Pros And Cons Of Welding Certification

Damage Controlmen have been stripped of there welding Certifications. Baring the men and woman of the Damage controlmen rate from using their welding abilities on ships and small boats is not only a disservice to the Coast Guard but also its members. Since Damage Controlmen are not allowed to weld on vessels they are not able to preform their job in a satisfactory manner, this practice it is not cost efficient and it is resulting in more casualties. Damage Controlmen (DC’s) have been stripped of their welding Certifications they acquired from the Coast Guard because of a few preventable mishaps, due to the lack of following procedures that were already in place and working. Upon completing DC A-School the 3rd Class DC’s are taught the basics

For a civilian to perform the same job that a DC1, DC2 and a fire watch can do; it would take a marine chemist, certified welder, their fire watch and a certified weld inspector (CWI). For instances, I currently hold a welding job at Fort Macon, NC, and I have seen what it cost to have civilians complete the these same tasks that Damage Controlmen perform. A Marine Chemist will charge about $1,400 (A onetime fee as long as the contractor has a qualified competent person to keep the gas free certificate up to date) to certify the space for hot work, the welder and fire watch combined will charge between $75 and $125 an hour, and the CWI could cost up to $1,000 an hour depending where he has to travel from and is required to be on sight during the whole process of the welding evolution. The current American Welding Society (AWS) regulations make it more cost effective for the DC’s who have already had this

“A document providing the required welding variables for a specific

application to assure repeatability by properly trained welders and welding operators” (SFLC Std

Spec 5000). Letting the Damage Control Rating perform welding operations would increase the

knowledge of the Coast Guard and give our junior members the experience they will need to be

successful in their trade. This will in turn cost less money and result in fewer casualties. Most

importantly, many or even most members who go DC chose the rating for the hands on work and

abilities to weld. Giving them back something they joined the Coast Guard to do, will most

importantly boost moral which in turn creates and better work environment for the Coast Guard

as a