BINDT has become aware of rumours
circulating suggesting that PCN certification will no longer be recognised from
the beginning of 2021 (i.e. end of the Brexit transition period), which will
impact upon the acceptability of certificates issued. There appears to be some
confusion about the areas where recognition will cease, and we wish to clarify
the situation, as follows.
The PCN Scheme is an international programme
for the certification of conformance of non-destructive testing personnel which
satisfies the requirements of a number of European and international standards.
ISO 9712 is the internationally recognised
and widely accepted standard for qualification and 3rd party certification of
NDT personnel and the UK's departure from the EU does not affect the validity
of PCN certificates issued – PCN certification will continue to be widely
accepted and highly respected throughout the industrialised world.
Brexit may have an impact on some UKAS
activities, for example in relation to CE marking, however this will not affect
PCN and UKAS will remain a full member of European and International Mutual
Recognition Agreements (such as the European cooperation for Accreditation,
International Accreditation Forum and International Laboratory Accreditation
Cooperation), which means that all UKAS accredited certificates and reports (with
the exception of those related to EU Regulations/Directives and Schemes) shall
continue to be recognised within Europe and around the world.
There will be no impact on ISO standards
including ISO 9712 as ISO (the International Organization for Standardization)
is a worldwide federation of national standards bodies (ISO member bodies) and
has no different affiliation to Europe or any other country including the UK.
PCN will thus continue to be an acceptable
certification scheme meeting all the necessary requirements to be accepted in
any country that recognises ISO standards.
European Pressure Equipment Directive
(PED)
Please note that the following statement
only applies to personnel using their PCN ISO 9712 certification to carry out non-destructive
tests on permanent joints for pressure equipment in categories III and IV in
accordance with section 3.1.3 of schedule 2 under the European Pressure
Equipment Directive (PED).
PCN scheme accreditation covers
certification according to international standard ISO 9712:2012 -
Non-destructive Testing: Qualification and certification of NDT personnel and
the British Institute of NDT is a Certification Body accredited to ISO 17024.
ISO 9712 is the internationally recognised
and widely accepted standard for qualification and 3rd party certification of
NDT personnel and the UK's departure from the EU does not affect the validity
of PCN certificates issued – PCN certification will continue to be widely
accepted and highly respected throughout the industrialised world.
In addition, PCN continues to be a signatory
to and registered under the International Committee for NDT (ICNDT)
international Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) and also the European MRA that
is managed by the European Federation for Non-Destructive Testing (EFNDT).
During the time that the UK was a member of
the European Union (EU), BINDT was appointed as a Recognised Third-Party
Organisation (RTPO) under regulation 20 of the European Pressure Equipment
Regulations 1999, which implement the provisions of Directive 2014/68/EU of the
European Parliament concerning pressure equipment.
The scope of the appointment was for the
approval of personnel to carry out non-destructive tests on permanent joints
for pressure equipment in categories III and IV in accordance with section
3.1.3 of Schedule 2 to the Regulations.
Amid the continuing negotiations about the
UK's future relationship with the EU, there is one thing we know for sure: the
UK will no longer be part of the EU and unless there is a specific agreement or
further transition period, UK bodies will not be in a position to perform
conformity assessment tasks pursuant to Union product legislation. At the time
of writing, the outcomes of the current UK-EU negotiations are eagerly awaited,
particularly given the added challenge of the current Covid crisis.
Please refer to the UKAS weblink for
clarification.
https://www.ukas.com/news/eu-recognition-of-ukas-accreditation-from-1st-january-2021/
About BINDT
The British Institute of Non-Destructive Testing (BINDT) is a UK-based professional engineering institution working to promote the advancement of the science and practice of non-destructive testing (NDT), condition monitoring (CM), diagnostic engineering and all other materials and quality testing disciplines. Internationally recognised, it is concerned with the education, training and certification of its members and all those engaged in NDT and CM and through its publications and annual conferences and events it disseminates news of the latest advances in the science and practice of the subjects. For further information about the Institute and its activities, visit http://www.bindt.org
What are NDT and CM?
Non-destructive testing is the branch of engineering concerned with all methods of detecting and evaluating flaws in materials. Flaws can affect the serviceability of a material or structure, so NDT is important in guaranteeing safe operation as well as in quality control and assessing plant life. The flaws may be cracks or inclusions in welds and castings or variations in structural properties, which can lead to a loss of strength or failure in service. The essential feature of NDT is that the test process itself produces no deleterious effects on the material or structure under test. The subject of NDT has no clearly defined boundaries; it ranges from simple techniques such as the visual examination of surfaces, through the well-established methods of radiography, ultrasonic testing and magnetic particle crack detection, to new and very specialised methods such as the measurement of Barkhausen noise and positron annihilation spectroscopy.
Condition monitoring (CM) aims to ensure plant efficiency, productivity and reliability by monitoring and analysing the wear of operating machinery and components to provide an early warning of impending failure, thereby reducing costly plant shutdown. Condition monitoring originally used mainly vibration and tribology analysis techniques but now encompasses new fields such as thermal imaging, acoustic emission and other non-destructive techniques. The diagnostic and prognostic elements, in addition to increasingly sophisticated signal processing, is using trends from repeated measurements in time intervals of days and weeks.
Contact for press enquiries and image requests:
Sharon Creed
Marketing & PR Manager
The British Institute of Non-Destructive Testing
Midsummer House, Riverside Way, Bedford Road
Northampton NN1 5NX, UK
Tel: +44 (0)1604 438300
Fax: +44 (0)1604 438301
Email: sharon.creed@bindt.org