NDT Level III consulting
NDT audit consulting
Most NDT audit findings are found in records, not in technique: a certification signed outside the Level III’s methods, a vision examination that lapsed, a procedure that no longer matches the code edition on the contract. An ASNT Level III from Atlantis audits your NDT programme the way a client, a registrar or a Nadcap auditor will, before they do, and helps you close what the audit finds.
Audit topics
Detailed pages on the audits and findings we work on most.
NDT programme gap assessment
How findings are classified and the order to fix them in, from certification gaps to report traceability.
ExploreNadcap AC7114 audit readiness
Aerospace NDT audits land on records: personnel files, procedures and process control.
ExploreLevel III scope findings
Why signing outside a Level III’s certified methods is one of the commonest audit findings.
ExploreInterim Level III cover before an audit
What an interim Level III can put right before the auditor arrives, and what it cannot.
ExploreAPI 510 programme audit
In-service inspection programme audits for pressure vessels against API 510.
ExplorePSM mechanical integrity audits
How an OSHA PSM audit reads your NDT file as mechanical integrity evidence.
ExploreWhat an NDT programme audit covers
- The written practice, checked against the current edition of ASNT SNT-TC-1A (or CP-189, ISO 9712 or the client’s scheme) and against the methods and levels you actually use.
- Personnel files: training and experience hours, General, Specific and Practical examination records, vision examinations and the certification letter signed in line with the written practice.
- Procedures and technique sheets: who approved them, which code edition they cite and whether the acceptance criteria match the contract.
- Equipment: calibration and verification records for instruments, probes, reference blocks and image quality indicators, with due dates.
- Reports: traceability to the procedure and the technician, coverage achieved and limitations, and the signatures the written practice requires.
- Subcontracted NDT: how the scope, the procedures and the certifications of subcontractors are controlled.
Audits we carry out
- Internal audits of the NDT programme, run to the internal audit requirements of your quality management system (for example ISO 9001 clause 9.2).
- Mock client or second-party audits before a customer’s supplier audit.
- Pre-assessments before a Nadcap audit or an accreditation assessment.
- Corrective action support after an audit has raised findings, through to closure evidence.
How an audit runs
- Scope: the schemes, methods, sites and the audit you are preparing for.
- Document review, usually remote: written practice, procedures, a sample of personnel files and reports.
- Site visit where needed: interviews, witnessed examinations and a look at equipment and records in use.
- Findings classified as major, minor or observation, each with the clause or requirement it relates to.
- A corrective action plan with owners, then verification that each finding is closed.
Findings we see most often
- A Level III approving procedures or signing certifications in a method they are not certified in.
- Experience hours claimed but not evidenced in the technician’s file.
- Vision examinations past their annual date.
- Examination results kept without the questions and answer keys that were used.
- Procedures citing a superseded code edition, or technique sheets missing for encoded work.
Audit support by industry
Each industry page covers the codes, the regulator or client schemes and the records that audits in that sector focus on.
Who does the work
Consulting is led by ASNT NDT Level III personnel. Our founder holds ASNT NDT Level III in UT, RT, MT, PT and VT, with more than eleven years of international NDT field experience. Aerospace work that needs a NAS 410 Level 3 is led through our associate who holds NAS 410 Level 3.
A Level III signs only within the methods they are certified in. Where a scope needs another method or scheme, the proposal names who will cover it before work starts. Under SNT-TC-1A the certifying authority always remains the employer; an outside Level III writes and approves the technical documents, prepares and grades examinations and signs in the capacity the written practice assigns.
Governing codes and standards
- ASNT SNT-TC-1A
- ANSI/ASNT CP-189
- ISO 9712
- NAS 410 / EN 4179 (through our associate)
- ISO 9001 clause 9.2 (internal audit)
- Client and operator specifications
What you receive
- Audit plan and checklist built for your scope
- Findings report with clause references
- Corrective action plan with owners
- Closure verification record
Industries served
- Refining and petrochemical
- Pipelines and terminals
- Power generation
- Fabrication and construction
- Aerospace
- Marine and offshore
Frequently asked questions
How long before a client audit should we book a mock audit?
Early enough to fix what it finds. Record gaps such as missing experience evidence, lapsed vision examinations or unapproved procedures take time to close properly, so book the mock audit well ahead of the client’s date rather than in the last week.
Can an outside Level III audit a programme they helped write?
An auditor should not audit their own work. If Atlantis drafted your written practice, the audit report says so and concentrates on how the programme is run against it: personnel files, examinations, procedures and reports.
What happens after the audit report?
Each finding gets an owner and a corrective action. We help draft the corrections, such as revised procedures, completed personnel files or new examinations, and verify the evidence before the client or registrar sees it.
Talk to an ASNT Level III
Tell us what the audit, the client or the code is asking for, and by when. We reply within one business day.
Request a consultationRequest a Level III consultation
Tell us what the audit, the client or the code is asking for, the methods and sites involved, and your dates. We reply within one business day.
Send your enquirySpeak to an ASNT NDT Level III
Atlantis NDT provides ASNT Level III consulting, NDT training to ASNT SNT-TC-1A, inspection management software and independent report validation. Request a free consultation and we will return a tailored quote — affordable, accessible and fully customizable to your programme.