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ICNDT Operating Procedure OP19:
ICNDT Multilateral Recognition Agreement
Executive Summary
Representatives of the members of the International Committee for Non-Destructive Testing (ICNDT)
have recognised the need for a global Multilateral Agreement on Recognition of NDT Personnel
Certification. The work of developing the ICNDT Multilateral Recognition Agreement (MRA), which isbased upon compliance with ISO 9712, was entrusted to the ICNDT Working Group on Qualification
and Certification (WG1). The implementation and operation of the ICNDT MRA is the responsibilityof the ICNDT Certification Executive Committee (ICEC).
This document is a strategic level Operating Procedure as defined in Operating Procedure OP 18 andis subject to approval by the ICNDT Executive Committee (IEC) and the International Committee.
The document describes (a) the objectives of the MRA, (b) the obligations of ICNDT members thatare signatories to the MRA, (c) the criteria for Personnel Certification Bodies to become registeredunder the MRA and (d) the high-level processes by which the MRA is managed.

Disclaimer
ICNDT accepts no liability for the use of certification awarded by any PCB registered under the MRA.
In accordance with ISO 9712 (Non-destructive testing – Qualification and certification of NDT
personnel) the responsibility for the quality of NDT tests with the employer of the certificatedperson.

Jurisdiction
The ICNDT Multilateral Recognition Agreement is subject to the jurisdiction of Austria.

Secretariat: The British Institute of NDT, Midsummer House, Riverside Way, Bedford Road,
Northampton NN1 5NX Tel: +44 1604 438300 Fax: +44 1604 438301 Email: gensec@icndt.org
The ICNDT is registered as a legalised Association with its seat in Vienna, Austria. ICNDTRegistered Office: 1230 VIENNA, Jochen-Rindt-Strasse 33.
Chair: S K Babu Email: chairman@icndt.org

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Revision and Approval Status
Issue / Draft
Issue 1Date
15/05/2013

Details
Previous issue

Issue 2

30/09/2015

Revision 3

15/02/2017

Revision 4

14/06/2018

Revision 5

23/01/2020

Revision 6

28/05/2024

Modified to improve clarity; requirement
for additional information to be provided byapplicant PCB
Approval by PGP replaced with approval by
the International Committee.
Issue 2 changed to Revision 3
Section 6.3 revised to clarify expectations ofauditors’ NDT expertise
Sections 6.1 and 6.4 revised to enhance thereview process and to have clarity.
Section 6.5 revised to require an annual
return from PCBs to confirm continuity ofregistration.
Section 6.7 revised to allow use of the
ICNDT MRA logo by registered PCBs
Edited for responsibility and updated forremote audit if necessary.
Clarification of use of Logo.
Clarification of qualifications for auditors.
Clarification of obligations

Status / Approval
Approved by ICEC,PGP & GA
Approved by ICEC,
WG1, PGP & GA
Approved by IEC

Approved by ICEC and
IEC then by ICNDT GA
on 14 June 2018
Agreed by ICEC and
IEC and approved by
ICNDT Annual Meetingon 23 January 2020
Approved by General
council 28-05-24

Secretariat: The British Institute of NDT, Midsummer House, Riverside Way, Bedford Road,
Northampton NN1 5NX Tel: +44 1604 438300 Fax: +44 1604 438301 Email: gensec@icndt.org
The ICNDT is registered as a legalised Association with its seat in Vienna, Austria. ICNDTRegistered Office: 1230 VIENNA, Jochen-Rindt-Strasse 33.
Chair: S K Babu Email: chairman@icndt.org

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1 ScopeThis Operating Procedure covers the operation of the ICNDT Multilateral Recognition Agreement(MRA). The Operating Procedure is supported by lower level Work Instructions (WI) under control of
the ICNDT Certification Executive Committee (ICEC).

2 References
OP13
OP 18
OP 20
OP 24
ISO 9712
ISO/IEC 17011
ISO/IEC 17024
IAF MLA
OP13
ATO

Use of ICNDT Logo
ICNDT Certification Executive Committee
Personnel Certification Body Conformity Assessment (PCB CA)
Procedure for Complaints and Appeals Relating to ICEC Activities
Non-destructive testing – Qualification and certification of NDT personnel
Conformity assessment – General requirements for accreditation bodies
accrediting conformity assessment bodies
Conformity assessment – General requirements for bodies operating
certification of persons
Accreditation Body and Regional Accreditation Group Members of
IAF
Use of ICNDT Logo
Authorised Training Organisation

Note 1. Any requirement for conformity with the above documents means conformity with thecurrent edition (up to 12 months will be allowed between the issue of a revision andimplementation of a referenced document).

3 Abbreviations
AB
AQB
CA
EA
IAF
ICEC
ICNDT
IEC
GA
MRA
OP
PCB
PGPC
WG1
WI

Accreditation Body
Authorised Qualification Body
Conformity Assessment
European co-operation for Accreditation (https://www.europeanaccreditation.org/)
International Accreditation Forum (https://www.iaf.nu/)
ICNDT Certification Executive Committee
International Committee for Non-Destructive Testing
ICNDT Executive Committee
ICNDT General AssemblyMultilateral Recognition Agreement
Operating Procedure
Personnel Certification Body
ICNDT Policy & General Purposes Committee
ICNDT Working Group 1
Work Instruction

Secretariat: The British Institute of NDT, Midsummer House, Riverside Way, Bedford Road,
Northampton NN1 5NX Tel: +44 1604 438300 Fax: +44 1604 438301 Email: gensec@icndt.org
The ICNDT is registered as a legalised Association with its seat in Vienna, Austria. ICNDTRegistered Office: 1230 VIENNA, Jochen-Rindt-Strasse 33.
Chair: S K Babu Email: chairman@icndt.org

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4 Multilateral Recognition Agreement
4.1 General Principles
The MRA (the Agreement) is in two parts, described as ‘Schedule 1’ and ‘Schedule 2’. Schedule 1
comprises the list of national NDT societies / institutes (Parties) that are members of ICNDT and havesigned the agreement, committing to supporting the objectives of the MRA. Schedule 2 comprises alist of personnel certification bodies (PCB) that meet the required criteria and are registered by ICNDT
under the Agreement.
A PCB seeking registration under Schedule 2 must be proposed for registration by a Party to the
MRA Schedule 1 or an ICNDT regional federation should perceived conflicts of interest occur. In somecases this may be academic, as many national societies are PCBs. But this need not be the case andthere may be more than one PCB in a country.

4.2

Objectives

The objectives of the Agreement are to elevate standards and to harmonise NDT personnel
certification operations of personnel certification bodies registered under the Agreement.

4.3 Administration of the Agreement
This MRA is administered as a series of agreements under the jurisdiction of Austrian law, and shallbe administered by the ICNDT Certification Executive Committee (ICEC), which assigns the day to day
responsibility for reviewing applications for PCB registration to the ICEC Secretary.

4.4 Complaints and Appeals
Any complaints or appeals concerning the implementation of the Agreement or registration of PCBs
shall be dealt with under Operating Procedure OP 24.

5 Multilateral Recognition Agreement: Schedule 1
5.1 Obligations
Each Party to Schedule 1 of the MRA should:• commit itself to the pursuance of the objectives of the MRA;
• promote the recognition and acceptance of certification issued by issued by MRA schedule 2
signatories• assist other interested parties by giving a clear overview of the NDT personnel certification
activities in its own country, including a description of the sectorial arrangements;• provide other Parties with non-confidential information on the certification scheme(s)operated by PCBs registered under this Agreement;• consult with and seek membership of the scheme and technical committees of NDT PCBs in
its own country;• indemnify ICNDT against liability for the Party’s use or misuse of this MRA.
• Provide an annual National NDT Society report to regional federations & ICNDT in relation tonational NDT certification capabilities.

5.2 Access to Schedule 1 of the MRA
Access to Schedule 1 of the MRA is available to any ICNDT member that has committed to accept the
Secretariat: The British Institute of NDT, Midsummer House, Riverside Way, Bedford Road,
Northampton NN1 5NX Tel: +44 1604 438300 Fax: +44 1604 438301 Email: gensec@icndt.org
The ICNDT is registered as a legalised Association with its seat in Vienna, Austria. ICNDTRegistered Office: 1230 VIENNA, Jochen-Rindt-Strasse 33.
Chair: S K Babu Email: chairman@icndt.org

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obligations set out above.

5.3 Fees, Renewal and Termination•

There are no fees for Schedule 1 of the MRA and no requirement for renewal.

•

If any of the obligations within any of the ICNDT procedures are proved to have been
deliberately broken then ICNDT has the right to immediately suspend the Schedule 1 or
Schedule 2 signatory from ICNDT MRA registration.

•

Any Schedule 1 or Schedule 2 signatory which is "Suspended” from Schedule 1 will be
removed from the register of Schedule 1 and schedule 2 members.

•

If any of the obligations are proved to be broken, then the ICEC secretary will inform the ICEC
committee and the ICNDT Chairman.

•

If any obligations continue to be proven1 to be broken then the ICNDT may exclude the PCB
from both Schedule 1 and Schedule 2 registration and announce any such
violations/suspensions via the ICNDT journal and on the ICNDT website.

NOTE
1“Proven” will be enacted in accordance with ICNDT procedure OP24.

5.4 Publication of Schedule 1
The register of Parties to Schedule 1 of the MRA is available on the ICNDT website.

6 Multilateral Recognition Agreement: Schedule 2
6.1 Criteria for Registration
An NDT PCB seeking registration under this MRA shall:• Be proposed for registration under Schedule 2 by a Party to this MRA that is a signatory to
Schedule 1 (see notes 2a, 2b and 2c below); The registration proposal can be made by any
MRA Schedule 1 signatory society and can also be proposed via an ICNDT regional
federation should perceived conflicts of interest occur.
•

Have confirmed their acceptance of the ICNDT Code of Practice for Personnel
Certification Bodies set out in Appendix 1.

•

Have provided information on the possible use of Authorised Qualification Bodies andsectorial arrangements and shall have a published code of ethics (see 6.2.3 below);•

Have been independently accredited (see 6.3 below);•

H ave provided evidence that the accreditation meets ICNDT requirements (see 6.4
below);•Have remitted to the ICNDT the current initial application fee or the renewal fee if
applicable.

•

Provide an annual report to regional federations & ICNDT regarding PCB's / AQB's & ATO's activities
and Schemes followed in represented countries.

Note 2a. If a Party to this MRA (a signatory listed in Schedule 1) is also a PCB, this shall not on its own
be reason to refuse to propose other PCBs in the country concerned for registration.
Secretariat: The British Institute of NDT, Midsummer House, Riverside Way, Bedford Road,
Northampton NN1 5NX Tel: +44 1604 438300 Fax: +44 1604 438301 Email: gensec@icndt.org
The ICNDT is registered as a legalised Association with its seat in Vienna, Austria. ICNDTRegistered Office: 1230 VIENNA, Jochen-Rindt-Strasse 33.
Chair: S K Babu Email: chairman@icndt.org

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Note 2b. If the ICNDT member in the country concerned is not a Party to this MRA, an NDT PCB basedin that country may be proposed for registration by any ICNDT member that is party to this
MRA with the agreement with the national NDT Society (if one exists) of the applicant PCB.
Note 2c. The Certification Executive Committee has the right, if it wishes, to ask the national NDTSociety of the applicant’s country for an opinion on the suitability of the applicant PCB.

6.2 Additional Information
ISO 9712 permits some freedom for a PCB (a) to establish one or more Authorised Qualification Bodies(AQB) under its control and (b) to set up sectorial arrangements to satisfy national needs. In addition,
ISO 9712 requires a PCB to develop a code of ethics. Information is required on the way that the PCB
implements these points both to check compliance with ISO 9712 requirements and to publicise
details on the ICNDT website if registration is successful (see 6.7 below). Further details are in 6.2.1,
6.2.2 and 6.2.3 below.
Note 3. The requirement for this information was introduced in Issue 2 of this Operating Procedure.
PCBs registered under Issue 1 of this Operating Procedure will be required to provide theinformation on or before renewal of their registration (see 6.5 below).
6.2.1 Management Structure and Use of Authorised Qualification Bodies
The requirements for a PCB (‘Certification Body’ in ISO 9712) are given in clause 5.2 of the standard.
Clause 5.2.2 c) states that the PCB “may delegate, under its direct responsibility, the detailed
administration of qualification to authorized qualification bodies, to which it shall issue specifications
and/or procedures covering facilities, personnel, calibration and control of NDT equipment,
examination materials, specimens, conduct of examinations, examination grading, records, etc”. The
requirements for an Authorised Qualification Body (AQB) are given in clause 5.3 and Clause 5.3.2 notesthat “If there are no authorized qualification bodies, the certification body shall fulfil the requirementsof the qualification body”.
The use or otherwise of one or more AQBs is acceptable for registration under the MRA but a PCB
seeking or renewing registration shall provide information on the management structure of the PCB,
including whether the PCB is part of the national society / institute or a separate legal entity andwhether or not qualification is delegated to one or more AQBs. On successful registration, thisinformation will be made available in the register entry on the ICNDT Website (see 6.7 below).
6.2.2 Definition of Sectors‘Sector’ is defined in ISO 9712 as a “section of industry or technology where specialized NDT practices
are used, requiring specific product-related knowledge, skill, equipment or training”. It is noted further
that “A sector can be interpreted to mean a product (welded products, castings) or an industry(aerospace, in-service testing)” and a reference is made to normative Annexe A which provides
reference lists of product and industrial sectors without precluding the development of additional
sectors to satisfy national needs.
A PCB seeking or renewing registration, or one already registered that is altering its sectorial
arrangements, shall provide a definition of the sectors used and shall inform the ICEC Secretary of any
changes during the period of registration. This information will be made available in the register entry
Secretariat: The British Institute of NDT, Midsummer House, Riverside Way, Bedford Road,
Northampton NN1 5NX Tel: +44 1604 438300 Fax: +44 1604 438301 Email: gensec@icndt.org
The ICNDT is registered as a legalised Association with its seat in Vienna, Austria. ICNDTRegistered Office: 1230 VIENNA, Jochen-Rindt-Strasse 33.
Chair: S K Babu Email: chairman@icndt.org

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on the ICNDT Website (see 6.7 below). The PCB shall supply evidence of an annual surveillance audit
which will be verified during application for renewal.
Note 4. The existence of different sectorial arrangements between PCBs shall not be used as a barrier
to harmonisation. If certification awarded by a PCB under the ICNDT MRA does not fully covera particular sector required, for example in another national jurisdiction, then this should be
remedied by additional examination, not by a complete new certification.The PCB in theother national jurisdiction may require a certificate holder to undertake to abide by the codeof ethics for that national jurisdiction (see 6.2.3 below).
6.2.3 Code of Ethics
Clause 5.2.2 k) of ISO 9712 requires that “The certification body shall require all candidates andcertificate holders to give a signed or stamped undertaking to abide by a code of ethics which it shalldevelop for the purpose and publish.” A PCB seeking or renewing registration shall provide a copy of
its code of ethics which will be made available in the register entry on the ICNDT Website (see 6.7
below).

6.3 Accreditation
For registration under Schedule 2 of the MRA, the ICNDT requires evidence of independent
accreditation in conformance with ISO/IEC 17024 and ISO 9712. This will usually be provided by an
Accreditation Body (AB) meeting the following criteria:•

The AB is a shall be a member of an international body acceptable to ICNDT (see note 5);•

The accreditation process is judged satisfactory by ICNDT on the basis of a review of theAccreditation Body’s Assessment Report;
The Accreditation Body’s Assessment Report demonstrates in the judgement of ICNDT thatthe assessment involved an assessor who has held NDT qualifications (for example ISO 9712
certification Level 3 in at least one method or education in a degree which includes NDTcourses and sufficient experience of auditing certification bodies to be able to assess
compliance with ISO 9712 (see Notes 6 and 7 below).

••

The ICEC reserves the right to request further evidence or audit should these be required aspart of the application review process.

Note 5. Accreditation Bodies which are members of the European co-operation for Accreditation (EA)or the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) meet this requirement.
Note 6. It is reasonable to ask this of Accreditation Bodies because they are required to use “experts”
who are defined in ISO 17011 as a “person assigned by an accreditation body to provide
specific knowledge or expertise with respect to the scope of accreditation to be assessed”.
Note 7. As stated above, the ICNDT considers it good practice to include a qualified NDT assessor oran assessor with either ISO9712 Level 3 certification or equivalent knowledge. E.g. A degree
in NDT or related applied science or engineering degree and previous NDT certification..
However, ICNDT recognises that PCBs do not control the makeup of the audit team but
ICNDT will require documented evidence that the PCB has asked the audit organization to
Secretariat: The British Institute of NDT, Midsummer House, Riverside Way, Bedford Road,
Northampton NN1 5NX Tel: +44 1604 438300 Fax: +44 1604 438301 Email: gensec@icndt.org
The ICNDT is registered as a legalised Association with its seat in Vienna, Austria. ICNDTRegistered Office: 1230 VIENNA, Jochen-Rindt-Strasse 33.
Chair: S K Babu Email: chairman@icndt.org

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provide at least one auditor with acceptable NDT knowledge. Further where suitable
auditors cannot be found within a country, the ICNDT can nominate a suitably
qualified/acceptable assessor to review the PCB’s operating procedures.
Note 8. ICNDT considers that in exceptional circumstances where governments impose travel
restrictions due to internationally recognized events e.g. epidemics, remote audits may be
accepted by the ICEC instead of the normal face to face audits. It shall be noted that this may
only apply for re-registration to OP19 and not for the initial registration audit.
Note 9. ICNDT encourage the PCBs to ask the accreditation body to include in their assessment reportstatements with regard to the independence of the training and certification aspects of the
PCB, AQBs and any ATOs. In particular it is encouraged that, with the possible exception of
the organization board, the management structure clearly separates training fromcertification with personnel not being permitted to hold positions in both the training and/or
certification structure of the PCB without showing clear delineation/separation of activities
in the PCB’s organogram.
These separation rules are to apply to any person, regardless of job function, that could be
active in the areas of an AQB’s examination and training functions.

6.4

Assessment of Application

The application for registration shall include evidence that the independent accreditation of the PCB
meets ICNDT requirements. This shall include but is not be limited to:•

A copy of the main quality management system documents;••

A certificate of accreditation from the national/international accreditation body;
A document demonstrating the scope of accreditation. Where a remote audit has been
undertaken as allowed in clause 6.3 this shall be noted in the audit report with an explanationof such activities.

•

A copy of the most recent assessment report from the national/international accreditation
body.

Note 1. All copies of documents will be treated in confidence and will be returned or destroyed in theevent of an unsuccessful application.
Note 2.

All documents shall be provided in the English language.

Note 3. While not mandatory, it will be useful if an application is made shortly after assessment or
re-assessment by the accreditation body. This will help to ensure (a) that the assessment
report is up to date and (b) that a three-year renewal of MRA registration (see 6.5 below) is
synchronized with a further re-assessment by the accreditation body.
Each application shall be assessed by a panel composed of ICEC members that, if necessary, may seek
advice from other experts. The results of this assessment shall be fully recorded and available for audit
if required.
If it is concluded that some or all of the ICNDT requirements are not met, ICNDT may offer anassessment under the ICNDT Personnel Certification Body Approval Scheme (see ICNDT OP 20). This
Secretariat: The British Institute of NDT, Midsummer House, Riverside Way, Bedford Road,
Northampton NN1 5NX Tel: +44 1604 438300 Fax: +44 1604 438301 Email: gensec@icndt.org
The ICNDT is registered as a legalised Association with its seat in Vienna, Austria. ICNDTRegistered Office: 1230 VIENNA, Jochen-Rindt-Strasse 33.
Chair: S K Babu Email: chairman@icndt.org

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may be a complete conformity assessment or a limited assessment targeted at specific items. The costof this assessment will be paid for by the applicant.
The ICEC or the review panel has authority to make further enquiries about the performance historyof the applicant PCB or its directors. If these enquiries raise doubts about the applicant PCB, then aspecific conformity assessment audit may be deemed necessary or the application may be refused.
There is no right of appeal against such decisions.

6.5 Renewal and Continuity of Registration
Registration under the ICNDT MRA is valid for three years after which the PCB may apply for renewalof an initial or renewed registration. The criteria for renewal are the same as for initial registration.
Within the three-year period before renewal, registration shall be maintained subject to annual
submission of a return to the ICEC Secretary. The details required for the annual return are specified in
OP19_Form C, but typically the requirements are:•Continued validity of ICNDT recognised accreditation or ICNDT certificated conformity of the NDTPCB demonstrating compliance with the standards referred to in the PCB’s scope of accreditation
or ICNDT certificate of conformity;

and•Provision of the latest assessment report from the accreditation body confirming compliancewith the standards referred to in the PCB’s scope of accreditation;•

Provision of any major revisions to the quality management system documentation;•

Provision of any changes to the scope in which certification is offered including
methods/techniques, sectors and levels;•

Provision of any changes in the list of AQBs (if any) and reports of any AQB audits including
witness assessment;•

Where accreditation is based on an ICNDT assessment of conformity under OP20, ICNDT reserves
the right to carry out a surveillance audit during the three-year renewal period at cost to theregistrant;•

Continued compliance with the ICNDT Code of Practice for NDT PCBs (see Appendix 1).

The ICEC will review the annual submission and decide whether continued registration is adequately
supported. An NDT PCB failing to fulfil the conditions for continued registration shall be de-registered on
the authority of the ICEC. A deregistered PCB shall have access to the complaints and appeals process
detailed in OP 24.

6.6 Fees
The fees for registration comprise:•

An initial application fee, which could include;• Full - Site and / or remote digital audit• Part - Remote digital audit pending audit scope•

A three-year renewal fee, which could include;
Secretariat: The British Institute of NDT, Midsummer House, Riverside Way, Bedford Road,
Northampton NN1 5NX Tel: +44 1604 438300 Fax: +44 1604 438301 Email: gensec@icndt.org
The ICNDT is registered as a legalised Association with its seat in Vienna, Austria. ICNDTRegistered Office: 1230 VIENNA, Jochen-Rindt-Strasse 33.
Chair: S K Babu Email: chairman@icndt.org

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Full - Site and / or remote digital audit
Part - Remote digital audit pending audit scope

See OP20 for the fees relating to a full or part conformity assessment (see 6.4 above).
The fees will be proposed by the ICEC and confirmed at the Annual General Meeting of ICNDT. A listof the current fees, updated annually, is available on the ICNDT website.

6.7 Publication of Schedule 2
A certificate is provided to the PCB to acknowledge registration (see Figure 1) and the list of PCBs
registered under Schedule 2 of the MRA is available on the ICNDT website athttps://www.icndt.org/news/5c32f4b8f6a695d937e5d50dbee6bfc89e0cd13f/.Additional
information, where available, (see 6.2 above) is provided in an appendix to the register on the website.
The registered NDT PCB may announce that holders of its certificates gained under thesearrangements “are certificated by a body which is registered by the ICNDT as meeting therequirements of Standards and Technical Documents referenced in its schedule of Accredited Scope orscope of its ICNDT Certificate of Conformity”.
A PCB registered under Schedule 2 of the MRA may use the ICNDT MRA logo as defined in Figure 4 ofOperating Procedure OP13:•

When advertising their certification;•

On certificates relating to the certification issued during the period of valid registration
indicating compliance with the standards referred to in the PCB’s scope of accreditation
or ICNDT certificate of conformity, including on certificates issued following the renewal
process permitted in ISO 9712. PCBs are advised to check that such use of this logo isacceptable to their accreditation body.

6.8 Process for Application for Initial Registration and Renewal of Registration
The process map for application and renewal of registration is shown in Figure 2. The renewal
process is similar to the initial application except that the ICEC are able to take cognisance of
information provided by the initial application and any following renewals.

Secretariat: The British Institute of NDT, Midsummer House, Riverside Way, Bedford Road,
Northampton NN1 5NX Tel: +44 1604 438300 Fax: +44 1604 438301 Email: gensec@icndt.org
The ICNDT is registered as a legalised Association with its seat in Vienna, Austria. ICNDTRegistered Office: 1230 VIENNA, Jochen-Rindt-Strasse 33.
Chair: S K Babu Email: chairman@icndt.org

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Figure 1: Example of a certificate

Secretariat: The British Institute of NDT, Midsummer House, Riverside Way, Bedford Road,
Northampton NN1 5NX Tel: +44 1604 438300 Fax: +44 1604 438301 Email: gensec@icndt.org
The ICNDT is registered as a legalised Association with its seat in Vienna, Austria. ICNDTRegistered Office: 1230 VIENNA, Jochen-Rindt-Strasse 33.
Chair: S K Babu Email: chairman@icndt.org

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Figure 2 Process map for application and renewal of registration

Secretariat: The British Institute of NDT, Midsummer House, Riverside Way, Bedford Road,
Northampton NN1 5NX Tel: +44 1604 438300 Fax: +44 1604 438301 Email: gensec@icndt.org
The ICNDT is registered as a legalised Association with its seat in Vienna, Austria. ICNDTRegistered Office: 1230 VIENNA, Jochen-Rindt-Strasse 33.
Chair: S K Babu Email: chairman@icndt.org

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Appendix 1: Code of Practice for Personnel Certification Bodies
NDT personnel certification bodies (PCBs) seeking ICNDT registration under the ICNDT Multilateral
Agreement on Recognition of Certification are obliged to sign an undertaking to comply with thisCode of Practice. Inter alia, they shall:
1. Maintain compliance with the standard(s) and specification(s) detailed on their certificate ofaccreditation or the ICNDT certificate of conformity, notifying the ICNDT Certification
Executive Committee (ICEC) of any change in status, or in the standards with which thecertification scheme that they operate to complies;
2. Require all candidates and certificate holders to give a signed or stamped undertaking toabide by a code of ethics which they shall develop for the purpose and publish;
3. Promote recognition and acceptance in their own country of the certificates of conformanceissued by other NDT PCBs registered under the ICNDT MRA;
4. Keep confidential all examination material, including examination questions and specimens,in secure conditions with strictly controlled access only to authorized individuals;
5. Conduct their business in a responsible manner and utilize fair and equitable practices indealing with clients and candidates;
6. Perform their professional duties with proper regard for the physical environment and thesafety, health and well-being of certificate holders and candidates for certification;
7. Protect to the fullest extent possible, consistent with the wellbeing of the public and theprovisions of this Code of Practice, any information given to them in confidence by an
employer of certificated NDT personnel, candidates and certificate holders, or members of
the public;
8. Avoid conflicts of interest with employers of certificated NDT personnel or candidates, butwhen unavoidable, forthwith disclose the circumstances to the employer or candidate;
9. Not falsify nor permit misrepresentation of their Accreditation, ICNDT certificate ofconformity or certificate of registration under the ICNDT MRA;
10. Refrain from making unjustified statements or from performing unethical acts which would
discredit the NDT profession or the ICNDT;
11. Immediately report to the ICEC any perceived violation(s) of this Code of Practice by any
party;
12. Accept the right of the ICNDT, and provide unhindered access to a nominated representativeof the ICNDT, to investigate any alleged infringements of this Code of Practice;
13. Indemnify ICNDT against liability for the PCB’s use or misuse of the ICNDT MRA and/or PCB
CA systems which are administered as a series of signed agreements under the jurisdictionof Austrian law.
14. Personnel Certification Bodies are only permitted to use the ICNDT LOGO on certificates if
authorized to do so. PCBs wishing to include the ICNDT logo must first supply the ICEC
secretary with a full description of the intended use before proceeding. Once authorized by
ICEC the appropriate logo will be supplied by the ICEC secretary for this inclusion.
15. Use of the ICNDT logo without prior permission will be considered a serious breach of ICNDTCode of Practice.

Secretariat: The British Institute of NDT, Midsummer House, Riverside Way, Bedford Road,
Northampton NN1 5NX Tel: +44 1604 438300 Fax: +44 1604 438301 Email: gensec@icndt.org
The ICNDT is registered as a legalised Association with its seat in Vienna, Austria. ICNDTRegistered Office: 1230 VIENNA, Jochen-Rindt-Strasse 33.
Chair: S K Babu Email: chairman@icndt.org