Interpretation involves risks

ISO 12944 Part 7 - this is what to pay attention to when interpreting and using the standard

Image: SLV

Standards sometimes offer some room for interpretation. If clients and contractors do not recognize and clear up these ambiguities, there is a lot of potential for problems.

Many are familiar with ISO 12944 from daily practice. "Coating materials - Corrosion protection of steel structures by coating systems" is the title of this series of standards, which now consists of nine parts. Today, we'll look at Part 7 in a little more detail. "Execution and monitoring of coating work" is the title. But first, let's get a little further out and review past projects in our minds. How often was ISO 12944 required in specifications? How often was the statement, "Yeah, sure, it's the 12944, we can do that." It must not be forgotten that as soon as ISO 12944 is named in the specification, the execution according to Part 7 is automatically included. This aspect is of great importance.

All coaters work professionally and reliably - at least from their own point of view. However, it becomes interesting when someone demands proof. How can professional work be proven? "We've always done it that way" or "it's been tried and tested" is a statement that probably neither a customer, let alone a court, would accept. From an objective point of view, professional and reliable work has a lot to do with training and qualification. In principle, of course, there is little to be said against on-the-job training. However, it must be remembered that the person who trains another employee also has a certain level of above-average skills, and the corresponding training measures should be documented in a timely manner. The qualification gain is particularly clear and verifiable if proof of the skills is provided at the end of such a measure - i.e., by means of some kind of examination.