Standards Committee

Please give a brief history of the Standards Committee, when it was founded and so on.
In late 2015 and early 2016, the Standards Advisory Working Group, chaired by Andy Bakewell, was active in attempting to provide UK input to non-destructive testing (NDT) standards across all the recognised and applied NDT methods. The group was supported by BINDT.
In September 2023, the BINDT Standards Committee was set up, reporting to the BINDT Technical Committee. It replaced the Standards Advisory Working Group and was given the remit to reinvigorate the process of forming a firmer, more effective working relationship with the British Standards Institution (BSI).

What is the purpose of the Committee?
The Standards Committee is concerned with technical matters relating to ISO, EN and BS standards, including the reviewing, amendment and creation of standards. For example, the Committee provides expertise for the purpose of ensuring that scientific and technical developments and new materials are adequately catered for in the development of ISO/EN/BS standards.

What is your personal role within the Committee?
In early 2020, I was nominated to the Chair of the then Standards Advisory Working Group. In September 2023, I became employed as a Technical and Certification Engineer at BINDT and was authorised by BINDT CEO David Gilbert to set up a Standards Committee as mentioned above. I subsequently drafted the Terms of Reference for the Standards Committee to meets its intended remit.
The new Standards Committee facilitated a more informed UK input to the systematic review of existing and new emerging NDT standards, in particular following concerns that the UK input was often tending towards abstention due to lack of UK experts coming forward to assist in that process.
In a temporary break with convention as an employee of BINDT, I have taken up the position of acting Chair with a view to getting the Standards Committee more firmly established and visible among the BINDT propositions, with a proactive membership that harnesses the technical talent existent within the pool of industry volunteers that constitute the various BINDT technical forums.

What are the key achievements of the Committee?
Following the inaugural meeting of the Standards Committee in February 2024 and the four meetings since, there has been a tangible improvement in the interest levels and attendance, with a modest increase in BSI WEE/46 (ie NDT) sub-committee membership that will hopefully grow in the future as the benefits of that collaboration become more publicised and the networking benefits become more evident.

Is the Committee working on any particular projects? Please describe these.
One current example of strong potential for significant UK input was a request from the Chair of CEN/TC 138 (ie NDT) for UK expert input to a CEN WG proposed work item to affect a transition of a technical report (used for information) on NDT process validation and qualification, to a technical specification of the type that might be employed to mandate specific statistical/ mathematical techniques, in order to generate a more quantitative assessment of a test system’s capability. That would involve the nomination of a UK expert and a member of the BINDT Standards Committee is currently in discussion with BSI about this.

What is the single most important thing about the Committee that you would like readers to know?
It is important that NDT inspection organisations, practitioners, manufacturers and the many industry sectors that apply NDT methods and inspections are not only aware of the existence of NDT standards and where to acquire those, but also of the opportunity to track and influence the status of those standards by proactive participation in the standardisation process. Along with the BINDT Yearbook, the monthly update in NDT News and the BINDT website, the Standards Committee provides a vehicle for that participation and for a recognised continuing professional development (CPD) activity.

How can interested individuals get involved?
Please contact Eleanor Flower, Committee Secretary, at: eleanor.flower@bindt.org

Another group will feature in the September issue. If you have questions for any of BINDT’s committees, working groups or special interest groups, please send them to Corinne Mackle at ndtnews@bindt.org or Maria Felice at mvfelice@gmail.com

Looking for the People in NDE column? This column will continue on an occasional basis, so if you have any interviewees to recommend, or would like to be featured yourself, please contact the editor at ndtnews@bindt.org or email Maria Felice at mvfelice@gmail.com