Meet the SAIW Team

We’d like you to get to know the SAIW better so you can see what we do and how well we do it. There’s no better way than through the stories of our people. First up is Harold Jansen, SAIW’s Systems and Quality Manager.

As the Systems and Quality Manager at the SAIW, Harold Jansen is responsible for compiling, establishing, controlling, monitoring, implementing and maintaining the quality management systems of both SAIW and the separate certification company, SAIW Certification.

Systems and Quality functionality, being objective in nature, is a cross company service provided to both SAIW and SAIW Certification and is consequently organised under Head Office operations. importantly, the functional control of the various processes is the responsibility of the individual service managers within both companies.

Jansen’s career at the SAIW started in January 2010 and almost from the get-go he found himself at the front-line of Non-Destructive Testing training, qualification and certification, and ensuring the correct implementation of the SAQCC-NDT, the national qualification and certification scheme administered by the SAIW Certification.

One of his career highlights at the SAIW is that, with his involvement, the SAQCC-NDT, being SANAS ISO17024 accredited since 2005, became the first certification scheme developed by Africans for Africans to achieve the prestigious ICNDT MRA Schedule 2 registration. This facilitates the acceptance of personnel qualification and certification from fellow-registered personnel certification bodies world-wide.

Jansen says that quality means doing something correctly, the first time. “Systematic processes ensure that these correct actions can consistently be performed regardless of who or where you are,” he says.

He adds that records justifying each process and constant measurement provide motivation that quality is maintained and accreditation through the National Accreditation Body, SANAS, then provides the platform for national service delivery.

“More importantly, though, are SANAS agreements with the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and the International Laboratory ccreditation Cooperation (ILAC) which allow accredited organisations to actively participate in the global market by ensuring that products or services provided are comparable worldwide,” Jansen says. Starting his career via an Eskom bursary in the early ‘90s, Jansen ultimately graduated as a solid-state physicist, which he says was a perfect background for integration in the SAIW world. Furthermore, his stints at African NDT Centre, Automated Engineering Solutions and NDT Engineering, exposed him to various industrial sectors ranging from power generation, petrochemical to marine, mining and transport, all of which has been invaluable in his work at the Institute.

“My choice to join the SAIW was the one of the most important in my life. I enjoy working with the people here and especially the students as I love to get involved at the root level to help  resolve the myriad challenges confronted in the process of education. We really change lives here,” Jansen says.

Jansen is married to Retseh, a grade one teacher, and they have a fifteen-year-old son, John-Henry, who literally has his head in the clouds since he is a national trampoline gymnast and wants to become a commercial pilot when he leaves school.

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT HAROLD ON 011 298 2100