Pipe inspector vs quality assurance inspector

The differences between pipe inspectors and quality assurance inspectors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a pipe inspector has an average salary of $48,756, which is higher than the $36,842 average annual salary of a quality assurance inspector.

The top three skills for a pipe inspector include pipe systems, NDT and API. The most important skills for a quality assurance inspector are calipers, micrometers, and corrective action.

Pipe inspector vs quality assurance inspector overview

	Pipe Inspector	Quality Assurance Inspector
Yearly salary	$48,756	$36,842
Hourly rate	$23.44	$17.71
Growth rate	-3%	-3%
Number of jobs	17,382	74,410
Job satisfaction	-	3
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 51%	Bachelor's Degree, 34%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	-	-

Pipe inspector vs quality assurance inspector salary

Pipe inspectors and quality assurance inspectors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Pipe Inspector	Quality Assurance Inspector
Average salary	$48,756	$36,842
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $71,000	Between $27,000 And $49,000
Highest paying City	-	Renton, WA
Highest paying state	-	Washington
Best paying company	-	Los Alamos National Laboratory
Best paying industry	-	Government

Differences between pipe inspector and quality assurance inspector education

There are a few differences between a pipe inspector and a quality assurance inspector in terms of educational background:

	Pipe Inspector	Quality Assurance Inspector
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 51%	Bachelor's Degree, 34%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Pipe inspector vs quality assurance inspector demographics

Here are the differences between pipe inspectors' and quality assurance inspectors' demographics:

	Pipe Inspector	Quality Assurance Inspector
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 95.4% Female, 4.6%	Male, 71.7% Female, 28.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 24.8% Asian, 7.1% White, 51.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 21.2% Asian, 9.1% White, 53.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	4%	4%

Differences between pipe inspector and quality assurance inspector duties and responsibilities

Pipe inspector example responsibilities.

Manage and maintain MRB process for all discrepant materials.
Flag for NDE if need for quality assurance.
Determine thickness measurement locations, evaluate NDE data to determine repairs to be make, writing history briefs and repair reports.
Perform regularly schedule packaging line audits to assure that product is being manufacture according to packaging specifications and GMP requirements.
Perform system upgrades several times on steam lines, condensers, air, gas and oil lines.

Quality assurance inspector example responsibilities.

Coordinate joint surveys with SATORP inspectors and manage clearance of all issue active LBE and NCR.
Work with IPC and ISO regulations.
Examine parts for damage or excessive wear using micrometers and gauges and other specialize test equipment.
Measure dimensions of products to verify conformance to specifications, using measuring instruments such as rulers, calipers or micrometers.
Inspect and measure surgical steel medical devices for critical dimensions, checking tolerance using micrometers and calipers reading from blueprint designs.
Qualify coating systems and painters to ASTM standards.

Pipe inspector vs quality assurance inspector skills

Common pipe inspector skills

Pipe Systems, 32%
NDT, 9%
API, 9%
Drill Pipe, 7%
Rig, 6%
NDE, 4%

Common quality assurance inspector skills

Calipers, 7%
Micrometers, 6%
Corrective Action, 5%
Safety Standards, 5%
Inspection Reports, 4%
Quality Standards, 4%

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Pipe Inspector
Pipe Inspector vs Quality Assurance Inspector

Updated January 8, 2025

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