Qualification and certification process
ATG Group implements requirements of the Customer to its product delivery in order to help him to be competitive on the market. Personnel qualification of Customer‘s employees is an important part of this task that requires specific assessment.
The Employer (supplier) takes full responsibility for his products and this responsibility is further transferred to employees by their contract in the company. Each employee therefore takes responsibility for his/her work. Due to that he or she must be well qualified for work, which means to fulfil minimal requirements for education and vision acuity, has experience in the field and be trained and examined by someone that copes well with the given field.
Qualification process parts
The qualification process as a whole is composed of 3 parts:
- Qualification training
- Qualification examination
- Certification
Applicants need to pass every step in order to successfully complete the process. Each step is paid and prices may vary dramatically depending on the length and by organizations providing the qualification.
Process, qualification system, method, qualification level, sector
Therefore it’s important to know the adequate range of requested qualification for own employees: process, qualification system, method, qualification level (and technique), sector (and product code). Proper selection determines the effectiveness with which the employee will be able to work as well as operational expenses to be spent.
This six-combination gives exact quantification of provided qualification of the requirements put on the trainee, both legal and personal. ATG Group uses it to help the Customer to choose an appropriate qualification for their employees based on their requirements and needs.
Why Written Practice Matters In Qualification Of Aerospace NDT Personnel Acc. To EN4179/NAS410?
Watch the live talk given by Tomáš Zavadil, Deputy Director of ATG, during virtual conference NDE2021. It explains in detail why Written Practice has the key role for personnel qualification in employer-based qualification system. Additionally it also provides useful hints how to identify predatory organizations providing Outside Agency services that may not fully comply with Employer requirements.
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Selection of qualification
Processes (e.g. NDT, welding) in terms of qualification may be seen as the industrial or production activities that the company is implementing. Regular employee is usually working only in one process (or even only its part).
Qualification for each process may be done according to various qualification systems. Each system reflects different verification mechanism (independent and employer certification) including strictly observed industrial sectors (aerospace, pressure vessels) due to high danger/responsibility involved (e.g. EN 4179/NAS410).
Both Process and System are usually predefined by the company’s business environment that is given for the company and therefore usually cannot be selected freely. The next four operational attributes provide more flexibility.
Method is a set of physical principles, technology and knowledge to be used to process particular activity within the Special Process of the company’s interest. In terms of the whole combination, this is the key decision point for the responsible manager as it decides what the employee is going to do on shopfloor.
Level determines the extent of knowledge operator needs to know and basic range of responsibilities he/she may have delegated once working in the field. In most of the systems, 3 basic qualification levels are accepted.
- Level I – operator is performing without evaluation under an operator Level II, or III respectively, without evaluation
- Level II – operator is responsible for evaluation and is qualified to write instructions for Level I
- Level III – operator is responsible for the whole NDT process (is a manager) for given method
Industrial sector defines the area of the interest. In industrial inspections, this usually means the types of products to be tested (e.g. welds, castings) or industrial field (e.g. aerospace, railways). Some systems does not recognize sectors.
Product code defines a specific documentation that prescribes the special method of production that has been used (e.g. ASME Code, EN 13445, AWS D1.1., EN 1090). This further narrows down industrial sector, or it defines specific approach given by e.g. country of origin.