Drake,

NDT Level I & II certification are obtain from you employeer via taking training and examination inaccordance with ASNT SNT-TC-1A and CP-189.

ACCP Level II & III certification can be obtain via ASNT, see this website http://asnt.org/certification/levelii/index.htm .

The ASNT Level III certification is obtained by taking the required examinations given by ASNT. See this website http://asnt.org/certification/leveliii/index.htm

Rich

An AWS CWI can inspect to any code provided the have the knowledge and experience with them and contract specification do not state otherwise. For example a CWI can inspect to ASME, API or AWS. People are more comfortable working with certain codes. For me I am more familiar with AWS than ASME.

Just my thoughts.

Brian

CWI Inspector are not limited to AWS code. In fact Certified Welding Inspectors are trained to interpret different code and perform visual inspection based on the governing codes or standards. On the other hand ASNT Level II certified personnel are trained to perform various NDT method and interpret the result while Level I personnel can perform NDT methods under the supervision of a certified ASNT Level II. ASNT level III personnel are more on certifying personnel and writing N.D.T. procedures based on the international codes and standards plus Client Requirements.

Regards,

Arnie

This is a great question and should lead to a lively discusion.

The SCWI, CWI, and CAWI are certifications issued by a nationally recognized organization, the AWS. The individual is certified by an unbiased third party, i.e., it is not an employer based certification.

The ASNT ACCP certification, like the AWS QC1 program, is a central certification issued by a third party, i.e., the ASNT. It is not employer based.

Both AWS QC1 and ASNT ACCP certifications can be accepted by the employer without further testing. However, the customer may require additional testing and employer certification for some applications or industries.

Certification in accordance with ASNT's Recommended Practice SNT-TC-1A and CP-189 are both employer based certifications. The certification is valid only as long as the individual is employed by the company that certified the individual as meeting the qualification requirements of their written practice.

Some industries require the QC1 and/or ACCP certified individuals to be certified in accordance with their employer's written practice before they are permitted to perform NDT (including VT) on projects for contractual and/or legal reasons.

The bottom line is that both QC1 and ACCP inspection personnel have been tested by third parties and certified as meeting the qualification
requirements of the respective central certification programs. The central certification programs serve a service to industry by creating a uniform basis used to assess the individual's knowledge and experience. These programs remove some of the biases that may be present is some employer based certification program.

An individual listed as a Level III is an individual that has been tested and certified by the employer in accordance with SNT-TC-1A or CP-189.

Both the ASNT NDT Level III and the ASNT ACCP Level III Professional have been tested and certified by the American Society for Nondestructive Testing. The ACCP Level III Professional has passed a practical test as well as demonstrated the ability to write an inspection procedure.

As far as what codes can each inspect to, it depends on the individual. ASNT SNT-TC-1A and CP-189 include provisions for a specific examination that should include questions on the specific code, standards, and procedures expected to be encounted in performing their duties.

Hope this helps.

Best regards - Al Moore