This insurance program does not issue, verify, administer, or manage AWS certifications. Certification information is provided only to help members identify insurance considerations associated with their work.

CWI

Insurance Guide

CWI / SCWI Endorsements

CWI Endorsements

Insurance considerations for CWI / SCWI Endorsements credential holders.

Who This Is For

AWS CWI and SCWI credential holders who have earned additional endorsements in specialized areas — including structural welding (D1.1), pipeline (API 1104), pressure vessels and boilers (ASME), sheet metal, reinforcing steel, or other specific code applications. Endorsements signal demonstrated proficiency in a specific code or application area beyond the base CWI credential, and they are often required by clients or project specifications for inspection work in those code domains.

Insurance Exposures

CWIs and SCWIs with specialty endorsements work in more specific and frequently higher-consequence inspection environments than generalist inspectors. A structural D1.1 endorsement, for example, signals work on bridges and buildings where inspection errors can have public safety consequences. An API 1104 endorsement indicates pipeline inspection work where missed defects can cause catastrophic releases. The professional liability exposure for endorsed inspectors is elevated relative to the base credential — the endorsement itself signals specialization in high-consequence applications where the stakes of an inspection error are greater. Insurance coverage, particularly Professional Liability, should reflect this elevated risk profile.

Coverage Considerations

Professional Liability (E&O)

Highly relevant and should be carefully sized to the consequence level of the endorsed specialty. Structural (D1.1), pipeline (API 1104), and pressure vessel endorsements place CWIs and SCWIs in high-consequence inspection roles where professional errors can have major financial and safety impact. Professional Liability limits should account for the potential scale of damages in the specific endorsed application — pipeline and structural inspection in critical infrastructure warrants higher limits than other endorsement areas.

General Liability

Relevant for field inspection activities associated with the endorsed specialty — structural jobsites, pipeline rights-of-way, and industrial facilities all create third-party bodily injury and property damage exposure for inspectors present in those environments.

Workers Compensation

Relevant for inspection firms employing endorsed CWIs and SCWIs, particularly those with field inspection activities in construction, pipeline, and industrial environments.

Commercial Auto

Relevant for endorsed inspectors who travel to multiple inspection sites, pipeline project locations, or structural construction sites as part of their endorsed inspection practice.

Tools & Equipment / Inland Marine

Relevant for endorsed inspectors who own specialty inspection equipment specific to their endorsed application — UT instruments for structural inspection, field radiography equipment for pipeline work, or pressure testing equipment for vessel inspection.