Templates and records · UNE 73401

Special process qualification: welding and testing

A weld cannot be fully checked once it is made. That is why it is controlled beforehand: with qualified procedures, qualified welders and inspectors, and records for each.

In one sentence

The special process qualification record documents that the procedures for welding, heat treatment, non-destructive testing and other processes whose result cannot be fully verified afterwards are qualified, and that the people applying them hold a current qualification, because the special process control criterion of nuclear quality assurance requires it, as CSN guides GS-10.5 and GS-10.10 explain.

Content reviewed on 17 October 2026

Type of information: Mandatory record Special process control criterion; GS-10.5 and, for NDT, GS-10.10
Who fills it in: Welding engineering and quality assurance Qualification tests are witnessed by an independent inspector where the code or the order requires it
When: Before the process is applied And at each renewal of personnel qualification as the code requires
How long it is kept: Lifetime or at least 5 years IS-24 requires licensees to keep as lifetime records, for the whole life of the facility or component, those meeting any of its criteria, and to keep non-permanent records for at least five years. Suppliers apply whatever the licensee’s purchase order specifies.

What the standard requires

What UNE 73401 demands and what it leaves to your judgement

Special processes —welding, heat treatment, non-destructive testing, among others— must be performed by qualified personnel using qualified procedures in accordance with the applicable codes, standards and requirements, and their control must be documented.

Qualification has two sides: that of the procedure, demonstrated with test coupons and tests that yield valid parameters, and that of the personnel, demonstrated through tests and maintained through practice and the renewals set by the code.

For non-destructive testing personnel, CSN guide GS-10.10, revised in 2020, deals specifically with their qualification and certification.

Read it in context: Procurement and process control, in the UNE 73401 Academy

Structure

Fields the template should include

Special process and applicable code or standard
Procedure: code, revision and essential variables
Procedure qualification record and its tests
Qualified personnel: name, method, level or qualified positions
Qualification date and expiry or maintenance conditions
Continuity: evidence that the person is still applying the process
Inspector or body that witnessed the qualification
Work on which each procedure and person has been used

Example

Example: welding of carbon steel supports

Company, people and figures are fictitious: the example only shows what a properly completed record looks like.

Field	Content
Process	Flux-cored arc welding · code specified in order PD-4471 (fictitious)
Procedure	WPS-022 revision 1 · qualified by record PQR-022 · tensile, bend and impact tests satisfactory
Welders	4 welders qualified for the procedure’s positions
Continuity	Six-monthly record of each welder’s use of the process
Case	One welder had not used the process for seven months: qualification suspended pending a new test
NDT	Radiography by certified level II operators from the evaluated laboratory
Inspection	Procedure qualification witnessed by the licensee’s inspector

At the audit

Mistakes auditors commonly flag

Procedures applied outside the range of their essential variables.
Welders whose qualification has lapsed for lack of continuity.
NDT certifications of subcontracted personnel that nobody checks.
No way of knowing which welder made each weld.
Procedures at a different revision from the one qualified.

In Kimobox

How this record is kept in Kimobox

1Special process qualification is documented as a versioned record.
2Qualification and training of staff in critical activities are managed in their personal file, with expiry dates and alerts.
3Each weld or test is linked to the item, the procedure and the person who carried it out.
4Supplier personnel certificates are controlled through the supplier portal.

Frequently asked questions

What people ask us before getting started

What is a special process?

A process whose result cannot be fully verified by subsequent inspection or testing, so quality depends on controlling the process itself: welding, heat treatment, non-destructive testing, coatings.

What is the difference between a WPS and a PQR?

The WPS is the welding procedure specification applied in the workshop; the PQR is the record of the tests that showed the procedure produces sound joints. The first is maintained; the second is retained.

Who certifies NDT personnel?

It depends on the scheme set by the code or the order; CSN guide GS-10.10 sets out the guidelines for qualifying and certifying these personnel in nuclear facilities.

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Sources

Where each figure comes from

References to the official text in force. If a standard is revised, this page is updated and the review date says so.

Guía de Seguridad GS-10.5 (Rev. 1) — Garantía de calidad de procesos, pruebas e inspecciones de instalaciones nucleares (Quality assurance of processes, tests and inspections) Consejo de Seguridad Nuclear (Spanish Nuclear Safety Council) · July 1999
Guía de Seguridad GS-10.10 (Rev. 1) — Cualificación y certificación de personal que realiza ensayos no destructivos (Qualification and certification of non-destructive testing personnel) Consejo de Seguridad Nuclear (Spanish Nuclear Safety Council) · February 2020
10 CFR Part 50, Appendix B — Quality Assurance Criteria for Nuclear Power Plants and Fuel Reprocessing Plants (an alternative accepted by GS-10.1) U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission · Current text