I Just Want My Certs, Bro!

by Ben McRill

Having worked in contract-type work for hundreds of companies throughout my career, I have a special bond with my traveling field workers. It’s hot, wet, cold, exhausting, exciting, fun, and frustrating. Lately I have been working as an in-house Level III and don’t regularly deal with the negative sides of contract work. Though there are many upsides to the industry (and downsides to sitting at a desk most days), there is a constant phrase that still haunts me to this day: “I just need my certs.”

We can all pretend that this phrase hasn’t been uttered to us in some way. We can stick our head in the proverbial sand and never address this all-too-well-known comment. But we all know it is a reality of the NDT field. And not just in contract work—I have seen it from overzealous production managers with in-house NDT professionals. However, since you see those people every day, there tends to be less pushing. Maybe it comes out as: “Can we just pass it?” or “Is it good enough to send it?” or “Does it really need the repairs?” If you have been in the industry for any length of time, you have probably heard some form of this. But what can we do when this pressure is put on us? 

It’s All About Integrity

Being asked to let something slide or just “pencil whip” the certifications puts an inspector in a tough position. Not because you don’t know what is right, but because you run the risk of an argument, losing a future contract, or causing delays for multiple people down the line from you. But rest assured, there is an easy fix to all of this for you and your customer. The answer every time is the same: “I will have to reject this part until proper repairs are made.”

I know it can be difficult, but it is your duty as an NDT professional to be “that person”—the inspector who does their job with integrity and professionalism, even when under pressure. You can even point the interested party to ASNT’s Code of Ethics if they have concerns about your duties as an inspector.

If you have inspected the part per the procedure and the acceptance criteria has allowed for rejection, then that is the answer. You should never capitulate when you know you are in the right. Once you have determined there is some type of rejectable issue in a part, it is your job to explain to the customer the reason for the rejection(s). If you are versed in the functionality of the items you are inspecting, you may even explain to the client why your rejection must be repaired due to operational safety and future cost. No amount of pressure from a customer or employer should ever get you to take the risk of accepting an item you know is rejectable.

The people asking you to do this, generally, aren’t bad or malicious people. In fact, many times when I was asked to change my mind about a rejection, it was from people who I genuinely liked. It’s not about trying to get one over on the inspector, so you should be aware of their struggles if this is your mindset. Having the thought that they are somehow trying to trip you up may lead to an argument as you, the inspector, gets more defensive in your conversation. It happens to all of us; no one wants to think they are being purposefully put in a bad spot. Many times, the person asking (without specifically asking) you to break the rules has their back against the wall. They are likely hoping that you are marking things that are not really a failure, but more of a suggestion, or perhaps you evaluated it wrong. After all, can it really be that bad?

Be Willing to Walk Away and Get Management Involved

Companies hate delays, but do you know what they hate more? Losing money and injuring workers (partly because it costs them more money).

Here is a true story about an inspection I did. I went to a jobsite to inspect an offshore basket with a load rating of about 75 000 lb. During my inspection of the lifting eyes—which were in pretty bad shape—I noticed the hinges for the door were completely rusted off. The approximately 1000 lb doors were being held up with a single latch between them. This basket was intended to be used on an offshore rig, which would require lifting overhead and shipping.

There was no way I was going to accept this basket in its condition. So I failed it and explained my reasoning to the field supervisor. I put photos in the report to cover my own tail and gave my manager a heads-up about the situation. About an hour later I get a phone call from an angry higher-up in a different state telling me, “You get paid to pass baskets, and no one asked you to look at the doors, just the lifting eyes.”

This is where I had to take a deep breath and calmly explain that the procedure his company approved called for a visual inspection of the entire basket and that a door with rusted-off hinges literally falling through the rusted floor of said basket would kill some poor guy on a rig. “I don’t want to be the reason a father doesn’t make it off the rig,” I remember saying. He then spent the next 10 minutes yelling at me about how I messed up his schedule and threatened to call my manager. I happily gave him the direct number.

The end result, of course, was that nothing happened to me or the company I was with. My manager had my back, as he was never going to take on the liability of approving a basket that was in the condition shown in the photos. The client procured a new basket the same afternoon, which also needed an inspection. That earlier field supervisor called and specifically asked for me to come do a visual testing and magnetic particle testing inspection due to my handling of the previous situation. I ended up inspecting hundreds upon hundreds of baskets for this large company over the next few years.

The only thing you control in a situation like that is your attitude and integrity. Sometimes in this industry, you just have to take the verbal abuse from a frustrated customer who has their own deadlines and pressures. Not that it’s okay to treat people that way, but in the moment, you can’t fix that. However, you can never be in the wrong for doing a proper inspection and a proper evaluation. If a client would no longer use your services for doing your job correctly, that is not a client you want. Eventually that situation—one where you knowingly pass inspections that do not meet the requirements—could end up with you being culpable for an accident and possibly seeing jail time.

Sleep Well

Always remember, that this industry is relatively small and word does get around. This doesn’t just go for inspectors, mind you—it applies to companies and other staff as well. I regularly communicate with people I have met over the years from places I’ve worked and just folks I’ve come across in the field. Be the inspector who has integrity and will make the right call under pressure. The work you do can literally cost (and save) lives, so go to bed with a clean conscience.

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Benjamin McRill, ASNT NDT Level III (MT, PT, VT), NDT Level II (UT), Responsible Level III, Texas, benmcrill@gmail.com

• For additional information on ethics in NDT:
  ASNT webinar “Possible Root Causes of Unethical Behavior”, by Mike Allgaier presented during the January 2022 ASNT Virtual Section meeting.
• ASNT Pulse “NDT Ethics: Combating Unethical Certification Examination Practices”
• Chat NDT with ASNT “Ethics in NDT with Todd Sellmer”
• ASNT Pulse “Professional Ethics: The Role of the “Whistleblower”
• ASNT Pulse “An Existential Crisis for NDT”