs
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Oxmaint manage the WPS, PQR and WPQ document stack?
Yes. WPS documents are held with revision control and linkage to the underlying PQR / WPQR that qualified them. Welder qualifications (WPQs) link back to the WPSs they are authorised to execute. Cross-references between the three layers are maintained automatically, so an audit query about which welders are qualified to execute a specific WPS returns an accurate answer in seconds rather than a manual reconstruction. Document expiry, revision status and coverage gaps are visible at both individual and shop-level rollup.
Does the platform track welder qualification expiry?
Yes. Each welder holds a qualification record per welding process (SMAW, GMAW, GTAW, FCAW, SAW and variants) with position, material P-number or ISO group, and expiry date. Under ASME IX QW-322.1, six-month process inactivity triggers expiry; under EN ISO 9606-1, six-monthly validity confirmation is enforced. Advance-warning work orders raise 30 days before expiry, giving the welding coordinator time to schedule renewal welding or coupon retesting. Lapsed welders auto-flag as unavailable for production work on the affected process.
How does the CMMS handle hot work permit issuance?
Hot work permits are structured as workflow records covering the six lifecycle stages — risk assessment, competent-person issue, pre-work checks, work execution, post-work fire watch, and permit close. Each stage has mandatory sign-off before the next unlocks. Permits are auto-expired at end of shift under Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requirements. Post-work fire watch confirmation (30-60 minutes) is a required close-out. Full permit history is retained for HSE audit and insurance evidence.
Can we track LEV thorough examinations under COSHH?
Yes. Each LEV system (fume arm, downdraught bench, extraction cabinet) is held as an asset with the last thorough examination date and next-due date. Blocking work orders raise 30 days before the 14-month regulatory maximum. Exam certificates are uploaded to the asset record and retained for the 5-year minimum required under COSHH regulation 9. This closes the audit gap where LEV service life is technically valid but the exam certificate has lapsed — a common HSE inspection finding.
Does the platform support UK fabrication sector audit requirements?
Yes. AS9100 for aerospace (Rolls-Royce, GKN, Airbus UK), EN 15085 for rail (Siemens Mobility, Alstom, Hitachi Rail), BS EN 1090 for structural steel (Severfield, William Hare, Billington), and the qualification frameworks for nuclear supply (Rolls-Royce SMR, Sellafield, Hinkley Point C) all draw from one underlying evidence backbone. WPS-PQR-WPQ linkage, hot work permit history, LEV exam records, and equipment PPM history filter per audit scope on demand. This eliminates the pre-audit reconstruction scramble that used to characterise multi-customer fabrication operations.
Hold Maintenance and Compliance on One Backbone
Let Oxmaint show you a fabrication shop workspace with welder qualifications, WPS libraries, hot work permits, LEV records and equipment PPM all connected — audit-ready by design.
