CAT I Ultrasound Analysis (UCAT-I)

Article: NDT NEWS / September 2021 PCN News / 9

Third-party accreditation and how it relates to BINDT’s Personnel Certification Scheme 

What is third-party (central) certification?

Third-party (or central) certification is an independent certification that complies with European and international standards ISO 9712 and ISO 18436. Independent certification means that personnel are required to pass examinations that are devised and set by professional examiners authorised by a Certifying Body, which has overall control over the certification process it operates.

The main advantage of such a system is that independently awarded verifiable certification carries wider recognition and acceptance. The Personnel Certification in Non-Destructive Testing (PCN) Scheme offers a system whereby certification of non-destructive testing (NDT) and condition monitoring (CM) personnel can be carried out in accordance with European and international standards by an Authorised Qualifying Body (AQB). An AQB is defined as: ‘A body, independent of any single predominant interest, authorised by the Independent Certifying Body to prepare and administer examinations to qualify NDT personnel.’

Types of accreditation:

One of BINDT’s key propositions is personnel certification, which it provides through the PCN Scheme, covering programmes that include NDT and CM across a number of industry and product sectors. BINDT is a Personnel Certification Body (PCB) accredited to ISO 17024 ‘Conformity assessment – General requirements for bodies operating certification of persons’, accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Services (UKAS), reference: 0030 (accredited to ISO/IEC 17024:2012 to provide certification of persons against EN ISO 9712:2012).

PCN is a central (or third-party) certification scheme, as opposed to an employer-based (or second-party) certification scheme, which means that a certificate issued under the scheme indicates conformance to an international standard and competence to undertake certain prescribed NDT or CM tasks.

Ultimately, the aim of personnel certification is to provide assurances to those who rely on the tests being undertaken (for example end-users, regulators, insurers, etc) that they have been carried out competently and that is what PCBs and diligent employers set out to do. However, there are some misunderstandings that keep cropping up around personnel certification that can lead to unrealisable expectations being set, which in turn can lead to damage being done to the respective certification scheme’s reputation and, indeed, damage being done to the reputation of the whole NDT/CM profession.

To certify students, professional organisations such as BINDT have two options in terms of accreditation: second- or third-party.

• Second-party certification (employer-based):
  Employer-based certification schemes are systems in which the employers are responsible for the administration of the training and qualification examinations of their own employees, as well as the documentation of the required training, examinations and experience in accordance with an employer-based standard or recommended practice. Most employer-based schemes do allow the employer to accept training and examination services provided by outside agencies provided it is properly documented and the employer has determined that the content of those services meet their own company requirements as described in the employer’s Written Practice.
• Third-party (central) certification:
  Central certification is when an independent accreditation body has provided assessment to assure that the organisation’s scheme conforms to the relevant standard they are certifying to. This independent third party provides recognition that a prescribed standard of performance has been achieved. To do so, the independent third party reviews processes, systems, organisations, personnel, etc, and when a suitable standard has been achieved provides that organisation with written assurance or certification that it confirms to the specified standard.

BINDT’s PCN Scheme is a third-party accredited training scheme and has been independently approved by UKAS. In terms of certification UKAS has accredited BINDT to be able to authorise training and exams with its AQBs and ATOs. Working alongside its AQBs and ATOs, which provide training that BINDT has approved, it is able to provide the certification that industry needs.

This third-party accreditation allows for BINDT to provide its world- renowned certification with the assurance that it will be of the same quality no matter where you received your certificate.

Role of personnel certification

The reliability of an NDT or CM system can be thought of as a function of the reliability of three elements of the system: the equipment, the procedure and the personnel. All three of these elements need to be considered when specifying NDT or CM.

The whole NDT or CM system needs to be qualified or validated by the end-user and, although personnel certification has an important role in the qualification process, it is just one part of the qualification process.

Personnel certification (whether central or employer-based) cannot be used as an accurate indicator as to how an individual will behave when at the workplace.

Role of third-party (central) certification

Central certification, when provided by PCBs that are accredited by a national accreditation service (such as UKAS in the UK), has the benefit of independence and impartiality, and a certificate issued by such a body provides assurance that the holder conforms to a European and international standard.

For example, a certificate covering an NDT method may demonstrate conformance with ISO 9712 and a certificate covering a CM method may demonstrate conformance with ISO 18436.

When searching for your next certification choice you should ensure that your provider has the UKAS logo, or local equivalent, as this provides reassurance that the certification/product you are receiving has been thoroughly reviewed and approved. Some examples of other third-party accreditation services are the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the Joint Accreditation System of Australia and New Zealand (JAS-ANZ).

The British Institute of NDT

BINDT offers certification marketed under the PCN Scheme. BINDT has built an international reputation for the certification of personnel in the testing, inspection and condition monitoring fields, indicating that the certificated personnel demonstrate conformity to the relevant documents when performing the defined tasks:

• Condition Monitoring: ISO 18436 for vibration analysis, infrared thermography, acoustic emission and lubrication analysis, with ultrasound currently under development.
• Non-Destructive Testing: ISO 9712 for ultrasonics, radiography, magnetic particle, liquid penetrant, visual, ultrasonic phased array, time-of-flight diffraction, eddy current, radiation safety and more.

BINDT actively encourages members to become registered with the UK’s Engineering Council. More than 80% of new members identified engineering registration and professional development opportunities as the main reasons for joining BINDT. BINDT is committed to providing both guidance and support for members to manage their professional development and to assist members in their preparation for registration.

BINDT has also provided the framework for a very successful series of apprenticeship schemes and these not only produce more members and registrants, but they also help to address the skills shortage and in some cases the age profile issue within the industry.

The Institute must help to advance the skills that its members and prospective members need to meet the existing and future demands of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0) and to provide support to employers and industry partners too.

Training is conducted at a network of ATOs, which are listed in the approved training list that is available at: www.bindt.org/education-and- training/bindt-approved-trainers