ASNT’s vision on Certification of NDT Personnel with respect to currentand future technologies
（ASNT對當前和未來技術中的無損檢測人員資格認證的認識和展望）
L. Terry Clausing, PE 美國無損檢測學會（ASNT）主席
Title: ASNT’s vision on Certification ofNDT Personnel with respect to current and future technoligies
It is a great honor to be invited here toshare thoughts on the subject of “ASNT’s vision on Certification of NDTPersonnel with respect to current and future technologies.” My professionalcareer mirrors this title. Most of you are experienced in multiple NDT methods,while I have only one method: infraredthermography. The name “Infrared Thermography”is a bit misleading because it refers specifically to the operation of infraredcameras. A better description is thermal and spectral analysis because infraredtesting is fundamentally about the behavior of infrared radiation in materials.Twenty-five years ago. Infrared thermography was classically thought of ascondition monitoring for electrical power distribution systems. Today, thecategory has matured into a high tech method for examining aerospace compositematerials and there is no clear distinction between condition monitoring andnondestructive testing.
In fact, all of our NDT methods haveadvanced greatly as we try to keep up with the increasingly sophisticatedmaterials being developed. ASNT’s mission is to help create a safer world bypromoting the profession and technologies of nondestructive testing. But whilemany focus on the advancements and technologies, ASNT is looking further to themission of a safer world. Key is “the world.” And with the world in mind, ASNT has developed a comprehensive strategicplan. And the cornerstone of the plan is to lead the world in harmonization ofNDT certification.
Next year, ASNT will celebrate its 75thanniversary. ASNT is proud to have been part of the NDT industry’s success withASNT’s core document: SNT-TC-1A, guideline for employer based NDT certification. And wehave also come to recognize how our industry has changed in recent years withISO’s development of ISO9712 and central certification.
We are at a critical point for ourindustry. I have met with many of the leaders of our industry’s NDT societiesaround the globe and the single question I am asked most often is: whichprogram is our future? Should we followASNT’s SNT-TC-1A and employer based certification or ISO9712’s central certificationprogram?
The answer is BOTH; please allow me toexplain by asking a question. Why do wehave any certification programs for NDT personnel? The answer is that we needto ensure that those who perform NDT examinations are truly competent. Certification is not about being able to pasa test. It is about being able to discriminate those who are qualified to dothe testing, from those who are not.
ASNT’s SNT-TC-1A employer based program wasdeveloped in 1966 and is currently in use by many companies around theworld. The program does a great job ofdetermining who is qualified from who is not, for many companies, but the worldis different today and some companies have more extensive requirements.
ISO introduced the ISO9712 centralcertification program in 1992. Central certification provides a mechanism forensuring that there is better continuity of qualifications of personnel acrosscompanies within a country.
But today, we have many very large,multi-national corporations. These large companies produce products in manydifferent countries. And it has become essential to have personnel who aretechnically equal from country to country in order to ensure that the productsare produced to the same technical standards across the globe. And many ofthese companies need their personnel to be able to move from country to countryto perform NDT tests with the assurance that their certification is recognizedand accepted wherever they need to go.
With this in mind, ASNT has decided todevelop both employer based certification through SNT-TC-1A and centralcertification through an identical adoption of ISO9712 with the goal ofestablishing an internationally portable and globally recognized NDTcertification program.
This new program will build on ISO9712 muchlike the general requirements for certification and build on the SNT-TC-1Aprogram in a way that addresses the specific requirements for a given companyand product. The two programs are more than complimentary, they aresynergistic.
ASNT’s strategic plan envisions theestablishment of one multi-national certification body. One team, where eachmember of the team is recognized as technically equal with the other members,and provides universal recognition.
The plan is modeled after Oxford University.I had the incredible opportunity to visit Oxford University earlier this yearwhen attending the International Society for Condition Monitoring. Oxford is comprised of many separatecolleges. I am a mechanical engineer, and I could have studied at any ofseveral colleges within Oxford University. But in order to graduate, allmechanical engineering students are required to take the same examination fromOxford University. Upon completion, they are all graduates of OxfordUniversity. They have achieved a global recognition of achievement, ortechnical equality. The model is not unique to Oxford University.
We can apply this model to the separatecountries and societies that comprise NDT. By establishing one overarchingumbrella organization, one certifying body, one team, we can establish aninternationally recognized certification.
But there is more to it than simplyadministering one examination to all. The most important requirement is that weare able to discriminate those who are qualified from those who are not. Thisrequires the development of examinations that are psychometrically valid.Psychometrics is a science based process for developing examinations thatgenuinely discern those who are capable from those who are not. In fact, beforepsychometric examinations are used to test candidates, the examinations aretested to ensure that they do in fact discern those who are capable from thosewho are not. ASNT has been using the psychometric process for many years forthe ASNT NDT Level III program. ASNT will base the ISO9712 program on this samescientific principle.
The key to the success of this model ismulti-national participation: together, we are one team. Together we establisha program that ensures technical equality of personnel from company to companyand from country to country.