SGS NDT Training & Examination Centre passes BINDT audit
19/09/2011
The SGS NDT Training & Examination Centre in Shanghai, China, is proud to announce that it again passed an audit by The British Institute of Non-Destructive Testing (BINDT) with zero non-conformance reports for both Authorised Qualifying Body (AQB) and Accredited Training Organisation (ATO) on 21 July 2011.Back in July 2008, SGS became the first ever Authorised Qualifying Body and Accredited Training Organisation in its 20 years of conducting audits to have passed the initial BINDT accreditation audit with zero non-conformances for both AQB and ATO.
Since that historic date, the SGS NDT Training & Examination Centre has undergone annual surveillance audits and maintained its 100% success rate of receiving non-compliances every year. In addition to the annual audits, the requirement for AQBs and ATOs is to have a full assessment audit every three years, which is a combination of the initial accreditation audit and the annual audit of records, thus it is extremely rigorous. On 21 July 2011, the SGS centre underwent a three-year re-accreditation audit and once again received zero non-conformance reports for both AQB and ATO.
The BINDT audit authorises SGS to conduct both training and examinations in accordance with BINDT requirements in China and around the world. It is an essential and increasing requirement of safety and quality assurance that operators and technicians are able to demonstrate the necessary level of knowledge, skill and competence. Non-destructive testing and inspections are primarily operator-dependent. As a result, manufacturers, end-users and the general public rely on the skill, experience, judgement and integrity of the personnel involved, sometimes for critical inspections of components that could produce catastrophic consequences if they failed.
In China, where mainly local certification schemes and in-house inspection bodies are used, mismatches are easily found between the international codes and standards referred to and the certification scheme used. SGS therefore invested in a training school, setting a benchmark and creating an opportunity for local manufacturers and their inspection bodies to meet international standards in both production and inspection. “Operators and inspectors trained by the SGS Training and Examination Centre in China meet the requirements set out in EN 473 and comply 100% with all PED and EN code-related inspections without a doubt,” said Floris Verhagen, Global Director NDT Business.
BINDT has overall control of the certification process, which it operates, and enforces a high standard of training and examinations. However, BINDT manages the certification scheme and outsources the pre-examination training to Accredited Training Organisations (ATOs) and the conduct of the Personnel Certification of NDT (PCN) examinations to Authorised Qualifying Bodies (AQBs). Both ATOs and AQBs are vigorously audited by BINDT on a continuous basis.
Often, these two services are separate businesses, cooperating with each other to coordinate training and examinations at pre-determined intervals around the world. However, the SGS NDT Training & Examination Centre has become the first permanent establishment in China to offer both ATO and AQB services.
The fact that the SGS NDT Training & Examination Centre has once again successfully passed the BINDT audit without any non-compliance reports demonstrates not only the level of training that SGS delivers, but also the commitment of its staff to maintain and continuously improve the level of quality SGS has set ever since 2008.
www.sgs.com/ndt-training
