January, 2020

Monthly Archives: January 2020

PRESIDENTS REPORT 2018/2019

SAINT President’s Report – 2019 – Presented at the Institute’s AGM on the 22nd November 2019

Welcome

Dear SAINT Council members and Standing Committee Chairs;

SAINT Professional Body Board Members;

Corporate Members and their Representatives;

Designated Professional Body Members;

Affiliate members;

Colleagues and

NDT friends,

Introduction

Stating that 2019 was a challenging year for the Non-Destructive Testing industry in South Africa, is an understatement of note. Some might even say that we are finding ourselves in the middle of a ‘perfect storm’ with the effects of state capture and corruption resulting in a dramatic reduction in maintenance planning due to insufficient funding on the one side, and the demand for additional and reliable production resulting from a push from government to re-invigorate economic growth and investor interests on the other side. This spiralling ‘push and pull’ effect has resulted in sectors such as power generation and transport having to face the stark reality of potential collapse.

Notwithstanding the dire status of the South African economy and the impact it has on the NDT industry, focusing on that what we are bombarded with on a daily basis is counterproductive and quite honestly, depressing.

The bigger the problem, the better the challenge and the greater the opportunity, and based on the current environment, opportunities are massive.

Continuous reduction in testing and maintenance of engineering plant could potentially have three outcomes, of which only two would be considered viable. Poor maintenance ultimately results in either dramatic failure or a continued loss of production; neither option complies with President Ramaphosa’s vision of economic growth. Since ‘closing shop’ following dramatic failure is not an option, only two alternatives remains.

The first being an increase in testing and maintenance programs to improve operational efficiency of existing plant,
and the second an increased fabrication and construction intervention program to replace damaged plant and to verify the delivery of quality products and services.

Combined with the drive for local skills development and improved personnel competence, the scope of work for Non Destructive Testing role players can therefore only expect to grow exponentially over the coming years.

At the risk of being overly optimistic in the midst of doom and gloom, allow me to focus on the positive achievements of NDT in 2019, while briefly mentioning the challenges and objectives for 2020.

Terms of Reference

The terms of reference for both SAINT, who focuses on corporate members and liaises with organisations, as well as SAINT Professional Body, who is looking after individual members; are to be found in the relevant constitution and associated by-laws available on the SAINT website.

Essentially SAINT, as the National NDT Society, provides a platform for interaction and participation, both nationally and internationally, and aims at uniting the South African NDT industry into a strong element providing the economy with the much needed ability to test and evaluate operating plant to ensure employee and public safety and optimum operational efficiency, based on sound engineering decisions made possible by reliable evaluation outcomes.

SAINT Professional Body, on the other hand focus on the competency of individuals performing these critical activities and to facilitate the continuous improvement of knowledge and skills to maintain competence in this ever-growing industrial service environment.

In light of various interactions between SAINT, the government and other interested parties, proposed modifications to either constitution were deemed premature and consequently withdrawn, until such time that a 20-20 clarity has been agreed and accepted by all involved.

Membership

‘If you are the cleverest person in a room, then you are in the wrong room’

In essence, SAINT and SAINT Professional body is an association of non-remunerated volunteers who are committed and passionate towards the NDT industry as a whole and who possess the necessary knowledge, skill, experience, competence to realise the harmonised goal of ensuring that Non-Destructive Testing is conducted in a professional and reliable manner.

SAINT Council therefore consistently aims at including individuals and organisations who are cleverer than ourselves to continuously improve the service provided to industry and thus to elevate industry as a whole. Based on personal and social media interaction, it is apparent that a significant number of corporates and individuals can still be added to the various committees and working groups:

SAINT Corporate membership 32 Corporate members
SAINT PB Individual membership: Affiliate members 86 Affiliate members
SAINT PB Individual membership: Designated members 31 (of 86) Designated members

SAINT Council Objective for 2020: Increase corporate membership to 50

Confirmation of Quorum for Annual General Meeting

SAINT Bylaws § F.1 : ‘10% of the Membership shall constitute a quorum’; therefore, require 4 corporate & 9 individual members to be present.

(Council : 50 % of the voting members of Council / Executive shall constitute a quorum)

Finance Report

‘It was the best of times, it was the worst of times’, Charles Dickens’s ‘A tale of two cities’ very much describes the financial state of SAINT and that of SAINT Professional Body as would be described by our Honorary Treasurer, Mr Hennie Fourie, following this report. Allow me to express SAINT’s sincerest gratitude and appreciation towards Mr Fourie for controlling our finances with a knowledgeable iron fist. At least we still have two cities that remains standing.

SAINT Activities: 2019

Reporting on the 2019 activities of SAINT hinges on the understanding of the ‘Iceberg Illusion’ which states that only 20% of an iceberg is visible above the surface but requires the remaining 80% below the surface to remain afloat.

Similarly, the success that people see is built on risks, failures, doubts, criticism, discipline, sacrifices, rejections, late nights, persistence and hard work which remain hidden to external observers.

Most of 2019 activities are still ongoing and are yet to conclude successfully, therefore please allow me to report on ongoing activities and to temporarily conceal the peak of the iceberg with a poster stating ‘Watch this space’

International Liaison

The World Organisation for NDT (ICNDT)

SAINT, as the National NDT Society and full member of ICNDT, actively participates on the various committees and working groups of the ICNDT.

SAINT Council Objective for 2020:

To participate, as a South African Team, in the 20^th WCNDT, to be held in South Korea, from Monday the 8^th of June until Friday the 12^th of June 2020. Interested individuals should note that abstracts for technical papers can still be submitted until the 31^st of December 2019.

SAINT has decided to submit a bid for the 2028 WCNDT to be held in Cape Town, South Africa. The bid application shall be submitted during December 2019 and hope to be short listed during the ICNDT Executive Meeting scheduled for January 2020. The Bid Committee shall then be required to present the formal bid during WCNDT 2020.

AFNDT

The African Federation for NDT, is one of the four regional federations of the ICNDT, and as one of the founding members, SAINT actively participates in the various activities undertaken.

SAINT Council Objective for 2020:

To participate in the AFNDT Annual General Meeting scheduled for 3^rd to 7^th of February 2020

ISO TC 135:

SAINT members have actively participated in the systematic review of ISO 9712 which is expected to be released early in 2021 and promises to include significant additions and modifications to the current 2012 version of ISO 9712.

National Participation

Vaal University of Technology

SAINT is represented on the VUT Advisory Board which aims at incorporating graduated students within the NDT industry and thereby establishing a career path concluding with a PhD degree. While further academic qualifications will open up career opportunities in research, development, managerial, engineering, etc. operational competence shall still mandate the need for and continued maintenance of certification, as is the international norm and subject to code compliance.

SAINT Council Objective for 2020:

The incorporate ISO 9712 Level 1 and Level 2 qualification and certification for three NDT methods, into the VUT Diploma program, and to assist past NDT Diploma students to achieve a similar outcome.

SABS TC 135

SAINT participates on the SABS TC135 committee in order to adopt the relevant ISO standards to SANS documents, resulting in access benefits to local industry.

SAINT Council Objective for 2020:

To adopt all relevant ISO standards relating to the six main NDT methods to SANS documents.

Dept. of Labour and Employment (PER)

A very successful meeting was held on the 8^th of November with the Dept. of Labour and Employment in an attempt to include NDT requirements in the Pressure Equipment Regulations (PER). Mr Jakes Malatse, Director of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering, confirmed that NDT shall be included within the next edition of the PER and indicated how the various role players should be positioned in order to facilitate this process.

SAINT Council Objective for 2020:

To assist in the establishment of structures and documents to accomplish the inclusion and consequent legislation of NDT within the PER.

Dept. of Education: QCTO

While registration numbers have been allocated to the NDT Operator and NDT Technician qualification, public comment and formal registration with QCTO has been delayed since submission in 2017. With the assistance and support of Department of Labour and Employment, SAINT is confident that this process will finally be concluded during 2020.

SAINT Council Objective for 2020:

To conclude the registration process of NDT Operator and NDT Technician under the National Qualifications Framework via QCTO and to register the relevant service providers with SAQA.

To initiate the NDT Technologist (Level 3) qualification registration via MERSETA.

Social Media

Our web developer, Ms. Lisa Vinokur, from Triloq Technologies has supplied superior web design service. SAINT, via Mr Keith Cain, is in the process of establishing a very exciting tool to facilitate student interaction and knowledge transfer. The software has been acquired and is currently being populated.

Mr Keith Cain, our social platform developer, continuously provides content to the SAINT Facebook page which has proven to be entertaining to the majority of participants.

We would like to express our sincerest gratitude to both these individuals, who together with Robin Marshall, keeps our social image in check.

Structure

SAINT essentially consists of seven standing committees of which SAINT Professional Body for NDT, a separate legal entity, forms part of. Each committee has a chair that is responsible for the activities and reporting thereof to the Council. Each member of the executive has been allocated a ‘shadow function’ which means that appropriates actions can be implemented should any of the standing committees become inactive or is unable to achieve the agreed objectives.

In an attempt to address transformation and to facilitate succession planning, transition candidates shall be identified during 2020 and provide with the opportunity to participate in each of the standing committees, in order to familiarise themselves with the activities of SAINT.

The activities of the standing committees are ongoing and have very much been supportive to that of SAINT, with successes anticipated during 2020.

Standing Committee: SAINT Professional Body for NDT

Board Chair: Zakhele Bhayi

2020 Objectives

Fully operational national register which includes 90% of all industrial radiographers.
Alignment with DOLE requirements for inclusion in PER
Maintain SAQA registration
Achieve financial sustainability

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Standing Committee: Technical

Committee Chair: Andre Fouche

2020 Objectives

4 Technical workshops
Industrial Competence Matrix

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Standing Committee: Training, Qualification & Certification

Committee Chair: Manfred Johannes

2019 Achievements

I am pleased to report that based on the contribution of all four the main training schools consisting of African NDT Centre, NASA, SANDE as well as SAIW, the following summary for 2019 can be provided:

Total number of new individuals entering the NDT industry: 537
Total number of initial NDT courses: 2143
Average Pass Rate for Independent ISO 9712 Examinations: 52,8%

2020 Objectives

QCTO Registration for NDT Operator & NDT Technician
MERSETA Qualification development for NDT Technologist
Structured Industrial Experience Guideline (Initial & Ongoing)

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Standing Committee: Quality

Committee Chair: Wayne Holloway

2020 Objectives

To establish a quality framework in order to accomplish authorised responsibilities.

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Standing Committee: Ethics

Committee Chair: Keith Cain

2019 Achievements

During 2019, SAINT had to deal with issues relating to Level 3 service delivery and plagiarism. Both these issues have been corrected with corrective actions being implemented during 2020, in order to prevent similar occurrences.

2020 Objectives

Revised Code of Ethics for all levels of operation
Guideline relating to prevention of plagiarism

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Standing Committee: Marketing

Committee Chair:: Nico Lubbe

2020 Objectives

Guideline to Remuneration
Awareness of NDT incidents / accidents
Shutdown / Outage schedules.

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Standing Committee: Membership

Committee Chair: Vacant

This newly established standing committee aims at promoting interaction between all levels of qualification and to establish a feedback system regarding challenges facing NDT individuals on a daily basis.

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Before concluding this report, I would like to congratulate the award winners for excellent achievements in their field of operation. SAINT council hopes to see you participating in the relevant working groups or committees, keeping in mind that we always aim to surround ourselves with more knowledgeable people.

Furthermore, please allow me the opportunity to thank the following individuals without whom SAINT and its interested parties would not have been where we are today:

Robin Marshall, our administrative secretary whose patience and administrative skills have guided SAINT council activities for many of years
Garth Appel, the SAINT Professional Body Manager, whose dedication and commitment is only exceeded by his ‘fox terrier’- like persistence.
SCM Director, Mr Philippe Rubbers for facilitating the SAINT office space
Each and every council, corporate or individual member, that participates in SAINT’s activities and who provides support if and where required.

With the SAINT’s 2028 WCNDT bid, expect to hear a knock on the door and a visit from a SAINT council member to lobby support in anticipation of this most prestigious NDT event on the international calendar.

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In conclusion, SAINT members, are too often caught up in negative surroundings and economic doom and gloom. We as SAINT council are very excited regarding the activities of 2020 and are looking forward in providing our corporate and individual members with a 20-20 vision of the future of NDT in South Africa.

Thank you for your patience and enjoy the rest of the evening.

Harold Jansen

SAINT President – 2018 to 2020

Back copies – Learning from History, There’s always room for mediocrity, Time out

Published with kind permission of BINT from OnTheJob articles written by Bernard McGarth

Learning from History

I am writing this article as we approach the 50th anniversary of the first landing on the moon by Apollo 11 on 20th July 1969. I remember the excitement it generated. Although we did not own a television at the time, we went to a neighbour’s house, next door but one, to watch the event. Or at least watch the replay. As a young child, it was easy to be inspired by the achievement. Home-made dens became lunar modules, with imaginary technology, obviously. And the thought of eating all meals direct from packages was amazing. There was no scare about processed food in those days!

In June, we remembered a different event: the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings. Whilst it shared some of the same characteristics of planning, organisation and application of technology, it differed significantly in that a lot more individuals were affected and there were many more individual stories to provide an insight into their contributions and emotions. A common theme was a sense of duty to colleagues and to the country. The Apollo moon landings are remembered through individual astronauts, such as Armstrong and Aldrin. Yet they too were only successful through a collective effort, which started with the challenge issued by President Kennedy.

History did not inspire me at school. I dropped it in favour of geography and the sciences. Ironically, when I look at my own history, I see that I was always reading articles and books and watching programmes about history, something which I continue to do. The study of history requires the identification of sources of information, the assessment of their reliability, and then inferring what happened and why. It develops skills of problem solving, which are transferable to any number of disciplines.

A major benefit of studying history is that we can learn lessons from what has gone before: we can avoid making the same mistakes that others have made; we can apply techniques and processes that have been shown to be successful. Unfortunately, as the saying goes, “history repeats itself” and we constantly fail to learn the lessons. In recent sporting events, lack of fitness has been identified as contributing to lack of success. Why? In business, companies fail because they make the same mistakes as ones that have failed before. In the Sunday Times of 23rd June, Luke Johnson wrote a column entitled, “Want to get ahead today? Start by learning the lessons of yesterday”. He refers the reader to the play, Lehman Trilogy, and a book, The Enlightened Capitalists, by James O’Toole. Military history, even recent history, throws up many examples of where the lessons of previous events have not been taken into account. However, whilst we can identify what worked and what didn’t from a study of the past, it doesn’t always follow that repeating what was successful will deliver success in the present. Circumstances and environments change and these need to be considered before deciding on any course of action. Again, military history provides the clue with the derivation of the saying that Generals always fight the last war.

So how does the NDT profession fare? NDT has a rich and interesting history. From the early developments of the various methods and techniques, the formation of the professional institute and the rationalisation of certification, to the more recent development and adoption of advanced technology. Have we learnt the lessons this history provides? I would suggest that we probably haven’t taken sufficient advantage of these lessons. As I wrote in my last article, I think we could improve in knowledge management, so we can be aware of what has been done before. I have also written, and presented, about the benefits that can accrue from addressing reliability, as illustrated by historic failures and identified by historic research. Yet this is not widely adopted. I believe that we have yet to fully reconcile NDT practical application with the theoretical knowledge that underpins it: something that is a consequence of the history of NDT.

It is not all doom and gloom as there are a number of initiatives which do incorporate lessons from history. The development of the NDT apprenticeship schemes and the new work-based MSc will go a long way to addressing the latter schism. Back in January 2018, I related how Casper Wassink confirmed, in his thesis, that the time span to produce a new NDT product, starting from an idea, is on average 30 years. Now we have a new initiative, the NDT Technology Taskforce, to improve the transfer of new NDT technology into industry and hopefully, to reduce this gestation period. See July’s NDT News, page 3, for more details. Alternatively, for information or to express an interest, please e-mail iain.baillie@rolls-royce.com. Here you have the perfect opportunity to learn the lessons of history and take action, informed by them, in the context of current and future circumstances.

There’s always room for mediocrity

To win is unusual. Well, if you think about it, only one individual or one group of individuals can win any competition. Unless there are only two competitors, losers will outnumber winners and often by a considerable margin. Yet we are obsessed by the need to be the best and also by doing, having and supporting the best. I remember the disappointment of watching my team losing at the end of last season (although being older and more experienced, the feeling is muted compared to what I endured in childhood) but time and life move on: the new season has started and with it new feelings of anticipation and excitement. So what was all the fuss about?

I am sure there are teams of historians, sociologists and psychologists who could wax lyrical about why we, as individuals and as a society, are driven by winning. Although interested in the causes, I am more concerned with the consequences: the concomitant fear of failure and the disparagement of anything not considered a winning attribute. And the result? An obsession with those considered the elite.

One consistent area of contention with regard to the development of skills and elite skills is education. Views on this topic are annually aired at this time of year, when exam results are published and decisions about courses to undertake are made. Again, I will avoid becoming embroiled in such a controversial topic. However, I came across a humorous and thought provoking TED Talk (https://www.ted.com/talks/sir_ken_robinson_bring_on_the_revolution/transcript), which highlights the need for education systems to consider everyone as individuals with different skills and talents that develop at different rates. I particularly enjoyed the statement that “a three-year-old is not half a six-year-old”. However, the key truth is everyone has a talent and everyone develops differently and by different means. The corollary of an obsession with elitism is the diminution of anything deemed average. If winning is unusual, then being average, by definition, is normal. Without people who are content to be good at being normal or average, society and business couldn’t function.

Herein lies an irony. Whilst people may be considered average by a particular metric or group of metrics, everybody has a unique set of talents and inherent skills. By combining these talents and skills in a particular way or context, individuals and teams can become winners. Scott Adams, the originator of the Dilbert cartoons, puts his success down to the combination of more than one of his mediocre skills: art, business, writing. This was reinforced when I attended a talk by an artist (philipgray.com). He combines his artistic talents with his interest in exploration. More recently this resulted in him painting underwater. At first thought this sounds a ridiculous proposition, but when it is derived from combining two of his passions and it results in something that carries more value because it is unique, both in its final form and in how it was produced, it makes sense.

Non-destructive testing as a profession, probably relies on a greater diversity of talents than other engineering disciplines, because of the requirement to bridge new developments in techniques and equipment and their practical application in a variety of environments. This was brought home clearly to me during the PANI 3 project. Operators who scored high on the original thinking measure did not do well on the ultrasonic task. For reliable application of an inspection, it is necessary to have the attributes that support the consistent adherence to the procedure for an extended period of time. Attributes that are not necessarily given due appreciation.

The diverse talents required for NDT and the varied rate of developing them, is reflected in the range of apprenticeship schemes: Operator; NDT Engineering Technician; NDT Engineer; MSc Advanced Industrial Practice in Non-Destructive Testing, Condition Monitoring and Structural Health Monitoring. Then, of course, there are those who have combined the application of NDT with other talents, including diving for subsea work and climbing for rope access.

It is important that we acknowledge the valuable contribution of everyone involved in the NDT profession and help them to realise their own individual talents.

It’s unclear whether combining NDT with watching sport on TV will lead to success, but I’m working on it.

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Time out

Those of you who read NDT News every month will be aware that, although I am not a poet, (well not yet anyway – after my attempt in March nobody has urged me to pack it in!) I have made a few references to poets and poems in recent years. This is the result of family members whose love of poetry meant they would recite verses at any opportunity. Under such a barrage it was inevitable that some stanzas would stick, without any conscious effort to memorise them, and would reappear at regular intervals. One such poem, which I have referred to briefly before, is Leisure by W. H. Davies. It begins by asking:

What is this life if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare?

and it ends with:

A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

Yesterday, waiting for the barista to make the frostino, I perused the local community notices on the shop noticeboard. One advertised “guided mindfulness walks”, detailing the various benefits as: social interaction, exercise, fresh air, forest bathing (no water involved), time away from everyday demands. All of these provide both physical and mental health benefits. Luckily, I am able to get out into nature, generally on a weekly basis. This morning it did include forest bathing with water! The rain was that mizzle, a cross between mist and drizzle, that gets everywhere and is a comforting ambience to all brought up in North West England. While the main objective is exercise and raising the heart rate, I do take the time to stand and stare as required. In addition, my mind freewheels with no particular objective. I reap many benefits from this.

The week before last, I was lucky enough to attend the BINDT annual conference and exhibition, albeit for only one day. On the way home, W. H. Davies’ poem came into my mind. I find that the benefits of any conference, exhibition or seminar are many, but underlying them all is the ability to raise your head from day-to-day work and broaden your horizons. This leads to connections, which can subsequently feed into your work activities and generate improvements. Needless to say, the day passed very quickly. The first challenge was identifying the most relevant presentations to attend to catch up on latest developments. A PowerPoint slide displaying a detailed equation from early stage research on image analysis may not be the panacea that you have been searching for, but sitting and staring can trigger an unrelated idea. I, of course, have to scribble it down so as to remember it when I get back to my desk.

The NDT community is relatively small when compared to the larger engineering professions. Despite changes and retirements there is catching up to be done with colleagues old and new, including those just starting out. Each conversation provides an exchange of information to consider and absorb. Although in these situations it is preferable to stand and listen rather than stare!!

Finally, there is the exhibition of NDT equipment and services. This provides the opportunity to see the latest developments in the application of technology for all existing NDT methods, as well as some new ones. Having companies displaying side by side allows comparison of the different approaches adopted. Even if you do not have an immediate need for new equipment in your particular work, an awareness of current developments, changes and improvements provides a knowledge base and a head start should the need arise. It will also stimulate lightbulb moments when a problem is encountered.

I would suggest that all personnel engaged in NDT could benefit, both professionally and personally, from attendance at a conference and exhibition because social interaction and time away from day to day pressures will reinvigorate motivation for the discipline. What forest bathing can do for general mental and physical health, NDT bathing can do for career mental and workplace health.

PRESIDENTS REPORT 2018/2019

Back copies – Learning from History, There’s always room for mediocrity, Time out

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