AWS B5.1

Requirements. This standard establishes the requirements for qualification and defines the body of knowledge for welding inspection personnel.

Levels. There are three levels of qualification: Associate Welding Inspector (AWI), Welding Inspector (WI), and Senior Welding Inspector (SWI).

Responsibility. It shall be the responsibility of the employer to determine that the AWI/WI/SWI is capable of performing the duties involved in his/her particular welding inspection assignment.

Employer. This standard is intended to supplement the requirements of an employer, code, or other documents and shall not be construed as a preemption of the employer’s responsibility for the work or for the performance of the work.

Terminology Guideline. As used in this standard, the word shall denotes a requirement, the word should denotes a guideline, and the word may denotes a choice. As used in this specification the word welders includes welding operators, brazers, and brazing operators.

Safety Precautions. Safety and health issues and concerns are beyond the scope of this standard, and therefore are not fully addressed herein. Safety and health information is available from other sources, including, but not limited to, ANSI Z49.1, Safety in Welding, Cutting, and Allied Processes and applicable federal and state regulations.