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PED / RTPO
Compliance

NDT inspection and certification per PED 2014/68/EU. Reports accepted by European Notified Bodies. PCN (ISO 9712) Level 3 certified.

PED 2014/68/EURTPOCEISO 9712PCN

What is PED and what it requires for NDT

The PED 2014/68/EU is the European directive governing the manufacture and conformity assessment of pressure equipment for the EU market. To obtain CE marking, NDT on permanent joints must be performed by qualified personnel — and for categories III and IV, that personnel must be approved by an RTPO (Recognised Third-Party Organisation) — the third-party organisation recognised under Article 20 of the directive (Annex I, Section 3.1.3). Unlike welding (Section 3.1.2), where the manufacturer may choose between a Notified Body and an RTPO, for NDT personnel the RTPO approval is required with no NB option. In practice, ISO 9712 certification in the correct method and sector is the basis the RTPO approves.

What this means in practice

Two certifications common in Brazil do not satisfy PED categories III and IV:

What matters for PED is not just holding ISO 9712, but who issued the certification — for NDT in categories III and IV, the approval must come from a body holding a valid RTPO appointment in the EEA.

How SimpleNDT covers this

Dan Yamashita holds PCN Level 3 (ISO 9712) certification with approval under the PED scheme, in addition to ASNT Level III. This covers American (ASME, AWS) and European (PED, CE) requirements simultaneously — a single Level 3 for both frameworks.

Technical article

PED categories, the role of the RTPO, why SNT-TC-1A and SNQC do not satisfy categories III and IV, harmonized standards, and WPS/welder qualification.

PED 2014/68/EU and RTPO: complete guide to NDT for pressure equipment →
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is an RTPO?+
RTPO (Recognised Third-Party Organisation) is the third-party organisation recognised by an EEA Member State under Article 20 of PED 2014/68/EU to approve welding procedures, welder qualifications and NDT personnel qualification. The RTPO approves the NDT professional's qualification — normally based on EN ISO 9712 certification such as PCN — for category III and IV pressure equipment. RTPO designates the organisation (e.g. CASL/LRQA, TÜV, Bureau Veritas), not the person — the correct phrasing is that the inspector is RTPO-approved.
Is SNT-TC-1A certification accepted for PED?+
Not for categories III and IV. SNT-TC-1A is an employer-based scheme without personal certification issued by an independent third-party body — which conflicts with the PED model. Annex I, Section 3.1.3 requires NDT personnel qualification on permanent joints to be approved by an RTPO. Personnel certified under other schemes may be approved by an RTPO if equivalence to EN ISO 9712 criteria is demonstrated, individually — but SNT-TC-1A certification alone does not meet the requirement.
Is SNQC (ABENDI) accepted for PED?+
No, despite SNQC being based on ISO 9712. SNQC is the certification scheme operated by ABENDI, accredited by Inmetro — but ABENDI holds no RTPO appointment from any EEA Member State. For categories III and IV, NDT personnel qualification must be approved by an RTPO appointed in the EEA. For PCN (UK) certificates, that approval is provided by CASL (an LRQA company), RTPO No. 3002, Ireland. Having ISO 9712 is necessary but not sufficient — what matters is the RTPO approval.
Which PED categories require RTPO-approved personnel?+
Categories III and IV require that NDT personnel on permanent joints be approved by an RTPO — the body recognised under Article 20 (Annex I, Section 3.1.3). For NDT there is no Notified Body option; that choice exists only for welding procedure and welder approval (Section 3.1.2). For categories I and II the directive requires qualified personnel without mandatory RTPO approval — ISO 9712 certification remains best practice.
Does SimpleNDT act as RTPO-approved Level 3?+
Yes. Dan Yamashita holds PCN (ISO 9712) certificate No. 340677 — Level 3 in VT, MT, UT and PT and Level 2 in six methods including RT and PAUT — with NDT personnel approval issued by CASL (an LRQA company), RTPO No. 3002. This allows acting as NDT technical responsible for Brazilian manufacturers exporting pressure equipment to the EU with CE marking.
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