Nondestructive Testing Report Writing: Back to Basics

The importance of writing a nondestructive testing (NDT) report correctly is often underestimated, or the case may be that report writing was not provided during training. An NDT report is a reflection of the inspection process that a technician has completed. Often, necessary information is not recorded on a report, or it is misleading to the client or person reviewing the report.

The report is most likely part of the recording criteria that are kept for the life of the product inspected. Should the product come under scrutiny at some time in the future, it is assured that the report will be reviewed and the technician may be required to explain what was recorded on the report (ASME 2015).

A Correctly Written Report

All inspections must be completed in accordance with a specification, using a qualified procedure, by qualified personnel. So, what is needed for a correctly written report?

To begin with, the technician must understand the code and specification requirements of the client. Why? Because the procedure must have the required codes and specifications listed in the references section (ASME 2015). In addition, a review of the work order from the client may have additional specifications or restrictions to be added to the inspection requirements and/or procedure. The client, owner, or operator of the finished product has the right, and at times an obligation, to add needed inspection requirements. The technician should review the work order or work assignment for any additional or special specifications added to the procedure prior to starting the work.

It is important to remember that the integrity of the inspection service provider is under review in each and every report the technician writes and once a technician loses their integrity, it will be almost impossible to regain it.

Codes and Specifications

There are many possible?codes and standards?that can be applied to inspection techniques, including?those by organizations?like?ASNT, ASTM International, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, American Petroleum Institute, American Water Works Association, Association of American Railroads, International Organization for Standardization, as well as industry-specific codes for bridges and aircraft, to name a few. Additionally, each of these may have several specifications that could be applicable to an inspection task. It is important that someone have copies of the code and/or specifications being applied for review to the client’s requirements and to ensure that the written procedure meets the client’s needs. Often, a review of the?written procedure?by a qualified person will find that a revision is needed to meet the client’s inspection requirements.

It is important to keep in mind that the written report is a reflection of the technician’s inspection. The rule that can be applied here is that the recorded information should be such that another technician using the report can complete the same inspection and obtain the same results. That requires detailed information on the inspection technique used; the client’s information, codes and specifications used for the evaluation; the equipment used; and detailed results of any imperfections recorded at a minimum. Information about the client should include what the client requires and the address provided by the client as the office or the inspection location or both. List information on all orders as there can be several for each project. This information should be provided by the client prior to the inspection. If the information has not been provided, the technician should state that on the report and make sure the client understands it will be recorded that way. Usually, when the client understands that the information will be noted as lacking in the report, the requested information is provided.

Recording Equipment and Materials

The recording of the equipment and material used is dependent on the inspection technique. The report must include the manufacturer, model, and serial number information in such a manner that each individual piece of equipment can be traced from the report. Additional information that must be included and traceable is the applicable calibration information such as the date of calibration or the due date of calibration.

In one example, a report from a company recorded using light meters to confirm the correct amount of visible light and ultraviolet light that was present at the inspection area was in error, as only the model information of the light meter was provided. In looking for the equipment certification dates, the company had several light meters of the same model. The calibration date and calibration due date could not be determined from only the model number, in this case resulting in not knowing if the light meter used was in the calibration.

In the case of more advanced equipment such as?ultrasonic testing (UT)?equipment, not only is the information about the UT instrument required, but also the associated equipment that was used, such as the transducer model and serial number, cable used (length), calibration standard(s) used, and, if applicable, the manual or automatic scanner attached. The associated equipment from different manufacturers, such as the transducer used, can provide widely variable results even when used on the same UT equipment, although the same frequency and size are used.

There can be many variables in the associated equipment that can affect the inspection results of one’s work, which can only be determined from the information recorded on the inspection report. In radiographic reports, not only the detailed information of the isotope used must be recorded, but also the film and film processing information. Should a second radiographic exposure be required at a later date, all the information about obtaining the film results on the first exposure must be recorded so the same film density and sensitivity can be obtained on the second exposure.

Legibility

Another problem area that is very common in report writing is the legibility of the information. If the report is handwritten, the writing must be clear and neat. It is best to take time and clearly print the information. More than once the author has requested a complete rewrite of a handwritten report because the original was illegible. Today, clear, readable computer-generated reports are mostly used. However, the input data still depend on someone to key in the information.

The verbiage needs to be written in such a manner that it makes sense to another person who will read the report at a later date. Many technicians write in abbreviated sentences that can be confusing to another reader. A recommendation is to read aloud what one has written, and if it does not flow easily, check the grammar.

Another challenge with computer reports is that it is easy to copy a previous report to save the time spent inputting common information. Copying a report does save time, but the problem is that often many of the entries that must be changed are missed, such as locations, dates, serial numbers, and calibration information of the different instruments used for the current inspection. On many reports that the author has reviewed, it was found that calibration due dates were weeks prior to the dates on the report. Upon review of the information and calibration records at the main office, it was found that the calibration of the instruments in question was current, but not correctly changed on the copied report. If one copies a previously saved computer report in the interest of time, it is necessary to carefully review each and every entry to ensure that all changes are made to reflect current information. Computer reports can be made in such a manner that all commonly entered data can be pulled from dropdown lists, which not only provide correct nomenclature of the equipment, but ease and speed the data input process of the report.

The last item about recording information on a report is the technician’s signature. In the author’s experience, in 95% of the reports he has reviewed, the technician’s signature (ASME 2015) is illegible, and he could not determine who signed the report. This is a major problem, especially when the report needs a correction or a review is made and one must know if the technician’s qualifications are acceptable for the inspection completed. If the client requests a corrected report but the person who completed the report is not known, the inspection must be repeated. Doing the inspection twice to get a good report is a large waste of time and resources. Technician should keep in mind that this report is their work, and should proudly provide a clear signature. The person reading the report—the client—can then ask for the same technician to return for the next inspection.

No matter how great and complete the workmanship provided by the technician is, it is not any better than what is recorded on the report.

Conclusion

It is a fair statement that the NDT report is a reflection of the technician’s workmanship and that of their employer. A report that needs a correction means the technician is not competent in reporting their workmanship and may place the actual workmanship provided in question. This also reflects on the technician’s employer. No matter how great and complete the workmanship provided by the technician is, it is not any better than what is recorded on the report. If a technician thinks that their writing skills are not what they should be, taking a writing class or a computer-based class at a local community college to improve NDT reports is strongly suggested.

References

ASME, 2015,?ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code,?Section V: Nondestructive Examination, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, New York, NY.

“Nondestructive Testing Report Writing,” by Jerry Fulin, originally appeared in the “Back to Basics” column in?Materials Evaluation, Volume 75, Number 4 in April 2017. Access the entire article in the NDT Library at?ndtlibrary.asnt.org.

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Jerry Fulin?holds Level III certification in MT, PT, RT, UT, and VT.

Access to papers in the?NDT Library?is free to members.

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