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The -'Materials 'Witness·r' .~.

'August 1996.

TOPIC TOPIC

POLICEINVESTIGATE'DEATH OFWELDING·INSPECTOREvent Called C~otSurprising" byHerrickSupervisor after InspectorRejected "One Weld TooMany" . ""':'),Associated Press

San Bernardino, California - AQuality Laboratory Weldinginspector at Herrick Steel wasfound dead inside: a box Columnafter an angIymob of Herrick .welders ~ him.in: pre-heat

. blankets' and baked !iim·at'ilOooF.•.• ",- r •..••. -.-- .-.~'''';'''' •..•.•.... :...:-- .. ;...... -.' .He'WaS then wddea'jjrto~:{2(hoii· ' .'

. "-" .box column deStinCd foi the sanDiego Airport.: TbC'COroncr Ji3S~:been unable to dc:tcrmineJrom the , ;barred • j( the • 'c, ' ~.~"._, ••~r "~r' ,expired from ,~~tio~ t.~~~.,~r.excesslve nit picking.··.· . ", ",

Witn~ ~Ye.~ ..~'i·~'·~:Inspector seems to have asked the .e.welders to ~ ~t welds '''onCe, "

.-:. . too often". "1i(juSt~ tbCiitJoofr' ..'; I think their actions were

"

justified, " stated one Of thewitnesses. ..Police are working with theDistrict Attorney to determine ifcharges should be filed. Aspokesman for the DA's office said "that "currently there are no laws .protecting the safety df \1,'elding, inspectors. Besides who really.gives a shit !""We arc fair game" says Weldo~ '.January, the supervisor of the ill-

" fated inspector. "Right now. it's just.\ 'one of those things that cOmes Withthe exciting world of weld .inspection. .Sometimes the welders

feel better after they take out aninspector and things smooth out fora while. But we will have another;guy rejecting welds as soon 3S thefuneral services are over".

The incident appears to have beendiscovered by chance, as nobodymissed the inspector after hedisappeared crier a week ago. ADultrasonic inspector performillgshear wave inspection with alongitudinal transducer picked up.an unusual sound w;r~'~patternfrom inside the box column. ••It

. looked to me like a big pocket ofslag, or lack of fusion, or a crack,or lack of penetration or'something", staled the urinspector. "This ultrasonic' stuff· still bames me but this goes toshow you that "'C can find stuff

, cv~n if it's only by luck. and chance

Th~"gr.i~ngl\ido~.cowd only... ';wond~nvbat ~.an~ more'~yiChc.,WilS he still being~cL ~Mi;~a11,¥.~,~.3;l,¥

. ~R.:t\:$3!d ~ vt?~~.~ Vri!~t,,·:;,::who :waswarmly coriiforted by ,·atljone she could fiIlcL "I'll never .~ ,forget what's hiS"iia..rne"were -the .,; ":~words this writer will at '. .:ways -"rtmeaiber.· .

Funeril services are pendiD& but itwas widely known that the

. ~.deeeased wanted to be buried with·the tools of the trade: fillet gauges,magnifying glass, ~ ; . ", .'itiag3iiDes 3ild in 'unuse,fcopy of .the AWS Structural Welding Code .

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