With our thanks to Hennie de Wet.

Good day everybody.

Nothing is more important than the paperwork. So today we will discuss reports. A report of any kind is a legal document and must be able to be used in court.         

The test application, inspection areas and limitations – areas you could not test – should be clearly described.

Did you know that NDT technicians may be called to testify in a court of law, on an inspection performed? Most reports are stored for 15 years and more.

A report will be used as reference by the next inspector that inspects that same piece, sometime later. The aim is repeatability of results to monitor crack growth or to determine the rate of material loss due to corrosion. This allows for planned maintenance and the replacement of components before something goes wrong. Your report need to be useful to the engineer.

The statement: “Inspection carried out on accessible areas” is not clear enough!  

Which areas were accessible?  You have to provide a drawing or photographs to explain where you tested and where you could not.  Approach a report as if you are preparing for a court case and keep it simple.

The statement “No cracks found.” is also not clear enough. You are not only looking for cracks, what about other flaws like corrosion, pitting, porosity & lack of fusion in the weld?

Use the term: “No defects found.” When there are acceptance criteria or even, “No relevant indications found”.

When there are no acceptance criteria, rather use: “No indications found”, when you have found nothing.

Spelling does count in a legal document; get a dictionary! Use “spellcheck” on your PC, before you submit a report.

One of my past students used the word “crek” on a report. He found creks and rejected the test piece. He failed – of course. The next day his dad came to see me. I explained that if this report had to go to court, the judge would lock his son up, so he could learn how to spell properly in jail.

DO NOT use abbreviations unless you know for a fact that your client will be familiar with those abbreviations, it is just rude not to clarify abbreviations. 

Example: NRI  =  Nigerian sea Rescue Institute or No Relevant Indications.

Keep it simple people, even lawyers need to understand your report.

Thanks guys.

Keep up the good work.

Hennie de Wet