Independent assessment of your NDT quality system, inspection procedures, personnel qualifications, and inspection record quality — identifying what your programme claims to deliver and whether the evidence confirms it.
An NDT quality system audit is an
independent, structured examination of the systems, procedures, records, and
practices that govern an organisation's non-destructive testing activities —
assessed against the applicable standard, code, or quality management
requirement. It is distinct from a technical inspection of individual welds or
components. Its subject is the programme that produces those inspections —
whether the procedures are written, qualified, and approved to the applicable
code; whether the personnel performing the inspections hold current
certification in the methods they are deployed to use; whether the equipment is
calibrated and traceable; and whether the inspection records produced are
complete, accurate, and formatted to support the decisions they are supposed to
underpin.
The purpose of an NDT quality
system audit is not to find fault for its own sake. It is to identify the gap
between what an organisation's NDT programme claims to deliver — in its
procedures, its written practice, and its quality plan — and what the evidence
of its records, its personnel files, and its practices confirms. Where gaps
exist, a well-structured audit provides a prioritised, actionable remediation
plan that the organisation can implement in a defined timeframe — not a list of
nonconformances with no path to resolution.
Altair Engineering Inspection
conducts NDT audit services as a genuinely independent third party — with no
commercial interest in the inspection contracts the audited organisation places
and no prior relationship with the personnel or procedures under review that
would compromise the objectivity of the finding. The output of our audits is
used by clients for internal quality improvement, for regulatory submission,
for insurance underwriting assessment, and for pre-award qualification of NDT
subcontractors on major projects.
NDT audit engagements are scoped
at the outset — defining the standard or code the audit will assess against,
the scope of NDT methods and activities to be reviewed, the records and
documentation that will form the audit evidence base, and the format and
content of the audit report. Audits are conducted on-site, remotely (for
document-based review components), or in hybrid format depending on the nature
of the scope and the client's operational constraints.
Assessment of the organisation's
NDT quality management system against ISO 17025, ISO 9001, ASME Section V, or
client/project-specific quality requirements — covering procedure control,
document management, non-conformance handling, corrective action process,
internal audit programme, and management review. Structured to identify
systemic gaps in the QMS framework rather than individual procedural
nonconformances.
Technical review of written NDT
procedures against the applicable code, standard, or specification — ASME
Section V, EN ISO 17640, EN ISO 23277, API 510/570, or project-specific
requirements. Assessment covers procedure format and content, the qualification
basis claimed, the calibration and sensitivity requirements, the acceptance
criteria referenced, and the record format specified. Findings are classified
by severity and supported by specific code references.
Review of NDT personnel
qualification files against the applicable certification scheme — PCN (ISO
9712), ASNT SNT-TC-1A / CP-189, NAS 410 / EN 4179 — covering certificate
currency, method and level scope, eye examination records, practical experience
documentation, and employer's written practice compliance. Identifies personnel
who are operating outside their certification scope and qualifications that
require renewal or upgrade before the next deployment.
Review of NDT equipment
calibration records against the applicable calibration standards and frequency
requirements — covering UT instrument performance verification, transducer
characterisation records, radiation source calibration (RT), magnetic particle
yoke lift test records, and reference block traceability to national or
international standards. Identifies calibration gaps, expired records, and
equipment in service beyond its calibration interval.
Review of completed inspection
records — UT scan reports, radiographic film or digital image records, MT/PT
examination records, ECT data files — against the applicable code record
content requirements and the organisation's own procedure format. Assessment
covers completeness, traceability, and whether the record content supports the
acceptance or rejection disposition recorded. Identifies systematic
deficiencies in record quality that would not withstand regulatory or insurance
scrutiny.
Pre-award or in-service audit of
NDT subcontractors on behalf of asset owner clients, EPC contractors, and
project management organisations — assessing the subcontractor's quality
system, procedure library, personnel qualifications, and equipment calibration
against the project's inspection quality requirements. Used to qualify NDT
subcontractors before award and to provide ongoing assurance during project
execution.
NDT audit services at Altair
Engineering Inspection are conducted against the following standards and
frameworks, depending on the scope and sector of the engagement:
•
ISO 17025 — General
requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories — the
primary quality system standard for NDT laboratory operations
•
ISO 9001 — Quality
management systems — Requirements — applicable to NDT quality systems within
broader manufacturing or construction quality frameworks
•
ISO 9712 — Non-destructive
testing — Qualification and certification of NDT personnel — basis for
personnel qualification audit criteria
•
ASME Section V —
Non-Destructive Examination — procedure and record requirements for pressure
equipment NDT
•
ASNT SNT-TC-1A / CP-189 —
Written Practice requirements and personnel qualification criteria (ASNT
scheme)
•
NAS 410 / EN 4179 —
Aerospace NDT personnel qualification — applicable to aerospace sector audits
•
EN ISO 17640 / 11666 /
23277 / 17638 — Weld NDT technique and acceptance standards — reference for
procedure compliance audit
•
API 510 / 570 / 653 —
In-service inspection codes — reference for inspection programme audit in
refinery and petrochemical applications
•
Classification society NDT
requirements — DNV, LR, BV, ABS, ClassNK — applicable to marine and offshore
sector audits
•
Client and project-specific
quality plans, inspection and test plans (ITP), and NDT specification
requirements