June 2002 Newsletter for Applied Inspection, NDT / Non-destructive Testing specialists

THE APPLIED INSPECTION

NEWSLETTER

Issue No. 94 - June 2002

FROM THE EDITOR

Our website is continually updated and improved, and the number of visitors has continued to increase. Log on to www.appliedinspection.co.uk if you haven't done so already.

PERSONNEL

Arthur Gardiner Retires
Arthur retires on 12 June 2002. He was one of Applied Inspection's very first employees. He started in March 1985 and has been almost continuously employed on-site since. He was (and still is - he has agreed to carry on for a while part time) a recognised expert in Ultrasonic Testing of castings, working at many of the major foundries in Britain. In recent years he has travelled to various sites overseas carrying out third party inspections for our client, GE of America. We wish him the very best of health and a long and happy retirement.

Goodbye
To David Swain who has left the company. We wish him all the best for the future.

Overseas
Graham Clay (Gruz) has gone to Hong Kong to carry out visual inspection. Leigh Clarke has just returned from South Korea.

Joke of the Month
Little Johnny wanted to go to the zoo and pestered his parents for days. Finally his mother talked his reluctant father into taking him.

"So how was it?" his mother asked when they returned home. "Great," Little Johnny replied. "Did you and your father have a good time?" asked his mother. "Yeah, Daddy liked it too," exclaimed Little Johnny excitedly, "especially when one of the animals came home at 30 to 1"

The National Lottery
Dawn Andrews at Holmewood and Keith Dashper at Cleckheaton run the Applied Inspection lottery syndicate. There are currently 33 members who each pay Ł1.00 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)
January 2002 - £30.00 (4 weeks)
February 2002 - £10.00 (4 weeks)
March 2002 - £60.00 (5 weeks)
6 April 2002 - £10.00
13 April 2002 - £20.00
20 April 2002 - £30.00
27 April 2002 - £20.00
4 May 2002 - £10.00
11 May 2002 - £0.00
18 May 2002 - £20.00
25 May 2002 - £10.00
Any errors in the above list will be corrected as soon as possible.

QUALITY & TRAINING

Standards and Specifications
ASTM E 165 - 02, Standard Test Method for Liquid Penetrant Examination, has superseded ASTM E 165 - 95.

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

1) A 2) D 3) B 4) D

Here are some more questions, this time on Radiation Safety:

1. Which of the following would be used to limit the primary beam from an isotope?

     A. restrictor
     B. collimator
     C. masking
     D. reducer

2. Calculate the safe working distance from a 30 GBq Iridium 192 isotope:

     A. 520 m
     B. 22.8 m
     C. 33.4 m
     D. 18.6 m

3. How much lead would be required to reduce the intensity of an Iridium 192 source from 1800 Sv/hr to below 60 Sv/hr (given HVT = 5mm)?

     A. 20 mm
     B. 25 mm
     C. 30 mm
     D. not enough information is given

4. Survey meters measure radiation in which of the following units?

     A. becquerels
     B. micro grays per hour
     C. micro sieverts per hour
     D. roentgens

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:

integrity of staff
staff competence
standard and accuracy of reporting
punctuality
service and value for money for each and every customer
awareness of the environment and the company's influence on it
health and safety performance

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.

SAVE MONEY - KEEP IT SIMPLE
When NASA first started sending up astronauts, they quickly discovered that ballpoint pens would not work in zero gravity or in abnormal environmental conditions, e.g. temperature, humidity and pressure.

To combat this problem, NASA scientists spent a decade and $12 billion developing a pen that writes in zero gravity, upside down, underwater, on almost any surface including glass and at temperatures ranging from below freezing to over 300 degrees C.

The Russians used a pencil.

HEALTH & SAFETY

Company Car Hazards
There is a responsibility on both management and staff alike to ensure that company vehicles are driven in a safe manner.

A research project from the Guild of Experienced Motorists (GEM) shows that driving company cars can be almost as hazardous as working underground in coal-mines. High-mileage company drivers, who cover more than 25,000 miles per year, risk a one-in-8,000 chance of being seriously injured, or killed. For coal-miners the risk is one-in-7,000. GEM claims that one company driver in every three can be involved in a crash each year, and that more than 35 per cent of all road fatalities involve vehicles which are used for business purposes.

One major cause of serious accidents, often involving death, is the driver falling asleep at the wheel. At Applied Inspection we must continue to raise awareness of such a danger, particularly when long shifts have been worked. The company car is a place of work and should be treated as such. Health and safety rules and regulations need to be applied to staff sitting behind a wheel, probably more so than when they are sat behind a desk.

If any member of staff feels that tiredness could present a danger when driving, he / she must make alternative arrangements, e.g. an overnight stay or a different driver.

Working with Ladders
Ladders should ideally be used to provide access to a working platform only. When required to use a ladder:

ALWAYS:

Inspect the ladder for damage prior to use
Ensure the ladder is long enough (at least 1 metre longer than the work height)
Ensure the ladder is placed on firm level ground
Ensure the ladder is secured at the top and bottom (or 'footed')
Ensure the ladder is placed at an angle of at least 4:1(75 degrees)
Use shoulder straps to carry equipment
Use both hands to hold onto the ladder

NEVER:

Carry heavy or bulky items
Work from a ladder without using one hand to hold onto the ladder
Work for long periods from a ladder
Lean from the ladder
Rest loose items on the ladder - remember operatives working below

CONTACTS

Holmewood, Derbyshire: Tel: 01246 851864 (3 Lines) Fax: 01246 852243
Burton, Staffordshire: Tel: 01283 515163 (3 Lines) Fax: 01283 539729
Cleckheaton, W Yorks: Tel/Fax: 01274 869900
Glasgow, Scotland: Tel/Fax: 0141 3355191
Internet Website: www.appliedinspection.co.uk

Published by: Applied Inspection Ltd., Holmewood, Chesterfield, UK. Editor: D K Thomas 29/05/2002

Back to Newsletters Index

Back to Applied Inspection Home Page