European Forum for NANDTB
National Aerospace NDT Boards (NANDTB) have been formed in many countries around the world as a direct result of European Aerospace Safety Agency (EASA) regulation part 145, which mandates the implementation of European Standard EN 4179 (Aerospace series – qualification and approval of personnel for non-destructive testing) by maintenance organisations subject to the regulation. EN 4179 describes a National Aerospace NDT Board as: "an independent national aerospace organisation, representing a nation's aerospace industry, that is chartered by the participating prime contractors and recognised by the nation's regulatory agencies to provide or support NDT qualification and examination services in accordance with this standard."
Clause 4.5.2 of EN 4179 elaborates …
"When used, the NANDTB shall administer procedures for qualification and certification of NDT personnel according to the requirements of this standard. It is entitled, in conjunction with the employer, to recognise equivalencies of qualification and certification, and may be requested to provide general guidelines in accordance with this standard regarding facilities for NDT training, course outlines, examination questions and exam procedures.
For countries where no NANDTB exists, the employer may use the services of other NANDTBs, but are not required to do so."
This effectively mandated the widespread establishment of NANDTB, and it was recognised that, without some form of harmonising influence, the various NANDTBs would address the applicable requirements in diverse ways. Therefore, an open meeting of 31 interested parties was held during the 9th European Conference on NDT in Berlin on 29 September 2006 and, following a round table discussion of the pertinent issues, this meeting unanimously agreed to establish a European Forum for NANDTB under the umbrella of the European Federation for NDT.
The inaugural meeting of the Forum for NANDTB was convened in Paris during December 2006, and was attended by over 40 individuals representing established NANDTB as well as interested individuals from countries that had not yet established a national board. The Forum discussed in some detail the common objectives of the members, and established documented procedures covering its constitution, terms of reference and methods of working.
Click here to visit the European Forum for National Aerospace NDT Board's website.
