Are digital signatures legal on a WPS?

Yes. Under AWS D1.1, digital signatures with audit trails (timestamp, signer identity verification, document hash) are acceptable. Most US jurisdictions accept them under E-SIGN Act and UETA. Some AHJs still require a wet signature on the controlled hard copy.

Is a typed name in a Word doc a signature?

No. A typed name without authentication is not a signature in the legal or compliance sense. A defensible digital signature requires identity verification, timestamping, and tamper detection.

What digital signature services work for WPSs?

DocuSign, Adobe Acrobat Sign, HelloSign, and purpose-built WPS software all produce defensible signatures. The key features: authenticated signer identity, timestamp, document hash, and an audit trail accessible by the auditor.

WPS digital signature requirements: what holds up at audit

Digital signatures on WPSs are widely accepted — but not all digital signatures meet code expectations. Here's what makes one defensible.

Digital signatures on welding procedure specifications are widely accepted under AWS D1.1 and the US E-SIGN Act. But not every digital signature meets the compliance bar. Here is what separates a defensible signature from a paper-tiger one.

What "signed" actually means

A signature on a WPS is an affirmation by a qualified person that:

They reviewed the document
They believe it produces sound welds under the listed parameters
They accept professional responsibility for that judgment

A signature is meaningless if any of three things is true:

The signer's identity isn't authenticated
The document can be edited after signing without trace
The signer's qualifications aren't verifiable

A defensible digital signature solves all three.

What a defensible digital signature includes

The features auditors and courts look for:

Identity authentication. Signer logs in with credentials (password + MFA), or signs via a verified email link tied to the signer's address.
Timestamp. The exact moment of signature, in UTC, captured by the signing system.
Document hash. A cryptographic fingerprint of the document at the moment of signing. Any post-signature edit changes the hash and invalidates the signature.
Signer attestation. Some statement of intent ("I, [name], CWI #[number], approve this WPS for production use.")
Audit trail. A log of every action: opened, viewed, signed, downloaded. Available on request.

DocuSign, Adobe Acrobat Sign, and equivalent services produce all five automatically. A scanned hand signature pasted into a Word doc produces none of them.

What doesn't count as a defensible signature

Typed name in a "Signature" field of a Word doc
Scanned hand signature pasted as an image
Email saying "approved" (no document hash)
PDF with a "signature" field that's just a text label

These can be edited or forged with zero technical effort. They are not auditable.

Wet signature vs digital signature

Most AHJs and certification bodies accept either. A few situations still call for wet:

AHJs with explicit wet-signature requirements in local ordinances
High-stakes pressure vessel and nuclear work under codes like ASME III
Owner's specifications that mandate wet signature

For ordinary AWS D1.1 structural work, digital is fine.

The signer's credential block

Beyond the signature itself, the WPS should display the signer's:

Name
Credential type (CWI, SCWI, PE, etc.)
Credential number
Issuing body (AWS QC1, state PE registration, etc.)

This lets the auditor verify the credential was current at sign date. Best practice: re-sign each revision; the credential check happens at every revision.

Common signature-related findings

Signer's credential expired between signature and audit. Mostly cosmetic if production welds are still inside revision-current scope, but cleaner to re-sign with a current credential.
Document hash doesn't match the current PDF. Indicates post-signature editing. Critical finding.
No audit trail available. Indicates a non-defensible signing process. Critical finding.
Signer's credential number missing from the WPS block. Auditor cannot verify credential. Minor finding.
Multiple signers, but only one's credentials listed. Each signer must be identified.

How to maintain signature integrity over time

Re-sign every revision (don't accumulate signatures only on Rev 0)
Keep the digital signature audit trail with the document in the library
For credential changes (CWI renewal, etc.), re-sign at next revision and note the credential update in the revision history
Maintain the original signed PDF; don't re-export from source files (re-export breaks the hash)

A WPS software that handles signatures natively — with built-in identity authentication, timestamping, hashing, and audit trail — eliminates the entire class of signature-related findings.