General.

This specification establishes the minimum requirements for the Welding Quality Program for Welding Fabricators (WF). This specification is intended to be used by companies regardless of the welding processes or materials used. This specification does not cover weldment design or non-welding related fabrication processes, such as bolting and coatings.

Safety Precautions.

This specification does not address all safety issues associated with welding. It is the responsibility of the employer to establish appropriate safety and health practices and to determine the applicability of any regulatory limitations prior to welding. The requirements of ANSI Z49.1, Safety in Welding, Cutting, and Allied Processes, plus the cautionary notes contained in the Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) supplied by the material supplier should be part of each employer’s safety program. Additional safety information is available in the Safety and Health Fact Sheets published by the American Welding Society (AWS).

Terminology Guideline.

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