Welding coordinator ISO 14731: tasks, IWE, IWT, IWS

EN ISO 14731:2019 (PN-EN ISO 14731:2019-05 in Poland) describes which tasks welding coordination in a workshop covers, who is responsible for them and what competence the coordinator must have. It applies to companies that weld to EN ISO 3834-2 or 3834-3 (PN-EN ISO 3834 in Poland), including manufacturers of steel structures in execution classes EXC2, EXC3 and EXC4 to EN 1090-2 (PN-EN 1090-2 in Poland). The standard has 11 pages and does not require a specific diploma: the manufacturer matches the coordinator level to its own production.

The standard in brief

Edition: ISO 14731:2019 (third edition, February 2019), in Poland PN-EN ISO 14731:2019-05. It replaced the 2006 edition. ISO confirmed it as current in 2024.
Structure: the most important parts are clauses 4 (tasks and responsibilities), 5 (job description) and 6 (competence), plus two annexes: A (assessment of coordinators) and B (list of tasks).
Definition: welding coordination is the coordination of all welding and welding-related operations. The coordinator can be one person or a team. In Polish documents, for example from Łukasiewicz-GIT (the Polish welding institute in Gliwice), you will also come across the term welding supervision (nadzór spawalniczy).
Responsibility: coordination rests solely with the manufacturer, who appoints at least one person responsible for coordination.

When a welding coordinator is required

EN ISO 14731 itself does not say who must have a coordinator. That is done by the standards that reference it, most often EN ISO 3834 (parts 2, 3 and 4 in the 2021-09 edition) and EN 1090-2 (currently PN-EN 1090-2+A1:2024-10 in Poland).

Situation	EN ISO 3834 requirements	Coordinator under ISO 14731
Structure in class EXC1	part 4 (elementary)	no such clause; adequate supervision of welding production is sufficient
Structure in class EXC2	part 3 (standard)	required
Structure in class EXC3 or EXC4	part 2 (comprehensive)	required
Other product, when the contract or the product standard requires ISO 3834-2 or 3834-3	part 2 or 3	required

EN 1090-2 adds the required level of technical knowledge of the coordinator: basic (B), specific (S) or comprehensive (C). A table in EN 1090-2 (Table 14 in the 2018 edition) links it to the execution class, steel grade and thickness: a higher class, higher-strength steel and thicker material mean a higher level. Amendment A1:2024 added requirements for welding supervision and its level of knowledge when welding high-strength steels (HSS) (TÜV Rheinland bulletin).

Duties of the welding coordinator: the list from Annex B

Annex B is normative and has 20 items. You select those that apply to your production and supplement them with the requirements of product standards and contracts. An example from the standard: without destructive testing and post-weld heat treatment, items B.14 c) and B.15 drop out. A task may consist of preparation, supervision, or checking and taking part in testing.

Area	Items	What you do in practice
Review of requirements	B.1	You read the order: standards, execution class, weld quality level, testing. You confirm that the workshop can do it.
Technical review	B.2	You check the drawings: type and location of joints, access to welds, acceptance criteria.
Subcontracting	B.3	You assess the subcontractor (welding, inspection, non-destructive testing) and pass the requirements on to them.
Personnel	B.4	You keep track of the qualifications of welders and operators, for example to EN ISO 9606-1, in line with the contract.
Equipment	B.5	You check the suitability of welding machines and accessories, process-related protective measures, maintenance, and the verification and validation of equipment.
Production	B.6 to B.9	You plan the welding and assembly sequence, run welding procedure qualification (WPQR), and prepare WPSs and work instructions.
Materials	B.10, B.11	You keep track of the selection, storage and issue of welding consumables, and of the inspection documents, marking and storage of parent material.
Inspection	B.12 to B.15	You plan and supervise inspection and testing before, during and after welding, and post-weld heat treatment if you use it.
Nonconformities	B.16	You decide on weld repairs, re-inspection and corrective actions.
Measurement and documentation	B.17 to B.19	You keep track of the calibration or validation of measuring instruments, traceability and quality records.
Health, safety and environment	B.20	You take occupational health and safety and environmental protection into account. Item added in the 2019 edition.

For the “equipment” item you need evidence of welding machine maintenance. If you outsource inspections, in our service package we carry out inspections, cleaning and electrical measurements of welding machines. The measurement report that you attach to your maintenance records comes with the paid package. If your procedure requires validation of welding machines, you order it as the VALIDATION add-on and, before ordering, agree with us which standard it will be carried out to.

IWE, IWT, IWS: competence levels and differences

Clause 6 divides coordinators into three levels. The manufacturer matches the level to the complexity of the product, the consequences of failure of the welded product and the required part of EN ISO 3834. Since the 2019 edition the standard no longer names IIW qualifications, so the assignment in the table comes from IIW guideline IAB-362-19.

Level	What the standard expects	IIW qualification
Comprehensive (C)	solves very complex, unpredictable problems, selects the best technical and economic solution, defines and changes the tasks of personnel	IWE, International Welding Engineer
Specific (S)	solves advanced problems on complex products, selects solutions, defines the tasks of personnel	IWT, International Welding Technologist
Basic (B)	solves typical problems, supervises standard work with minor changes	IWS, International Welding Specialist; in a narrower scope IWP, International Welding Practitioner

The Polish names pełny, specjalistyczny and podstawowy are used by Łukasiewicz-GIT; in the English text of the standard they are comprehensive, specific and basic. The letters C, S and B in EN 1090-2 denote the same three levels.

A coordinator without an IIW diploma

The standard does not require an IIW diploma. It requires the coordinator to demonstrate competence in the assigned tasks and knowledge gained through education, training or experience. You can set out the required education and experience in the job description. According to the IIW guideline, a person without a diploma can also be a coordinator if they have thorough experience in manufacturing the product concerned.

Annex A suggests how to assess this: experience with similar products and materials, knowledge of WPSs, WPQRs and welder qualifications, knowledge of EN ISO 3834 and 14731, solving problems in production. The assessment can take the form of an interview or a walk around the shop floor. It is best conducted by a person with the same or a higher level of competence. During certification of the workshop, the auditor holds an extended technical interview with a coordinator who has no IIW or EWF diploma. Such recognition applies to the specific workshop and production scope and does not transfer to a new employer.

What the 2019 edition changed compared with 2006

The informative reference to the IIW, that is the former Annex A with technical knowledge recommendations, was removed. The reason was competition law rules in standardisation work.
The new Annex A describes the assessment of welding coordination personnel.
The term “responsible welding coordinator” (RWC) was removed. You will still come across the abbreviation in audit forms.
Clause 6 introduced the concept of competence and three competence levels. Previously the standard spoke of levels of technical knowledge.
Item B.20 was added: health, safety and environment.

Assigning tasks step by step

Select the tasks. Go through items B.1 to B.20 and mark those that apply to your production. Add the requirements from EN 1090-2 or the contract.
Write a job description for each person involved in coordination. The minimum according to the standard: tasks, responsibilities and the extent of authority.
Grant signing authority. The coordinator may approve technical documents on behalf of the manufacturer, for example WPSs and supervision reports. Record exactly what they sign.
Divide responsibility when there are several people. For example, the IWE approves WPSs and decides on repairs, while a foreman with an IWS supervises the shift and the welding parameters. Assign each selected item of Annex B to a specific person.
Arrange cover. The standard has no separate clause on a deputy, but EN 1090-2 in classes EXC2 to EXC4 requires coordination to be in place for the whole time welding is carried out. Appoint a deputy for holidays and sick leave, with their own job description. In factory production control certification reports you will find a separate field for the deputy coordinator.
Assess and record competence in accordance with Annex A. Keep a note of the assessment and copies of diplomas and certificates.

An external coordinator in a small company

You can contract coordination out to an external person. The tasks of such a coordinator must be defined and documented, and responsibility for conformity stays with the manufacturer. In a note to this clause the standard suggests what to put in the contract: visits to the workshop and visit reports stating the purpose and the activities carried out.

The appointment does not carry over to another company. If the same IWE serves three workshops, each appoints them separately, with its own job description. A practical arrangement: your foreman stays on the shop floor, keeping an eye on parameters and instructing welders, while the external coordinator handles the review of requirements, WPSs, WPQRs and nonconformities.

Gaps an auditor may treat as a nonconformity

no job description, or a description without the extent of authority,
no record of the competence assessment of a coordinator without a diploma,
a coordinator level not matched to the EXC class, steel grade and thickness,
an external coordinator without a written scope of tasks,
an appointment carried over from the coordinator's previous company instead of your own.

How to become an IWE, IWT, IWS or IWP in Poland

The IIW and EWF system in Poland is run by the Łukasiewicz Research Network, Upper Silesian Institute of Technology, Welding Centre in Gliwice (the former Instytut Spawalnictwa, the Polish Welding Institute). It acts as the Authorised Nominated Body (ANB): it appoints examination boards and issues IIW and EWF diplomas and certificates of competence. Courses at all levels are run by its training centre in Gliwice, and IWE courses also by approved training bodies (ATB) at the universities of technology in Gdańsk, Wrocław, Warsaw, Kraków and Częstochowa and at ZUT in Szczecin (list of ATBs).

Course	Minimum entry requirements
IWE	an engineering degree after at least 3 years of STEM studies; other degrees: 3 years of practice in metalworking or welding within the last 5 years and an IWE 0 course completed with a passed examination
IWT	general or technical secondary school with mathematics, physics and chemistry; without physics and chemistry: 2 years of practice within the last 5 years; other education: 5 years of practice within the last 8 years and an IWS 0 course completed with a passed examination
IWS	age 20; a vocational technical school and 2 years of practice, or a general secondary school and 4 years of practice
IWP	age 21, a vocational technical school, welder qualification H-L045 ss nb (or PC and PH ss nb) to EN ISO 9606-1 or 9606-2 and 3 years of work as a plate or pipe welder

You are admitted to the examination if you attend at least 90% of classes. The board is made up of people who did not teach the candidate. You receive the diploma within 6 weeks of the examination. An IIW diploma has no expiry date. A certificate of competence (for example CIWE) is valid for 3 years and requires 3 years of work in welding, including 2 in a position matching the qualification, and at least 3 refresher training courses within the last 3 years. Course dates and the price list are published by Łukasiewicz-GIT.

Frequently asked questions

Who can be a welding coordinator and do they need an IWE?

A person whom the manufacturer appoints and whose competence it documents at a level matched to its production. A diploma is not compulsory, but an IWE, IWT or IWS diploma is the simplest way to confirm it. Without a diploma, expect an extended technical interview with the auditor.

What is the difference between IWE, IWT, IWS and IWP?

The extent of responsibility. IWE corresponds to the comprehensive level, IWT to the specific level and IWS to the basic level. IWP is a welding practitioner with welder qualifications and basic knowledge in a narrower scope.

Is a coordinator needed for EXC1?

For EXC1, EN ISO 3834-4 applies, which has no clause on a coordinator and only requires adequate supervision of welding. A coordinator under EN ISO 14731 is required from EXC2.

Can one coordinator work for several companies?

Yes, if each company appoints them separately, describes their tasks and authority, and ensures coordination while welding is carried out. Responsibility for conformity stays with each manufacturer.

How long are the diploma and the certificate valid?

An IIW or EWF diploma has no time limit. A certificate of competence from Łukasiewicz-GIT is valid for 3 years. You submit the documents for recertification within the 3 months before it expires.

Who signs WPSs and supervision reports?

The person authorised by the manufacturer in the job description. The standard allows the coordinator to approve such documents on behalf of the manufacturer, but the scope of the signature must follow from the authorisation.

Welding coordinator under EN ISO 14731: tasks, IWE, IWT, IWS