See no evil, hear no evil, say no evil.

As the article says, it is an opinion. Opinions are like rectums, everyone has one. Yes, even I have been known to have an opinion.

Not every misstep results in a fatal injury. Does that mean fatal injuries aren't possible?

Does the fact several connections with contaminated surfaces did not fail prove there is no probability other similar connections with similar surface conditions will not fail because of delayed cold cracking? If delayed cracking is not a reality, why have we spent millions of dollars studying hydrogen assisted cracking? 

I had hoped that we as a society have learned from the failures of the past. There is an abundance of literature that tells us what welding on a contaminated surface can lead to. Welding on a surface contaminated with "residual oil, grease, or water" is rarely condoned for good reason. That was until I opened up the 23rd edition of D1.1. Surprise, now it is acceptable. 

Will every weld deposited on surfaces contaminated by "residual" water, oil, or grease result in a crack? No, I don't believe anyone believes that to be the case, but we (collectively) have experienced enough complications that we know it is best to avoid welding on contaminated surfaces. In the future if an increase in hydrogen assisted cracking becomes an issue, I hope no one looks too surprised and says, "Who would have guessed that would happen!"

That is just my opinion and my take on the situation. I could be proven wrong, but it might take one, two, or fifty years to see. My question is, how many people sitting on the Structural Committee will send their loved ones into buildings that may be unsafe or more to the point how many of those individuals will sleep soundly in a high rise hotel that was fabricated by a contractor that had little concern with regards to cleaning surfaces before welding?

Personal perspective; As a third party inspector, I intend to steer clear of projects that utilize D1.1:2015. I would rather not be named as a defendant in an injury case that could have been easily avoided. It is a risk I can live without. On the other hand, I will be more than willing to work with the legal team that goes after the contractor and engineer that allowed welders to weld on contaminated surfaces. The amount of information revealed by a SEM is amazing.

Yes, our D1.1 is a consensus code, but it was the consensus in the Middle Ages that the Earth was flat and the center of the Solar System was the Earth. My dear friends, "Welcome to the Middle Ages where superstition supersedes science."

Given a choice, I would rather ere on the side of conservatism.

Al