HEADLINE NEWS
THE COST OF QUALITY
In the world of construction, metal fabrication, and manufacturing, quality is not a luxury—it's a necessity. Yet, time and again, projects suffer catastrophic failures due to lapses in quality assurance, particularly in welding and special inspection activities governed by the International Code Council (ICC). The cost of cutting corners is not just financial—it can be measured in lives lost, environmental damage, and reputational ruin.
Welding: A Critical Link
Welding is often the backbone of structural integrity in buildings, bridges, pipelines, and industrial equipment. Poor weld quality can lead to brittle fractures, fatigue failures, and complete structural collapse. A comprehensive study by the UK's Health and Safety Executive (HSE) reviewed 47 incidents where weld quality was a contributing factor. Nearly half resulted in total structural collapse, 21% led to injuries, and 11% caused fatalities¹.
Common causes included:
- Inadequate welder supervision
- Insufficient inspection coverage
- Poor joint design
- Crack-like or volumetric flaws in welds
These failures are not theoretical. In 2018, a pedestrian bridge in Florida collapsed due to a crack in a weld, killing six people and injuring more than a dozen others². In 2016, a weld defect on a train track led to a derailment in Washington state, resulting in three deaths and dozens of injuries².
ICC Special Inspections: The Safety Net
ICC special inspections are designed to catch issues before they become disasters. These inspections cover structural steel welding, bolting, concrete placement, and more. When these inspections are skipped or inadequately performed, the consequences can be dire.
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010—one of the worst environmental disasters in history—was partially attributed to weld failures on the rig². Similarly, a 2015 explosion in California caused by a cracked weld on a natural gas pipeline killed one person and injured four others². These incidents underscore the importance of rigorous inspection protocols.
The Hidden Costs of Neglect
While skipping inspections or using unqualified welders may save money up-front, the long-term costs are staggering:
- Legal liability: Companies face lawsuits, fines, and criminal charges
- Rework and downtime: Failed components must be repaired or replaced, delaying projects and inflating budgets
- Loss of trust: Clients and stakeholders lose confidence, impacting future business
- Human cost: Injuries and fatalities devastate families and communities
A presentation by Geoff Booth at WEMMA highlighted that failures often stem from overlooked weld details, poor fabrication control, and inappropriate materials or procedures³. These are preventable issues—if quality is prioritized.
Building a Culture of Quality
To mitigate these risks, project stakeholders must:
- Invest in certified welders and inspectors
- Enforce ICC special inspection requirements
- Use non-destructive testing (NDT) methods to verify weld and product integrity
- Foster a culture where safety and quality are non-negotiable
Quality is not just a checkbox—it's a mindset. Every weld, every inspection, and every decision must reflect a commitment to excellence.
Conclusion
The cost of quality is always less than the cost of failure. In construction and manufacturing, where lives and livelihoods are at stake, quality must be the foundation. By learning from past failures and reinforcing inspection protocols, we can build safer, stronger, and more resilient structures.
PNL along with our parent company, Applied Technical Services (ATS) offers a multitude of inspection procedures, test equipment, and personnel to meet most any industrial construction or manufacturing project requirement to help keep projects within quality specifications and budgets. Please contact us for more information or to leave a comment about this article.
Phone: (602) 431-8887 or 1-800-602-1180
Email: pnltest@pnltest.com
References:
- RR1215: When welding goes wrong: Learning from past failures. https://www.hse.gov.uk/Research/rrhtm/rr1215.htm
- Examples of disasters that have been caused by weld cracking, NDT-Inspect 6/01/2023. https://ndtinspect.com/groups/failure-mechanisms/forum/discussion/examples-of-disasters-that-have-been-caused-by-weld-cracking/
- Lessons from catastrophic weld failures, Geoff Booth. https://wemma.org/slides/WEMMA.2018-01-10.WeldFailures.pdf
SAFETY TIP
POST-INSTALLED ANCHOR INSTALLATIONS
Anchors may be small compared to the structures they support, but they play an outsized role in safety and performance. When anchors fail, the consequences can be catastrophic ranging from costly repairs to tragic loss of life. Proper installation and inspection of post-installed anchors is critical in assuring the safety of personnel both during and after construction activities are completed.
There are basically two types of post-installed anchors that can be used after concrete has been poured and set to hold or support equipment. The first type are mechanical wedge or drop-in anchors that rely on mechanical expansion to hold the anchor in place. These are held secure by applying a torque to a bolt that expands the device or sleeve against the concrete holding it in place through friction. The second type of anchor is held in place by an epoxy adhesive squirted around the anchor and when set forms a chemical bond with both the anchor and the concrete. Both types of anchors require inspections to ensure they have been installed correctly and will carry the intended design loads.
In both types of anchors, it is critical to properly drill the appropriately sized hole and clean it out by blowing or vacuuming any concrete dust created by the drilling process. For mechanical anchors, an additional flushing process may be required. The depth, diameter, and cleanliness of each hole should be verified by an independent inspector. After mechanical anchors have been installed, the torque is typically measured as a means to assure that the sleeve has been adequately expanded. Torque values are supplied by the anchor manufacturer or the design engineer. For epoxy anchors, the mixing and application of epoxy is typically witnessed by the inspector as the anchors are being set in place. This is especially critical with overhead and horizontal anchors.
Common Failure Mechanisms include:
- Improper hole cleaning: Reduces bond strength for adhesive anchors
- Incorrect embedment depth: Limits load transfer capacity
- Over-torqueing or under-torqueing: Affects mechanical anchor
- Material defects: Lead to brittle failure under stress
- Edge proximity violations: Increase risk of concrete breakout
These failures underscore the importance of proper installation practices, adherence to manufacturer specifications, and rigorous inspection protocols.
CASE HIGHLIGHTS:
Big Dig Ceiling Collapse (Boston, MA, 2006)
Adhesive anchors securing concrete ceiling panels failed due to the wrong epoxy product being used. The result was a tunnel ceiling collapse that claimed a life. This tragedy underlines why product selection and proper installation oversight must never be overlooked. The cost to redesign, inspect, and repair all the tunnels after the collapse was $54 million. A proper inspection performed during installation would have been a small fraction of that cost. Reference: U.S. DOJ / FBI reports on Big Dig ceiling collapse (2006).
Other Notable Anchor Failures
Façade Panel Collapse – Commercial Building (2022)
- Location: Undisclosed U.S. city
- Failure Type: Adhesive anchor pullout
- Cause: Improper hole cleaning before adhesive injection
- Impact: Façade panel detached during high winds, causing property damage
- Reference: Post-Installed Concrete Anchor Failure Expert
HVAC Equipment Detachment – Hospital Retrofit (2018)
- Location: California
- Failure Type: Mechanical anchor slippage
- Cause: Inadequate torque application and incorrect embedment depth
- Impact: HVAC unit fell from ceiling, injuring a technician
- Reference: Special Inspections Guidelines for Post-Installed Anchors
Generator Anchorage Failure – Industrial Facility (2020)
- Location: Midwest U.S.
- Failure Type: Steel fracture at anchor threads
- Cause: Material defect in anchor steel and cyclic loading fatigue
- Impact: Generator shifted during operation, causing vibration damage
- Reference: Experimental study of post-installed anchors under combined shear and tension loading
Concrete Cone Failure – Parking Structure (2017)
- Location: Southeastern U.S.
- Failure Type: Concrete breakout
- Cause: Over-tightening of expansion anchors near slab edge
- Impact: Partial collapse of mounted signage and concrete spalling
- Reference: Post-Installed Anchors
Takeaway for Owners & Contractors
The lesson is clear: anchors are not just minor hardware—they are critical structural safety components. Investing in independent testing and inspection helps to confirm correct products are being used and properly installed, potentially saving millions of dollars in rework costs, which may also be required by the governing building department. PNL can provide independent inspection services before during and after installation. Contact our office for more information.
TECHNOLOGY SPOTLIGHT
CONCRETE ANCHOR INTEGRITY
Anchoring into concrete is ubiquitous in the construction industry and utilized for a wide assortment of tasks including securing steel beams and columns for structural supports to connections, machine and equipment fastening, mechanical and utility supports such as pipe hangers, curtain wall attachments, pallet rack attachments, and many more scenarios.
The anchors can be cast-in-place systems, such as headed studs and bolts or hooked bolts like J and L-bolts, or they may be post-installed systems which include expansion anchors, undercut anchors, screw anchors, and adhesive anchors.
Anchors and anchor systems must be qualified in accordance with International Building Code (IBC) and American Concrete Institute (ACI) standards. AC193 establishes requirements for recognition of mechanical anchors in concrete under ICC Evaluation Service. The criteria in AC193 includes requirements for strength of the materials, such as physical properties from mill certs or certified test reports and specifies test procedures per ACI 355.2 for mechanical anchors or 355.4 for adhesive anchors.
Common tests required in ACI 355.2 and 355.4 include tensile properties and chemical analysis, as well as performance tests under a wide range of different situations to verify performance in low or high strength concrete, to measure sensitivity to large and small hole diameters, for performance under repeated loading, to verify safe edge distances and spacing, and many more. Tests require the anchors to be installed per the manufacturer’s printed installation instructions (MPII) followed by performing tension tests, torque tests, and shear tests on the anchor using the appropriate test equipment and monitoring devices. Additionally, ACI methods cover fingerprinting requirements on the adhesive used for adhesive anchors that establish baseline performance of the adhesive material for comparison to testing of future batches of material. These tests ensure anchor system performance under a wide range of situations and requirements to ensure anchor integrity when designed and installed correctly.
After test reports are submitted to and approved by the ICC-Evaluation Services an ESR report is issued for that anchor system. ESR reports are publicly available online from the ICC ES Reports Directory. An anchorage system’s ESR report verifies approval for use and will specify the anchorage type and identification, the use cases such as in cracked or uncracked concrete, design requirements and strength calculations, installation requirements, conditions of use, and inspection requirements.
After making sure the design is per code and the products themselves meet requirements through the ESR reports, the next step is to ensure that the anchors are installed correctly. This entails verifying correct materials, anchor types and sizes, locations, and installation steps are being followed. For post-installed anchors there are required Special Inspections during installation. Special Inspections should be planned and scheduled before the start of anchor installation to give the installers and the inspector time to review the project design, verify materials and ESR reports, and resolve any issues.
When required special inspections are not performed, a mechanical proof load test will be required, which is more costly than special inspections. This is a custom field test commonly called a pull-out test, and is typically performed on each individual anchor where special inspections were not performed. A hollow-core hydraulic cylinder is used to apply a specified tension pullout force to the anchor. The load application system must be calibrated to the specified load or load range of the anchor prior to use. The cylinder is typically on supports that allow the pullout force to be applied directly to the anchor while distributing the support force to the surrounding concrete. The test system and set ups are customized to each site's specific situation and layout.
When design is per ICC and ACI code, the anchorage system has a current ICC ESR report, inspections have been scheduled and performed correctly, and when needed field pullout tests have been performed, we can be assured that the anchor will perform satisfactorily.
CODE CORNER
WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR WELDING QUALITY AND WHAT IS REQUIRED?
This quarter we are discussing how construction and fabrication codes address quality responsibilities for welding activities and how best to assure projects have adequate quality control (QC) and quality assurance (QA) provisions to avoid some of the catastrophes and other quality problems discussed throughout this newsletter. Let’s start with who is required to perform these important functions.
Structural welding codes and standards designate that QC functions be performed by the Contractor and are indicated as “Contractor’s Inspections”, while QA functions be performed by the Owner or Engineer and are termed as “Verification Inspections.” These include the AWS Structural Welding Codes for Steel (D1.1), Aluminum (D1.2), Structural Sheet Steel (D1.3), Steel Reinforcing Bars (D1.4), Bridges (D1.5), Stainless Steel (D1.6), and Titanium (D1.9), as well as the AISC 360 Specification for Structural Steel Buildings. Contractor’s inspections are required and are to be performed by the contractor or fabricator responsible for the welding. Verification inspections are the prerogative of the owner, except when special inspections are invoked by a municipality or government organization, which is often the case for buildings or structures where persons are to be in, on, or near. When this happens, the owner is to engage an approved independent agency to perform verification inspections on behalf of the owner in accordance with the International Building Code (IBC), which incorporates most of the above codes and standards.
Similarly, pressure-based welding codes used to construct tanks, vessels, and piping systems designate that examination and testing (QC functions) be performed by the Contractor, and inspection activities (QA functions) be performed by the Owner or Engineer. These include ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code Sections I - Power Boilers, VIII - Pressure Vessels, B31.1 - Power Piping, B31.3 - Process Piping, API 650 - Tanks for Oil Storage, and API 1104 - Pipeline codes. In some cases, Owner’s Inspections must be performed by an Authorized Inspector usually, a member of the Insurance company, or specially certified owner-user inspector.
In all cases, QA, Owner’s Inspection, or Verification Inspections do not relieve or negate the contractor’s or manufacturer’s obligation to provide quality control, testing, and examinations in accordance with the specified code or to ensure that all provisions of the code or standard have been satisfied.
In general, Inspectors performing QA or QC shall ascertain that all fabrication and erection by welding is performed in conformance with the requirements of the contract documents and specified codes and standards. Responsibilities for various tasks are outlined below with the QA inspector also performing or verifying work performed by the QC inspector(s) as necessary to satisfy the owner’s QA requirements.
QA/QC Functions:
- Qualify welding procedures and welder’s to match the work that is being performed.
- Provide qualified inspectors and NDE personnel in accordance with the Engineer’s designation. Inspectors and NDE personnel can be provided by subcontracted third party organizations or directly by the Contractor.
- Verify base materials and welding consumables conform to specifications.
- Inspectors shall, at suitable intervals, observe joint preparations, assembly practices, welding techniques, and performance of welders to ensure that the applicable requirements of the specified code are being met. Inspectors shall ensure that the size, length, and location of all welds conform to detail drawings and that no unspecified welds have been added without approval of the Engineer. Inspector shall perform final visual inspection of all welds.
- Provide NDE specified in the contract or required by Code.
- Contractor inspectors are to document welder activity as to what welds each welder makes and the acceptability of completed welds. This can be done using weld maps or logs that are provided to the verification inspector.
- QC Inspectors shall cooperate with QA inspectors to allow access to any place where work is being performed to inspect or audit any examination and to provide the certifications and records necessary to verify compliance with contracts, and codes and standards specified.
- Provide any as-built data sheets, weld and weld qualifications records, and NDE records required by the contract or code.
- Provide required certification letters or statements that the structure was constructed or fabricated in accordance with the applicable requirements of the code or standard used.
Additional Owner/Engineer QA Functions
- Provide engineering and design details which includes the type and extent of any required welding qualifications, nondestructive testing, and inspection requirements including welder, examiner, and inspector qualifications.
- Provide any jurisdictional site permits required to erect any structures.
- Notify contractor or manufacturer of any deficiencies promptly.
- Complete any approval documentation such as stamped special inspection certificates or required data sheets.
In conclusion, it is the combination of project owner and contractor who are equally responsible for overall project quality. Owner’s carry the responsibility to assure that work is being done safely and that structures are able to perform their intended functions by hiring competent engineers, contractors, and inspectors to design, fabricate, and inspect the work. The contractor, who has the expertise and experience, and has contributed to development of codes and standards, is then responsible for performing the work in accordance with the stated plans, specifications, codes, and standards dictated by the engineering design.
PNL and ATS provides facilities, personnel, and testing equipment to perform both QA and QC inspections and testing in accordance with most codes and standards in a variety of industrial applications. Please contact us for more information about how we can help you with quality services for your project.
Phone: (602) 431-8887 or 1-800-602-1180
Email: pnltest@pnltest.com
ANNOUNCEMENT
RECAP OF EVENTS
Epic Fails & Epic Tales
In September, PNL partnered with ATS to host Epic Fails & Epic Tales, drawing a strong turnout of professionals to explore how failure analysis helps prevent costly losses and improve safety. Speakers highlighted case studies such as the Titanic disaster, battery failures, and a household fan malfunction, while live demonstrations showcased how the ATS Family of Companies is leading the charge in ensuring reliability and safety.
AWS Meeting
PNL was also excited to host the ASME IX Decoded: A Workshop presented by AWS on October 14th – 16th. This 3-day program was designed to help participants understand and comply with ASME Section IX requirements for Welding, Brazing, and Fusing Qualifications.
If you are interested in hosting your event at our facility, please contact our office at 602-431-8887 or email Brittney Kramarich at brittney@pnltest.com.
