Business View Magazine | April 2019

27 preparing codes and standards, which are used to ensure the health and safety of the citizens of the United States, as well as to provide safety for welded structures throughout the world,” Polanin notes. “Our membership has an opportunity to participate in the development of those codes and standards through volun- teer committees. And we try to engage experts in the industry to assure that we are on the leading edge of technology when we do devel- op any code or standard.” Thus, AWS standards are supported by volunteers who specialize in various industries and processes: structural, aerospace, railroad, automotive, robotics, ship- building and marine, bridges, heavy equipment, piping and tubing, sheet metal, brazing, solder- ing, plastics, thermal spray, welding product manufacturers, and general applications. Going forward, Polanin stresses that the most important role of the Society is serving its membership, followed by protecting the health and safety of the citizenry by developing codes and standards for the welding industry. “We’re also interested in improving the knowledge within the industry, so we stay true to our mission,” he adds. “We’re interested in ensur- ing that we provide a network of professionals to share information. That network includes business, industry, and education, as well. We’re also interested in global collaboration with other professional societies throughout the world to assure that welding is both safe and productive.”