The inspection work, the tickets, the pay, and the cert admin.
Rope access NDT is where inspection meets rope access. Techs who pair IRATA with NDT tickets inspect structures, tanks, pipework and offshore assets without scaffolding or downtime, finding cracks and corrosion before they become failures. It pays well, and it is one of the most ticket-heavy corners of the trade.
Non-destructive testing checks a material or weld without damaging it. On ropes that usually means close visual inspection, ultrasonic testing (UT) for wall thickness and flaws, and magnetic particle inspection (MPI) for surface cracks, with dye penetrant and eddy current on some jobs. The asset decides the method: bridges, masts, tanks, offshore structures and wind turbines all get inspected this way.
Two sets of qualifications, kept current side by side. IRATA for the rope access, and NDT certification for each method you work in, which in the UK usually means PCN, the scheme run by BINDT to ISO 9712. Offshore adds survival and medical tickets on top. That stack of certificates, each with its own expiry, is the real admin load of NDT.
Adding NDT to rope skills is one of the fastest ways up the pay scale, and offshore NDT sits at the top end of the market. It is skilled, in-demand work, and the day rate reflects it. See where it lands against other sectors in rope access day rates.
The thing that takes an NDT tech off a job is not the work, it is a lapsed ticket. IRATA, each NDT method, the offshore medical: miss one renewal and you are off site. Cowstail keeps every qualification in one place with a reminder before each expires, alongside your invoices and kit. See Cowstail for techs and IRATA logbook hours.
Most commonly visual inspection, ultrasonic testing (UT) and magnetic particle inspection (MPI), with dye penetrant and eddy current on some jobs. The method depends on the asset and what defects you are looking for.
IRATA for the rope access plus NDT certification for each method you work in. In the UK that usually means PCN, the NDT certification scheme run by BINDT to ISO 9712. Offshore work adds survival and medical tickets.
Yes, notably. Combining rope access with NDT is one of the fastest ways up the pay scale, and offshore NDT sits at the top end of rope access day rates.
Track each one with its expiry: IRATA, every NDT method, and any offshore medical or survival ticket. A missed renewal takes you off the job, so reminders beat a spreadsheet you have to remember to check.
Related: day rates, offshore, IRATA logbook, for techs.