A Written Practice: The Cornerstone of Any NDT Program

A company performing nondestructive testing must have a Written Practice, whether operating in-house or as a third party service provider. The Written Practice provides the guidelines for the qualification and certification of NDT personnel. The American Society for Nondestructive Testing (ASNT) has established a convenient model upon which to base a Written Practice: SNT-TC-1A, Recommended Practice for Personnel Qualification and Certification.

Though there are additional documents that exist that are industry specific such as NAS 410, CP-189, ATA 105, etc., SNT-TC-1A is widely used as a quality control document by industry throughout the world. All of these documents recognize that, “the effectiveness of NDT applications depends upon the capabilities of the personnel who are responsible for and perform NDT.” Personnel must be proficient in the nondestructive methods for which they are certified and the Written Practice outlines the necessary steps to achieve that proficiency, a fact that code material has even gone so far as to mandate (note the word “shall” below) and could be enforced under law (i.e., Code of Federal Regulations). Following is such an example taken from ASTM E 709, Standard Guide for Magnetic Particle Testing, Section 1.5:

1.5 Personnel Qualification-Personnel performing examination to this guide shall be qualified and certified in accordance with ASNT Qualification and Certification of NDT Personnel, or SNT-TC-1A, or MIL-STD-410 for military purposes…

Before executing a contract with a potential NDT provider, clients will often audit an NDT program to determine if the program is compliant with SNT-TC-1A and whether or not appropriate steps have been taken to insure the proficiency of NDT personnel. NDT Training and Testing Center can evaluate an existing program or establish a new one to insure that NDT personnel are competent and that the program meets client requirements and the guidelines of SNT-TC-1A. In the case of deficiencies, we can provide training and administer written and practical qualification examinations.

Consider the Value

Costs include an annual retainer fee that covers an initial review of your program, the writing or auditing of your Written Practice and the assignment of an ACCP Level III of Record. Additional time used for consultation with you, your employees or your clients, procedure writing, technique sheet development, record keeping and so forth, will be billed at an hourly rate. Consecutive renewals cost less than the initial retainer and include an annual check-up of the health of your program and appropriate recommendations for training or recertification. Also, classroom training is charged at a discounted “Level III Client” rate.

If you choose to use all of our available services, the overall the cost for NDT Level III Services will still be considerably lower than employing a full time, ACCP Professional Level III making it a great value. Additional value comes with peace of mind gained by knowing that:

• Your NDT Program is in compliance with required, up-to-date specifications and codes;
• NDT Personnel are satisfactorily qualified through training to perform their tasks;
• Management personnel is equipped with proper tools for day-to-day supervision, inspection and approval;
• NDT records are readily available in the event of a third party audit;
• You have an expert advocate to assist in issue resolution; and
• Your customer will ultimately benefit with a superior and safer product.

Resources at Your Disposal

As a member of our Level III Services program, you have ready access to an ACCP Professional Level III. Our goal is to provide prompt responses to your requests within 24 hours.

So, if you prefer to spend your time on your core services rather than trying to keep up with your NDT program, ensure peak performance with our Level III Services. We have the training, expertise and credibility within the testing profession to assist you in reducing costly NDT program administration errors.

If your current NDT program is non-existent or not being realized to your satisfaction, contact us by calling (713) 849-4006. and we will send you a complete proposal detailing our services we offer.