In his commentary, ‘The 35 Undeniable Truths‘, Rush Limbaugh states, “Words mean things.” This is especially true in thermography when it comes to one’s certification.
Certification has long been recognized as an indicator of a thermographer’s formal education and/or qualifications. Certification can have significant financial implications since buyers of inspection services often base purchasing decisions on a thermographer’s level of certification. Unfortunately, misstatements regarding certification, in particular ASNT certification, are quite common.
First of all, ASNT Certification – certification issued by the American Society of Nondestructive Testing – is only available from ASNT headquarters in Columbus, Ohio. This certification program is designed to provide uniform testing and certification of NDT personnel that is ‘transportable’ when an NDT technician leaves the employ of a company.
The use of the title, ‘ASNT Certified Thermographer’ is incorrect since ASNT does not use or recognize the term ‘thermographer’ in any of its professional designations. The correct term is NDT person or NDT technician.
Although ASNT does offer Level II certification in some NDT disciplines, they presently do not certify anyone below Level III in the Thermal Infrared (TIR) Method. Therefore, titles such as “ASNT Level 2 Certified Thermographer” or “ASNT Level 1 Certified Thermographer” do not exist except on the websites or advertising materials of companies who believe they have earned such titles. There are many examples of such citations ranging from infrared consultants to top executives at infrared equipment manufacturers.
Perhaps the biggest reason that considerable confusion surrounds ASNT certification is that some infrared trainers provide misleading information on this topic. Further compounding this problem is that many thermographers are imprecise when they represent their credentials. Few thermographers who do misrepresent themselves are rarely called to task by their peers or their clients.
Ethics within any profession demand that practitioners always represent their qualifications and credentials accurately. Because words do mean things, thermographers must be careful when representing their qualifications and avoid using titles that do not exist. Accurately describing your certification reflects not only on you but on the credibility of our industry as well.
IR/INFO 2013 a Success!
Infraspection Institute’s IR/INFO conference was recently held in Orlando, Florida. IR/INFO 2013 marks the 24th anniversary for the advanced training conference, technical symposium and technology expo. IR/INFO was attended by infrared thermographers, PdM technologists, engineers, and building inspection professionals from around the world who enjoyed four days of networking, learning, and fun in a relaxed, family-friendly atmosphere.
We thank our exhibitors, our speakers, and all who attended and helped to make this year’s conference our best ever!
Since 2004 Infraspection Institute has been providing web-based training courses for infrared thermographers. At present, we offer the most comprehensive list of online training
courses including Level I and Level II Thermography as well as several application and industry-specific courses.
Courses are available 24/7 from anywhere in the world via a computer or a smart device. Students who complete 32 hours of training qualify to take the Infraspection Institute Certified Infrared Thermograher exam. Take your training wherever and whenever it’s convenient for you!
IRISS, Inc., a leader in the industrial IR window market, has appointed Jim Seffrin Director of Training. As a recognized leader in the science of infrared technology, Jim will also serve as a subject matter expert to the IRISS sales team and their customer base.
“Jim will work with our executive team to develop maintenance management training and electrical safety courses for IRISS,” states Martin Robinson, CEO for IRISS Group. “In addition, Jim will personally train in infrared theory and certification requirements. We warmly welcome Jim and his expertise to the IRISS team.”
Jim is the Director of Infraspection Institute and a practicing thermographer with nearly 30 years experience as an infrared consultant. As a Level III Infraspection Institute Certified Infrared Thermographer®, Jim has written numerous articles, co-written existing standards, and frequently works as an expert witness on projects involving thermography. Jim is the co-founder of Jersey Infrared Consultants, an infrared inspection and consulting firm headquartered in Burlington, NJ.
Seffrin adds, “I am very excited to be working with IRISS. They are dedicated to improving worker safety and are constantly seeking to bring innovations to our industry. I look forward to working with their staff and assisting with the growth of their SMART training courses.”
In his commentary, ‘The 35 Undeniable Truths‘, Rush Limbaugh states, “Words mean things.” This is especially true in thermography when it comes to one’s certification.
Infraspection Institute’s IR/INFO conference was recently held in Orlando, Florida. IR/INFO 2013 marks the 24th anniversary for the advanced training conference, technical symposium and technology expo. IR/INFO was attended by infrared thermographers, PdM technologists, engineers, and building inspection professionals from around the world who enjoyed four days of networking, learning, and fun in a relaxed, family-friendly atmosphere.
Since 2004 Infraspection Institute has been providing web-based training courses for infrared thermographers. At present, we offer the most comprehensive list of online training
IRISS, Inc., a leader in the industrial IR window market, has appointed Jim Seffrin Director of Training. As a recognized leader in the science of infrared technology, Jim will also serve as a subject matter expert to the IRISS sales team and their customer base.
