A life in welding and inspection

Bjørn first trained as a car mechanic, but when apprenticeships were scarce, he shifted to welding. After welding school, he moved across the country to Florø and later into Non-Destructive Testing. The move into NDT, he says, happened more by circumstance than intent.

He began as an apprentice on the night shift. He liked the rhythm, quiet surroundings, steady work, and time to think. He enjoyed being responsible for his own work but not being responsible for others. For many years, that balance suited him well.

Years of independence on the night shift

From 2013 to 2020, he worked in Egersund, mostly nights: 14 nights on, 14 days off. “I earned well and had a simple routine. At that time, I didn’t want responsibility. I preferred working alone at night.” That changed when he moved back to Verdal during the pandemic. He took on a new role with professional responsibility for X-ray inspections. “I don’t have personnel responsibility, but I am responsible for how the work is done and for the reports. When I sign them, I need to be confident.”

Responsibility taken when the time was right

The work requires structure and planning. Operators capture the images. Bjørn reviews them, reports findings, and prepares repair notes when needed. For work outside the hall, safety planning becomes central, gas tests, permits, and step-by-step coordination.

On inspection methods, he sees complement, not competition: “People think Phased Array Ultrasonic Testing, PAUT, will replace X-ray. I don’t look at it that way. NDT methods complement each other. X-ray is good for volumetric defects. PAUT is better for binding defects. They serve different purposes.”

In the X-ray bunker, the team works with Comet EVO portable X-ray systems. “The most important thing is consistent image quality. When I sign the report, I need to trust what I am seeing. The EVO systems give us that consistency.”

Carrying responsibility with confidence

His next step is Level III certification - not for the title, but to be able to answer clients directly, with certainty. At 51, his roots are here. He has lived with his partner for nearly 30 years. They have three children, and now another generation is working at Aker. Responsibility did not arrive all at once, it grew with time, and he chose to carry it.