At the American Society for Nondestructive Testing (ASNT), the world's largest technical society for nondestructive testing professionals, we believe that the public deserves to have confidence in their NDT professionals.
Now that my hair has turned gray, I periodically think back and consider “what if …” What if I had chosen a different major in college? What if I had not taken a specific job opportunity?
There are many topics related to nondestructive training, or NDT training, which might be confusing for anyone hoping to work in this field. Remuneration, paperwork, and examination are among the many subjects that are publicly debated in both online and offline forums.
Quality is not a single field, but in fact the integration of knowledge from many fields of science, technology and management. This can be seen by looking at some of the quality gurus and their more well-known contributions.
Accreditation is critical to ensuring there is an effective quality management system that affords greater process control, reduces risk, and ulitmately results in increased customer satisfaction. And, thanks to the pandemic, it got a little easier.
The information presented herein is intended to be of a general nature and so can be applied to most employer-based certification programs. It is intended for those who may not have a great deal of familiarity with the nuances of NDT certification records or programs.
Quality management systems have been around for many years now, but you might ask yourself, why set out to comply with a written standard, and why be certified?
One of the first requirements for the performance of nondestructive testing (NDT) arose when visual inspections were mandated following fatalities from a boiler explosion in the late 1800s. The need to formalize the qualification of NDT practitioners gradually became apparent.
Quality certification is for professionals who know the chosen specialty so well that they can apply the knowledge with known results. The professional knows their own strengths, and the limitation of the specialty.