Under what condition may a welding supervisor delegate duties to a less qualified person?

• A. When proper control of welding operations cannot be exercised by a fully qualified welding supervisor.
• B. Only if the lesser-qualified person has formal military training.
• C. Delegation is never allowed.
• D. Delegation is allowed freely without approval.

Answer: (A)

The key idea is that delegation of supervision to someone less qualified is permitted only when the welding supervisor cannot personally exercise proper control over the welding operations. In that situation, the supervisor may assign certain duties to a lesser-qualified person, but only under oversight and with the delegate having the necessary competence to perform those tasks. The supervisor still bears ultimate responsibility for safety, quality, and compliance, and delegation is not allowed as a general rule, nor is it based on arbitrary criteria like military training or done freely without approval.