Onix signs deal with Equinor
Onix lands an agreement with Equinor to deliver its solution for inspection and maintenance of loose equipment to all platforms on the Norwegian continental shelf.
Non-Destructive Testing covers a wide range of tests relating to the structural integrity of a material. It is an essential process to ensure that objects of all kinds can be safely used. That could be an ultrasonic test on a ship’s hull to check for cracks in the metal, a magnetic particle test on a wire to ensure there is no internal corrosion, or even an X-Ray on a person to check for broken bones.
This blog will explore the essential role of NDT testing in safety regimes, and the importance of digital tools to simplify the process and delivery of NDT inspections.
Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) is a broad term that describes the testing or inspection of a material to examine the integrity of its structure. This testing is performed without damaging the material, which enables it to remain in use.
NDT allows trained inspectors to assess the condition and quality of materials and investigate whether they present any risks. With NDT, inspectors can provide a further level of security that objects are safe to use. This is an essential tool to mitigate risks posed by objects and materials that degrade over their lifetime.
Equipment such as oscilloscopes help inspectors get a better understanding of the structural integrity of objects.
There are many different types of NDT which are specific to different types of materials and their usage. These six NDT tests are the most common across industries:
The requirements for NDT and inspections vary for each object. Factors that influence the requirements for NDT include the type of material, how it is used, in what environment it is used and the frequency it is used. Factors such as the pressure applied to it or the load it carries also apply.
What is common across objects however is that checks will be essential during the object’s lifecycle to ensure integrity, and that they will usually take place at regular intervals. NDT is a form of mandatory testing that must be completed by a professional inspector. Inspectors will be able to advise on testing intervals, as they do with other forms of controls.
Regulatory bodies determine the requirements for inspections and testing of materials, objects and equipment. It is important that the owners of these items have a good understanding over their responsibilities under government and industry specific regulations and standards. These could require anything from mandatory visual pre-use checks to bi-annual or annual inspections.
Need help understanding your responsibilities as an equipment owner? Read our blog on accident prevention.
Equipment owners are responsible for knowing which tests and controls they need to make and when. Specially trained inspectors can complete work such as NDT.
Many inspectors that conduct NDT rely heavily on manual inspections using pen and paper or Microsoft Excel. This requires preparation and printing of documents before inspections, carrying around and managing piles of paper onsite, and spending countless hours writing up notes and creating final documents to share with customers. These process can be frustrating, time consuming and leave open room for delays and errors.
Digital tools for NDT inspections can eliminate these problems to make inspections more efficient and more reliable while providing a positive customer experience that keeps customers coming back. Completing inspection checklists onsite with handheld devices, then automatically generating documents to share digitally with customers can modernize inspection processes and help inspectors stand out from the crowd as trusted compliance partners.
With Onix Inspect inspectors can perform inspections onsite with handheld devices, even when offline.
Onix makes all kinds of inspections, including NDT, simple. Inspections can be conducted on all types of equipment from hooks and slings to cables, vehicles and gas canisters.
Through the equipment compliance management system (ECMS) Onix Work, with its specialized inspector tool Onix Inspect, inspectors can digitalize inspection processes. They simply set up the checklists they require for inspections from pre-existing templates in Onix Work, and then go out to sites to complete their inspection jobs with the Onix Inspect app.
Onix applications, including Onix Inspect, are available on desktop and handheld devices.
1. Create inspection checklist based on templates in Onix Work
2. Access or input customer equipment data in the Onix Inspect app – even when offline.
3. Use checklists for simple inspections onsite.
4. Add pictures or illustrations if you need.
5. Upload completed inspections when online.
6. Automatically generate inspection documents.
7. Send digitally to customers by Onix Express or share directly with customers in their Onix account.
These steps make inspections up to four times faster and give customers all the documentation they need to ensure compliance.
For NDT inspections, inspectors can edit document layouts in Onix’s form editor to provide NDT reports in the format their customers require. Templates exist for all the most common types of NDT, and form fields can be adapted to meet the needs of any type of equipment.
With Onix, inspectors can act as compliance partner for their customers. They can deliver digital documentation instantly and help customers set up their own digital processes. This aids collaboration on equipment compliance and builds trust throughout the equipment lifecycle. The result is simpler compliance and better collaboration for all.
Already use Onix Inspect and want to share the benefits with your customers? Learn more about the benefits of the Onix Partner Program here.
