PCN News

Certification Services Department – March 2025

Qualifications & Certification Talk

Update to PCN certificates

You will be aware that the Certification Services Department and the Technical and Industrial Department have been working with industry representatives to fully revise the PCN certification scheme in line with the latest edition of BS EN ISO 9712. The new suite of documentation can be found on our website at https://www.bindt.org/Certification/PCN24download/.

As a result of the changes, we have received feedback that the PCN certificates no longer show the legacy numbering on the reverse of the PCN certificate. BINDT is working through this PCN24 transition process and is currently dealing with updating the certificates to resolve this issue very soon. The updated reverse of the PCN certificate will look as follows:

Improvements to Certification Services

The British Institute of NDT (BINDT) and its Certification Services Department have embarked on a number of exciting developments to improve services for certificate holders, training schools and examination centres, as well as others engaging with the PCN Scheme, by re-prioritising its strategy and implementing a digital transformation.

BINDT is developing an ‘Application Management’ system, which will align with the upgrade to the BINDT website.

The application management system will improve the efficiency of application processing and allow PCN certificate holders to track the progress of their applications online.

Electronic examinations are continuing to be rolled out to Authorised Qualifying Bodies (AQBs) and so far this has been very successful. This, linked with other measures BINDT has taken to tighten up the whole training and examination process, will provide for a more secure and efficient qualification process.

BINDT is still going through a transition to issue PCN certificates electronically, thus giving PCN certificate holders access to print/download their certification using their electronic devices and avoiding delays with postage.
Also in development is a system for the online submission of examination results notices, from the AQB directly to PCN, avoiding duplication of data entry, minimising the risk of errors and improving efficiency.

In summary, users of the PCN Certification Scheme can expect the following improvements in the coming months:

Improved customer service
Additional resource to process applications and respond to queries
Application Manager system to track the progress of applications and renewals
Online examinations
Electronic certificates
Online submission of results notices
Product Technology online training course
Update to Rail Sector scheme
Update to Weld Inspection scheme.

Ongoing verification of Basic Radiation Safety competence for PCN certification in RT – Mandatory notice

Due to global differences within requirements for radiation safety and the difficulties in PCN being able to establish parity between a specific country’s requirements for radiation safety when compared to the BINDT requirements for PCN Basic Radiation Safety (BRS), the BINDT Certification Management Committee (CMC) has mandated that candidates for initial PCN radiographic testing (RT) certification and subsequent revalidation of any issued PCN RT certificate shall be required to pass the PCN BRS examination as a means of proving competence for radiation safety.

Successful completion of the PCN BRS certification examination will verify to PCN that the candidate’s knowledge for radiation safety has met the minimum training and examination requirements for radiation safety, which shall be the satisfactory benchmark in terms of level of knowledge and understanding.

This rule will be enforced irrespective of the existence of other national or local regulations that normally apply in a given country and which may fall short of the above benchmark.

This revised requirement is not intended to discredit either national or local regulations that apply at any given worksite and it is the responsibility of the person conducting industrial radiography to comply with all local/legal requirements and/or approved codes of practice.

All candidates presenting for PCN RT certification shall be expected to be in compliance with this revised requirement by 1 March 2025.

PCN renewal and recertification

There is a requirement for all BS EN ISO 9712-accredited Certification Bodies, of which BINDT is one, to ensure that all their certificate holders applying for renewal or recertification meet the criteria defined within BS EN ISO 9712 prior to the issue of certification to them. This allows the Certification Body to demonstrate to organisations such as the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) that the certification decisions it makes are complete, correct, documented and meet the requirements of the standards aligned to its scope of accreditation.

It is a requirement of BS EN ISO 9712 and conversely the PCN Certification Scheme to ensure that the practical competency of a Level 2 or Level 3 certificate holder can be verified at the point of certification renewal, hence the need for all certificate holders (Level 2 or Level 3) to have successfully demonstrated to PCN, through correct submission, that the required number of practical non-destructive testing (NDT) tests under qualified supervision have been demonstrated to meet the requirements of the standard (BS EN ISO 9712).

As of 1 April 2025, the renewal process will change to PCN24/CP16 for renewal/recertification of Levels 1, 2 and 3 PCN certification, therefore superseding CP16 issue 32 and CP17 issue 13 (which will not be accepted after 1 April 2025). It is fully understood that some PCN holders may find it difficult to meet the criteria; however, in order to comply with the standard, BINDT has to comply with these requirements. Please refer to what is now prescribed within BS EN ISO 9712:2022 for renewal and recertification.

New contact emails for certification department

As part of its improvements to services, the British Institute of Non-Destructive Testing has implemented some new contact details for the PCN team:

pcn.enquiries@bindt.org for general PCN enquiries

renewals@bindt.org for all PCN Level 1 and Level 2 applications
pcn.applications@bindt.org for any other PCN applications ie late, deferral or post experience.

Lost, stolen or withdrawn certificates

All employers, agencies and end-users are advised that PCN certificates are only valid when presented with a laminated wallet card bearing the image and signature of the certificate holder.

Information on withdrawn/suspended certification:

At the discretion of the Certification Body, certification may be suspended/withdrawn in those situations whereby the Certification Body deems it necessary that a certification suspension/withdrawal is appropriate in line with PCN24/CP21 (Annex A – complaints, cheating and falsification applied penalties).

All certification for the following individuals has been withdrawn, with a five-year ban on attempts at PCN examinations/certification:

Erik Aulin, PCN number 212770, from 28 July 2020
Mohd Nasir, PCN number 304873, from 11 February 2021
Mark Jeffry Celis, PCN number 332973, from 7 June 2021
Rohith Tadakala, PCN number 336997, from 8 December 2021
Ruslan Moh, (no PCN number), from 15 February 2022
Salim Agus, PCN number 301251, from 4 March 2022
Shahrilahzam Bin Maraideen, PCN number 306704, from 4 March 2022
Daniel Danczyszyn, (no PCN number), from 6 April 2022
Sebastian Lata, PCN number 212298, from 7 June 2022
Mohamad Mohaizzat Bin Mohktar, (no PCN number), from 21 July 2022
Amber Neville, PCN number 328804, from 12 September 2024
Khairunniza Mohammed, PCN number 313844, from 27 September 2024
Nofa Setiawan, PCN number 317409, from 21 October 2024
Alan Boyd, PCN number 101620, from 12 November 2024.

All certification for the following PCN numbers has been withdrawn, with a 12-month ban on attempts at PCN examinations/certification:

Andrei Prokopenko, PCN number 337219, withdrawn from 20 June 2023 (until Russian sanctions lifted)
Sergei Vyrelkin, PCN number 343684, withdrawn from 20 June 2023 (until Russian sanctions lifted)
Dexter Dylan Tay Wai Ming, (no PCN number), withdrawn from from 22 January 2024
Dragan Andreevski (no PCN number), 12-month ban on all PCN examination attempts from 16 February 2024
Graham Herdman, PCN number 201890, 12-month ban on RT/BRS/ARS examinations from 24 May 2024
Derajat Arianto, PCN number 340366, 12-month ban on MT certification from 17 October 2024.

Certification for the following individuals has been withdrawn, with a permanent ban on attempts at PCN examinations/certification:

G Venkataraman – PCN number 309672, from July 2017
Francis Regis Joe – PCN number 302284, from July 2017
Biju Pappu – PCN number 325842, from July 2017
Venkaiah Vanka – PCN number 329274, from July 2017
C Thangachariman – PCN number 333686, from July 20176
Andrew Harvey (aka A J Lourdes) – PCN number 327730, from July 2017
K Kumaran – PCN number 317701, from July 2017
R Ganesh – PCN number 329206, from July 2017
G Narayanaswamy – PCN number 329278, from July 2017
K V Sivaramakrishnan – PCN number 313268, from July 2017
P Muthu Kumar – PCN number 328063, from July 2017
Suman Dey – PCN number 300332, from July 2017
Mohd Ismail Dollah, PCN number 315893, from 28 July 2020
Abdul Rahman – PCN number 210063, from 28 September 2023
Lalitha Venkatesh (no PCN number).

PCN FAQ page

PCN has a frequently asked questions page on the BINDT website, which can be found at: www.bindt.org/certification/general-information/frequently-asked-questions-faq

For any other PCN-related questions, email: pcn.enquiries@bindt.org

Verification of PCN applications

There is a high percentage of verification checks carried out on information submitted in support of PCN applications. In the event that a deliberate attempt to deceive is detected, severe penalties will be applied; please refer to document CP27 ‘Code of ethics for PCN certificate holders’, available at: www.bindt.org/downloads/cp27.pdf

If in doubt about the validity of the information you are providing, seek the advice of BINDT Certification Records Office staff at: pcn.enquiries@bindt.org

Code of Ethics for PCN certificate holders

Individuals certificated within the PCN Scheme must recognise that personal integrity and professional competence are the fundamental principles on which their testing activities are founded. Accordingly, it is a condition of PCN certification that certificate holders shall abide by the PCN Code of Ethics (PCN document CP27). All certificate holders agree to comply with this Code of Ethics at the point of application for examination, recertification and renewal.

Complaints and appeals, which are handled with extreme discretion and impartiality, can be submitted using PCN form CP21 (www.bindt.org/downloads/CP21.pdf).

The process for whistleblowing can be viewed by visiting: www.bindt.org/membership/for-individuals/guidance-on-whistleblowing

BINDT training and examination centre status

All up-to-date contact details for Authorised Qualifying Bodies (AQBs)/examination centres, new and continually approved, can be found at: www.bindt.org/downloads/PSL4.pdf

All up-to-date contact details for Approved Training Organisations (ATOs), new and continually approved, can be found at: www.bindt.org/education-and-training/bindt-approved-trainers

Approved PCN stamps

BINDT offers candidates the opportunity to purchase an approved form of stamp, which, when used in support of the usual signature, will positively identify the PCN certificate holder reporting the results of tests or authorising NDT instructions and procedures.

For an order form and further information on approved PCN stamps, see PCN document PSL/66, which can be found at: www.bindt.org/downloads/PSL66.pdf