The Conversation No Level 3 Wants to Have Most Level 3s know the fear of discovering that an inspector’s certification expired on the last day of the month, only for that inspector to begin work first thing the next morning. All work performed may be considered invalid. If those parts ship to the customer (or worse, are already in use) you may...
After spending decades in aerospace NDT, I can tell you this with complete confidence: Audits are not about what you know. They’re about what you can prove. I’ve worked with companies of all sizes—OEMs, primes, and independent labs—and the same issue comes up repeatedly. It’s not that inspectors aren’t qualified. It’s that organizations can’t prove they are qualified when...
The Challenge I Faced Managing NDT Certification Records Over the years, I’ve spent a lot of time managing NDT certification programs and supporting organizations through NADCAP audits. One thing became clear very early on: maintaining control of certification records and ensuring proper validation of competency is one of the most difficult responsibilities for a Responsible Level 3. Certification records...
