24 M A T E R I A L S E V A L U A T I O N • J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 0 Participate Participate in American National Standards Development ASNT’s Standards Development Committee (SDC) develops ASNT’s standards, including ANSI/ASNT CP-106: Nondestructive Testing — Qualification and Certification of Personnel ANSI/ASNT CP-105: ASNT Standard Training Outlines of Nondestructive Testing Personnel ANSI/ASNT CP-189: ASNT Standard for Qualification and Certification of Nondestructive Testing Personnel and ANSI/ASNT ILI-PQ: In-line Inspection Personnel Qualification and Certification. If you wish to join the SDC and participate in the development of American National Standards, contact SDC Secretary Charles Longo at clongo@asnt.org. Patents Have you been awarded a patent? If you have recently been granted a new patent by a government patent office, we invite you to let us know about it. We are looking for patents that describe innovations in the science and practice of nondestruc- tive testing. You can send a few paragraphs describing the invention and its range of applications, and a copy of the patent document (or if it was issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office, you can just give us the patent number). Email to ndeguy@yahoo.com with “ASNT ME New Patents” in the subject line. For more information on the patents, go to the US Patent and Trademark Office website at uspto.gov. society news The ASNT Selection Committee is accepting nominees for directors to serve on the ASNT Board of Directors from 2020–2023. They are also accepting appli- cations from those members who meet the requirements for Secretary/Treasurer for the 2020–2021 term. Please visit the Elections Page at asnt.org/elections for more information. Questions can be directed to Governance Administrator, Michelle Thomas, at the ASNT International Service Center. Nominations/applications must be submitted online no later than 1 February 2020. Three director nominees and a slate of officers will be announced following the second Board of Directors Meeting in March 2020. The rest of the nomination process will be in accordance with the ASNT Bylaws. The list of primary Selection Committee appointments is as follows: Primary Members Kevin D. Smith, Chair Pratt & Whitney David R. Bajula Past President Member Acuren David A. Mandina Past President Member Mandina’s Inspection Services Inc. Surendra Singh Research Council Representative Honeywell Aerospace Gregory A. Garcia Engineering Council Representative Evraz North America Mark R. Pompe Technical & Education Council Representative West Penn Testing Group – Mistras Joseph E. Monroe Section Operations Council Representative Eastern NDT Inc. Alternates Prakash B. Pahilajani Certification Management Council Nondestructive & Visual Inspection Lawrence (Larry) W. Gill Certification Management Council General Dynamics Electric Boat Division John C. (Jack) Duke, Jr. Engineering Council Virginia Tech University John J. Kinsey Certification Management Council TRC Solutions w Selection Committee Seeks Nominees for National Directors and Secretary/Treasurer

J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 0 • M A T E R I A L S E V A L U A T I O N 25 Over the years, a common theme has reverberated within the ASNT organization relating to NDT personnel certification and the oversight of employer-based NDT certification (EBC) programs, specifically Recommended Practice No. SNT-TC-1A: Personnel Qualification and Certification inNondestructive Testing (2016) and ANSI/ASNT CP-189: ASNT Standard for Qualification and Certification of Nondestructive Testing Personnel (2016): “Why does ASNT—who writes, maintains, and clarifies the expectations/require- ments for NDT personnel certification through SNT-TC-1A and CP-189—not police or have oversight of the program, through an accreditation program?” On this subject there have been discussions in the past but little traction made. In the last five years, there has been renewed conversations in the policing of certification programs that embrace SNT-TC-1A and CP-189, from industry, manufacturers, partners, members, and certification holders. Due to these conversations, the Chairperson of the ASNT Board of Directors at that time charged ASNT to investigate the possibility of developing an accreditation program that would demonstrate that NDT service providers and inspection agencies meet the minimum compliance with either SNT-TC-1A or CP-189 and the employer’s written practice. In response, the EBC ad hoc panel was established, submitted a proposal to the ASNT Board of Directors, and received approval to move forward with program implementation. Since approval, and to move the documents forward, the EBC ad hoc panel recruited additional volunteers to assist in developing the program. It is a result of this expeditious work that will allow ASNT to release stage 1 of the program in spring 2020. What is the purpose of EBC accreditation? The purpose of EBC accreditation is to develop a process for providing the NDT industry with a registry program that ensures that NDT service providers and inspection agencies meet the minimum compliance with either SNT-TC-1A or CP-189 and the employer’s written practice. The goal is to provide the industry with a registry of compliant companies that have been assessed and documented as meeting the minimum requirements of SNT-TC-1A or CP-189 and the employer’s written practice. What is the process? Procedures and relevant documents are complete. Final touches are being made to the checklist as a result of the test audits conducted. Rollout of the program will be in two stages. Stage 1 (United States) will take place in spring 2020 and stage 2 (global) is projected to take place in fall 2020. The following steps detail the process (see figure): 1. The process begins with the application and submittal of the necessary paperwork and fees. 2. ASNT selects an assessor for the accred- itation of the company submitting the application and forwards all applicable documentation to the assessor. 3. The assessor reviews the company’s written practice to verify that it addresses the main requirements as reflected in SNT-TC-1A and/or CP-189. Any aspects of the review that require clarification or changes shall be identi- fied and documented accordingly with the auditor and company prior to the onsite visit. 4. An onsite visit is scheduled to verify that NDT personnel are trained, qualified, and certified in accordance with the ASNT’s Employer-Based Certification Program Adds Accreditation Program by James E. Bennett, Director of Standards and Accreditation Application submitted to ASNT ASNT selects auditor ASNT schedules onsite audit Onsite audit performed by auditor ASNT technical staff reviews audit pack Address outstanding items with company Accreditation decision Panel reviews audit pack for completion Applicant receives notification of accreditation status Auditor reviews written practice Employer-based audit program process flow.