In simple terms, a plant inspector must have both welding inspection and NDT qualifications. You must also be familiar with the range of different process equipment (pressure vessels, pipelines and storage tanks) and degradation mechanisms that will have an effect on fitness-for-purpose. For more details, view the career map.

Your role would normally involve a certain amount of supervision along with direct inspection of pressure equipment, storage tanks and pipelines in accordance with the respective codes and standards.

Some plant inspectors may find careers in the insurance industry with companies like Lloyd's, Zurich and Allianz.

Once you have gained CSWIP Plant Inspection level 1, the next stage would be to progress onto level 2 and ultimately level 3; study/knowledge based on the topics shown on the career map and offered in a modular format.

As a supervisory role, a plant inspector requires a high level of qualification and experience but there is also a strong need for diplomacy and decision-making, which means that you can usually command an attractive salary, often with additional company benefits.