CWS Welding study plan

Identify the OSHA requirements that govern arc welding, cutting, and brazing, and state the specific control each requirement demands on the shop floor.

Categorize the four hazard classes (fume and gases, fire and explosion, electric shock, radiation and burns) and assign at least two preventive controls to each.

Build a PPE selection list for SMAW, GMAW, FCAW, GTAW, and oxyfuel cutting, naming the minimum protection for eyes, skin, and respiratory exposure in each case.

Sequence the steps for confined-space hot work, including atmospheric testing, ventilation, attendant duties, and permit close-out.

Classify the common weld discontinuities (porosity, slag inclusion, incomplete fusion, undercut, cracking, overlap, spatter) by visual appearance and by likely origin.

Trace each discontinuity to at least two process variables such as amperage, travel speed, shielding gas flow, joint preparation, or consumable storage.

Write corrective actions for five discontinuities that name a measurable parameter change rather than a general instruction to improve technique.

Rank discontinuities by severity and state how each is judged against a stated visual acceptance criterion.

Differentiate visual, penetrant, magnetic particle, ultrasonic, and radiographic examination by what each method detects, its surface or subsurface reach, and its practical limits.

Interpret a welding procedure specification and a procedure qualification record, and describe how a supervisor confirms a welder is following the qualified procedure.

Apply a stated acceptance criterion to sample discontinuity sizes and record a pass or fail decision with written justification.

Assemble the documentation trail linking procedure qualification, welder performance qualification, and inspection reports.

Compute the labor and filler cost of one pass using a stated deposition rate, duty cycle, and hourly rate.

Calculate cost per foot of deposited weld from labor rate, deposition rate, operating factor, and consumable price.

Break total weld cost into labor, filler metal, shielding gas, power, and rework components, and identify which component dominates in a given scenario.

Compute operating factor and deposition efficiency for two processes, then show numerically how raising operating factor reduces cost per foot.

Compare two process options on total cost for a fixed joint and defend the lower-cost choice in writing.

Map the value stream of a weld cell and flag where each of the eight wastes appears in a welding operation.

Apply 5S to a weld station and list concrete layout changes with the time saving each one is expected to produce.

Calculate how fixture improvement, positioner use, and reduced arc-off time change arc-on percentage.

Separate rework, scrap, and prevention costs and quantify the rework burden in a sample production run.

Write a task-level work instruction for one weld procedure that a new hire could follow without verbal coaching.

Draft a feedback conversation script for a welder producing repeated porosity, ending in agreed corrective action.

Rank three supervisory responses to a schedule-versus-quality conflict and defend the chosen response on safety and cost grounds.

Complete a fishbone and five-why root cause analysis for a recurring defect and assign countermeasures with owners and due dates.

Explain how a supervisor verifies code compliance through procedure qualification, welder performance qualification, and periodic procedure review.

List the supervisor's recordkeeping duties that keep a shop audit-ready, including calibration, consumable, and qualification records.

Resolve five compliance scenarios (unqualified welder, expired procedure, out-of-calibration equipment, missing inspection record, unapproved consumable substitution) by stating the immediate action and the documentation required.

Distinguish code requirements, customer specification, and company policy when they conflict, and state which governs and how to escalate.

Complete a timed 100-question mixed practice exam covering all three domains and score at least 80%.

Identify the two weakest topic areas from the practice exam and re-work them until a targeted retest shows measurable improvement.

Compile a one-page memory sheet of the cost formulas, arc-on and operating factor relationships, and key regulatory thresholds.

Rehearse written answers to cross-domain scenarios that combine a safety finding, a cost impact, and a leadership decision.