Sorry guys- I always preface my Code-related comments with "there are others who know this better than me"- I want to help, but don't have the time to get out the codes and quote chapter and verse to questioners who often don't even have access to a copy of the code. That actually pinches a nerve for me, because anything which walks and talks like a government regulation SHOULD be available, for free, to all who need it, i.e. governments should be paying for public access to it!
My comment about wanting to see " a spot, or two", isn't me stipulating a code requirement. As my previous post said, we have our own owner's/buyer's spec for subcontractor work which allows us to take random spot radiographs at our sole discretion- and cost- with the cost of repairs being on the fabricator. Fabricators know this and price accordingly- they typically don't bother going the 70% joint efficiency route on our jobs because of it. It puts people on alert that we're looking, which ups their game in terms of welding quality. On one early job, a colleague had a small (pipe-sized) vessel made for him by a local ASME shop, and had to cut off a large nozzle (a 600# weld neck flange, basically acting as a body flange) due to an alignment problem. The weld had a gap between root and cap passes that you could shove a piece of MIG wire into for a distance of several inches...Since then, we've looked on the use of the 70% joint efficiency with a very jaundiced eye. The threat of radiography keeps people honest, even if it's not relied upon for design as a code requirement.