NORSOK M-101: Welding, NDT and Fabrication Documentation
WHAT WE DO
In structural steel fabrication, welding, inspection and documentation are not separate activities. The records are the evidence that the physical work was completed within the approved route.
This article sits alongside our broader guide to NORSOK M-101 structural steel fabrication.
Qualification comes before production
The project needs to establish the applicable welding requirements before the first production weld. Process, materials, joint details and personnel all need to fit the intended fabrication route.
NDT has to follow the sequence
Non-destructive testing needs access to the relevant welds at the right stage. Assembly can make an area difficult or impossible to inspect later, especially where geometry is complex or coating will close access.
Repairs create a new control point
A weld repair changes the fabrication history. The technical repair, subsequent inspection and updated records need to remain aligned. If only the steel is repaired, the final dossier no longer represents what was actually built.
The dossier should be generated by production
The common mistake is to treat documentation as a final delivery package. That is backwards. The most reliable dossier is produced as welding, inspection, repairs and release activities happen.
When records are reconstructed at the end, missing traceability or inspection evidence appears at the worst possible time — when the structure is physically finished and expected to ship.
Where NORSOK M-501 coating follows fabrication, required inspection and release activities should be resolved before coating reduces access to weld surfaces.
GravityX treats compliance as part of project execution, with engineering, workshop production, NDT, coating and documentation progressing in an order that supports final release. Project-specific requirements can differ, so the contract, design basis, inspection plan and applicable editions remain controlling.
Qualify before welding
Inspect while access exists
