About the NRCan National Non-Destructive Testing Certification Body

Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) manages the national program in Canada that certifies people who perform non-destructive testing (NDT).

NRCan’s National Non-Destructive Testing Certification Body (NDTCB) provides:

• Canadian General Standards Board (CGSB) certification for non-destructive testing
• Portable tube-based X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyzer operator certification
• The written examination for the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission’s (CNSC) exposure device operator (EDO) certification (NRCan NDTCB is the qualifying body for this examination)

If you are interested in obtaining a certification, you can learn more about what we do and how to apply in these pages. If you have a certification already, and are simply looking to renew it or recertify, consider going straight to Manage Your NDT Certification or Quick Downloads.

Mandate and objectives

The NRCan NDTCB is dedicated to developing and implementing programs to certify people who inspect the metals, materials, components and structures on critical infrastructure used in the development and use of Canada’s natural resources, transportation, manufacturing, energy and mining and other sectors.

These sectors rely on many non-destructive testing inspection methods and techniques in industries related to aircraft and rail transportation, heavy equipment manufacturing, oil and gas pipelines and refineries, nuclear reactors and generating stations, civil infrastructure and other essential manufactured components.

The NDTCB certification program also aims to continually improve and maintain reliability, security and safety with regards to how metals and materials are used by industries across Canada. The NRCan NDTCB is committed to quality and has achieved certification for its quality management system to the ISO 9001:2015 standard.

Our certification responsibilities

The NDTCB is solely responsible for, retains authority for, and does not delegate its decisions relating to certification, including the granting, maintaining, recertification, expansion and reduction of scope, suspension, or withdrawal of certifications.

The NDTCB understands the importance of impartiality in carrying out its certification activities. Processes are in place to manage potential conflicts of interest and to ensure the objectivity of all certification activities.

Service Standard

The NDTCB strives to ensure that new applications are processed within ten (10) working days of receipt by our office, and that examination results are made available within fifteen (15) working days of receipt by our office. As applications and examinations are processed in arrival sequence, processing times may vary depending on the volume of applications and/or examinations received and are not guaranteed. Incomplete documentation or complexity of routine verifications and checks may also lead to longer processing times.

The NDTCB makes every reasonable effort to ensure candidate applications, examination requests, and certification submissions are completed in accordance with our service standard targets 80% of the time (at minimum). Despite these efforts, there can sometimes be errors, omissions, or delays. NRCan is not responsible for any direct and indirect costs, expenses, or delays that may arise.

Client responsibilities

Certified personnel and applicants are expected to respond to NRCan NDTCB communication in a timely manner, and inform the NRCan NDTCB of any changes to their name and address/contact information.

Clients are responsible for the official documentation issued to them by the NRCan NDTCB. Fees may apply for the replacement of these documents.

Lost or stolen NRCan NDTCB photo identification (ID) cards must be reported to local law enforcement. The NRCan NDTCB requires a copy of the report, in addition to the “NRCan NDTCB Administrative Services Request Form” and applicable fees prior to issuing a replacement ID card.

The NRCan NDTCB has sole ownership of all paper declarations of achievement and photo identification (ID) cards as issued. This property is subject to update or recall at any time. Clients and certificate holders cannot possess duplicate photo ID cards and/or multiple photo ID cards for the same certification (i.e. NDT, XRF, EDO). Only the most recent ID card issued from the NRCan NDTCB is considered valid. It is the responsibility of the clients and certificate holders to ensure that all previously issued cards are destroyed or returned to the NRCan NDTCB.

Acronyms and Definitions for NDTCB users

The National Non-Destructive Testing Certification Body at NRCan uses a number of acronyms and terms used throughout this site. Here is a quick reference guide.

• CEDO—certified exposure device operator
• CGSB—Canadian General Standards Board
• Client—Individual who has at any point applied to the NRCan NDTCB for certification/examination and who may or may not be a present certificate holder. A client may also be referred to as an applicant, candidate, or certified personnel.
• CNSC—Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission
• EDO—exposure device operator
• NRCan—National Resources Canada
• NDT—non-destructive testing
• NDTCB—Non-Destructive Testing Certification Body
• XRF—X-ray fluorescence