ISO 9606-1 has been cited in the Official Journal of the European Union as harmonised

with the Pressure Equipment Directive (PED), with effect from 1 March 2018.

This FAQ gives a quick summary of the transition between the standards for welder
qualification BS EN 287-1 and BS EN ISO 9606-1 and provides recommendations on
how to apply them.

Please note that TWI is not authorised to give official interpretations of BS EN ISO
standards and the answer below is an opinion only, and cannot be taken as a definitive
answer. No liability rests with TWI for any damages arising from this communication.

Status of BS EN 287-1 and BS EN ISO 9606-1

 The status of BS EN 287-1 according to BSI is ‘Current, superseded’.
 'Current' means that EN 287-1 can be used. 'Superseded' means that another
standard has been issued, which is more up-to-date. In this case, ISO 9606-1
has been issued. 'Superseded' does not mean 'withdrawn'.
 When EN ISO 9606-1 was issued, the relevant European pressure vessel
committees did not agree with the wording of Annex ZA, which addresses
conformity with the Pressure Equipment Directive (PED, 2014/68/EU), so EN ISO
9606-1 was not included in the Official Journal of the EU as a harmonised
standard.
 The wording of Annex ZA was discussed and approved by the relevant CEN and
ISO committees, and BS EN ISO 9606-1 was issued in September 2017 with the
approved Annex ZA.
 According to Annex ZA: Clause 9.3(c) option (c) for revalidation is not be
permitted for Category II, III and IV products.
 EN ISO 9606-1 is now harmonised with the PED and the Simple Pressure vessel
Directive (SPVD).
 BS EN 287-1 is still listed as ‘Current’ by BSI, because it is still referenced in
product standards, as well as contracts, specifications.

NOTE 1: the authors are not aware of the status of harmonisation of ISO 9606 1:2017
with the Construction Products Regulations (CPR), Machinery Directive, Rail Vehicles
etc.

TWI’s recommendations
Considering the above, TWI’s recommendations are as follows:

For ‘non-PED’ work:

 New welder qualifications: BS EN ISO 9606-1 should be followed in

accordance with the requirements of the application standard
  Existing welder qualifications to BS EN 287-1; confirm the certificate every 6-
month according to Clause 9.2, when the certificate needs to be revalidated:

o If the welder is re-tested: apply BS EN ISO 9606-1:2017
o If the certificate is revalidated based on evidence of volumetric
destructive or non-destructive testing (clause 9.3b): a new re-
alignment sheet shall be prepared using the testing conditions shown
on existing qualification test certificate but applying the ranges
specified in accordance with BS EN ISO 9606-1:2017. The new
alignment document shall indicate that revalidation is based on the
ranges of BS EN ISO 9606-1:2017, 9.3 b). It may be a requirement
that a Notified Body or Third Party Organisation verifies the
document.

NOTE 2: some methods of revalidation, such as Clause 9.3(c) in the standard ISO
9606-1, may not be permitted by certain application standards. When working to the
requirements of an application standard, the welder qualification standard to be applied
should be the one referenced in the application standard.

For ‘PED work’:

1. In general, BS EN ISO 9606-1:2017 should be used

2. When compliance with PED is required, but the applicable product standard still
refers to EN 287-1 or an earlier version of ISO 9606-1 (eg EN 13445, EN 13480,
EN 12952, etc):

 If the reference to EN 287-1 is dated (for example, see EN 12952:2011),

then BS EN 287-1 should be applied and the edition should be the one
specified in the construction code.
 If the reference to EN 287-1 is dated , but the standard addresses the
use of EN ISO 9606-1 in lieu of EN 287-1 (see BS EN 13445:2014,
Clause 2, footnote 1), then BS EN ISO 9606-1:2017 should be applied.
 If the reference to EN 287-1 is not dated, then BS EN ISO 9606-1:2017
should be applied, as EN 287-1 is superseded and it was replaced by
EN ISO 9606-1.