This standard provides testing procedures to comply with the requirements of a criterion at a test site on a buried or submerged steel, cast iron, copper, or aluminum pipeline.

The provisions of this standard shall be applied by personnel who have acquired by education and related practical experience the principles of cathodic protection of buried and submerged metallic piping systems.

Special conditions in which a given test technique is ineffective or only partially effective sometimes exist. Such conditions may include elevated temperatures, disbonded dielectric or thermally insulating coatings, shielding, bacterial attack, and unusual contaminants in the electrolyte. Deviation from this standard may be warranted in specific situations. In such situations corrosion control personnel should be able to demonstrate that adequate cathodic protection has been achieved.