Every single minute of every day, an earthquake occurs somewhere in the world. Of the half a million earthquakes that happen each year, around 100 000 can be felt, and around 100 result in significant damage. These events can profoundly impact people and also cities, disrupting road networks and threatening vital infrastructure like dams. To help countries better prepare for these natural disasters, the IAEA has recently increased its services in non-destructive testing, by opening a new training centre and by issuing guidelines, aimed at building capacity in this life saving technique.
Simply put, non-destructive testing (NDT) enables users to investigate objects and structures without ripping them apart. It is used to evaluate the integrity of industrial facilities, structures and components without damaging the part being inspected. Such techniques have proven essential in assessing infrastructure safety, especially in the wake of disasters. After the earthquakes in Türkiye, Syria and Ecuador in 2023, and the 2020 explosion in Beirut, for instance, NDT played a key role in evaluating buildings and structures, helping protect both civilians and rescue teams in precarious situations.
Responding to increasing demand from countries for assistance, the IAEA has built, from scratch, an NDT Centre at its laboratories in Seibersdorf, Austria, to provide hands-on training and support emergency response efforts.
"To have the possibility to quickly move portable NDT equipment makes a huge difference in offering timely help to Member States in the aftermath of a disaster," said Tzanka Kokalova-Wheldon, Director of the IAEA Division of Physical and Chemical Sciences. "It's not just about disaster management," she added. "NDT helps civil engineers also in prevention and readiness, by improving regular maintenance checks."
To harmonize training and certification of engineers, the IAEA has also just published the 'Guidelines on Training Syllabi in NDT for Civil Engineering. As the first of its kind, this publication seeks to ensure global uniformity and harmonization of NDT-related training programmes for civil engineers.
Turkish disaster management expert examines steel embedded inside concrete during an IAEA national training course held in Ankara, Türkiye, August 2024. (Photo: Directorate General of Construction Works, Türkiye)
