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Hello to all Industrial Eye readers

Category: AICIP News

 

Firstly, happy new year to all Industrial Eye readers, for which I hope 2022 will be a prosperous year!

It’s my pleasure to write the inaugural article on behalf of the Australian Institute for the Certification of Inspection Personnel (AICIP), in the Industrial Eye journal for what aims to be a long standing and recurring contribution. This editorial space will feature in each edition of the Industrial Eye and allow AICIP to provide Board of Director updates, industry relevant articles and up to date insights into the in-service inspection industry.

For the first article, I thought it pertinent to give an update on both the newly formed relationship between AINDT and AICIP and to provide an understanding on the future strategy for the revised approach for examination and training in 2022.

Peak body alignment for secretariat services

In the later part of 2021, AICIP welcomed AINDT to provide their secretariat services in a move that hopes to strengthen an already existing relationship between Non-Destructive Testing and In-Service Inspection.

As an example of the relationship that already exists; in the heavy maintenance industry, AICIP inspectors have long relied on non-destructive testing technicians to verify or validate areas of concern and non-destructive testing reports are frequently sent to AICIP inspectors for a fitness for service determination of pressure retaining equipment. The industry has shown, through demand, that for an in depth and well-informed inspection, both the AICIP inspector and the AINDT technician need to have an input.

You may also be aware that over the last 5 to 10 years, an increasing convergence between both non-destructive testing and in-service inspection has been taking place, specifically in the realm of Non-Intrusive Inspection, or NII.

Pressure retaining equipment, previously purged, cleaned and visually inspected at a high level of cost, duration and effort, is now commonly inspected with a combination of remote visual inspection internally and phased array, time of flight and conventional ultrasonic thickness inspection externally, without any loss of quality or result. Organisations such as the HOIS joint industry partnership are one of many who are continually working to produce verified guidance on how in-service inspection and non-destructive testing can jointly perform quality and safe asset reliability services.

While the secretariat relationship between AICIP and AINDT are in their relative infancy, both peak bodies are positive that the newly formed alignment will greatly benefit both institutes’ members. I look forward to providing further updates in the coming articles.

AICIP training and examination

In the last 2 years, as the world has grappled with the effects COVID has had on regular life, it’s become an increasingly accepted standard that many tasks, such as work, are now performed at home or remotely. This shift (or necessity) has influenced how many educational institutes have approached both training and examination of their students from afar.

Away from COVID, AICIP has also received feedback and recognised that the current bi-annual examination period does not cater to candidates wishing to sit the exam at their convenience or readiness. Full time employees, people living in remote or regional areas or those on rosters have often found it hard to coordinate time off to meet the bi-annual dates.

As a response, in the second half of 2021, AICIP sought to address both issues by shifting to online, computer-based examination in a phased manner. While the bi-annual examination schedule still exists, many candidates who sat their exams in 2021 would have found that all papers were now computer based, including the practical.

The Board of Directors recognises the shift may have been an uncomfortable change for some and that the first round of exams suffered a few teething issues (through the adoption of the new software package), but the response from recent exam candidates has been met with resounding positivity.

The evolving transition to computer-based examinations will ultimately serve candidates a two-fold purpose. Firstly, examinations will eventually be rolled out through approved training and examination providers on a more frequent or as-need basis. Secondly, the computer-based examinations will allow examiners instant access to completed examinations with a target to return results and a certificate within a week.

Both the alignment of peak body secretariat services and the shift to computer-based examination have both occurred after much consideration and feedback, with the ultimate interest of providing a better service to industry and its members. As always, we welcome your feedback on either topic via [email protected] and I look forward to evolving and strengthening the already paramount inspection industry within Australia for both In-Service-Inspectors and Non-Destructive Testing technicians.

Regards,

Nick Ferguson
AICIP Board of Directors