Level III documentation: every record behind a signed NDT report
Level III documentation is the record set that makes an NDT result defensible: the written practice, approved procedures and technique sheets, each technician's vision, training, experience, examination and certification records, and the project documents that tie them to a contract. Atlantis drafts, reviews and gap-checks that set, with technical approval by an ASNT NDT Level III.
An inspection report is only as strong as the weakest record behind it. The technician who signed it needs a certification letter, and that letter rests on examination results, training hours, logged experience and a current vision examination. The procedure they followed needs Level III approval, a code edition that matches the contract and, where a code or client demands it, a qualification record. The job itself needs whatever the contract added: a project procedure, a bridging document to the client's rules, a task risk assessment. Under ASNT SNT-TC-1A the employer certifies and its written practice decides what each record must contain; ANSI/ASNT CP-189 turns much of that into firm requirements. Auditors test the set by taking one report and walking backwards through every link. This page maps the whole document set and points to a dedicated page for each part of it.
Source: ASNT Recommended Practice No. SNT-TC-1A (2024, with Addendum); ANSI/ASNT CP-189 (2024); ANSI/ASNT CP-105 (2024); ASME BPVC Section V, Article 1; ISO 9001:2015 clause 7.5 (documented information).
| Document | What it proves | Who asks to see it | Who signs or owns it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Written practice | How the employer trains, examines and certifies personnel, and what each level may do | Client supplier auditors, ISO 9001 registrars, code inspectors | The employer; reviewed and approved by its Level III |
| Procedures and technique sheets | The examination is repeatable and matches the code edition and acceptance criteria on the contract | Authorized Inspectors, client NDT reviewers, third-party inspectors | A Level III certified in the method |
| Procedure qualification records | The technique finds what it must, where a code or client demands proof | Authorized Inspector, owner's technical authority | Supervising Level III, with a named witness |
| Vision examination records | The technician could see what the method requires on the dates they signed reports | Auditors sampling personnel files | The examiner the written practice authorizes |
| Training records and certificates | Organized training in the method and level was completed, with hours, content and instructor | Auditors, clients approving named personnel | Training provider; accepted by the employer's Level III |
| Experience (OJT) logs | Time in the method under qualified supervision, entry by entry | Auditors, new employers verifying a hire | Supervisor in the method; reviewed by the Level III |
| Examination records | General, specific and practical examinations were taken, graded and passed | Auditors, anyone challenging a certification | The Level III who prepared and graded them |
| Certification records | The employer certified the person for a method and level, with dates and expiry | Every client audit | The employer's certifying authority |
| Project-specific procedures | The general procedure was adapted to this contract's code edition, materials and acceptance criteria | Client reviewers before mobilization | Level III in the method; client acceptance where the contract requires |
| Bridging documents | The contractor's documents satisfy a client whose requirements differ | Operator quality or technical authority | Both parties' named signatories |
| NDT risk assessments | Hazards and technical limitations were assessed before work started | Site HSE, permit issuers, owner's inspection lead | Contractor prepares; the site and licensee approve their parts |
| Audit documentation packs | Evidence is current, indexed and traceable before the auditor arrives | Supplier auditors, prequalification reviewers, registrars | Quality manager; Level III for technical content |
| Custom documents | Records are captured the same way every time, with every field traced to a requirement | Internal quality, clients reviewing report formats | Document owner named in the quality system |
One signed report, traced backwards
Every NDT document exists to answer one question about one report: was this examination valid? An auditor pulls a report at random and asks who signed it. The technician's certification letter must name the method and level and be in date on the report date. Behind the letter sit the examination records, the training record, the experience log and the vision examination. If any of those is missing or out of date, the letter loses its footing, and so does every report it covered.
The second trace runs through the procedure. The report names a procedure and revision; that procedure needs approval by a Level III in the method, a code edition that matches the contract and acceptance criteria the client recognises. Where a code or client requires a demonstration, there must be a qualification record too. The third trace is equipment: the instrument, probe, block or indicator named on the report must match a current calibration or verification record. Our documentation work is organised around these three traces, because that is how documents are tested.
The personnel file: five records that make one certification
A certification under an employer-based scheme is a decision the employer makes on evidence, and the evidence is five records: proof of organized training in the method and level, an experience log showing time in the method under qualified supervision, general, specific and practical examination results, a current vision examination, and the certification letter itself. Each has its own failure modes and its own page: vision examination records, training records and certificates and experience logs.
The certification letter is where the five meet. It should state the method, the level, any technique or product limitation the written practice imposes, the certification date, the expiry and the signature of the employer's certifying authority. A letter that says only Level II UT, with no expiry and no reference to the examinations behind it, is the point at which a client auditor stops reading and starts writing. We review existing files against the written practice clause by clause before anyone else does.
Procedures, technique sheets and qualification records
General procedures cover a method across the codes, materials and thickness ranges a company normally works in. They are written to the governing code's requirements for a written procedure and approved by a Level III certified in the method; our technical procedure development page covers that drafting. Technique sheets and scan plans sit underneath, fixing the settings for a particular weld, component or geometry so two technicians examining the same joint produce comparable results.
Two procedure documents sit at the edges of the set. Where a construction code or client requires proof that a technique detects what it must, the procedure needs a demonstration and a qualification record, covered on our procedure qualification by demonstration page. Where a contract names its own code edition, client specification or acceptance criteria, the general procedure is adapted into a project-specific procedure that cites the document it derives from.
Contract documents: bridging and risk
Contracts introduce requirements no general programme anticipates. An operator may require a certification scheme the contractor does not use, an added practical examination, a different edition of ASME Section V or its own report format. A bridging document lists each of those requirements, shows where the contractor's documents meet it and records how each gap is closed, so both sides sign the same understanding before mobilization rather than arguing about it during the job.
Site work also needs a task risk assessment. For NDT that means the personal hazards of the job, from radiography exposure planning to confined space entry, and the technical risk that the chosen method misses the damage the owner is worried about. Atlantis prepares and reviews that documentation; licensing, permits and site HSE approval remain with the radiation licensee and the client.
Audit packs and documents made to order
When an audit is booked, the documents above are reassembled into the order the auditor will ask for them. An audit documentation pack indexes personnel files, procedure approvals, calibration evidence and sample reports to the client's questionnaire or the registrar's clause list, and a mock audit tests the pack before the real one. The free client audit evidence pack checklist shows the structure.
The rest of the set is paperwork every programme needs and no standard supplies in finished form: report templates, calibration and verification logs, work instructions, quality-manual sections and client-specific checklists. These custom documents are drafted to your written practice and procedures so that each field on a form traces to a requirement, and technicians are not asked to record anything nobody will read.
Who signs what, and where an outside Level III stops
Signatures follow the written practice and the referencing code. The employer certifies personnel; Atlantis does not, and no outside consultant can. The Level III approves procedures and technique documents, prepares and grades examinations, and reviews qualification evidence in the capacity the written practice assigns. An outside Level III takes on those roles only within the methods they hold. Atlantis's ASNT NDT Level III holds UT, RT, MT, PT and VT, and the approvals we sign are limited to those five.
For any other method, eddy current for example, we draft documents to the same standard and they are approved by a Level III certified in that method, frequently the client's own. Atlantis is certified to ISO 9001 and ISO 14001. It is not a personnel certification body and issues no certifications under any scheme, which keeps the line between the consultant who drafts and the employer who certifies clear in the record.
How a documentation engagement runs
We start from what you have. Send the written practice, a sample of personnel files, the procedures in use and the specification of the contract or audit that prompted the call. We return a gap list that separates what would stop an approval from what an auditor would merely note, and from that list we agree which documents to repair, which to replace and which to write new. Drafts are reviewed by an ASNT NDT Level III before they reach you for approval.
Every engagement is scoped to the documents you need rather than a fixed package, and every deliverable arrives as an editable file ready for your document control. If you are not sure which part of the set is weakest, tell us which audit, client or contract is coming and we will tell you where we would look first. Ask for a documentation quote and we will scope it from your existing records.
What counts as NDT Level III documentation?
Any document a Level III writes, approves or verifies as part of the NDT programme: the written practice, procedures, technique sheets, examination materials and grading, and the review of personnel qualification records before certification. Records the employer owns, such as certification letters and calibration logs, belong in the same set, because the Level III's approvals mean little without them.
Can an outside Level III approve our documents?
Yes. SNT-TC-1A allows an employer to engage an outside agency, including an outside Level III, for technical work, while the employer remains the certifying authority. The outside Level III approves only within the methods they hold. Atlantis's ASNT NDT Level III covers UT, RT, MT, PT and VT; see what an outsourced Level III covers.
Does it matter whether we follow SNT-TC-1A or CP-189?
It changes the language of your obligations. SNT-TC-1A is a recommended practice: the employer adopts it through a written practice, and once adopted its recommendations become the employer's own requirements. CP-189 is an ANSI standard written in mandatory terms. Contracts and codes name one or the other, sometimes a specific edition, and your documents must follow the one named.
Which edition of SNT-TC-1A should our documents cite?
The one your written practice adopts, unless a code or contract names another. ASNT's current edition is SNT-TC-1A (2024, with Addendum), but construction codes reference particular editions and update on their own cycle. The written practice should state its edition, and a bridging note should cover any contract that calls up a different one.
Who owns the documents once Atlantis has drafted them?
You do. Documents are issued under your document control, with your numbering, revision history and approval signatures, because the written practice and procedures are the employer's. Atlantis supplies editable files and a record of its review, so an auditor can see who drafted each document, who approved it and on what basis.
Where should a programme with no documents start?
With the written practice, because every other record is measured against it: it sets the levels, the training and experience the programme requires, the examinations and the vision tests. Procedures come next, then personnel files, then project documents. Our written practice development service and the free written practice template cover the first step.
Frequently asked questions
Do we have to rewrite our documents when ASNT publishes a new SNT-TC-1A edition?
No. A new edition changes nothing until your written practice adopts it or a code or contract calls it up. When you decide to move, a clause-by-clause comparison shows which documents change; the written practice and a handful of forms usually carry most of it. We run that comparison and draft the revisions.
Can Atlantis certify our technicians?
No. Under SNT-TC-1A and CP-189 certification is the employer's act. An outside Level III can prepare and grade examinations, review training, experience and vision evidence, and sign in the capacity your written practice assigns, but the certification letter is issued by your own certifying authority.
Can you work inside our document management system?
Yes. We deliver editable files to your numbering and templates, or specify the fields so your system administrator can build them. We do not need to host your documents and prefer not to: controlled copies should live in one place, under your control.
What do you need from us to quote?
The written practice, the procedure list, two or three representative personnel files, and the contract, client specification or audit notice behind the request. From those we can see how far the set is from where it needs to be and scope the work to match.
Do you cover methods other than UT, RT, MT, PT and VT?
We draft documents for other methods, but our Level III approval is limited to the five methods held. For eddy current or any other method, approval comes from a Level III certified in it, which can be your own Level III or one you nominate.