Paul Marks: About the Author
NDT Training and Placement Center

The term "certification" has been used and abused over the decades since the 1960's when American Society for Nondestructive Testing (ASNT) published its first Recommended Practice, SNT-TC-1A, 2001, our comments are meant to clear up an de-mystify the issue of certification within the minds of users of NDT services in this country. This article goes to the heart of the question, "What does 'certified Level 1 or II NDT technician' really mean?"

Ever think there might be a better way to select an NDT services vendor other than fee simple bidding. Sure, you have - especially after getting knee deep into an important project only to discover that the low bidder for NDT services was unable to hold up his end of the contract. What a shame! Big bucks waiting on a dime's worth of service that could not be delivered either on time or with quality. In such an instance, the money "saved" by getting the "best price" goes up in smoke.

Have you ever thought of a more definitive way to express what we need today from people in all walks of life than INTEGRITY? As engineers and inspectors, have you stopped to think of how much you depend on the integrity of those charged with providing the information on which you base your decisions.

I was certified within days of my entry into the business. Inside three months, I had performed as lead technician on several refinery inspection projects, as well as skid mounted oil and gas compressor units. I had also performed ultrasonic weld inspection of the complex welds used months, I was supervising the operations of that company (because the manager was primarily involved in sales). My progress was meteoric! What a business! How was it that a rookie could progress so rapidly with this new employer? Did he have the NDT education credentials of Robert C. McMaster? Was it his background in science? The answer to all of these is the same. No! I struggled mightily to get through high school level geometry and biology. One year at a state university and three years of night school had not generated a degree. What I did have was what everybody else seemed to have - average intelligence, a hunger to learn, and a need to work a lot of overtime. (Pay was meager, but overtime was plentiful.)

Do You Know All You Need To Know About The People Who Perform Your NDT? Could the following scenario be played out in your plant, on your equipment, on your watch? The year is 1968. The time is 3 PM on Friday. Two fairly young men are traveling east-bound on I-10 from Houston, Texas to "Off-Shore", Louisiana. The trip will take about 8 hours, six by car and two by boat. The new hire's supervisor / trainer, hands him a thin booklet that provides a brief description of the nondestructive testing method known as ultrasonics. The last few pages of the book contain glossary terms relating to the test method. The supervisor tells the trainee that he should study the material, especially the glossary terms, while they make the trip to "Off-Shore".

The new Sludge Profiler for Oil Tanks system (S.P.O.T.) solves the major problem of accurately quantifying the volume of sludge in oil storage tanks with floating roofs.