Since the effectiveness of any application of non-destructive testing (NDT) depends upon the capabilities of the person who is responsible for the test, a procedure has been developed in order to evaluate the personnel’s competency. Appropriate theoretical and practical knowledge is a key factor in non-destructive tests they perform, specify, supervise, monitor and evaluate.

Personnel certification scheme:

1. 2nd party certification Scheme:

In this scheme, an employer is responsible for defining the requirements of personnel qualification and certification. As per references documents such as SNT-TC-1A, ANSI/ASNT CP-189, AIA/NAS 410, or EN 4179, the employer shall describe the certification processes of their own employees and provide the required evidence of the whole processes. In this scheme, the employer is responsible for the certification procedure of the NDT operators and personnel qualification i.e. these procedures can be vary considering employer need. As a result, the employee’s certificates belong to the employer and can be revoked as the employment is terminated.

2. 3rd party certification Scheme:

In 3rd part or central certification scheme, the certification processes are defined by the personnel Conformity Assessment Body (CAB) or Personnel Certification Body (PCB) based on ISO-9712. The PCB shall be assessed by the qualified Accreditation Body (AB) as per ISO/IEC17024 in the certification scheme (ISO9712). As the minimum requirements of the qualification and certification are defined by PCB as per ISO-9712, the minimum personnel qualification is the same, and employment termination does not lead to revoking the certificates.

Besides providing the 2nd Party Certification Scheme, Nik Bazdid has focused on the 3rd party certification considering ISO 9712 in following methods:

1. Visual Testing

2. Penetrant Testing

3. Magnetic Particle Testing

4. Ultrasonic Testing and

5. Radiographic Testing