All standards (codes, specifications, recommended practices, methods, classifications, and guides) of the
American Welding Society are voluntary consensus standards that have been developed in accordance with the
rules of the American National Standards Institute. When AWS standards are either incorporated in, or made
part of, documents that are included in federal or state laws and regulations, or the regulations of other
governmental bodies, their provisions carry the full legal authority of the statute. In such cases, any changes in
those AWS standards must be approved by the governmental body having statutory jurisdiction before they can
become a part of those laws and regulations. In all cases, these standards carry the full legal authority of the
contract or other document that invokes the AWS standards. Where this contractual relationship exists, changes
in or deviations from requirements of an AWS standard must be by agreement between the contracting parties.