What a written practice is

A written practice is your company's own procedure for qualifying and certifying NDT personnel. It sets out the levels you use, the training and experience each level needs, how examinations are given and graded, vision requirements, how certification is issued and renewed, and how the records are kept. SNT-TC-1A, CP-189 and NAS410 all require one, and your technicians' certifications are only as sound as the document behind them.

What we deliver

  • A new written practice for a program starting out, covering the methods and levels you actually use.
  • A revision of an existing document to the current edition of the standard you work to, or to a new customer requirement.
  • A gap review of your current written practice against the standard, your customer specifications and your own records, with a prioritized list of changes.
  • Supporting pieces: examination structure, training outlines, and the certification and record forms the practice refers to.

Written practice work pairs naturally with Level III consulting, since the practice names who approves procedures and gives examinations.

Who it is for

  • Companies setting up in-house NDT for the first time.
  • Programs whose written practice predates the current edition of their standard.
  • Suppliers picking up a customer that works to a different scheme, for example moving into aerospace work under NAS410.
  • Anyone facing a customer, registrar or Nadcap audit with a written practice nobody has read in years.

How an engagement works

  • 1. Scope. The standard and edition you work to, your methods and levels, and your customers' requirements.
  • 2. Review. We read your current document (if any) and a sample of certification records, because the practice has to describe what you actually do.
  • 3. Draft. You receive a draft written for your company, with the points that need a management decision flagged.
  • 4. Approval and roll-out. Your company approves and issues it, typically with your responsible Level III and a management representative signing as your standard requires. We help plan the transition for people already certified.

Standards involved

  • SNT-TC-1A: ASNT's recommended practice, which each employer adapts. Levels I, II and III.
  • ANSI/ASNT CP-189: a standard with firmer requirements, invoked by some codes. Levels I, II and III.
  • NAS410 (also written NAS 410): the aerospace standard. Levels 1, 2 and 3, with a Responsible Level 3.
  • ISO 9712: central certification by an independent body; employers still document how they authorize and supervise certified people.

Frequently asked questions

What is an NDT written practice?

It is an employer's own documented procedure for training, examining, certifying and recertifying its NDT personnel. It turns a general standard such as SNT-TC-1A, CP-189 or NAS410 into the specific rules your company follows, and it is the first document an auditor asks to see.

Is there a sample written practice we can use?

Samples circulate, but a copied written practice is one of the most common audit problems: it describes methods, levels, hours and examinations the company does not actually use, and an auditor tests the document against your records. We do not publish a template. We write the practice around your program.

Do we need a written practice under ISO 9712?

ISO 9712 certification is issued by an independent certification body, not the employer, so the employer's document is different in kind. You will usually still need a documented procedure for how you authorize certified people to work, supervise them and keep vision examinations current, and many customers expect one.

How often should a written practice be reviewed?

Whenever the governing standard issues a new edition, a customer adds requirements, or your methods, levels or organization change, and periodically in any case. An out-of-date written practice is a common audit finding.

Who approves the written practice?

Your company does. It is typically approved by your responsible Level III and a management representative, as the standard you work to specifies. A consultant can write and review it, but it is issued as your document.

This page describes our consulting services in general terms. It is not engineering, legal or regulatory advice; always work to the current edition of the codes, standards and customer specifications named in your contract.

NDT LLC is an independent consulting firm. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by the American Society for Nondestructive Testing (ASNT), the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA), the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), or any other organization named on this page; names are used only to identify the organizations and documents referred to.