Good day everybody.

Recently we had to get some radiography done in Johannesburg, on a Sunday.

We subcontracted another NDT company since we were not RT capable yet. They came with 2 vehicles and two sources. This was going to be quick, I thought.

The NDT technicians got lost on the way to site and were an hour late. They complained about the directions given.

We located the welds on site and the complaints did not stop. Too far, too thick, too windy, too many people around, not enough films, working on a Sunday, too much climbing.

Eventually the radiography started. We left the radiographers on site to continue and hopefully finish.

An hour later I get this phone call. “Job stopped due to heavy rain.”

I know that radiography on site in the rain is problematic. I have done it many times myself. The masking tape doesn’t stick – films fall off the pipe – and water gets into the cassettes, causing film marks.

But you make a plan to finish the job. They only had 15 welds to test. With two sources on site and the welds mostly on ground level, certainly they could have finished.

Perhaps I am just too used to clients like SASOL and ESKOM demanding results no matter what the weather. Perhaps I am just being too critical.

What I envisaged from the start is this:

Address where the job was forwarded to the radiographers Wednesday already. The welds located Friday during the day. Sunday morning, be on site at 6:30, start shooting at 7, finish at 9, films processed and report done by eleven thirty and the second beer cracked at 12. That is my idea of working on a weekend.

Now we had to arrange for special permission during the week for them to catch up.

Hennie.