Ultrasonic Testing (UT) Requirements Under TSSA

Sensitivity setting is the auditable step: the reference block used must itself be in calibration and traceable, and its identity recorded on the report. TSSA, enforced by Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA), Boilers and Pressure Vessels Safety Division,.: For NDE technicians Ontario recognises both routes: TSSA states that non-destructive examination of alterations by qualified personnel according to CAN/CGSB-48.

An auditor examining UT asks for instrument, probes, cables, couplant, and the calibration and reference blocks used to set sensitivity. Ontario splits the requirement in two. A firm needs a Certificate of Authorization, obtained by submitting a written Quality Program Manual, undergoing a TSSA audit and providing a demonstration item showing adequate controls for the activities claimed; deficiencies must be closed before the certificate issues. The audit team includes a Quality Assessment Specialist plus an Authorized Inspector or Authorized Inspector Supervisor. Separately, individuals inspecting for an Authorized Inspection Agency need a personal Certificate of Competency, which requires a National Board examination, a TSSA examination and an in-service commission. Ontario is unusual in tying inspection personnel to employment by the certificate holder rather than allowing a contracted inspector.

Source: TSSA Advisory BPV-001-23, Alternate Process for Pressure Piping Inspection in Ontario, dated 2023-04-17 and effective 2023-05-01, referencing CSA B51-19 clause 4.10.2.1 as modified by Code Adoption Document BPV-20-01 R1; TSSA Accreditation of Owner/User Self-Inspection Repair Program, Guide for Review Teams, June 2007 Rev. 4; TSSA Accredited Inspection Agencies Acceptable to TSSA, 2008-05-08 Rev. 8; TSSA Certification: Boilers and Pressure Vessels, Types of Inspections, and Boiler & Pressure Vessel Owners pages; Technical Standards and Safety Act, 2000 and O. Reg. 220/01. Verified on tssa.org on 2026-08-21.

Ultrasonic Testing under TSSA — procedure, personnel and evidence
Item	What applies	Why it matters
Regime	Technical Standards and Safety Authority — Boilers and Pressure Vessels Certificate of Authorization and Certificate of Competency regime, O. Reg. 220/01	Enforced by Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA), Boilers and Pressure Vessels Safety Division, administering the Technical Standards and Safety Act, 2000 and O. Reg. 220/01
Method	Ultrasonic Testing (UT)	Needs its own procedure and its own qualified personnel
Procedure approval	The employer's Level III, qualified in this method	The signature an auditor traces
Other methods in scope	UTT, RT, MT, PT, VT, PAUT	Each needs separate qualification
Renewal	Certificates of Competency for boiler and pressure vessel inspectors renew annually and expire on March 1 each year; TSSA sends renewal invoices roughly 60 days before expiration and a late renewal fee applies after the deadline. Renewal requires a valid and current National Board In-Service Commission card verified against the listed employer. A certificate not renewed within 12 months of expiry must go through reinstatement. Certificates of Inspection for equipment run on 12, 24 or 36 month cycles depending on equipment classification.	Applies to the personnel certification behind this method

Does TSSA require a separate procedure for UT?

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 UT procedure under TSSA?

A Level III qualified in UT. Because TSSA accepts employer-based certification, that Level III may be contracted rather than employed — but their own qualification must cover UT, and an auditor will check that before accepting the signature.

What UT records does a TSSA audit sample?

The approved procedure, the technician's UT certification on the date of work, and the equipment evidence — instrument, probes, cables, couplant, and the calibration and reference blocks used to set sensitivity. 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 UT finding at audit?

An in-calibration instrument used with an unidentified or out-of-calibration reference block. 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 TSSA is recorded the same way as not having done the work.

Can a technician certified elsewhere perform UT under TSSA?

Not automatically. Employer-based certification ends when the holder leaves, so the new employer must certify them under its own written practice. Prior training and documented experience transfer as evidence; the certificate itself does not.

What equipment evidence does UT need under TSSA?

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 UT requirements differ from the other methods in TSSA?

Scope, qualification and evidence are method-specific, so the differences are real rather than administrative. TSSA also covers UTT, RT, MT, PT, VT, and each carries its own procedure, its own personnel qualification and its own equipment evidence.

Personnel certification for UT

For NDE technicians Ontario recognises both routes: TSSA states that non-destructive examination of alterations by qualified personnel according to CAN/CGSB-48.9712 or ASNT SNT-TC-1A may be required, so an employer written practice is accepted alongside central CGSB certification. The owner/user self-inspection checklist nonetheless requires the QC Manual to address CAN/CGSB-48.9712 to meet Canadian jurisdictional requirements. The constraint is on inspection personnel, not NDT: under Advisory BPV-001-23 a qualified person performing alternate piping inspections must be an employee of the Certificate of Authorization holder, which limits a purely contracted arrangement.