Phased Array Ultrasonics (PAUT) Requirements Under RBQ / ISP
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. RBQ / ISP, enforced by Régie du bâtiment du Québec (RBQ), Bureau d'expertise et d'homologation en équipements.: The individual credential is the barrier.
An auditor examining PAUT asks for the phased array unit, wedges, encoders, and the calibration blocks used for wedge delay, sensitivity and TCG. Québec has two gates and a language requirement, which is why it defeats firms that cleared Ontario. First, the organization must be recognized: an inspection or insurance company obtains recognition as a personne reconnue by meeting the conditions in article 83 of the Règlement sur les installations sous pression and supplying the information and documents listed in article 84. Recognition is valid three years and renewal requires a fresh application, not a light-touch extension. Only the RBQ itself or a personne reconnue may perform the periodic external and internal inspections, and the personne reconnue issues the periodic inspection certificate to the owner-user. Second, the individual doing the work needs a provincial occupational certificate.
Source: Règlement sur les installations sous pression, CQLR c. B-1.1, r. 6.1, articles 71, 78 (Table 1), 81, 83 and 84; RBQ Personne reconnue and Respecter ses obligations pages, and La RBQ et les installations sous pression, which notes a regulatory modification published 2026-07-15; RBQ Guide d'application du Règlement sur les installations sous pression, produced by the Bureau d'expertise et d'homologation en équipements sous pression, which references CSA B51 édition 2014 and NQ 3650-900 édition 2013; Québec.ca, Certificat en inspection d'installations sous pression (IISP), issued by the Ministère de l'Emploi et de la Solidarité sociale. Verified 2026-08-21.
| Item | What applies | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Regime | Régie du bâtiment du Québec — Règlement sur les installations sous pression and the personne reconnue recognition regime | Enforced by Régie du bâtiment du Québec (RBQ), Bureau d'expertise et d'homologation en équipements sous pression, administering the Building Act and the Règlement sur les installations sous pression, CQLR c. B-1.1, r. 6.1. Individual inspection certificates are issued separately by the Ministère de l'Emploi et de la Solidarité sociale. |
| 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 | Recognition as a personne reconnue is valid for three years, and renewal requires a new application to the RBQ rather than a simple extension. The individual Certificat en inspection d'installations sous pression has a four-year validity, with apprentice cards renewed annually. Equipment inspection frequency is not a single interval but is set by equipment type in Table 1 of article 78 of the Règlement sur les installations sous pression. Note that a regulatory modification was published on 2026-07-15, so confirm current article numbering against the consolidated regulation. | Applies to the personnel certification behind this method |
Does RBQ / ISP 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 RBQ / ISP?
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 RBQ / ISP 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 RBQ / ISP is recorded the same way as not having done the work.
Can a technician certified elsewhere perform PAUT under RBQ / ISP?
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 RBQ / ISP?
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 RBQ / ISP?
Scope, qualification and evidence are method-specific, so the differences are real rather than administrative. RBQ / ISP 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
The individual credential is the barrier. Québec requires a Certificat en inspection d'installations sous pression (IISP), a mandatory occupational certificate issued by the Ministère de l'Emploi et de la Solidarité sociale, for anyone who inspects the fabrication of pressure installations or installs, repairs or modifies them; working without it or an apprentice card is an offence carrying fines. It requires a minimum 1,000 hours of supervised apprenticeship and a written examination. National Board Inspector Commission holders get a shortened exam. Neither the regulation nor the RBQ application guide names an NDT personnel certification scheme, so confirm whether an SNT-TC-1A written practice is accepted before relying on it.
Related: the RBQ / ISP overview, outsourced ASNT Level III cover, written practice development, NDT procedure development, a programme gap assessment, interim Level III cover.