NOVEMBER 2018

VOL. 76 • NO. 11
ASNT… CREATING A SAFER WORLD!™

THERMAL/
INFRARED
TESTING
Proper Thermal
Imager Settings
ALSO INSIDE
Moisture
Monitoring for
Heritage Masonry
Characterizing
Concrete Damage
Ultrasonic TOFD
Testing for Welds
THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR NONDESTRUCTIVE TESTING
certification memo
From the Desk of the Chief Technical Officer
Employer-Based Certification Certificates
Over the past few months, articles have
been written to clarify ASNT’s position on
certain matters and to describe issues
observed or experienced at the International
Service Center (ISC) concerning employer-
based certification (EBC) programs for
nondestructive testing (NDT) personnel.
Continuing along the path of previous articles, this article focuses
on the personnel certification certificates that are issued under
an EBC program. As you may recall from the earlier articles,
Figure 1. Section 9.0 of Recommended Practice No. SNT-TC-1A.
1464 MATERIALS EVALUATION • NOVEMBER 2018
ASNT’s Recommended Practice No. SNT-TC-1A provides the
guidelines for an employer to follow when preparing their
written practice (WP) for the certification of their NDT personnel.
SNT-TC-1A establishes the industry’s minimum expectations for
an EBC program and describes the stipulated documentation
needed to show compliance when the EBC is specified in codes,
standards, contracts, and purchase orders.
So what does SNT-TC-1A specify in terms of the certificate
issued by the employer? Let us begin with Section 9.0 of
SNT-TC-1A, which focuses on certification records (Figure 1),
and break down each of the items.
9.1: Certification of NDT personnel to all levels of qualification is
the responsibility of the employer.
This responsibility of the employer has been a focus in earlier
articles related specifically to EBC and what is expected.
9.2: Certification of NDT personnel should be based on demon-
stration of satisfactory qualification in accordance with Sections
6, 7, and 8, as described in the employer’s written practice.
To emphasize—it is the written practice the employer must follow
when certifying NDT personnel.
9.3: At the option of the employer, an outside agency may be
engaged to provide NDT Level III services. In such instances, the
responsibility of certification of the employees shall be retained
by the employer.
Outside agencies may be used when the employer does not have
the capability to perform certain functions, such as training or
Level III examination services. The responsibility, however, always
resides with the employer; therefore it is necessary for the
employer to review the qualifications of those service providers.
Note the definition of qualification in SNT-TC-1A, which is
defined as “demonstrated skill, demonstrated knowledge, docu-
mented training, and documented experience required for
personnel to properly perform the duties of a specific job.”
9.4: Personnel certification records should be maintained on file
by the employer for the duration specified in the employer’s
written practice and should include the following items listed in
9.4.1 through 9.4.12.
Note that this section is regarding certification records or files;
therefore not everything mentioned needs to be specified or listed
on the issued certificate (unless required by the WP), provided
there is traceability contained in the certification records. These
certification records or files are often subjected to review by
customers and clients to confirm compliance with the WP and the
general industry expectations.
l 9.4.1: Name of certified individual
Certification is a written testimony of qualification by the certi-
fying agency (the employer). To have traceability that the indi-
vidual is certified, there needs to be an identification on the
certificate of the person certified, which can be traced back to
the certification records or files that substantiates compliance
with the WP.
l 9.4.2: Level of certification, NDT method and/or technique, as
applicable
Similar to the previous paragraph’s reference, the level of certifi-
cation will be defined on the certificate. The NDT method
and/or technique will be as specified in the employer’s written
practice. If there are limitations to the certification, the limita-
tions must be noted. The limitations may include techniques,
materials, procedures, codes, or other factors that may differ by
employer.
l 9.4.3: Educational background and experience of certified
individuals
Typically, this is part of the record or file for each individual
identifying where he/she obtained his/her education and expe-
rience to become eligible for consideration as a certified indi-
vidual. Some employers may require additional information in
the records regarding education and experience. For example,
this could include confirmation of an individual’s ability to
meet the WP requirements if the specified documentation is
missing or unobtainable, such as in the case of a high school
diploma.
l 9.4.4: Statement indicating satisfactory completion of training in
accordance with the employer’s written practice
It is necessary to have evidence of the training that was
completed in order to become certified. The training must be in
accordance with the employer’s WP and therefore conducted by
someone who is qualified and verified by the employer. With
that in mind, there needs to be traceability to the person who
conducted the training and to what requirements or syllabus
was used in the training course. Typically, evidence would be
through a certificate of qualification or certificate of training
completion from the training provider indicating that the
training was in accordance with an identifiable body of
knowledge so that the employer can confirm compliance with
WP criteria.
l 9.4.5: Results of the vision examinations prescribed in 8.2 for
the current certification period
This information is not necessarily required to be a part of the
certificate, but does need to be available in the records or files.
In most cases, the vision record is a supplemental form that is
updated or issued annually for near vision. This evidence is
often perceived as being auditable by clients and customers
through general industry expectations.
l 9.4.6: Current examination copy(s) or evidence of successful
completion of examinations
This is not required to be a part of the certificate, but does need
to be available in the records or files. This evidence is often
perceived as being auditable by clients and customers through
general industry expectations.
l 9.4.7: Other suitable evidence of satisfactory qualifications
when such qualifications are used in lieu of the specific exami-
nation prescribed in 8.7.3.2 or as prescribed in the employer’s
written practice
This is not required to be a part of the certificate, but does need
to be available in the records or files. This evidence is often
perceived as being auditable by clients and customers through
general industry expectations.
l 9.4.8: Composite grade(s) or suitable evidence of grades
This is not required to be a part of the certificate, but does need
to be available in the records or files. This evidence is often
perceived as being auditable by clients and customers through
general industry expectations.
NOVEMBER 2018 • MATERIALS EVALUATION 1465
certification memo

l 9.4.9: Signature of the NDT Level III that verified the qualifica-
tions of candidate for certification
The Level III is required to verify the qualifications of individuals
to ensure they meet the requirements of the employer’s WP.
Whether the Level III is internal or from an outside agency, the
signature of an approved and designated Level III must be on
the certificate. The WP must address the requirements for the
designated Level III.
l 9.4.10: Dates of certification and/or recertification
The certificate must indicate the date that the individual was
certified and/or recertified.
l 9.4.11: Certification expiration date
As with any certification that has a frequency period, the date
of when the certification expires must be identified on the
certificate.
l 9.4.12: Signature of employer’s certifying authority
To make a certification official from the employer’s standpoint,
a designated employer representative must sign the certificate.
The WP must address the requirements for the designated certi-
fying authority.
with the ASNT wallet cards will know that is not the case. Focusing
away from the misuse of the ASNT name and logo, the card also
states that the approval is for SNT-TC-1A, which is incorrect. As you
know, ASNT does not offer SNT-TC-1A certifications, as it is an
employer-based program. ASNT only provides third-party central
certifications.
In no cases shall a certificate be issued by an employer with
the ASNT logo.
Example 2
Figure 3 shows a document that was issued by a training agency
but is being misrepresented as a certificate to perform NDT. At
best, this could be declared as evidence of obtaining a qualifi-
cation in NDT through a training class and by passing a nonde-
script series of examinations; however, some aspects need
further clarification.

Examples of Unacceptable Documentation

With the above information in mind, I will share a couple of
examples of the types of documents received by ISC that would
not be considered acceptable. Many of the following examples are
clearly in violation of industry standards, and so we have asked a
few rhetorical questions to help emphasize the point and to help
encourage others to raise concerns when similar violations are
seen in our day-to-day work.

Example 1
Figure 2 shows a wallet card that a company issued to an indi-
vidual. From the use of the logo and the number of times ASNT is
mentioned, it may be misinterpreted that this wallet card was
issued by ASNT (that was the query ISC received). Those familiar

Figure 2. This wallet card is an example of the misuse of the ASNT Figure 3. This document was issued by a training agency and was
logo and name. being misrepresented as a certificate to perform NDT.

1466 MATERIALS EVALUATION • NOVEMBER 2018

“NDE Certification as per American Society for Nondestructive
Testing”
l What does this mean, since employer-based certifications are to
a written practice?
l Why is only SNT-TC-1A referenced when it is not possible to
certify directly to SNT-TC-1A? Why is there no reference to the
employer’s written practice?
“Self-Sponsor”
l What is a self-sponsor?
l How can an individual sponsor him or herself to an employer’s
certification program? There has to be a written practice in
place; otherwise it is not possible to obtain certification.
“Recertification”
l Why is a training agency recertifying an individual to SNT-TC-1A
2006 and not to the employer’s written practice?
l “Based on experience and continuous performance reviewed
up to…” This stamp has been used on two occasions (slightly
different wording each time) to record a recertification (in 2013
and 2018) to “SNT-TC-1A 2006.” Is 2006 the requirement, or
should 2011 or even 2016 apply? (Note: this will be dependent
on what is required by the customer.)
l How can a training organization or outside agency confirm that
the individual has continued satisfactory performance since
they are not part of the individual’s supervisory structure for
his/her employer?
l Why is the employer not involved in this process? Is the person
still a self-sponsored individual even after initial certification
and two recertifications issued by the training agency?
Level III Approval
Figure 3 contains signatures (blurred out for the purpose of this
publication). There were two individuals who signed and stamped
this document. They were both ASNT Level III certified individuals
who do not understand EBC programs or their responsibility for
compliance with ASNT’s Code of Ethics. As an ASNT Level III, could
you or would you sign this document?
Conclusion
SNT-TC-1A does provide scope to allow an employer to tailor its
certification program to match its business and technical needs,
which is one of the reasons why the employer must develop a WP
to meet the specific needs of the company.
Based on this article, are you, the reader, able to answer the
following questions?
1. Is SNT-TC-1A a certification program offered by ASNT?
2. Can I reference the American Society for Nondestructive Testing
or include ASNT logos on a certification that I issue as the
employer?
3. Do I need to reference my company’s WP on the employer-
based certifications that I issue?
Answers:
1. No. SNT-TC-1A is a recommended practice for an employer-
based certification program. ASNT is merely the author of the
document.
2. No. Employer-based certifications are not ASNT certifications;
therefore referring to the American Society for Nondestructive
Testing or including ASNT logos on the certificate is not
allowed.
3. Yes. It is necessary to identify what the certification is for and to
what requirements. The only way to do this is by referencing the
WP to which the individual is being certified.
JAMES BENNETT
Chief Technical Officer
jbennett@asnt.org
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NOVEMBER 2018 • MATERIALS EVALUATION 1467