ISO 17025 and the Delivery of Competent NDT Services … · ISO 17025 and the Delivery of Competent...

National Association of Testing Authorities, Australia

ISO 17025 and the Delivery of

Competent NDT Services

Brett Hyland


Delivery of Competent NDT Services

OH&S legislation places responsibility on those

appointing subcontractors/suppliers to ensure

their competence

Liability for adverse consequences arising from

incompetent suppliers means we all have a

personal stake in knowing what ‘competence’

means


Delivery of Competent NDT Services

Effective controls, appropriate to the project risk

profile

• personnel

• processes

Role of third party assurance

Active client oversight


NDT Personnel

Base qualifications

Appropriate certification level

Context-dependent approvals

Regular competency assessment

Active involvement of the Level 3

On-site technical auditing


NDT personnel

Base qualifications

•AINDT scheme AS 9712 (formerly AS 3998)

•2000/01 changes enforced by NATA


NDT personnel

Appropriate certification level

•Default is Level 2

•Test parameters explicitly detailed for Level 1


NDT personnel

Context-dependent approvals

•Varying experience, eg manufacturing vs commercial

NDT

•Varying application, eg in-service vs newly

manufactured

•Varying test items, eg UT of ferritic welds vs austenitic,

thermit

•Item-specific approvals?


NDT personnel

Regular competency assessment

• Independent practical examinations

• 5 yearly competency assessment


NDT personnel Level 3 Involvement

• Authorisation of technicians as competent to perform specific tests

• Writing or approving test procedures, validating these as necessary

• Monitoring the need for additional test procedures (in conjunction with

the process for review of incoming work requests • Management of the in-house NDT competency program

• Monitoring of the quality of reporting test data across the organisation

• Ensuring field technical control

• Ensuring the integrity of testing equipment

• Dealing with technical queries from testing personnel


NDT personnel Level 3 Involvement • Documented nature and frequency of Level 3 input

• Documented circumstances requiring additional Level 3 input

• Documented delegation of Level 3 responsibilities during

absence


NDT personnel Adequacy of Level 3 input

• Experience level of local full-time staff

• Diversity and quantity of work undertaken • Whether procedures are written generically or as item-specific

instructions

• The vulnerability of the local technical control arrangements in the

absence of key staff

• The extent to which technicians perform work at locations away from the base site

• The nature of the competency assessment undertaken for technicians


NDT processes

Test procedure selection

Equipment assurance

Test records and reporting practices

Management system controls


NDT processes

Test procedure selection

•Technical review of test requests

•Technique limitations (PoD issues)

•‘Screening’ methods


NDT processes

Equipment assurance

•Calibration

•Maintenance

•Capable of required accuracy


NDT processes

Test records and reporting practices

•Complete record of test

•Reports data clear, aligned with test specifications

•Tailored to customer requirements


NDT processes

Management system controls

•ISO 9001 type controls

•Covered in 17025, with additional elements


Australia’s Accreditation, Certification and Conformity Assessment Infrastructure

International

Accreditation Forum (IAF)

International Cooperations Peer evaluations to ISO/IEC 17011

International

Laboratory Accreditation

Cooperation (ILAC)

Joint Accreditation

Scheme of Australia and New Zealand (JASANZ)

Accreditation Bodies Competency assessment of

Conformity Assessment Bodies (to various

standards)

National Association

of Testing Authorities, Australia (NATA)

Product certification bodies

Personnel certification bodies

ISO 9000 management system

certifiers

ISO 14000 environmental system

certifiers

Conformity Assessment

Bodies

Laboratories

Inspection Bodies

Reference Material Producers

Proficiency Testing Scheme

Providers

Government, industry and

the wider community as

customers

Stakeholders

Government, industry and

the wider community as

customers



Commonwealth Government MoU with NATA • aims to promote an appropriate, internationally recognised infrastructure for

inspection, testing, measurement, proficiency testing schemes, reference material production and certification, based on accreditation;

• aims to encourage the ongoing development and strengthening of that infrastructure to meet the changing needs of industry and consumers in Australia's public and national interest;

• recognises the value of accreditation systems; • looks to NATA to provide leadership and guidance; • recognises NATA as Australia’s key organisation for the development of

knowledge, international experience and recognition in accreditation of inspection bodies, testing and measurement laboratories, proficiency testing scheme providers and producers of reference materials; and

• recognises NATA's role in accrediting facilities that play a crucial role in assuring public health, safety and environmental quality.



Commonwealth Government MoU with NATA

• NATA will provide national leadership in establishing standards of good laboratory practice, in accrediting laboratories, inspection bodies,

proficiency testing scheme providers and producers of reference

materials thereby providing a network of competent accredited service

providers to meet national needs as identified by governments or

industry groups.



Ensuring industry needs are met

•Use of external industry technical specialists

•90 current NDT appointments (compared with >150

labs)

•NDT Accreditation Advisory Committee

•Technically focussed assessments


Role of third party assurance Accreditation outcomes in NDT

•Testing operators holding a base qualifications for the NDT method(s),

with specific authorizations based on competency assessment and

experience for product areas.

•Testing operators required to perform regular ongoing competency testing relevant to the work they perform.

•Testing operators subject to at least annual technical witness audits (on-

site).



•A designated Company Level 3 responsible for developing test methods,

approving personnel to conduct specific types of testing, monitoring

operator competence and ensuring effective technical control measures

are in place over testing work.

•Company Level 3 oversight to ensure that selected techniques represent

the most suitable approach for the testing application.



•NDT equipment performance checks are current and records of

verification are maintained.

•Complete job records to ensure that the test is repeatable, which enables

independent verification in case of dispute.



•Reports which provide clear details regarding the nature, location and size

of detected defects in accordance with the nominated test specification, as

well as any limitations of testing.

•A formal management system in place including corrective and preventive action processes, formal document control, internal auditing systems, well

as protocols for establishing/controlling worksites and processes for

monitoring technical control over sites.


Active client oversight of NDT

Risk profile of work may warrant direct project

oversight

•Pre-qualification activities

•Ongoing reliability controls



Pre-qualification activity examples •Pre-qualification process for personnel being provided

by the testing company

•Provision for client to approve the NDT supplier’s test

methods for all specified types of testing for the project

•Provision for client approval of supplied validation data

for nominated critical testing applications



Ongoing reliability examples

•Random re-testing of individual equipment items by

independent companies

•Independent random witness auditing of tasks at the

site by client auditors

•Compliance monitoring of test parameters (may

include the use of real-time data capture systems)


Conclusion

Technical assurance is required for

• NDT personnel

• NDT processes

Control mechanisms (Complementary)

• Third party assurance

• Active client oversight

ISO 17025 and the Delivery of Competent NDT Services … · ISO 17025 and the Delivery of Competent...

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