Can somebody please explain the differences in these groups, and their roles in writing codes and other procedures. Is there a hierarchy with these groups?

ANSI is a professional organization that has developed a method that a professional organization such as AWS, ASME, etc. can voluntarily adopt to develop national standards. To become an ANSI national standard the document must meet certain criteria. Not to go into a lot of detail, it basically requires the standard to be developed by a committee composed of a balance between end users, academics, manufacturers, other interested parties, etc. No one constituency can monopolize the makeup of the committee. The document must be balloted and all negative votes must be acted on, i.e., it must be revised to addressed the negative vote or the committee can determine the negative is not relevant or of insufficient merit to warrant a change. The final document must be made available for public comment and again, those comments must be considered by the committee.

AWS and ASME develop a number of ASNI documents such as AWS D1.X structural welding codes and the boiler and pressure vessel code sections. AWS and ASME also develop non ANSI documents. Documents that are not ANSI documents are not subject to public review and comment before being offered for sale to the public. The Welding Journal lists which AWS standards are available for public comment. Likewise, ASME publishes a list of ASME standards that are available for public comment in their monthly publication.

API 1104 is a good example of a non-ANSI standard. API only offers membership to US refiners. Others are not welcome to participate except by invitation. Their documents are developed by individuals that are invited to sit on the committee and the documents are not subject to public comment before being released for use.

The Steel Joist Institute is another example of an organization that develops non-ANSI standards. Membership is only open to fabricators of open web joists. The guides and recommendations available from SJI are developed by the SJI. The committee membership is limited to those individuals selected by SJI. Their committees are not open to the other interested parties, nor are their documents open to public review before they are marketed.

From my perspective, having worked with AWS, ASME, API, and SJI documents, it is evident that documents developed by organizations such as API and SJI tend to be self-serving. SJI and API have decided not to comply with ANSI requirements thus they protect the interests of their membership, i.e., the joist manufacturers and the refiners.

There is no hierarchy involved. Each professional organization addresses specific needs or types of construction/industry. AWS covers fabricated structures that are not pressure retaining, ASME covers pressure retaining vessels and piping, API covers refineries, SJI addresses open web joist members, etc. SAE addresses the needs of vhicles used for transportation by land or air. Their documents are available for anyone to use or adopt for their purposes which may or may not be within the scope of their original intended purpose.

Anyone that has inspected an open web joist will recognize the welds do not meet the visual criteria of AWS D1.1. Likewise, anyone that has worked with API 1104 recognizes very quickly the acceptance criteria are nowhere close to that of AWS or ASME. If a comparison between the visual acceptance criteria of ASME Section IX and the acceptance criteria of AWS D1.1 for welder qualification is made, no one in their right mind would permit a welder that is qualified in accordance to ASME Section IX to weld on a structure that must meet the requirements of AWS D1.1. Yet, each standard has been in use for many years and have served their intended purpose rather well. Not that many open web joists fail in service unless someone removes a diagonal web member or a portion of the upper or lower chord member. Cross country pipelines don’t blow up that often and when they do, it is usually because someone has damaged it while excavating next to the buried pipe.

It is the responsibility of the Owner to determine which welding standard is appropriate for the work being done. It is common to invoke more than one welding/construction standard on a project. The process piping is usually design, fabricated, installed, and inspected to ASME (B31.3 perhaps). If B31.3 is applicable, depending on the fluid service the piping may be designated as fluid service Normal, D, M, or high pressure each with its own requirements for design, fabrication, and inspection. The pipe hangers are required to be designed in accordance with AISC which invokes the AWS D1.1 structural welding code. Even with AWS the welding requirements will differ for different loading conditions. The design of the connection and the welding requirements are dependent on whether the connection is designated as statically loaded nontubular, cyclically loaded nontubular, or a tubular connection.

One point to remember is that the contractor performing the work has a responsibility to ask and know what welding standard is invoked by the Owner. Any contractor that doesn’t establish which welding standard is required is going to find it very expensive should anything goes horribly wrong as a result of doing the work improperly. Many states and municipalities have adopted building codes that stipulate what design/fabrication standards apply to different types of constructions. Owners often try to save money by not involving engineers in designing and planning. The owner often does not know the laws or attempt to off load the responsibility on to the contractor doing the work. Smaller contractors typically do not have staff that is knowledgeable or the training needed to make design decisions. The owner then tries to deflect responsibility to the contractor when something does go wrong. No one wins except the lawyers and the engineers hired to sort through the wreckage to determine what happened.

Many of us have found ourselves in situations where the owner depends on our expertise to make decisions that are beyond our capability or what is permitted by law. There are questions we should answer before stepping up to the challenge; are we qualified? Do we have the proper license or is a license required? Do we understand the liability involved? Does our current certification cover the work being performed? Do were have a copy of the applicable code so we can revise the code requirements? Do we have copies of the referenced standards so we can review those requirements? Do we have additional resources we can utilize when needed?

Wow, how did I end up here?

Best regards - Al

I am assuming that when the word "pipeline" is used in the welding code books ect., they are referring to both process piping inside the plant, and those long pipelines (such as cross country piping) outside the plants that they hire rig welders for. Is this correct? This is causing me some confusion. Because on long pipelines outside the plants, they use different rods ("hippie rods"), and a downhill travel. I always thought this was a different code they were using.

Another question that I don't understand: The QA at work said that they don't hire CWI's. They only hire API's (I'm working in a refinery). Yet, if I get my CWI, doesn't this qualify me as an API if I take the test under the 1104 code?

And wouldn't I need a B31.3 endorsement also, since a large portion of the piping inside the plants are fabricated on site? I'm trying to determine what my future goals should be (after I get my CWI, assuming I pass it).