ICNDT Guide to
Qualification andCertificationof Personnel
for NDT
Published on behalf of ICNDT by the Publishing Department, The British Institute of Non-Destructive Testing,
Newton Building, St George’s Avenue, Northampton NN2 6JB, UK.
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1 October 2014

ICNDT Guide to
Qualification andCertificationof Personnel
for NDT
1 October 2014
ICNDT will update this document periodically and will provide the latest version online via its website:www.icndt.org. Users of the document are strongly advised to check that they have the latest version of the document
and the referenced standards. Readers use the material herein at their own risk.
©2014 ICNDT2

ICNDT GUIDE TO QUALIFICATION AND CERTIFICATION
OF PERSONNEL FOR NDTContents
FOREWORDS........................................................................................................................................................3
1. BACKGROUND.................................................................................................................................................4
2. RECOMMENDATIONS ON QUALIFICATION AND CERTIFICATION...............................................................5
3. RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE EMPLOYER.............................................................................................................5
4. REQUIREMENTS FOR NDT PERSONNEL CERTIFICATION BODIES..................................................................8
5. BIBLIOGRAPHY.................................................................................................................................................9APPENDICES........................................................................................................................................................10
Appendix 1:

The role of ICNDT and its regional groups in the harmonisation of qualification				and certification.............................................................................................................................11

Appendix 2:

Qualification and certification of NDT personnel in accordance with ISO 9712:2012...................15

Appendix 3:

ICNDT membership directory........................................................................................................16

Appendix 4:

ASME position on recognition and acceptance of central certification programmes.......................18

Appendix 5:

Non-destructive testing under the European Pressure Equipment Directive (97/23/EC)...................20

Appendix 6:

Certification Schemes compliant with ISO 9712............................................................................21

Appendix 7:

ICNDT Multilateral Recognition Agreement, PCB assessment scheme and				examination question bank............................................................................................................25

Appendix 8:

Qualification of NDT personnel in accordance with ISO 20807 and ISO TS 11774.......................27

Appendix 9:

Guidance for developing countries seeking to establish national certification schemes..................30

Appendix 10: Code of practice for personnel certification bodies........................................................................31
Appendix 11: ICNDT tabulation of PCB’s implementation of ISO 9712:2012......................................................32		

ICNDT GUIDE TO QUALIFICATION AND CERTIFICATION
OF PERSONNEL FOR NDTForewords
Foreword by Chairman of ICNDTThe competence of those carrying out non-destructive testing is an essential pre-requisite for the achievement ofquality and reliability. Qualification and certification of NDT personnel in accordance with international standards,
such as the unified ISO 9712 (Non-destructive testing – Qualification and certification of personnel), helps to assure
the competence of NDT personnel and thereby assists global business and safety standards.
The ICNDT, with a track record exceeding 50 years in international cooperation in NDT, is dedicated to supporting
best practice in the implementation of standards through this Guide. As Chairman, I express thanks to my colleagues
in ICNDT, ISO and CEN for their assistance in preparing this document.
Mike Farley
Chairman, ICNDT

Foreword by Chairmen of ISO TC135 and CEN TC138
Since the effectiveness of any application of non-destructive testing depends upon the capabilities of the persons
who perform or who are responsible for the test, a procedure was developed to provide a means for evaluating anddocumenting the competence of personnel whose duties require the appropriate theoretical and practical knowledgeof the non-destructive tests that they perform, specify, supervise, monitor or evaluate. An added incentive stems fromthe worldwide comparability of a wide range of industrial applications requiring common non-destructive testing
approaches.
It is recognised that the efforts of ICNDT have made a valuable contribution to the implementation of the numerous
schemes for qualification and certification of NDT personnel. An extensive application of this Guide within industry
will improve reliability of industrial products and safety of the worldwide community.
Hajime Hatano
ISO TC135 Chairman

Patrick Fallouey
CEN TC138 Chairman

Foreword by Chairman of the PGP and Editorial Committee
The original Guide, ‘ICNDT Recommended Guidelines for Qualification and Certification of NDT Personnel
according to ISO 9712’, was published in June 2004 at the 16th WCNDT in Montreal, based on a first draft produced
by Mr G Nardoni. The first update was approved for publication at the 17th WCNDT in Shanghai. The next version
was published to coincide with the 18th WCNDT in Durban and the agreements in ISO and CEN to unify ISO 9712
and EN 473 in a new standard ISO 9712, published in 2012. This version (2014) reflects updates in ISO 17024 andthe developments in ICNDT to create an international Multilateral Recognition Agreement and to document how
different certification bodies are implementing ISO 9712:2012.
ICNDT will update this document periodically and will provide the latest version online via its website (www.
icndt. org). Users are strongly advised to check that they have the latest version of this document and the referenced
standards. Comments and suggestions are welcome and should be sent to the ICNDT secretariat.
Douglas Marshall
Chairman PGP and Editorial Committee

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ICNDT GUIDE TO QUALIFICATION AND CERTIFICATION
OF PERSONNEL FOR NDT

1. Background
The prime purpose of this Guide, which has been prepared under the auspices of the International Committee for
Non-Destructive Testing (ICNDT), is to promote best practice in the qualification and certification of NDT personnel
according to the international standard ISO 9712[1]*.
The competence of NDT personnel is a key element in achieving reliability in non-destructive testing (NDT) and isvital to ensure the quality and safety of products and installations. The ICNDT Guide is of importance to all tiers in the
management of NDT operations: regulators, inspection bodies, certification bodies, industry, NDT service companies
and supervisors of NDT personnel.
The ICNDT has promoted worldwide dissemination of NDT technologies and the harmonisation of personnel
certification schemes for more than 50 years. The decision by ICNDT to promote the adoption of ISO 9712 as abasic standard for third-party qualification and certification of NDT personnel arises from the need to achieve amore consistent standard of basic knowledge and practical competence. Such standardisation becomes ever more
important as the globalisation of trade increases.
Third-party qualification and certification is widely recognised as conferring a number of advantages:l It complies with an internationally-agreed ISO standard that is increasingly being adopted worldwide;l It utilises an internationally-developed training syllabus;l Examinations (theory and practical) are provided directly by certification bodies or through authorised qualifying
bodies and authorised examination centres under the control of certification bodies (many of which are linked tonational NDT societies);l It provides a harmonised standard for training, qualification and certification of NDT personnel and can be used as thebase level for more specific employer-based or third-party certification relevant to particular products or installations.
The central role of ISO 9712 among standards for third-party certification, the historical development of NDT
personnel certification and ICNDT’s role is explained within this Guide in Appendices 1 and 2, and a list of ICNDT
members at the time of writing is given in Appendix 3.
The correct use of third-party qualification and certification of NDT personnel is dependent on the employers’
recognition of responsibility for NDT personnel. This is important in terms of good quality management practices(outlined in ISO 9001[2] at clause 6.2 – Human Resources), product liability, meeting the requirements for accreditationand meeting the requirements of product standards and codes, such as the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code (seeAppendix 4) and the European Pressure Equipment Directive[3] (97/23/EC – see Appendix 5). An explanation of theemployer’s responsibilities is provided in Chapter 3.
In each of the regions where ICNDT has members (Africa, the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and the Asia-Pacificregion), ISO 9712 has been adopted as a basis for third-party certification schemes. For example, Brazil and Argentina
have accredited certification schemes that comply with ISO 9712 and Canada also has a certification scheme basedon the standard. In the USA, the American Society for Nondestructive Testing (ASNT) introduced ANSI/ASNT standard
CP 106[4], which is closely aligned with ISO 9712:2005 and is currently working towards a version based on ISO
9712:2012. Many other countries in Latin America: Uruguay, Peru, Bolivia, Colombia and Venezuela, are developing
national schemes based on ISO 9712. In Africa, South Africa has an accredited ISO 9712 based certification system
and Tunisia is introducing a similar system. In Europe, a large number of countries have schemes which comply with
ISO 9712. A listing of certification schemes and their current status is provided in Appendix 6.
The ICNDT is endeavouring to promote international recognition of third-party certification schemes through a global
Multilateral Recognition Agreement (MRA) and details are given in Appendix 7. In many countries around the world,
certification bodies that provide ISO 9712 certification have gained accreditation or approval by government agencies
or accreditation bodies to ISO 17024[5] in both voluntary and regulatory sectors. This is discussed in Chapter 4.

* The reference numbers given in square brackets refer to the documents listed in Chapter 5, Bibliography.

		

ICNDT GUIDE TO QUALIFICATION AND CERTIFICATION
OF PERSONNEL FOR NDTDetails of other approaches to NDT personnel certification are covered by EN 4179[6] (for aerospace certification) and
SNT TC 1A[7] (for in-company certification). In certain circumstances it may be necessary or desirable, for economic orsafety reasons, to qualify NDT personnel for specified limited applications and standards covering this are describedin Appendix 8.

2. Recommendations on qualification and certification
Recommendations to users of central third-party certification
When central third-party certification is appropriate, it is recommended that regulators and industry define the levelsof competency of NDT personnel who are certified in accordance with ISO 9712[1] by a certification body accredited
to ISO/IEC 17024[5].
Regulators, users and auditors of NDT operations should recognise the importance of employers of NDT personnel
properly fulfilling their responsibilities to authorise personnel to work after first confirming that their employees areadequately trained, experienced and qualified.

Recommendations to certification bodies
Certification bodies are urged to provide certification to ISO 9712 in order to maximise the value of their certification.
In anticipation of future harmonisation, their training syllabuses should encompass the requirements of ISO/TR
25107[8].
National NDT societies seeking to establish national certification schemes are recommended to consider seeking
cooperation with an existing personnel certification body (PCB) as an alternative or complementary approach. This
does not preclude setting up a local PCB.
NDT societies or PCBs that are operating outside their own home country are encouraged to cooperate closely with
the national NDT society where they wish to operate. In practice, this should be achieved by means of a signed
agreement between the parties. When there is a disagreement, the matter should be referred to ICNDT for mediation.
Guidance for developing countries seeking to establish national certification schemes is provided in Appendix 9.

Recommendations to national standards bodies
In adopting the international standard ISO 9712, the ISO member body is strongly urged to apply it without deviationfrom the original text in order to ensure that it acts as a harmonising influence. Significant deviations, althoughpermitted under ISO Guide 21[9], could result in a refusal to recognise or accept NDT personnel certification.

3. Responsibilities of the employer
An employer of NDT personnel carries important responsibilities for the overall quality of NDT operations. Theseshould be reflected in the employer’s quality procedure for NDT (which may be known as the written practice*).
The employer retains these responsibilities whether he uses third-party certification, in-company certification, or a
combination of both.
This section of the ICNDT Guide clarifies the employer’s responsibilities and gives guidance on how the employer
should fulfil these responsibilities. In this context, the employer (or responsible agency) is defined as ‘The organisation
for which the candidate works on a regular basis’. If the individual is self-employed, he shall assume all responsibilities
specified for the employer or responsible agency.
It is a central tenet of the standard that the employer has overall responsibility for the results of NDT operations and isfully responsible for the authorisation of his staff to work. In practice, this must include checking that the NDT tasks
to be carried out are within the scope of the individual’s certification (sector, method and level) and, if they are not,organising additional company job-specific training and/or examinations – see Figure 1.
* See, for example, SNT-TC-1A[7] published by ASNT.

56ICNDT GUIDE TO QUALIFICATION AND CERTIFICATION
OF PERSONNEL FOR NDTFigure 1. Elements of personnel certification

The employer is responsible for introducing candidates to the certification body and for documenting the candidate’s
education and prior experience. (If the candidate is unemployed or self-employed, the declaration of education,
training and experience shall be attested to by at least one independent party.)
The employer must ensure annually that employees meet the visual acuity requirements of the certification body andmust keep records of work experience that will be needed to demonstrate continuity of satisfactory work activity without
significant interruption. This is important both for his own quality assurance and to support renewal/recertification.
To fulfil these responsibilities, the employer should prepare and implement a quality procedure (or written practice)covering at least the above responsibilities and maintain adequate records.
The quality procedure, which shall additionally cover the correct administration and control of NDT personnel inorder to meet the quality requirements of the company, its customers and relevant international or national regulations,will include reference to:l Applicable codes and standards;l General responsibilities of Levels 1, 2 and 3;
l Certification required (sector, method, level);l Persons designated by the employer to be responsible for issuing the authorisation to operate;l Control of in-house training and examination supplementary to that carried out during the ISO 9712 qualificationand certification process. This will include job-specific training for tasks outside the scope of the individual’scertification and updating with respect to new equipment or techniques;l Responsibility for maintenance of records. The employer must maintain records for each of his NDT personnel
including:– training;– education;– work experience;– vision test results;– certification examination results.
The results may be recorded using a suitable checklist – see, for example, Figure 2.

ICNDT GUIDE TO QUALIFICATION AND CERTIFICATION
OF PERSONNEL FOR NDT		COMPANY NAME:OPERATOR’S NAME:SCOPE OF CERTIFICATION (sector, method, level):
Requirement

Evidence

In FileAccepted

Valid test certificate for near vision acuity:
Valid certificate of unimpaired colour vision:
Work experience (in months according to level):
Training hours (in hours according to level):
Successful completion of qualification examination:
Issued ISO 9712 certification:
Job-specific training:
Product/materials
NDT equipment/systems
NDT instructions/procedures
SafetyResponsible Level 3 Acceptance
Signature:
Name:
Position:
Date:
Figure 2. Employer checklist leading to authorisation to work

If all of the above are acceptable, and the employer is satisfied that the above-named employee can be authorised tocarry out work for this company in respect of the method and level indicated, the authorisation to work is signed forthe employer by the Company Authorised Person – see, for example, Figure 3.

COMPANY NAME:
This authorisation is issued to:who has demonstrated having successfully met the requirements of the Company Quality Procedure (COMPANY
X – DOCUMENT REF) in respect of education, training, work experience and examination and is authorised toperform NDT as follows:
MethodTechnique

Level

Date ofISO 9712
certification

Due date of
Signature of
renewal or
authorised
recertification company
representative

Figure 3. Authorisation to perform non-destructive testing

Date

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ICNDT GUIDE TO QUALIFICATION AND CERTIFICATION
OF PERSONNEL FOR NDT

4. Requirements for NDT personnel certification bodies
Specific requirements for NDT personnel certification bodies
ISO 9712:2012[1] is the latest internationally-recognised and widely-accepted standard for qualification and thirdparty certification of NDT personnel, replacing ISO 9712:2005 and EN 473.
An important clause in ISO 9712 facilitates transition from the earlier standards to the new one. Certification achieved
under either EN473 or ISO 9712:2005 is considered to comply with the 2012 standard until the next renewal orrecertification is due. Certification to the new standard is considered compliant with the old standards when theseare specified.

General requirements for personnel certification bodies (PCB)
Clause 5.2.1 of ISO 9712:2012 requires that the certification body shall fulfil the requirements of ISO/IEC 17024[5].
A PCB in compliance with ISO/IEC 17024 will be impartial in its decisions on certification and will ensure thatassessments leading to certification are fair, valid and reliable.

Quality management system (QMS)
ISO/IEC 17024 requires a QMS ‘that is capable of supporting and demonstrating the consistent achievement of therequirements of this international standard’ (Clause 10.1 of ISO/IEC 17024:2012). The standard states that an ISO
9001-compliant management system would fulfil the requirement.

Accreditation
Accreditation is third-party attestation related to a conformity assessment body conveying a formal demonstration of
its competence to carry out specific conformity assessment tasks. Accreditation is performed by an accreditation bodywhich is an authoritative body. Requirements for accreditation bodies are detailed in ISO/IEC 17011:2004[10].
The accreditation process is intended to increase the confidence of users of certification in the status of a certification
body. Accreditation reduces the risk for users of certification by ensuring that accredited certification bodies andappropriate bodies conducting outsourced work, for example qualification bodies, examination centres etc, arecompetent to carry out the work they undertake within their scope of accreditation.
Accreditation of personnel certification bodies is performed according to ISO/IEC 17024. The latest edition of ISO/IEC
17024 was published in July 2012. Major changes in the standard are the following:l new terms were added;
l section for personnel became more detailed;l section for management of impartiality became more detailed;l a new section with more information about the structure of the certification body in relation to training was added;l more detail added for records and information requirements;
l more detailed description of certification schemes;l more detail provided for the certification process requirements;l new sections were added for appeals, complaints and management systems requirements;l a ‘principles’ section added in Annex A.
There is an international grouping of accreditation bodies known as the International Accreditation Forum (IAF), andthere is also a European equivalent known as European co-operation for Accreditation (EA). Accreditation bodies
that are members of the IAF and EA are required to operate at the highest standard and to require that the conformity
assessment bodies they accredit comply with appropriate international standards, such as ISO 9712, which in turnrequires conformance to ISO/IEC 17024.
The Certification Executive Committee of the European Federation for NDT (EFNDT) has prepared specific guidance

ICNDT GUIDE TO QUALIFICATION AND CERTIFICATION
OF PERSONNEL FOR NDT		

to accreditation bodies assessing NDT personnel certification bodies for compliance with ISO/IEC 17024:2003. The
EFNDT guidance was published as a CEN Technical Report CEN/TR 16332. Although some of the standards referred
to in this document are now out of date, it still provides useful guidance on the interpretation of ISO/IEC 17024 forapplication to the certification of NDT personnel. At the time of writing, there is an intention to revise the document.
The EA has a Multilateral Agreement (MLA), which is operated in compliance with the general requirements forpeer assessment of conformity assessment bodies and accreditation bodies set out in ISO/IEC 17040[11], covering
recognition of accreditations of personnel certification bodies in Europe. At the time of writing, the IAF does not havean MLA covering the operations of its members offering accreditation to ISO/IEC 17024, though it is expected to
implement such an MLA in the near future.
Accreditations granted by signatories to the EA MLA facilitate the development of Multilateral Recognition Agreements(MRA) amongst groups of PCBs operating certification of persons for specific activities such as NDT, which in turnshould allow accredited conformity assessment certificates, for example for ISO 9712, gained in one part of the world
to be recognised elsewhere in the world.
Against this background, the ICNDT has created its own Multilateral Recognition Agreement with criteria andprocesses that take advantage of and complement accreditation (see Appendix 7).

5. Bibliography
This section lists all documents referred to in the main text and the appendices. It provides a list of the latest editions (at thetime of writing) of standards dealing with or impacting upon the qualification and certification of personnel engaged in NDT.
1.		ISO 9712:2012

Non-destructive testing – Qualification and certification of NDT personnel

2.		ISO 9001:2008

Quality management

3.		97/23/EC

Pressure Equipment Directive (PED) – overview online at http://bit.ly/1mdqBRH

4.		ANSI/ASNT CP-106-2008 Non-destructive testing – Qualification and certification of personnel
5.		ISO/IEC 17024:2012

Conformity assessment – General requirements for bodies operating certification of persons

6.		BS EN 4179:2009

Aerospace series. Qualification and approval of personnel for non-destructive testing

7.		SNT-TC-1A (2011)
					

ASNT Recommended Practice for Personnel Qualification and Certification in Nondestructive Testing

8.		ISO/TR 25107:2006

Non-destructive testing – Guidelines for NDT training syllabuses

9.		ISO/IEC Guide 21-1:2005 Regional or national adoption of international standards and other international deliverables					— Part 1: Adoption of international standards
10. ISO/IEC 17011:2012
					Conformity assessment – General requirements for accreditation bodies accrediting
conformity assessment bodies

11. ISO/IEC 17040: 2005
					Conformity assessment – General requirements for peer assessment of conformity
assessment bodies and accreditation bodies

12. ISO 20807:2004
					

Non-destructive testing – Qualification of personnel for limited application of nondestructive testing

13. ISO TS 11774:2011

Non-destructive testing – Performance-based qualification

14. ACCP							

ASNT Central Certification Program – Frequently Asked Questions online at
http://bit.ly/1rdnTng

15. ANSI/ASNT CP-189-2011 ASNT Standard for Qualification and Certification of Nondestructive Testing Personnel
16. CEN/TR 15589:2014
					

Non-destructive testing – Code of practice for the approval of NDT personnel by recognised
third-party organisations under the provisions of Directive 97/23/EC

It should be noted that the above list is not exhaustive. The status of the referenced documents should be ascertained byreference to the issuing organisation before use.

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ICNDT GUIDE TO QUALIFICATION AND CERTIFICATION
OF PERSONNEL FOR NDTAPPENDICES
Appendix 1:

The role of ICNDT and its regional groups in the harmonisation of qualification				and certification............................................................................................................................15

Appendix 2:

Qualification and certification of NDT personnel in accordance with ISO 9712:2012.................19

Appendix 3:

ICNDT membership directory.......................................................................................................20

Appendix 4:

ASME position on recognition and acceptance of central certification programmes.....................22

Appendix 5:

Non-destructive testing under the European Pressure Equipment Directive (97/23/EC)...............25

Appendix 6:

Certification schemes compliant with ISO 9712...........................................................................26

Appendix 7:

ICNDT Multilateral Recognition Agreement, PCB assessment scheme and				examination question bank...........................................................................................................30

Appendix 8:

Qualification of NDT personnel in accordance with ISO 20807 and ISO TS 11774.....................32

Appendix 9:

Guidance for developing countries seeking to establish national certification schemes................35

Appendix 10: Code of practice for personnel certification bodies......................................................................36
Appendix 11: ICNDT tabulation of PCB’s implementation of ISO 9712:2012.....................................................37		

ICNDT GUIDE TO QUALIFICATION AND CERTIFICATION
OF PERSONNEL FOR NDTAppendix 1: The role of ICNDT and its regional groups in theharmonisation of qualification and certification
Introduction
This appendix highlights the role of the ICNDT members and the regional groups of ICNDT with respect to qualificationand certification of NDT personnel and summarises the 50 years of dedication by ICNDT to this field. It also references
the documents produced on qualification and certification of NDT personnel, the very effective liaison with ISO
TC135 on the harmonisation of standards, and provides some details concerning on-going work.

Foundation of ICNDTThe first World Conference on NDT was held in 1955 by a group of European countries, USA, Japan, China, India
and the USSR. Its main objective was to gather scientists and technologists from all over the world in order that they
could pool together their common experiences in promoting the development of the application of NDT.
ICNDT, as an international organisation, was formed on 15 March 1960, just prior to the 3rd World Conference on
Non-Destructive Testing, which was held in Tokyo, Japan, from 16-21 March 1960.
ICNDT is a non-profit association devoted to the development of the science and practice of non-destructive testingin conjunction with existing NDT societies and recognised regional groupings of NDT societies.
ICNDT has recently broadened its horizons and has set itself a number of important objectives:l To be the international organisation that acts as the prime focus on non-destructive testing for the benefit of theinvolved community and the public in general;l To promote international collaboration in all matters relating to NDT;l To encourage the foundation, growth, development and cooperation of national and regional societies;l To assign the place and organisation of the World NDT Conference to an appropriate NDT society or group ofsocieties, at intervals of four years;l To establish with continental groupings of NDT societies initiatives for implementing ICNDT policy;
l To encourage the formulation of international standards on non-destructive testing in collaboration with theInternational Organization for Standardization (ISO) and other standards bodies;l To establish an ICNDT Multilateral Recognition Agreement (MRA) of NDT personnel certification and thedevelopment of a process for the ICNDT assessment and approval of NDT personnel certification bodies.

World Conferences on NDT (WCNDT)The NDT World Conference organised by ICNDT was the first concrete expression of the desire to cooperate in thedissemination of NDT. The 1st World Conference was held in Brussels in 1955 as a tribute to Gevaert, the producerof X-ray film, which sponsored international meetings in Antwerp.
A list of all World Conferences, including planned venues up to 2020, is given at the end of this appendix.
Besides the need to establish, improve and disseminate NDT techniques, the need for harmonisation of qualificationand certification of NDT personnel has grown through the years, with this topic becoming the focus of many ICNDT
meetings and an important topic of discussion during the world conferences. Those world conferences that resulted
in significant advances in the field of qualification and certification of NDT personnel were:l Montreal, 1967 – Qualification and certification of NDT personnel
In 1967, during the 5th World Conference on NDT held in Montreal, ICNDT adopted the following resolutions:“The Committee agrees that the appropriate time has arrived for the establishment of an ‘International
Recommendation on the Qualification of NDT Personnel’ prepared by a task group of ICNDT.”“All delegates are requested to promote, through their national standardisation organisations, the importance of
establishing an ISO Technical Committee to deal with NDT.”

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ICNDT GUIDE TO QUALIFICATION AND CERTIFICATION
OF PERSONNEL FOR NDTl Hanover 1970 – Discussions at World Conference
The 1967 discussions had a strong impact on ICNDT. Three years later, at the 6th World Conference in Hanover in
1970, the first contributions on the qualification and certification of NDT personnel were given by France, Germany,
Japan, the United Kingdom and the USA. At that meeting the following statement on personnel certification was
made:“Representatives of each country will submit statements on the qualification system prevailing in their country.
These topics should form a topic for discussion at a specific session. In the meantime, statements of the present
position will be communicated to ICNDT members.”l Warsaw 1973 – Formation of Task GroupIn Warsaw in 1973, ICNDT, during its 10th meeting, appointed a Task Group for the preparation of guidelines
dealing with the qualification and certification of NDT personnel.
l Cannes 1976 – ICNDT WH 76 – Liaison with ISO
The first document of the ICNDT Task Group on qualification and certification of NDT personnel was presented at
the round table discussion in Cannes in 1976, during the 8th World Conference. The document was a comparisonof all the existing schemes among the members of ICNDT. This was the first step towards a more complete seriesof guidelines on the qualification and certification of NDT personnel. Recommendations were made to make ISO
knowledgeable on the importance of a working group on NDT. It was agreed at this ICNDT meeting to forward the
document to ISO TC135.
l Melbourne 1979 – Initiation of ICNDT document on minimum technical requirements for qualification andcertification of NDT personnel
In 1979 in Melbourne, during the 9th World Conference on NDT, a further step forward on the topic of thequalification and certification of NDT personnel was made. Based on the Cannes document and the information
available, the following statements were made:“Two types of certification schemes are present in the world: independent body certification and employer-based
certification. Mutual recognition of NDT certificates may be possible and the working group shall try to facilitate
this.”“Three levels of qualification are generally applied by the majority of the country members.”
In the same meeting it was decided to prepare a document on the minimum technical requirements for each levelof qualification relative to the different methods of NDT (RT, UT, PT, MT, ET and LT).
l Moscow 1982 – Review of draft document WH-85
After extensive work, in which all the main countries of the world were involved, the minimum technicalrequirements for qualification and certification of NDT personnel were presented in Moscow at the 15th ICNDT
meeting. It received general consensus with minor changes made in order to give more completeness in the
document.
l Las Vegas 1985 – Final approval of WH-85
In 1985 in Las Vegas, during the 11th World Conference, the document received final approval for publication as
an ICNDT document:
ICNDT WH-85, ‘The Complete Recommendations on International Harmonisation of Training, Qualification andCertification of NDT Personnel’ (November 1985).
The document was sent to ISO TC135 and was used as a reference in the preparation of the ISO 9712 standard on
the qualification and certification of NDT personnel, which was published in 1992.
l New Delhi 1996 – ISO 9712 standard
The 24th ICNDT meeting highlighted the work carried out by ISO TC135 in editing the ISO 9712 standard and its
extensive application in the member countries. It was noted that the implementation of ISO 9000 would encourage
certification in accordance with ISO 9712.

		

ICNDT GUIDE TO QUALIFICATION AND CERTIFICATION
OF PERSONNEL FOR NDTl Copenhagen 1998 – ICNDT seminar on ISO 9712
In 1998 in Copenhagen, during the 25th ICNDT meeting, it was decided to create a common framework, which
would comply with ISO 9712. In addition, it was proposed to prepare a guidance document for the application of
ISO 9712. Following these proposals it was decided at the ICNDT PGP meeting in China (Shantou) to organise thefirst ICNDT seminar on ISO 9712 certification during the world conference in Rome.
l Rome 2000 – Updating ICNDT WH-85
During the 27th ICNDT meeting in Rome, a complete revision of the document ICNDT WH-85 relative to minimum
technical requirements was handed directly to the ISO TC135 chairman. Many interesting items relative to global
mutual recognition of NDT schemes emerged from the ISO 9712 seminar.
l Brisbane 2001 – ICNDT Recommended Guidelines for Qualification and Certification of NDT Personnel
according to ISO 9712
During the PGP meeting held in Brisbane, recognising that an increasing number of schemes are aligned to ISO
9712 (including EN 473, ACCP, etc), it was proposed to draft ICNDT Guidelines for Qualification and Certification
of NDT Personnel based on ISO 9712.
l Montreal 2004 – ICNDT Recommended Guidelines for Qualification and Certification of NDT Personnel
according to ISO 9712
The first edition approved by the ICNDT Editorial Committee was published and circulated to delegates at the 16th
WCNDT.
l Shanghai 2008 – Update of Guide including ICNDT recommendations and ICNDT workshop on harmonisationof EN 473 and ISO 9712
A new edition of the Guide incorporating important recommendations from ICNDT was approved for publication.
A workshop was held with participation from ISO TC135 and CEN TC138 to explore the differences between thestandards EN 473 and ISO 9712. It was concluded that the differences were not significant and it was announced
that the two committees would work together to achieve a single harmonised standard. ICNDT was invited to
become a formal liaison member of TC135.
l Durban 2012 – Update of Guide in anticipation of ISO 9712:2012
An updated version of the Guide was issued, recognising that the process to combine ISO 9712 and EN 473
into a single global standard was well underway. The ICNDT General Assembly gave conditional approval to theintroduction of an ICNDT Multilateral Recognition Agreement (ICNDT MRA) and an ICNDT assessment scheme
for PCBs (ICNDT PCBA). The first ICNDT Certification Executive Committee was nominated.

The role of NDT societies
In most countries, the major catalyst for establishing a certification scheme is the national NDT society. The society
provides a focus for information on NDT technologies, training and certification and, through the ICNDT, a link to theinternational NDT community. More than 70 countries have established NDT societies that are members of ICNDT(see Appendix 3) and ICNDT continues to assist the formation of new societies.

The role of ICNDT regional groups
The regional groups within ICNDT have a primary role in the promotion of NDT and in providing information on how
to set up an NDT society. Regional groups also have a strong focus on the recognition and harmonisation of NDT
personnel certification schemes within that region and alignment of these certification schemes to ISO 17024.
Four regional groups are active:l African Federation of NDT;l Asia-Pacific Federation – www.apfndt.org;
l European Federation for NDT – www.efndt.org;
l Pan-American Committee;

13

14

ICNDT GUIDE TO QUALIFICATION AND CERTIFICATION
OF PERSONNEL FOR NDTEach regional group has their own constitution which, in terms of both strategy and policy, is complementary to thatof ICNDT. Regional conferences play an important role in the development and promotion of NDT.

IAEA/ICNDT cooperation
In order to promote NDT in developing countries, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and ICNDT haveforged a strong relationship based on mutual cooperation. In particular, ICNDT experts participate in many IAEA
projects that involve the training, qualification and certification of NDT personnel.

ICNDT achieves legal status in 2008
ICNDT was formally registered as a legal non-profit international association in Vienna in 2008, in accordance with
the Austrian Corporations Act. An up-to-date list and contact addresses are given on the ICNDT website at www.
icndt.org

ICNDT website
Information on all ICNDT activities is provided on the ICNDT website (www.icndt.org). This site serves to improveand strengthen links between NDT societies and regional groups. ICNDT also publishes a regular journal.

World Conferences on NDT (promoted by ICNDT)
Conference No

Year

City

Country

1st WCNDT

1955

Brussels

Belgium

2nd WCNDT

1957

ChicagoUSA

3rd WCNDT

1960

Tokyo

Japan

4th WCNDT

1963

LondonGreat Britain

5th WCNDT

1967

Montreal

Canada6th WCNDT1970

Hanover

Germany

7th WCNDT1973

Warsaw

Poland8th WCNDT1976

CannesFrance9th WCNDT

1979

Melbourne

Australia

10th WCNDT

1982

Moscow

Russia11th WCNDT1985

Las Vegas

USA

12th WCNDT1989

Amsterdam

The Netherlands

13th WCNDT

1992

Sao Paulo

Brazil14th WCNDT1996

New Delhi

India

15th WCNDT

2000

Rome

Italy

16th WCNDT2004

Montreal

Canada17th WCNDT

2008

ShanghaiChina

18th WCNDT

2012

DurbanSouth Africa

19th WCNDT

2016

MunichGermany

20th WCNDT

2020

Seoul

South Korea

		

ICNDT GUIDE TO QUALIFICATION AND CERTIFICATION
OF PERSONNEL FOR NDTAppendix 2: Qualification and certification of NDT personnel
in accordance with ISO 9712:2012
Two ‘major’ third-party certification systems coexisted for several years: EN 473 and ISO 9712. Following several
initiatives from industry and ICNDT, the two certification committees in charge of these standards (ISO TC135 and
CEN TC138) decided, in 2009, to launch a harmonisation process intending to produce a unique ISO standard. This
process has involved more than 20 countries and has succeeded in producing ISO 9712:2012[1], which was publishedin the third quarter of 2012 and which replaces EN 473.
The standard covers the qualification and certification of NDT personnel in one or more of ten NDT methods:
acoustic emission testing, eddy current testing, infrared thermographic testing, leak testing (hydraulic pressure tests
excluded), magnetic testing, penetrant testing, radiographic testing, strain testing, ultrasonic testing and visual testing(direct unaided visual tests and visual tests carried out during the application of another NDT method are excluded).
The responsibilities of the certification body, its authorised qualifying bodies (where used) and examination centres
are defined, and the role of the employer is clarified. Three levels of qualification are defined (Levels 1, 2 and 3).
Qualification is ‘specific’ to a defined industrial or product sector(s).
Eligibility for certification is specified, covering vision requirements for all levels, minimum training requirements andthe required duration of industrial experience.
Qualification examinations are defined – comprising both written and practical parts – for each level, with minimum
numbers of questions and, for Levels 1 and 2, test specimens specified.
Rules are specified governing administration of certification, including the conditions for renewal and recertification.
The main changes from the previous EN and ISO standards are:l clarification of the roles of the certification body, the authorised qualifying bodies (where used) and examination
centre;l modification of the required training hours (with a rewrite of the relevant clause);l ISO/TR 25107[8] Training Guidelines referenced as a basis for certification bodies to define their training syllabuses(other documents demonstrated as equivalent may be used);l a rewrite of the clause about required experience (for more clarity);
l introduction of ‘digital certificates/e-assessment’;l for Level 3 recertification, deletion (compared to ISO 9712) of a precise requirement for demonstration of practicalskill (practical test), replaced by demonstrated evidence of this skill (to be accepted by the certification body).
The new standard has been implemented widely (see Appendix 6). ICNDT has carried out an exercise to document
how different PCBs have implemented the standard where options are allowed. This comparison is presented inAppendix 11.

15

16

ICNDT GUIDE TO QUALIFICATION AND CERTIFICATION
OF PERSONNEL FOR NDTAppendix 3: ICNDT membership directory
The following list shows all ICNDT members at the time of writing, with their ICNDT membership status (Full or Associate).
For an up-to-date list of ICNDT member societies and contact details, go to: http://www.icndt.org/Directory.asp
Country

SocietyMembership status

Algeria

Centre de Recherche Scientifique et Technique en Soudage enControle/Federation (CSC/FALEND)

Associate member

Argentina

Asociación Argentina de Ensayos No Destructivos y Estructurales(AAENDE)

Full member

Australia

Australian Institute for NDT (AINDT)

Full member

Austria

Austrian Society for NDT (ÖGfZP)

Full member

Bangladesh

Bangladesh Society for NDT (BSNDT)Full member

BelarusBelarusian Association for NDT and Technical Diagnostic (BANDT)

Full member

Belgium

Belgian Association for NDT (BANT)

Full member

Bosnia & Herzegovina

Bosnian and Herzegovinan Society for NDTAssociate member

BrazilAssociação Brasileira de Ensaios Não Destrutivos e Inspeção
(ABENDI)

Full member

Bulgaria

Bulgarian Association for Non-Destructive Testing (BGSNDT)Full member

CanadaCanadian Institute for NDE (CINDE)

Full member

China, People’s Republic ofChinese Society for Non-Destructive Testing (ChSNDT)Full member

Colombia

Asociación Colombiana de Soldadura y Ensayos No Destructivos(ACOSEND)

Full member

Costa Rica

National Committee for NDTAssociate member

Croatia

Croatian Society for Non-Destructive Testing (CrSNDT)Full member

Czech RepublicCzech Society for Non-Destructive Testing (CNDT)Full member

Denmark

Danish Society for NDTFull member

EcuadorEscuela Politecnica del Litoral (ESPOL)

Associate member

Egypt

Egyptian Society for Industrial Inspection

Associate member

FinlandFinnish NDT Society

Full member

FranceFrench NDT Organisation (COFREND)

Full member

Germany

German Society for Non-Destructive Testing (DGZfP)

Full member

GreeceHellenic Society of Non-Destructive Testing (HSNT)

Full member

Hungary

Hungarian Association for Non-Destructive Testing (MAROVISZ)

Full member

India

Indian Society for Non-Destructive Testing (ISNT)

Full member

Indonesia

Asosiasi Uji Tak Rusak Indonesia (AUTRI)

Full member

Iran

Iranian Institute of Welding and Non-Destructive Testing (IWNT)

Associate member(awaiting ratification)

IsraelIsraeli National Society for Non-Destructive Testing (ISRANDT)

Full member

Italy

Italian Society for NDT (AIPnD)

Full member

Japan

Japanese Society for Non-Destructive Inspection (JSNDI)

Full member

Kazakhstan

Non-Destructive Testing and Technical Diagnostic Association,
Republic of Kazakhstan

Full member

Kenya

Non-Destructive Testing Society of Kenya (NDTK)Full member

Korea, South

Korean Society for Non-Destructive Testing (KSNT)

Full member

LatviaLatvian NDT Society

Full member

LebanonIndustrial Research Institute (IRI)

Full member

Lithuania

Lithuanian Society for NDT and Technical Diagnostics (LNBD)

Full member

Malaysia

Malaysian Society of NDT (MSNT)

Full member

MexicoInstituto Mexicano De Ensayos No Destructivos A.C. (IMENDE)

Full member

Moldova

National Society on NDT and Technical Diagnostics (AN NTD)

Full member

ICNDT GUIDE TO QUALIFICATION AND CERTIFICATION
OF PERSONNEL FOR NDT		Country

SocietyMembership status

Mongolia

Mongolian Society for NDT (MSNDT)Associate member

Netherlands

Nederlandse Vereniging voor Kwaliteitstoezicht, Inspectie en
Niet-destructieve Techniek (KINT)

Full member

New Zealand

New Zealand Non-Destructive Testing Association Inc (NZNDTA)

Full member

Nigeria

Nigerian Society for NDTFull member

NorwayNorwegian NDT Society (NSNDT)Full member

Pakistan

Pakistan Society for NDT (PASNT)

Full member

Philippines

Philippine Society for Non-Destructive Testing Inc (PSNDT)Full member

PolandPolish Society for NDT and Technical Diagnostics (PTBNIDT / SIMP)

Full member

Portugal

Associacao de Laboratorios Acreditados de Portugal (RELACRE)

Full member

Romania

Romanian Association of NDT (ARoENd)

Full member

Russian Federation

Russian Society for NDT and Technical Diagnostics (RSNTTD)

Full member

SerbiaSerbian Society for NDT (SDIBR)

Full member

Singapore

Non-Destructive Testing Society (Singapore) (NDTSS)

Full member

Slovakia

Slovak Society for Non-Destructive Testing (SSNDT)Full member

Slovenia

Slovenian Society for Non-Destructive Testing (SSNDT)Full member

South Africa

Southern African Institute for NDT (SAINT)

Full member

Spain

Spanish Association for NDT (AEND)

Full member

Sri Lanka

Society for Non-Destructive Testing, Sri Lanka (SNDT)Full member

Sudan

Sudanese Society for Non-Destructive Testing (SSNDT)Full member

SwedenFöreningen för Oförstörande Provning (FOP)

Full member

Switzerland

Schweizerische Gesellschaft für Zerstörungsfreie Prüfung
(SGZP / SSNT)

Full member

Taiwan

Non-Destructive Testing Society of China-Taipei (SNTCT)

Full member

ThailandThai Society for NDT (TSNT)

Full member

Tunisia

Tunisian Committee for NDT c/o CETIME (COTEND)

Full member

TurkeyThe Turkish Society for Non-Destructive Testing (TURK NDT)

Full member

UkraineUkrainian Society for NDT (USNDT)Full member

United Kingdom

The British Institute of Non-Destructive Testing (BINDT)

Full member

United States of America

The American Society for Nondestructive Testing (ASNT)

Full member

Uruguay

Asociaciòn Uruguaya de Ensayos No Destructivos (AENDUR)

Full member

Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan Society for Non-Destructive Testing (UzSNDT)Full member

Venezuela

Associacion Venezolana de Ensayos No Destructivos (ASOVEND)

Full member

VietnamVietnam Association for NDT (VANDT)

Associate member

17

18

ICNDT GUIDE TO QUALIFICATION AND CERTIFICATION
OF PERSONNEL FOR NDTAppendix 4: ASME position on recognition and acceptance ofcentral certification programmes
The ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code includes specific requirements for NDT and for the qualification or
certification of NDT personnel in appropriate sections. This code is used all around the world, including in regions
such as Europe, where compliance with other regulations, for example the Pressure Equipment Directive, is facilitatedby the use of third-party certification and in countries where third-party certification is mandatory.
In 2003, following presentations from EFNDT and the European Boilermakers’ Association, each seeking to avoid
unnecessary double certification, to take advantage of the benefits of third-party certification and to facilitate meeting
the requirements of the PED, ASME advised a revision to the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code Section V, Article
1. An amended paragraph T120 was approved and published in the 2003 Addenda. The option was also included in
Code Sections I and VIII, Divisions 1, 2 and 3. The current wording of Section 1 in the 2013 edition of the Code, para
PW-50.1 is reproduced in Figure 4.

Figure 4. ASME Section 1, 2013 edition

Although there is no reference to specific central certification programmes other than ACCP[14], these amendmentsallow the use of national or international central certification programmes, such as those complying with ISO 9712,

		

ICNDT GUIDE TO QUALIFICATION AND CERTIFICATION
OF PERSONNEL FOR NDT

to fulfil the examination requirements of the employer’s written practice, which must be in accordance with SNTTC-1A[7] or ANSI/ASNT CP-189[15].
In Code Case N-788 ‘Third-Party NDE Certification Organizations, Section XI, Division 1’, approved 9 April 2010,
Section XI defined the requirements for third-party certification organisations, which may be used in lieu of employerbased certification of Level 2 and 3 NDE personnel. Specific requirements (on QA to USA standards and training)were defined over and above those implicit in ISO 9712 certification. However, the 2014 edition does not reference
ISO 9712 and is quite specific about the written practice, which must be prepared in accordance with ANSI/ASNT
CP-189.
Following work by a group known as the ASME NDE Exploratory Group, Section V of the code has been modified
to reference ISO 9712:2012-based programmes. The wording of the relevant part of ASME Section V 2013 edition isreproduced in Figure 5.

Figure 5. Article 1 Para T-120 of ASME Section V

It is hoped that the application sections of the Code will dispense with their own requirements for personnel
qualification and certification and reference Section V instead.
It is notable that ICNDT’s recommendations in this Guide are consistent with the key principles of ASME code
requirements:

19

20

ICNDT GUIDE TO QUALIFICATION AND CERTIFICATION
OF PERSONNEL FOR NDTl an employer’s written practice is required;l NDT personnel shall be qualified by examination;l the employer retains responsibility.
Employers working to ASME codes who choose to follow this option now prepare a written practice (based on
the recommendations of SNT-TC-1A/CP189), which references certification in accordance with third-party/central
schemes that comply with ISO 9712. A reference to CP-106[4] would also meet the specified requirement.
Employers must specify the additional training and examinations that are necessary to provide a bridge between thescheme’s training and examinations and the specific ASME NDT procedures and/or specific employer’s needs (forexample for the application of TOFD or phased arrays).

Appendix 5: Non-destructive testing under the European
Pressure Equipment Directive (97/23/EC)
Introduction
The Pressure Equipment Directive – 97/23/EC[3] – was formally adopted by the European Parliament and Council on
29 May 1997 and was published in the Official Journal of the European Communities, No L181, on 9 July (ISBN 011
916 0927). It came into force on 29 November 1999 and compliance with its requirements has been mandatory since
29 May 2002.
The purpose of the directive is to harmonise national laws regarding the design, manufacture and conformity
assessment of pressure equipment and assemblies (vessels, storage containers, heat exchangers, shell and water tube
boilers, industrial pipework, safety devices and pressure accessories), subject to an internal pressure greater than 0.5
bar above atmospheric.
Equipment is categorised within four levels (I to IV) according to the degree of hazard: category III and IV equipment
will require conformity assessment by ‘notified bodies’ and ‘recognised third-party organisations’.

Non-destructive testing
For pressure equipment, non-destructive tests of permanent joints must be carried out by ‘suitably qualified personnel’.
For pressure equipment in categories III and IV, NDT personnel must be approved by a ‘recognised third-party
organisation’ (RTPO) recognised by a member state pursuant to Article 13.
ISO 9712 has been adopted without any change in Europe as EN ISO 9712 and the relationship between the Directive
and ISO 9712 can only be in the context of the EN version of the standard, ie EN ISO 9712. This means that any useof the standard ISO 9712 for assessing compliance to the requirements of the EU Directive shall be done by reference
to EN ISO 9712.
An informative Annex ZA is included in EN ISO 9712, which states: ‘This European standard has been prepared undera mandate given to CEN by the European Commission and the European Free Trade Association to provide a meansof conforming to essential requirements of the new approach directive (97/23/EC) (PED)’.
Once this European standard is cited in the Official Journal of the European Communities under that directive and has
been implemented as a national standard in at least one member state, compliance with the clauses of this standard
given in Table ZA.1 of Annex ZA confers, within the limits of the scope of this European standard, a presumption ofconformity with the corresponding essential requirements of that directive and associated EFTA regulations. Table ZA.1
shows the relationship between EN ISO 9712 and Directive 97/23/EC by reference to specific clauses of the standard.
Certificates of competence in compliance with EN ISO 9712:2012 issued by a recognised third-party organisation(RTPO) and covering the testing of permanent joints (in effect, welds) are presumed to satisfy the requirements of thedirective because EN ISO 9712 is a harmonised standard. But there are alternative acceptable methods of fulfilling
the requirements of the directive, as detailed in CEN/TR 15589[16] (Non-destructive testing – Code of Practice for theapproval of NDT personnel by recognised third-party organisations under the provisions of Directive 97/23/EC).

		

ICNDT GUIDE TO QUALIFICATION AND CERTIFICATION
OF PERSONNEL FOR NDTAppendix 6: Certification schemes compliant with ISO 9712
The Table on the following pages summarises information from NDT societies on personnel certification bodies
offering ISO 9712 certification, as known at the time of writing. The Table will be updated as further information
becomes available and the latest version can be found on the ICNDT website at http://bit.ly/1n2Ml3i
The following notes expand references in the Table, shown in square brackets thus [1].
1.		 Accreditation and ICNDT Registration: Inclusion on ‘ICNDT MRA 2’ in this column shows that the certificationbody is registered under Schedule 2 of the ICNDT Multilateral Recognition Agreement – see Appendix 7.
2.		 (Australian Institute) ISO 9712 since 1992
3.		 (British Institute) Also an RTPO for PED
4.		 (Bulgarian Society) ISO 9712 and ISO 20807 from 2006, ISO 18436-2 commencement from 2008, EN 		
4179 from 2008 (General)
5.		 (TUV Rheinland Bulgaria Ltd) VCMD out of accreditation
6.		 (Croatian Society) Accredited from 09/2004
7.		 (Czech Republic) Czech Society for NDT is not a certification body in Czech Republic, but participates in
the work and is a member of its certification body – Association for Personnel Certification (APC)
8.		 (COFREND) Also RTPO for PED
9.		 (German Society) Also RTPO for PED
10. (Indian Society) ISO 9001 Quality Manual, ISNT recognised as NSO of ASNT. Also collaborates with othercertification bodies
11. (Japanese Society) ISO 9712 from 2003
12. (Norwegian and Swedish Societies) Certification not done by the Society – claes.eriksson@ndttraining.se
13. (Russian Society) Additionally in Russia have several independent NDT personnel certification bodies thatannually issue up to 10,000 certificates on different methods
14. (Singapore Society) NDTSS revamped the certification and expected to gain accreditation from SAC
15. (South African Institute) The Institute does not operate a certification system (this is provided for South Africa by
the Southern African Institute of Welding). The South African Institute of NDT is represented on the SAQCC
system scheme committee.
16. (Southern African Institute of Welding) ISO 9712 from 2003
17. (Vietnam Association) ISO 9712 from 2006

21

22

ICNDT GUIDE TO QUALIFICATION AND CERTIFICATION
OF PERSONNEL FOR NDTCertification
body
AmericanSociety for
Nondestructive Testing,
Inc (ASNT)

SchemeManagement
systemCertification
standard(s)Accreditation
and ICNDT
registration [1]Methods
coveredNo of certifications
PeopleMethodCommencementof certification

ASNT NDT
Level IIIISO 17024

Recommended
Practice SNT-TC-1A

ANSI

MT, PT, RT,
UT, VT, ET,
AE, LM, LT,
NR, IR

6533

18,53903/1977

ASNT NDT
Level II

ISO 17024

Recommended
Practice SNT-TC-1A

In process by
ANSI

MT, PT, RT,
UT, VT48

69

10/10/2013

ACCP Level
II

ISO 17024

ANSI/ASNT CP-106(US adoption of ISO
9712:2005)

ANSI

MT, PT, RT,
UT, VT

1800

2132

1997

ACCP Level
III

ISO 17024

ANSI/ASNT CP-106(US adoption of ISO
9712:2005)

ANSI

MT, PT, RT,
UT, VT

972

2828

1997

IRRSP

ISO 17024

10 CFR 34
Appendix A SSRCR
Part EANSI

Radiation
SafetyCertification

3222

3241

1998

AustralianInstitute for
NDT

AINDT

IS0 17024

ISO 9712,
ISO 20807, PED

JAS-ANZ
UT, RT, MT,
ICNDT MRA 2 PT, ET, TT

1971

3620

2006[2]AustrianSociety for
NDT

ÖGfZP

ISO 17024

ISO 9712, PED

BmfEWuA

UT, RT, MT,
PT, VT, ET,
LT, IR

3040

7151

06/1993

ISO 17024

EN 473

COFRACUT, RT, ET,
MT, PT

Belgian
Association
for NDT
BrazilianSociety for
NDT

SNQC

ISO 17024

ISO 9712

INMETROUT, PT, MT,
VT, RT, AT

17,38427,001

03/93

BritishInstitute of
NDT

PCN[3]

ISO 17024
ISO 17021

ISO 9712,
ISO 18436,
ISO 20807,
ISO 10256,
ISO 11484,
EN 4179

UKAS
AE, ET, IRT,ICNDT MRA 2 LM, MT,
PT, RT, UT,
VA, VT, PA,
TOFD, CRI

17,571

36,764

1985

BulgarianSociety for
NDT

BG S NDT

ISO 17024

EN 473, ISO 9712,
ISO 18436-2,
EN 4179,
ISO 20807

BAS[4]

ET, LT, MT,
PT, RT, UT,
VT, TT, AE,
VCMD

390

1069

04/10/2001

Personnel
Certification
Body
with TÜV
Rheinland
Bulgaria Ltd

TUV RBISO 17024

BDS EN ISO 9712,
ISO 18436[5]BAS

RT, PT, MT,
UT, ET, VT,
VCMD[4]

280

1104

2002

Canadian
Institute for
NDE

CINDE

ISO 17024

ISO 9712,
ISO 20807

PT, MT, ET,
UT, RT

5400

12,4201960(Junior/Senior)
1979(Three Levels)

ChineseSociety for
NDT

ChSNDTISO 17024

ISO 9712, EN 473

CMES

MT, PT, UT,
RT24,552

37,20801/07

Croation
Society for
NDT

CrSNDTISO 17024

ISO 9712, PED

HAA[6]

UT, RT, MT,
PT, VT, ET

645

1181
valid

1964

Association
for
Personnel
Certification– APC(CzechRepublic)[7]

Std 101 APC
Std 201 APC
Std 301 APC

ISO 17024

ISO 9712,
ISO 11484

CAI

UT, RT, MT,
PT, VT, ET,
LT, VTP, UTT,
ETT, ZMJ,
ZMS, NZS,FT, AT (ATfrom 2010)

9395

1999

ICNDT GUIDE TO QUALIFICATION AND CERTIFICATION
OF PERSONNEL FOR NDT		Certification
body

SchemeInspecta
Sertifiointi
Oy, Finland

Nordtest

COFREND[8]Management
systemCertification
standard(s)Accreditation
and ICNDT
registration [1]ISO 17024

ISO 9712, PED,
ISO 18436.2

ISO 17024

Methods
coveredNo of certifications

Commencementof certification

PeopleMethodFINASET, LT, MT,
ICNDT MRA 2 PT, RT, UT,
VT, VMD,
FLA

902
+49
(CM)

2347
+49
(CM)

1978

ISO 9712, EN 4179

COFRACUT, RT, MT,
PT, VT, ET,
FLT, AT, IT,ST

13,50823,514

1978

GermanSociety for
NDT

DPZ[9]

ISO 17024

ISO 9712

DakkS

AT, ET, LT,
MT, PT, RT(incl RI, DR),
TT, UT (incl
TOFD, PA),VT

13,114

40,6981988

Hellenic
Society of
NDT

HSNT

ISO 17024

ISO 9712

ESYD

MT, PT, UT,
RT, RI, VT

76

124

2005

IndianSociety for
NDT

ISNT

ISO 17024[10]IS 13805, ISO 9712

No

RT, PT, MT,
UT, ET, IR,
VT, NRT, AE

IsraeliNational
Society for
NDT

ISRANDTISO 17024

ISO 9712

Yes

RT, UT, PT,
MT, ET

25

4

2001

The
Japanese
Society for
NDI

JSNDI

ISO 17024

JIS Z 2305
(ISO 9712 MOD)[11]No

ET, MT, PT,
RT, SM, UT

47,57488,336

1968

The Korean
Society for
NDT

KPCN

ISO 17024

ISO 9712:2012

In progress
KAB

RT, UT, MT,
PT, VT, ET

0

0

2013

NorwegianNDT Society[12]

Portugal

RelacreISO 17024

ISO 9712:2012

IPAC
ICNDT MRA2The RussianSociety for
NDT

RSNTTD
Voluntary
Scheme[13]ISO 17024

ISO 9712

MT, ET,
PT, UT, RT,
VT, AT, LT,
ThermalTesting,Vibration
Analysis

>500

588

2003

ISO 17024

ISO 9712:2012,
PED

UKAS
RT, PT, MT,
ICNDT MRA 2 UT, ET, VT,
AE

5326

7128

1994

ISO 17024

ISO 9712:2012

NO[14]

RT, UT, MT,
PT, VT, ET

8

8

2008

ISO 17024

ISO 9712

SANAS[16]MT, PT, RT,
UT, ET, VT

2152

3639

2003

>25,000

ItalianSociety for
NDT

Researchtraining
centre“Testing and
Diagnostics”(Russia)
NDT Society(Singapore)

SGNDT

South
AfricanInstitute of
NDT

[15]

Southern
AfricanInstitute of
Welding

SAQCC

23

24

ICNDT GUIDE TO QUALIFICATION AND CERTIFICATION
OF PERSONNEL FOR NDTCertification
body

SchemeManagement
systemCertification
standard(s)Accreditation
and ICNDT
registration [1]Methods
coveredNo of certifications

SwedishSociety for
NDT

[12]

Spain –
AEND

Commencementof certification

PeopleMethodCERTIAEND

IS0 17024

ISO 9712

ENAC

VT, PT, MT,
ET, UT, RT,
LT

3524

7059

1997

UkraineUkrSRINDT

IS0 17024

ISO 9712:2012

Nat accred
Agency of
UkraineICNDT MRA2

Vietnam
Association
for NDT

VANDT

ISO 17024

ISO 9712[17]No

VT, PT, UT,
RT

450

180

2008

		

ICNDT GUIDE TO QUALIFICATION AND CERTIFICATION
OF PERSONNEL FOR NDTAppendix 7: ICNDT Multilateral Recognition Agreement, PCB
assessment scheme and examination questionbank
During the NDT week in Croatia, 7-11 October 2013 at the Certification 2013 Conference, three key initiatives to aid
harmonisation and recognition of personnel certification globally were launched. These are:l The ICNDT Multilateral Recognition Agreement (MRA);l The ICNDT personnel certification body conformity assessment (PCBA); andl The ICNDT examination question bank (EQB).
These developments were included in the ICNDT Strategic Plan and have been completed by the Certification
Executive Committee and the ICNDT Executive, with the strong support of the CEC secretariat.

The ICNDT Multilateral Recognition Agreement (MRA)
Under the MRA ICNDT members sign the agreement and agree to commit to the pursuance of the objectives of the
MRA:l promote the recognition and acceptance of the certification issued by PCBs registered under the MRA;l assist other interested parties by giving a clear overview of the NDT personnel certification activities in its own
country;
l provide other parties with non-confidential information on the certification scheme(s) operated by PCB registeredunder this Agreement;l consult with and seek membership of the scheme and technical committees of NDT PCBs in its own country andl indemnify ICNDT against liability for the party’s use or misuse of this MRA.
Details are in the ICNDT Operating Procedure OP19. The ICNDT MRA builds directly on successful experience in
EFNDT with a similar agreement since 1994 and the Board of EFNDT has recommended that its member societies
should now participate in the ICNDT MRA. This will bring wider recognition of the certification provided by PCBs
than is provided under the EFNDT MRA. At the time of writing, thirty ICNDT member societies* from Europe, Asia
Pacific and Pan-America have signed the agreement. The list of current signatories is published on the ICNDT website(MRA Schedule 1).
The first PCB to apply for recognition (Ukraine: The Ukrainian Scientific Research Institute for NDT (UkrSRINDT))
was registered by ICNDT and several other registrations have been processed: including RELACRE (Portugal), RTC“Testing and Diagnostics” (Russia), Urząd Dozoru Technicznego Jednostka Certyfikująca Osoby (Poland), Inspecta
Sertifiointi Oy (Finland), BINDT PCN (UK) and AINDT (Australia). The current list of registered certification bodies ispublished on the ICNDT website (MRA Schedule 2).

Other related initiatives on certification
ICNDT is continuing with other complementary actions to further strengthen the proper use of third-party certification
and ISO 9712:
l Update of this ICNDT Guide – which explains how third-party certification to ISO 9712 can be properly embedded
in a company system/written practice;l Actions led by WG1 to document and compare how different PCBs are implementing the new ISO 9712 as a step
towards better understanding and promotion of best practice.

*Australia, Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, India, Israel, Italy, Japan,
Malaysia, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, South Africa (SAINT & SAIW), South Korea, Spain,
Switzerland, Ukraine and UK.

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ICNDT GUIDE TO QUALIFICATION AND CERTIFICATION
OF PERSONNEL FOR NDTThe ICNDT personnel certification body conformity assessment (PCBA)The PCBA offers a route to conformity assessment versus ISO 17024 and ISO 9712 likely to be of value where
accreditation is difficult or does not meet the requirements of the MRA. Details are given in ICNDT Operating
Procedure OP20.

The ICNDT examination question bank (EQB)
The ICNDT examination question bank will be an important platform for harmonisation. It is available in English andSpanish with improved management software. There are 7000+ selected questions at three levels (L1, L2, and L3)
in seven methods complying with ISO/TR 25107[8] (plus radiation safety and TOFD). The questions are classified byindustrial sector and can be combined for multi-sector examinations.

What are the benefits?
l Enable national bodies to share effort in generating suitable questions and so reduce the burden on each body;l Help harmonise standards by ensuring national bodies around the world are using a similar quality of questions;l Enable the generation of a higher quality of examination paper by increasing the number of questions from whichthose used on a particular paper can be selected;l Help to make examinations more rigorous by enabling participating bodies to ensure that their papers more evenly
cover the required bodies of knowledge for a particular subject;l Satisfy the EN ISO IEC requirement for fairness, validity and reliability in qualification examinations.

Who has access to the question bank?
l Personnel certification bodies nominated by an ICNDT member;l Who have signed or commit to sign the ICNDT Multilateral Recognition Agreement; andl Have agreed to meet the requirement for security of the data in the Examination Question Bank.

What methods and sectors are covered?
l Radiation safety: General;l Materials Science: Multi-sector;l Time of Flight Diffraction: Welds;l Visual Testing: In-Service Inspection, General;l Magnetic Particle Testing: In-Service Inspection, General;l Penetrant Testing: In-Service Inspection, Generall Eddy Current Testing: Aerospace, General, In-Service Inspection, Tubes, Welds, Wrought products;
l Radiographic Testing: Aerospace, Castings, General, In-Service Inspection, Welds;l Ultrasonic Testing: Aerospace, Castings, General, In-Service Inspection, Welds, Wrought products.

What is the application capable of?
l Generating question papers manually or automatically;l Selection options for sector, method, level and difficulty;l Each paper has a unique reference and is permanently archived;l Input form for adding further questions;l Data outputs for statistical analysis.

		

ICNDT GUIDE TO QUALIFICATION AND CERTIFICATION
OF PERSONNEL FOR NDTAppendix 8: Qualification of NDT personnel in accordancewith ISO 20807 and ISO TS 11774
Introduction
ISO 9712 establishes the general requirements for the qualification and certification of personnel for a wide rangeof competencies defined by the application of NDT methods to products, such as castings, forgings and welded
constructions used in specified industry sectors.
In certain circumstances it may be necessary or desirable, for economic or safety reasons, to qualify NDT personnel
for specified limited applications, and the two documents referred to in this Appendix provide a framework for suchqualification activities.

ISO 20807 (Non-destructive testing – Qualification of personnel for limited
applications of non-destructive testing)International standard ISO 20807[12] establishes a system for the qualification of personnel who perform NDTapplications of a limited, repetitive or automated nature, such as:l eddy current and electromagnetic sorting of materials;
l eddy current and electromagnetic testing of tubular products during manufacture;l normal beam ultrasonic testing of plate materials during manufacture;l ultrasonic thickness measurement.
As a provision outside the scope of ISO 9712 requirements, limited NDT is the practice of a test method for a particularapplication requiring specific training and experience, ie an application that is limited, repetitive or automated. Annex
A to ISO 20807 serves to provide examples of syllabuses for the training and examination of personnel seeking
qualification to this international standard.
The methodology set out in ISO 20807 may be applied to the qualification of personnel for any limited application
of NDT. However, it is not intended that qualification for limited applications be substituted for qualification andcertification under ISO 9712, which includes provision for a reduction in the duration of training and experience
required for eligibility in limited applications.

ISO TS 11774 (Non-destructive testing – Performance-based qualification)
The technical specification ISO TS 11774[13] has the scope to provide a method for qualification of non-destructive
testing personnel, procedures and equipment for specific NDT conducted in accordance with documented proceduresto achieve a required level of performance.
Implementation will require cooperation between applicable industry sector committees (ISCs) and qualification
bodies to assure that specific performance expectations are addressed.
The qualification methodology described is based upon the candidate’s ability to demonstrate capability in detecting
and sizing critical discontinuities equivalent to those to be detected and sized in the performance-based qualification
programme as established by the ISC.
Second-party (employer-based) qualification and approval (for example in accordance with ANSI/ASNT CP-189[15]), or
qualification and third-party certification (for example in accordance with ISO 9712), followed by on-the-job training,
may not provide the required degree of confidence for safety-critical inspections and this technical specification
provides criteria to assist in preparing an individual for performance-based qualification examinations.
Qualification to this ISO TS is limited to specific applications, using the specific documented procedure in theperformance-based qualification programme.

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ICNDT GUIDE TO QUALIFICATION AND CERTIFICATION
OF PERSONNEL FOR NDTProcess
The NDT procedure shall first be qualified and the personnel qualification is valid only when the essential parameters
are applied and controlled as defined within the procedure. The procedure qualification shall demonstrate thecapability to resolve mandatory detectable discontinuities under representative conditions.
The candidates shall provide evidence of current valid NDT Level 2 or 3 certification in the method for which he or
she is to be qualified. For NDT Level 2 personnel, the certification may be from a nationally recognised employerbased programme or a certification body accepted by the ICS. For NDT Level 3 personnel, the certification shall befrom a certification body.
Candidates for qualification shall have sufficient training and specific practical experience to ensure they are capableof performing non-destructive tests using the qualified NDT procedure. The experience may be obtained with the useof virtual training systems, or by examining representative specimens, with relevant and non-relevant discontinuities
that may be located in a laboratory, or analysing recorded data from automatic, digital or analogue systems.
The discontinuities in the specimens that the candidates shall report may be actual or simulated and shall range insize from the minimum detectable using a qualified procedure to not more than the maximum size specified.
The qualification body shall be responsible for the administration and grading of examinations and shall appoint the
NDT qualification examiner.
Periodic performance demonstration. The frequency and content of periodic performance demonstration shall be
determined by the ISC.
The ISO TS 11774 process is represented in flowchart form in Figure 6.

		

ICNDT GUIDE TO QUALIFICATION AND CERTIFICATION
OF PERSONNEL FOR NDTFigure 6. The ISO TS 11774 process

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ICNDT GUIDE TO QUALIFICATION AND CERTIFICATION
OF PERSONNEL FOR NDTAppendix 9: Guidance for developing countries seeking toestablish national certification schemes
Background
This guidance has been developed by ICNDT in response to Action Plan 3, Action A5: “Provide guidance for developing
countries seeking to establish national certification schemes – listing merits of co-operation with established CBs”.

Preamble
1. It is clearly not practical for every single PCB to offer every category of certification (method, sector, etc).
2. NDT societies in developing countries considering setting up their own certification schemes face a major task
and a long period of time before they can offer a full range of certification and further major hurdles in achieving
recognition.
3. On the other hand, management of a national PCB is often a route to some authority and influence for an NDTsociety in its own country.
4. Some qualification and certification organisations offer training and examinations outside their home countries,
using several different models:l ASNT offers examinations for Level 3 in numerous different countries around the world, through international
authorised examination centres (Germany, Egypt, Malaysia and UK) and national sponsoring organisations,which are mainly NDT societies, including ChSNDT, ISNT and KSNT. There are other special examination
sponsors in a further seven countries.
l PCN (the certification body of BINDT) offers PCN examinations through a number of authorised qualification
bodies in the UK and abroad. Some of the UK-based AQBs themselves offer examinations abroad (in Greece,
Hong Kong, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Qatar, UAE, USA) and external AQBs have been set up in Australia, China,
India, Netherlands and Singapore.
l Research and Training Centre Moscow, an accredited certification body, offers examinations in Russia and alsoin India and Ukraine through its AQBs there.

Guidance
National NDT societies seeking to establish national certification schemes are recommended to consider seeking
cooperation with an existing certification body as an alternative or complementary approach. This does not preclude
setting up a local PCB.
NDT societies and/or PCBs which are operating outside their own home country are encouraged to cooperate closelywith the national NDT society where they wish to operate. In practice, this should be achieved by means of a signed
agreement between the parties. Possible areas of collaboration are:l External PCBs should seek to accept local certification and training as an entry level to their examinationsl Agreement on language for examinationsl Recognition of local meetings and activities in points schemes for renewal/recertification.
When there is a disagreement, the matter should be referred to ICNDT for mediation.

		

ICNDT GUIDE TO QUALIFICATION AND CERTIFICATION
OF PERSONNEL FOR NDTAppendix 10: Code of practice for personnel certification		bodiesNDT personnel certification bodies (PCBs) seeking ICNDT approval and/or registration under the ICNDT Multilateral
Agreement on Recognition of Certification are obliged to sign an undertaking to comply with this Code of Practice.
Inter alia, they shall:
1.		 Maintain compliance with the standard(s) and specification(s) detailed on their certificate of accreditation or the
ICNDT certificate of conformity, notifying the ICNDT Certification Executive Committee (ICEC) of any change instatus, or in the standards with which the certification scheme that they operate to complies;
2.		 Promote recognition and acceptance in their own country of the certificates of conformance issued by other NDT
PCBs registered under the ICNDT MRA;
3.		 Keep confidential all examination material, including examination questions and specimens, in secure conditions
with strictly controlled access only to authorised individuals;
4.		 Conduct their business in a responsible manner and utilise fair and equitable practices in dealing with clients andcandidates;
5.		 Perform their professional duties with proper regard for the physical environment and the safety, health and wellbeing of certificate holders and candidates for certification;
6.		 Protect to the fullest extent possible, consistent with the wellbeing of the public and the provisions of this CoP,
any information given to them in confidence by an employer of certificated NDT personnel, candidates andcertificate holders, or members of the public;
7.		 Avoid conflicts of interest with employers of certificated NDT personnel or candidates, but when unavoidable,
forthwith disclose the circumstances to the employer or candidate;
8.		 Not falsify nor permit misrepresentation of their accreditation, ICNDT certificate of conformity or certificate ofregistration under the ICNDT MRA;
9.		 Refrain from making unjustified statements or from performing unethical acts that would discredit the NDT
profession or the ICNDT;
10. Immediately report to the ICEC any perceived violation(s) of this Code of Practice by any party;
11. Accept the right of the ICNDT, and provide unhindered access to a nominated representative of the ICNDT, toinvestigate any alleged infringements of this Code of Practice;
12. 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 jurisdiction of Austrian law.

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ICNDT GUIDE TO QUALIFICATION AND CERTIFICATION
OF PERSONNEL FOR NDTAppendix 11: ICNDT tabulation of PCB’s implementation of
ISO 9712:2012
ICNDT has invited personnel certification bodies to tabulate clause by clause how they implement ISO 9712 in orderthat users of certification and other stakeholders may see how the various options and freedoms are interpreted. The
information is presented in an Excel spreadsheet with the clauses listed row by row and each PCB having its own
column. Cells are coloured yellow to indicate ‘complies with the standard’, green to indicate ‘exceeds the minimum
requirements of the standard’ and, exceptionally, red for ‘does not comply’. Due to the size of the spreadsheet it is notpresented here, but it can be accessed on the ICNDT website at http://bit.ly/1k6YUQ1. The document on the website
will be modified as more information becomes available.

ICNDT Guide to
Qualification andCertificationof Personnel
for NDT
Published on behalf of ICNDT by the Publishing Department, The British Institute of Non-Destructive Testing,
Newton Building, St George’s Avenue, Northampton NN2 6JB, UK.
Tel: +44 (0)1604 89 3811 | Fax: +44 (0)1604 89 3861 | Email: info@bindt.org | Web: www.bindt.org

www.icndt.org

1 October 2014