THE APPLIED INSPECTION
NEWSLETTER

Issue No. 67 - March 2000

FROM THE EDITOR

Best Wishes to David Slater
As many will already know, Pat Slater's son David suffered injuries due to a fall whilst working for a sub-contractor carrying out cladding work at Holmewood laboratory. David is well liked by everyone at Applied Inspection. They all send their best wishes for a speedy recovery.

PERSONNEL

Training in Nigeria/Quatar/Trinidad/Malaysia
Alan Bartlett has recently returned from Nigeria after carrying out ASNT training and examination at Shell Petroleum for our client being TWI. He had an armed guard for the whole of his stay that was interrupted at regular intervals by power failures - making practical training for radiographic interpretation very difficult!

Kim Sharp is currently carrying out training in Quatar. Future contracts include Alan in Trinidad and Ian Bunting in Malaysia.

Pool Tournament
Anyone who wishes to enter the Applied Inspection Pool Knockout Tournament should put their name up on the sheet on the notice board at Burton, Chesterfield or Cleckheaton. The first prize is £50 and entry is free. If you are on site, just phone in and ask an office staff member to put your name up for you.

Ted Peake will make the draw then it will be up to individual players to make arrangements to play the game at a suitable location. Ted's decision will be final in all matters relating to the tournament.

Congratulations
To Janine Cooil who was eighteen years old on Saturday 19 February. She celebrated with a night out in Derby with her sister and friends, getting "very drunk".

More congratulations to the following who have passed NDT examinations:
Paul Johnstone who passed PCN level 2 Ultrasonics (Welds) category 3.8 - Nozzles at the first attempt.

Leigh Clarke who passed PCN level 2 Magnetic Particle Inspection.

Martin Hall and Russell Swain have passed their PCN Basic radiation Safety examinations.

The National Lottery
Here's an anagram of "The National Lottery" from Clive Millard - Total Non Reality

The Applied Inspection lottery syndicate is run by Dawn Andrews and Keith Dashper at Holmewood. There are currently 30 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)
January, 1999 - £30.00 (5 weeks)
February, 1999 - £10.00 (4 weeks)
March, 1999 - £10.00 (4 weeks)
April, 1999 - £30.00 (4 weeks)
May, 1999 - £50.00 (5 weeks)
June, 1999 - £0.00 (4 weeks)
July, 1999 - £40.00 (5 weeks)
August, 1999 - £30.00 (4 weeks)
September, 1999 - £30.00 (4 weeks)
October, 1999 - £0.00 (5 weeks)
November, 1999 - £60.00 (4 weeks)
December, 1999 - £0.00 (4 weeks)
1 January, 2000 - £20.00
8 January, 2000 - £10.00
15 January, 2000 - £10.00
22 January, 2000 - £0.00
29 January, 2000 - £10.00
5 February, 2000 - £10.00
12 February, 2000 - £10.00
19 February, 2000 - £0.00
An additional £150.00 has been spent from our winnings in an attempt to win the three roll over jackpots in 1996. Any errors in the above list will be corrected as soon as possible.

QUALITY & TRAINING

Standards and Specifications
BS EN 12223: 2000 - Non-destructive testing - Ultrasonic examination - Specification for calibration block No. 1 together with BS EN 27963: 1992 has superseded BS 2704: 1978 which is now withdrawn.

SAFed SBG 1, Guidelines for the Examination of Boiler Shell-to-Endplate and Furnace-to-Endplate Welded Joints - additional guidance has been issued by SAFed relating to fillet toe cracks propagating into the tubeplate.

Quotation
"94% of customers don't complain - they just walk away."
BSI

ASME SE-747 - Standard Practice for Design, Manufacture and Material Grouping Classification of Wire Image Quality Indicators (IQI) used for Radiology has been amended (ASME V, 1999 Addenda). Table 1 "Wire Penetrameter Sizes" has been changed to include a wire identity - wire numbers 1 (thinnest) to 21 (thickest). The IQI designations have now changed from, for example, "ASTM 1B 03" to "ASTM 1B 11". The 03 referred to the thickness of the thickest wire on set B. This has now been replaced by the wire number, 11 in this case.

Lloyds Register's initial position with regard to ASME U Stamp work is that it is not necessary to buy new IQIs. They will inform us if this changes.

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

1)   B    2)  D     3)   A    4)  A

Here are some more questions, this time on Eddy Current Testing:

1) Which of the following methods may be used to improve the signal-to-noise ratio of an eddy current test system?
    A. Filtering or differentiation.
    B. Phase discrimination.
    C. Integration.
    D. All of the above.

2) In order to decrease the effect on conductivity readings due to variations in test part thickness:
    A. the test frequency should be increased.
    B. the test frequency should be decreased.
    C. the fill factor should be decreased.
    D. there is no practical method for decreasing this effect.

3) When testing by the eddy current method, discontinuities will be most easily detected when the eddy currents are:
    A. coplanar with the major plane of the discontinuity.
    B. perpendicular to the major plane of the discontinuity.
    C. parallel to the major plane of the discontinuity.
    D. 90 degrees out of phase with the current in the coil.

4) A term used to describe the effect observed due to a change in the electromagnetic coupling between a test specimen and a probe coil when the distance of separation between them is varied is:
    A. fill factor.
    B. edge effect.
    C. end effect.
    D. lift-off.

Quotation
"One reason why so few recognize opportunity is because it is disguised as hard work."
ANON

Quality at Applied Inspection
As do most other companies, 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:

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:

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

Joke of the Month
Police have arrested two youths - one drinking car battery acid and the other eating fireworks. They've charged one and let the other one off.

CLIVE MILLARD

HEALTH & SAFETY

Ionising Radiation Regulations 1999
The Ionising Radiations Regulations 1999 (IRR99) came into force on 1st January 2000. The regulations themselves were published during January 2000 and we have obtained a copy. However, the accompanying code of practice (ACOP) has not yet been published. The Applied Inspection Health & Safety Rules, which incorporate Local Rules under the above regulations, have been revised and are in draft format awaiting the publishing of the ACOP. They will be issued to all staff as soon as practicable after receipt of the ACOP.

Radiation Passbooks
The Ionising Radiations (Outside Workers) Regulations 1993 are now replaced by IRR99. However, passbooks issued before 30th April 2000 under the Outside Workers regulations will remain valid "for such time as the worker to whom the passbook relates continues to be employed by the same employer".

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 23/02/2000

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