Practitioner Award

Award criteria

 
Purpose: The purpose of this award is to recognise outstanding achievement in the learning, sharing or execution of NDT/CM/SHM practice.
 
Details of the award: Cash of £250 and a voucher to the value of £300 towards training at an approved training organisation (ATO)/authorised qualifying body (AQB).
 
Eligibility: BINDT members at Affiliate grade or higher showing outstanding performance in NDT/CM/SHM duties and demonstrating qualities such as a consistently high standard of performance in a specific job (service, loyalty, ethics, client satisfaction), potential to develop the depth or breadth of NDT/CM/SHM competence, acting as a mentor, coach or leader of junior or less experienced colleagues or associates and/or contribution to a specific project that yielded technical and/or financial benefits for the employer or organisation.

The proposer of the award should be a voting member of the Institute. If they are not, they will need to ensure the application is endorsed by an Institute voting member.

Frequency: Annual award.
 
Nomination arrangements: Any Member or Associate member of BINDT who participates in or contributes to the execution of NDT/CM/SHM in the workplace. 
 
The Practitioner Committee will select the most suitable applicant and forward their nomination to the Croxson Committee for submission to Council for approval.
 
Awarding arrangements: Presentation from any member of the Practitioner Committee at the most mutually convenient location. Photographic record and subsequent publication in NDT News.
 
Committee: Practitioner Committee.

Winners

The Practitioner Award for 2023 is awarded to Peter Glenton.

Peter Glenton started his career working in a computerised numerical control (CNC) precision engineering shop on Gateshead’s Team Valley. This is where he was first introduced to non-destructive testing (NDT) methods. He was trained to read all contractor paperwork/certificates to ensure all paperwork, including NDT paperwork, was correct.

After leaving this job, Peter funded his PCN qualifications at the Oceaneering Training Centre, AIS Newcastle and Lavender International. In 2016, working out of the Oceaneering site office at Immingham, he worked on various sites including Eggborough Power Station, Cristal and GrowHow. He considers this time in his career to be an eye opener into the industry and the wide-ranging applications it lends itself to.

After working on the final assembly of jackets for an offshore windfarm in Newcastle for a year, Peter decided to return to Oceaneering in 2018. After contracting for two months, he was offered a staff position as NDT Technician at the Wilton office. His final position was on a long-term pipe registration/remediation project, which involved managing the workload and leading a team of three technicians, working alongside API inspectors completing multiple jobs to tight deadlines and attending P6 planning meetings, as well as budget management of the NDT team. Work included extensive digital radiography, site gamma radiography, ultrasonic testing (UT) thickness checking and surface-breaking techniques. Peter considers this the most interesting job he has had so far in his career.

In May 2019, Peter joined Babcock at His Majesty’s Naval Base Clyde (Faslane) and swiftly found all his past experience pushed to its limits. He quickly found himself conducting radiography in a small team with alternating team members, honing his previous skills. He assisted the Radiation Protection Supervisor (RPS) (Team Leader) in the preparation of paperwork, as well as conducting radiography. By 2020, Peter was an appointed RPS, a role he enjoys. As acting team leader and RPS he has helped guide less experienced co-workers to improve and progress their skills. The high demand of the customer due to the operational requirement of the continuous at sea deterrent (CASD) often clashes with process and procedures. More importantly, it pushes health and safety sometimes beyond a reasonable level. This has required a full and complete understanding of Babcock’s own procedures and the customer processes, as well as an unwavering focus on safety, all of which have enabled Peter to help improve procedures and best practice while on site.

Peter enjoys the teaching of others, as co-workers progress in experience and confidence. He is extremely focused on safety, which means he is often concerned with different aspects of work than higher management and, going forward, wants to instil higher safety standards wherever he goes.