Phased Array Ultrasonics (PAUT) Requirements Under Technical Safety BC (TSBC)
Procedure qualification usually requires a demonstration on a representative flawed sample, and the scan plan forms part of the approved procedure rather than a field decision. Technical Safety BC (TSBC), enforced by Technical Safety BC, formerly the British Columbia Safety Authority, administering the Safety.: British Columbia does not prescribe a specific NDT personnel certification scheme in B.C. Reg.
An auditor examining PAUT asks for the phased array unit, wedges, encoders, and the calibration blocks used for wedge delay, sensitivity and TCG. Note on naming: there is no body called the BC Safety Authority today; it was renamed Technical Safety BC and that is the current legal and operating name. TSBC licenses BPVR contractors across eight classes (A, Au, Ap, B, MA, PW, REF and SRV). Every class must submit a quality control program and designate a quality control manager with contact details, demonstrate working knowledge of that program, and may be required to show adequate equipment and facilities. Class B and REF applicants became subject to a QCP manual submission requirement from January 1, 2026. Design registration runs through the Design Registration Portal, and BC participates in the national CRN Reconciliation Agreement.
Source: Power Engineers, Boiler, Pressure Vessel and Refrigeration Safety Regulation, B.C. Reg. 104/2004 (ss. 60, 64, 65, 84, 86) under the Safety Standards Act, S.B.C. 2003, c. 39, via bclaws.gov.bc.ca; Technical Safety BC Information Bulletin, Adoption of Boiler, Pressure Vessel and Refrigeration Codes, bulletin dated 2024-07-18, effective 2024-12-31 under Ministerial Order M225-2024, adopting CSA B51:24, CSA B52-23, ANSI/NB-23 (2023), API 510 Eleventh Edition, API 570 Fifth Edition and NFPA 85 (2023); Technical Safety BC Boilers, Pressure Vessels & Refrigeration Licences and Pressure Fittings Design Registration Checklist pages. Verified on technicalsafetybc.ca on 2026-08-21.
| Item | What applies | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Regime | Technical Safety BC — Boiler, Pressure Vessel and Refrigeration contractor licensing and design registration under the Safety Standards Act | Enforced by Technical Safety BC, formerly the British Columbia Safety Authority, administering the Safety Standards Act, S.B.C. 2003, c. 39 and the Power Engineers, Boiler, Pressure Vessel and Refrigeration Safety Regulation, B.C. Reg. 104/2004 |
| Method | Phased Array Ultrasonics (PAUT) | Needs its own procedure and its own qualified personnel |
| Procedure approval | Per the certification scheme and the client specification | The signature an auditor traces |
| Other methods in scope | UT, UTT, RT, MT, PT, VT | Each needs separate qualification |
| Renewal | BPVR contractor licences require annual renewal, and contractors may renew up to six months before the expiration date. Manufacturers' quality control programs supporting fitting registrations must be recertified at a maximum interval of five years, and a fitting registration is only valid while a current certification of the manufacturer's quality control program is on record with Technical Safety BC. | Applies to the personnel certification behind this method |
Does Technical Safety BC (TSBC) require a separate procedure for PAUT?
Yes. Every method in scope needs its own written procedure, approved by someone qualified in that method, describing technique, equipment, calibration, scanning or coverage, acceptance criteria and reporting. A single combined "NDT procedure" covering several methods is a finding under every regime that names procedures individually.
Who can approve a PAUT procedure under Technical Safety BC (TSBC)?
Approval follows the certification scheme and the governing specification rather than the employer alone. The person approving must hold the scheme's qualification for PAUT at the appropriate level.
What PAUT records does a Technical Safety BC (TSBC) audit sample?
The approved procedure, the technician's PAUT certification on the date of work, and the equipment evidence — the phased array unit, wedges, encoders, and the calibration blocks used for wedge delay, sensitivity and TCG. The auditor works backwards from a finished job, so every item has to reconcile with the report and its stated acceptance criteria.
What is the most common PAUT finding at audit?
Data acquired outside the scan plan the procedure qualified, or encoder position not recorded. It is a records failure rather than a technique failure — the examination was performed correctly and the evidence supporting it cannot be produced, which under Technical Safety BC (TSBC) is recorded the same way as not having done the work.
Can a technician certified elsewhere perform PAUT under Technical Safety BC (TSBC)?
Where the scheme's certification travels with the individual, yes — that is the point of central certification. Verify the certificate covers PAUT at the level required and is current, since scope and expiry are what get checked.
What equipment evidence does PAUT need under Technical Safety BC (TSBC)?
Calibration status traceable to the day of use, covering the instrument and its accessories — probes, cables, blocks and reference standards for ultrasonics; sources and densitometers for radiography. An in-calibration instrument with an out-of-calibration reference block fails the same way as an uncalibrated one.
How do PAUT requirements differ from the other methods in Technical Safety BC (TSBC)?
Scope, qualification and evidence are method-specific, so the differences are real rather than administrative. Technical Safety BC (TSBC) also covers UT, UTT, RT, MT, PT, and each carries its own procedure, its own personnel qualification and its own equipment evidence.
Personnel certification for PAUT
British Columbia does not prescribe a specific NDT personnel certification scheme in B.C. Reg. 104/2004; section 64(c) simply requires non-destructive tests as required by a safety officer. Certification requirements reach the province through the adopted code, CSA B51:24, which references CAN/CGSB-48.9712, so central NRCan certification is the expected route in practice. I could not verify a published TSBC statement accepting an SNT-TC-1A employer written practice as an equivalent, so a firm relying on employer-based certification should confirm this with TSBC before bidding. Safety officers themselves must hold a valid National Board Commission as a boiler and pressure vessel inspector.
Related: the Technical Safety BC (TSBC) overview, outsourced ASNT Level III cover, written practice development, NDT procedure development, a programme gap assessment, interim Level III cover.