The Changing Face of Australian Standards

Australian Standards are living documents. They reflect progresses in science, technology and systems. To maintain their relevancy, all Standards are periodically reviewed, with amendments and revised editions published. The last few months have seen several developments, including an urgent review into Standards related to rubber hoses for welding, cutting and allied processes, and ongoing reviews into Standards related to pressure equipment and steel structures. Pressure Equipment Committee ME-001 has completed the revision of AS 1796 Certification of welders and welding supervisors, and it was published on 24 June 2022.

As previously reported, users have reported a number of issues with the revised AS 3992 Pressure equipment—Welding and brazing qualification (published in June 2020), and amendments have been prepared to address the issues raised. Public comment on the proposed amendments closed on 15 July 2022 and are now being reviewed.

The revision of AS/NZS 3788 Pressure equipment—In-service inspection is progressing to schedule and the initial draft has been completed and submitted for preparation for public review.

Welding Consumables Committee WD-002 met in March 2022 to review Australia’s suite of ISO-based welding consumable standards. Projects have been initiated to revise the GMAW and FCAW suite of standards, including a proposal to supersede AS 4882 Shielding gases for welding with ISO 14175 Welding consumables — Gases and gas mixtures for fusion welding and allied processes.

A project was also initiated to adopt the GTAW consumable standard ISO 636 Welding consumables — Rods, wires and deposits for tungsten inert gas welding of non-alloy and fine-grain steels — Classification to complete the GTAW suite of standards. The intention is to supplement and retain the existing AS/NZS 1167.2 Welding and brazing — Filler metals Part 2: Filler metals for welding. Public comment on all proposed adoptions and revisions has now been completed.

Welding Safety A proposal has been submitted and accepted by Standards Australia to revise AS1674.1 Safety in Welding and allied processes—Part 1 Fire precautions. The standard is used extensively in industry to establish fire preventative measures whilst welding in locations not necessarily designed for hot work. The project

is intended to clarify what is meant by the term ‘hot work’ and include provisions to assist small business and sole traders. Associated with this project is a proposal to update AS 2812 Welding, brazing and cutting of metals — Glossary of terms. Kickoff meetings for both projects are currently in the early planning stage.

Bridges The revision of AS/NZS 5100.6 Bridge design — Part 6: Steels and composite construction is well advanced. The objective of the revision is to align the requirements of the standard with the latest revision of AS 4100 Steel structures and the New Zealand steel structures design standard NZS 3404.1. The revision will resolve known conflicts and anomalies via an amendment.

ISO Update ISO TC44/SC10 has commenced the revision of ISO 3834 Quality requirements for fusion welding of metallic materials series of standards primarily to take cognisance of changes to ISO 9001 Quality management systems — Requirements and the 2019 edition of ISO 14731 Welding coordination — Task and responsibilities. Parts 1 to 5 inclusive have been published and a project request has been submitted to Standards Australia to adopt the latest revisions. As Part 6 is being revised to become an ISO standard in lieu of a technical report, consideration for adoption in Australia will be some years away.

TC44/SC10 has also been revising ISO 17660 Welding—Welding of reinforcing steel. This edition is planned to combine the two existing parts into a single document. A DIS ballot has been held and comments are currently under review. The sub-committee TC44/SC10 met on 24 May 2022 to progress these projects and is due to meet again in October 2022.

Similarly, ISO TC44/SC11 has been revising ISO 9606-1 Qualification testing of welders—Fusion welding— Part 1: Steels to combine all 5 parts into the one standard. This will simplify the ongoing maintenance and review requirements for the standards currently published as parts 2 to 5 of ISO 9606-1. The next meeting of the working group is scheduled for September 2022.

Weld Australia’s Technical Resources

Did you know that Weld Australia produces a comprehensive range of technical resources? We have Technical Notes on topics as diverse as the weldability of steels, welding of aluminium and quenched and tempered steel, flame cutting, control of lamellar tearing, and minimising corrosion in welded steel structures. When it comes to Guidance Notes, you’ll find resources dedicated to weld defects, welding fume mitigation and an overview of recent changes to standards such as AS/NZS ISO 9606-1 and AS/NZS 2980. Best of all, some of these resources free for anyone to download, some are only discounted or free for certain member types. All resources can be purchased by non-members and all member types, with rates tiered by member type. Visit the Weld Australia website to download your free technical resources.