A 2016 update on Standards and Guidelines relevant to thermographers

This paper presents a synopsis and status of the various national and international standards relevant to thermal imaging and thermographers developed for the building, electrical, industrial, medical, and non-destructive testing industries. Particular detail will be given to newer and/or relevant to thermal imaging and thermographers within a wide variety of applications and disciplines. Common to most standards and guidelines are minimum performance requirements for the instrument, qualifications for the operator, and limitations of how thermal imaging should be applied. This paper will summarize by discussing those areas and applications where development is still required. re-written standards that have come to be in the past 7 years, or are currently in development. These documents cut across a wide variety of agencies and disciplines, and nations often without regard for or knowledge of other similar standards or requirements. Agencies include but are not limited to the American Society for Test methods; American society for Non-Destructive Testing; Canadian Standards Association; International Standards organization; National Master Specifications of Canada (NMS) National Institute of Standards (NIST); and National Fire Prevention Association. While standards, guidelines and protocols exist in many disciplines and industries, given the recent proliferation of low cost thermal imagers which are easily accessible to the public, it is important and appropriate that there be a widespread understanding of who, how, when, and where these imagers should properly be applied in order to obtain credible, scientific, and repeatable results. The best place to look for this understanding is through the knowledge and use of professional standards guidelines and protocols.