NDT certification: levels, schemes and renewal

The two routes

The first route is employer-based. ASNT's Recommended Practice SNT-TC-1A gives employers guidance for in-house qualification and certification programs, and ANSI/ASNT CP-189 sets minimum requirements for employer-based certification. ASNT states that SNT-TC-1A is fundamentally an employer-based certification system, not a centralised, independent or third-party scheme, and that SNT-TC-1A certifications should only be issued by employers. The certificate belongs to that employer and does not move with you.

The second route is third-party. ISO 9712:2021 specifies the requirements for qualification and certification of personnel who perform industrial non-destructive testing, and ISO notes that such schemes are in effect third-party conformity assessment. BINDT runs the PCN scheme to it as an accredited certification body under ISO/IEC 17024; ASNT runs its 9712 scheme, which replaced ACCP. A third-party certificate is yours and is recognised across employers.

ASNT also offers its own central certifications: ASNT NDT Level II, where ASNT examines the general and specific knowledge and the employer administers the practical, and ASNT NDT Level III, with a Basic exam and a Method exam.

• ASNT: standards and recommended practices
• ASNT: advisory on SNT-TC-1A certification practices
• ISO 9712:2021
• BINDT: PCN certification
• ASNT: 9712 Level II certification
• ASNT: NDT Level II certification
• ASNT: NDT Level III certification

The three levels

PCN defines them as ISO 9712 does. Level 1 carries out NDT according to written instructions and under the supervision of Level 2 or Level 3 personnel. Level 2 performs NDT according to NDT procedures and can set up equipment, interpret and report. Level 3 performs and directs NDT operations, writes procedures and takes responsibility for the facility.

Most offshore and marine inspection roles ask for Level 2 in the method the work needs, and listings say which.

• BINDT: PCN24/GEN general requirements

The methods

ASNT states that NDT professionals draw from 16 recognised methods, and that the six most widely used are eddy current testing (ET), magnetic particle testing (MT), penetrant testing (PT), radiographic testing (RT), ultrasonic testing (UT) and visual testing (VT). ISO 9712 lists ten, adding acoustic emission, leak, strain gauge and thermographic testing.

Certification is per method and per level: a UT Level 2 is not an RT Level 2.

• ASNT: what is nondestructive testing
• ISO 9712:2021

Training and experience

BINDT publishes the minimum training for PCN, which it states meets or exceeds the ISO 9712 criterion. A training day is at least seven hours. For direct entry to Level 2 the candidate completes the Level 1 and Level 2 hours together: ultrasonic 18 days, radiographic 15 days, eddy current 11 days, magnetic particle, penetrant and visual 5 days each.

Minimum industrial experience, for Level 2 by direct entry: 180 days for ultrasonic, radiographic and eddy current, 60 days for magnetic particle, penetrant and visual. Holders of Level 1 need 135 and 45 days respectively. ASNT's 9712 scheme states the same training days for MT, PT, RT and UT and the same 60 and 180 days of experience.

• BINDT: PCN24/GEN general requirements
• ASNT: 9712 Level II certification

How to get it

The third-party route, which is the one that travels between employers.

1. Pick the method and level The method the work needs, usually UT, MT or PT for welds, and Level 2 for independent inspection.
2. Complete the training days At a training organisation the certification body recognises, for the hours the scheme sets.
3. Log the experience The scheme's minimum days of industrial experience in the method, under qualified supervision.
4. Sit the examination General, specific and practical parts at an authorised examination centre; Level 2 also writes an instruction.
5. Keep it current Renew at five years and recertify by examination at ten.

• BINDT: PCN24/GEN general requirements
• BINDT: PCN certification

How long it lasts and how to renew

PCN: the maximum period of validity of a certificate is five years. Renewal at five years is without examination, on evidence of continued work and eyesight. Before the end of each second period, at ten years, the holder is recertified: by a practical examination for Level 1, a practical examination and a written instruction for Level 2, and an examination or a credit system for Level 3.

ASNT: NDT Level II, NDT Level III, 9712 Level II and 9712 Level III are each renewed every five years. Level III renews on a minimum of 25 points of continuing activity over the five years, or recertifies by examination. Under the 9712 scheme, training is valid for a maximum of ten years.

• BINDT: PCN24/GEN general requirements
• ASNT: recertification
• ASNT: NDT Level III certification
• ASNT: 9712 Level II certification

Offshore and marine

Classification rules name the schemes. ABS's guide for nondestructive inspection of hull welds requires that NDT personnel are qualified by training and experience and certified, that inspection is performed by certified Level 1, 2 or 3 personnel and interpreted by personnel certified to Level 2 or 3, and it refers to ISO 9712, ASNT's central certification and SNT-TC-1A. The guide is a 2002 edition consolidated in 2010; a surveyor or the employer will say which current rule applies.

• ABS: guide for nondestructive inspection of hull welds