THE APPLIED INSPECTION
NEWSLETTER

Issue No. 125 - January 2005

FROM THE EDITOR

Thank You to All Staff
The directors wish to thank all staff for making 2004 another great year for Applied Inspection. We have continued to build on the success of previous years and further strengthen our position as the best service inspection company in the UK.

The success is due to a very highly qualified and motivated workforce that has resulted in a high quality of service being maintained to all of our customers.

Joke of the Month

A group of chess enthusiasts checked into a hotel and were standing in the lobby discussing their recent tournament victories. After about an hour, the manager came out of the office and asked them to disperse. "But why?" they asked, as they moved off. "Because I can't stand chess nuts boasting in an open foyer."

(David Slater)

PERSONNEL

Christmas Night Out In Sheffield
Fourteen staff from Burton and Chesterfield turned up and had a great night out. Fancy dress icons included Steve Wilkes as Rod Stewart, Nick Bond had an Austen Powers look about him, Kevin Armstrong portrayed an Afro-Caribbean appearance and Ivan Hutson gave an impression of a 1970s look modelled on Starsky and Hutch. A great time was had by all.

Level III Staff Overseas
Geoff Booth travelled to various locations in China during November to carry out audits in accordance with railway group standards. Geoff will be returning to China in the New Year.

Alan Bartlett carried out training courses in Madras, India during November. He taught twenty operators to CSWIP Welding Inspector category 3.1, plus transition training for ten operators from AWS Welding Inspection to CSWIP 3.1. Alan's trip to Madras followed on from training eighteen operators to CSWIP Welding Inspector level in Bahrain during October. He has also carried out two spells of training in Greece this year.

Welcome
To David Wilson who started at Glasgow.

Congratulations
To Richard Soar, Tom Donegan and Dean Bradshaw who all passed Ultrasonic Testing (Railway axles) category H1.

The National Lottery
Dawn Andrews at Chesterfield and Keith Dashper at Ossett run the Applied Inspection lottery syndicate. There are currently 31 members who each pay £1.00 per week (stopped at source) which is put on the Saturday lottery. Anyone who is not a member, and who would like to join, should contact Dawn or Keith.

Our winnings to date are as follows:
1995 - £160.00 (40 weeks)
1996 - £297.00 (52 weeks)
1997 - £220.00 (52 weeks)
1998 - £251.00 (52 weeks)
1999 - £290.00 (52 weeks)
2000 - £270.00 (53 weeks)
2001 - £382.00 (52 weeks)
2002 - £330.00 (52 weeks)
2003 - £230.00 (52 weeks)
2004 - £90.00 (26 weeks, January to June)
2004 - July - £10.00 (5 weeks)
2004 - August - £10.00 (4 weeks)
2004 - September - £20.00 (4 weeks)
2004 - October - £0.00 (5 weeks)
2004 - 6 November - £0.00
2004 - 13 November - £0.00
2004 - 20 November - £0.00
2004 - 27 November - £0.00
2004 - 4 December - £0.00
2004 - 11 December - £20.00
Any errors in the above list will be corrected as soon as possible.

QUALITY & TRAINING

Standards and Specifications
BS 4515-1: 2004, Specification for welding of steel pipelines on land and offshore - Part 1: Carbon and carbon manganese steel pipelines, has superseded BS 4515-1: 2000 which is withdrawn.

Quote of the month

"A closed mouth gathers no foot."

Anon

NDT Training
The answers to the questions on Magnetic Testing in last month's NEWSLETTER are as follows:

1) B     2) C      3) D     4) B     

Here are some more questions, this time on Penetrant Testing:

1. What are the two most important properties which determine whether a liquid will have high penetrating ability?

     A. Surface tension and viscosity.
     B. Viscosity and cosine of contact angle.
     C. Cosine of the contact angle and density.
     D. Surface tension and cosine of the contact angle.

2. Where precleaning is necessary and a residue-free solvent is used, which of the following is observed?

     A. The solvents are not suitable for removing grease.
     B. The solvents are not suitable for removing oil.
     C. The solvents should never be used for grease and oils.
     D. The solvents are suitable for removing grease and oils, but are generally not adequate if solid soils are imbedded in void areas.

3. When utilizing the fluorescent post-emulsifiable penetrant method and performing the rinse cycle, which of the following will prevent over-rinsing?

     A. Rinse before the penetrant is completely emulsified.
     B. Rinse after the penetrant is completely emulsified.
     C. Discontinue the rinse as soon as the surface penetrant is removed from the part.
     D. Rinse only with water hotter than 110 degrees F.

4. The contrast ratio of a red dye penetrant to a white developer is normally about

     A. 33 to 1.
     B. 6 to 1.
     C. 9 to 1.
     D. 9 to 2.

Quality at Applied Inspection
Applied Inspection has a number of statements relating to its position on that subject. They are Vision, Mission, Quality, Training, Health & Safety, Environmental, Equal Opportunities and Alcohol & Drugs.

These statements are contained in the Company Rules booklet, available at each site on the Notice Board, and the Health & Safety booklet, issued to all employees. In addition, from time to time we also publish the statements in the NEWSLETTER. Here is our Mission Statement. We welcome comments and/or suggestions from staff in relation to any company policy statement. Please contact any director or e-mail us through the company web site.

Mission Statement
Our mission is to make Applied Inspection the best service inspection company in the world. We will provide our customers with a high quality NDT service at an economic price through an ongoing system of quality improvements in all areas of the company's activities. We will promote co-operation internally between divisions and individuals and externally between our staff and our customers and suppliers. The company's intention is to continually strive for higher levels of:

Quality improvements will be achieved through education and training leading to greater empowerment of the workforce.

The strength of the whole workforce is the most effective way of meeting or exceeding the requirements of all of our customers, enabling us to become the best of the best.

TRANSPORT

2004 has again been a success story for Applied Inspection on transport issues with very few 'fault accidents' and only isolated offences (Speeding etc.). Please ensure that you and your vehicle are 'fit-for-purpose' over the holiday period before driving, and enjoy Christmas and the New Year as you all deserve.

HEALTH & SAFETY

Health & Safety Objectives
  1. Provide operatives with a safe working environment preventing injury to all company employees and to the general public.
  2. Comply with all current statutory and legislative requirements.
  3. Provide operatives with sufficient information, instruction, equipment, training and supervision to carry out the required tasks in a safe and efficient manner.
  4. Liaise with employees or their representatives whenever possible in all matters relating to health and safety.
  5. Ensure that all "classified" personnel have had adequate training/instruction in radiation safety.
  6. Continuously monitor and improve the effectiveness of the Business Management System, processes and services, and meet or exceed the set targets.

Signs
There are five main types of safety sign:

Prohibition sign:Red circle with red diagonal (e.g. No Smoking, No Entry).
Warning sign: Yellow triangle (e.g. Wet Floor, Radiation).
Mandatory sign:Blue disc (e.g. Wear eye protection).         
Emergency sign:Green rectangle (e.g. Fire assembly point, First Aid).
Fire fighting sign:Red rectangle (e.g. Fire extinguisher, Fire alarm).

Prohibition signs and Mandatory signs must be obeyed.

Therefore any person entering the workplace must comply with the instructions shown on a Prohibition sign and a Mandatory sign.

CONTACTS

Holmewood, Derbyshire: Tel: 01246 851864 (4 Lines) Fax: 01246 852243
Burton, Staffordshire: Tel: 01283 515163 (4 Lines) Fax: 01283 539729
Ossett, W Yorks: Tel/Fax: 01924 270006 (2 lines)
Glasgow, Scotland: Tel/Fax: 0141 3355191
Internet Website: www.appliedinspection.co.uk

Published by: Applied Inspection Ltd., Holmewood, Chesterfield, UK. Editor: D K Thomas 16/12/2004

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