SNT-TC-1A

Covers — recommended guidelines for an employer to establish an in-house program qualifying and certifying NDT personnel by method and level (education, training, experience, and examination), documented in the employer's written practice.

Does NOT cover (exclusions) — the following are governed elsewhere:

• Independent third-party certification → ISO 9712 (and the ANSI/ASNT CP-189 employer-based alternative with stricter rules).
• NDE method procedures → ASME Section V / ASTM E-series.
• Weld/procedure qualification → ASME Section IX.

Under SNT-TC-1A the employer's written practice is the enforceable document; the recommended practice is its template.

SNT-TC-1A provides recommended guidelines for an employer program:

• Written Practice — the employer's document defining how it applies the recommendations.
• Levels & Duties — Level 1/2/3 responsibilities by method.
• Training/Experience/Exams — recommended hours and general/specific/practical examinations.
• Certification & Records — employer-issued certification, vision requirements, and recertification.

SNT-TC-1A is ASNT's recommended practice for qualifying and certifying NDT personnel under an employer-based program. The employer writes a "written practice" adapting the recommendations, then trains, examines, and certifies its own Level 1/2/3 examiners by method.

It is the dominant scheme in US industry, valued for flexibility but placing certification integrity on the employer — the opposite of ISO 9712's independent central body. The referencing code (via Section V) determines which scheme is acceptable for a given project.

Engineering Note: Because SNT-TC-1A is only a recommendation, always review the employer's actual written practice — that document, not the SNT-TC-1A cover, defines the real qualification requirements you are accepting.