SERVICES
LIFTING EQUIPMENT INSPECTION
Inspection & Annual Certification
The Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Regulation requires annual certification of the following types of equipment:
- Vehicle-mounted elevating work platforms
- Self-propelled boom-supported elevating work platforms
- Mobile cranes
- Concrete pumps and placing booms
- Aerial firefighting devices
The OHS Regulation states that inspections of these types of equipment must be in accordance with “good engineering practice.”
To help employers and engineers better understand what “good engineering practice” entails, Engineers and Geoscientists BC (EGBC) published the Annual Equipment Inspection and Certification in British Columbia (January 2020).
The benefits of getting an overhead crane inspection by Westside include:
- Professional Reporting that meets OHS requirements
- The peace of mind of knowing about any safety issues that you need to address.
- Knowing that your equipment is working properly which will reduce any downtime.
NON-DESTRUCTIVE TESTING
ULTRASONIC TESTING
Manual ultrasonic testing (UT) is a form of non-destructive testing that is typically used to detect volumetric flaws, material integrity and component thickness.
This common form of ultrasonic testing is used to carry out inspection on castings, forgings, welded components and composite structures in all industry sectors.
The method can be performed on several types of materials and its applications include:
- Flaw detection such as inclusions, cracks and porosity – particularly for small flaws or flaws situated deep within a part
-Determining the thickness of test objects, particularly in erosion or corrosion monitoring
-Assessment of bond integrity
-The benefits of this method include quick accurate inspection and portable operation.
Westside uses advanced ultrasonic equipment and we can inspect customers’ components and structures to industry codes, standards or customer specifications, ensuring that your components and structures meet the highest standards for safety and reliability.
The technique uses a pulser/receiver unit to power an ultrasonic transducer. The transducer is placed into contact with the tested object and pulsed sound waves are generated into the object. The reflected waves are received by the transducer and the signals are shown on the display unit. Skilled interpretation of the signals will indicate if there are any flaws or imperfections.
MAGNETIC PARTICLE TESTING
Magnetic Particle Inspection (MPI) is a non-destructive testing method that can detect surface and subsurface flaws in ferromagnetic materials.
Magnetic particle inspection is often carried out to help determine an item’s fitness for use or conformity. This quick and relatively easy to apply technique is widely used in all industry sectors including aerospace, automotive, petrochemical, structural steel, and power generation to inspect a variety of products and equipment such as castings, forgings and weldments.
The method can detect surface or near-surface flaws such as cracks, laps, seams and inclusions in ferromagnetic materials such as iron and steel. One of the main advantages of magnetic particle inspection is that it can give an immediate indication of defects and discontinuities.
The technique works by inducing a magnetic field in the component tested. If a surface or near-surface flaw is present, the magnetic flux is distorted and ‘leaks’ around the flaw. By dusting the surface of the tested item with fine magnetic particles such as ferrous iron filings, (applied either dry or suspended in liquid), the particles will be attracted to the area of the flux leakage creating a visible indication of the defect. The indication can be evaluated by the operator to determine what it is, what may have caused it, and what action should be taken, if any.
LIQUID PENETRANT TESTING
Liquid Penetrant Inspection (LPI) is widely used to detect surface breaking flaws.
This non-destructive testing technique is a cost-effective method used to locate surface breaking flaws such as cracks, porosity, laps, seams and other surface discontinuities. Liquid penetrant inspection can be applied to both ferrous and non-ferrous materials and all non-porous materials (metals, plastics or ceramics).
It is commonly used to detect defects in castings, forgings and weldments. Westside works with all industry sectors including aerospace, power generation, petrochemical and oil and gas.
The method is useful for testing on-site as it is portable, and when applying certain techniques such as visible color contrast there is no need for additional resources such as electricity or water. This makes it a highly convenient for inspecting surface discontinuities.
The tested item is cleaned first before the penetrant is applied by dipping, spraying or brushing. The penetrant is given time to soak into any defects, the penetration time dependent on the chosen penetrant and customer requirement.
Afterwards, the excess penetrant is removed and the component is dried depending on the process used. Then a developer is applied. The developer helps to draw the penetrant out of the flaw and onto the surface to form a visible indication. A visual inspection is then performed by the inspector under ultraviolet or white light, depending on the type of penetrant used (fluorescent or visible color contrast).
Penetrants are classified by their sensitivity levels and, when selecting a penetrant, factors such as environment under which the test is to be performed, surface finish, size of defects sought and size of test piece are considered.
NDT AUDITING
Our Level 3 inspectors can meet your NDT auditing needs by providing an objective third-party, qualified review of your NDT procedures, methods and personnel.
By outsourcing your NDT auditing to us, you can benefit from our Total Quality Assurance expertise and years of auditing experience. In addition, our Level 3 inspectors can carry out supplier audits on your behalf.
Our NDT Level 3 inspectors are qualified to
ISO 9712:2012
CGSB (Canadian General Standards Board) or ASNT ((American Society of Non-destructive Testing). We have experience auditing in different industry sectors including marine, power generation (nuclear and conventional power stations) and aerospace.
Our NDT auditing services include:
- Ensuring compliance with applicable industry codes, standards and regulatory requirements
- Ensuring quality control in NDT techniques
- Assessing the correct NDT techniques are being used
- Ensuring the correct NDT test pieces are in place
- Checking staff are following NDT test procedures
- Review of paperwork and documentation
- Verification of personnel’s NDT qualifications
With our NDT auditing services, you can be confident that you are compliant with your own in-house procedures as well as compliant with industry standards and regulatory requirements.