Hiring a thermography company

If you are about to hire a company to carry out your thermography, consider the following.

How long has the company been in business?

It is important to ask, as it may be a new start up with very little experience and no real trade history. Companies have opened and closed before, so using an established company means that you are assured that are in business for a while and are relatively successful.

How long have they been involved in the thermography business?

This is important, as a company that has been working with thermography understands the specifics of the thermography business and that they take the business seriously.

How much of their time is spent doing thermography?

Some companies have thermography as a add in to their other business operations. Others are mainly working with thermography. Remember a company that works with thermography 10% of the time would take 10 years to gain the same experience as a specialist thermography company.

Do they have experience in simular applications?

Thermograpy has a very wide variety of uses, ask the company if they have worked with something similar to what you want done.

What equipment do they use?

This is very imporant, cameras range greatly in quality and price. Low cost cameras are designed for a limited amount of uses, and companies using them should be avoided. Look for a high resolution 640×480 camera, and remember Flir systems are the market leaders.

How long have they had their current equipment?

You dont want to hire a company with an 20 year old camera, technology moves very quickly, and an up to date camera is essential. Look for a camera less than 5 years old.

When was their equipment last calibrated?

This should be done on an annual basis, companies that dont do this are not serious about the industry, and should be avoided. This is a costly process and some companies will not get it done. those that do it will have no problem giving you a copy of a calibration certificate.

Industrial references

Ask if they can get references from a customer, those with a good trade history will have no problem.

H&S

Dont forget to ask for a copy of their Health & Safety Policy or statement.

Professional body membership

There are professional bodies for thermographers, ask if they are members of one. While this may not be essential, it does show a willingness to keep abrest of changes in the industry. It also shows that they take what they do seriously.

Are their thermographers certified?

Ask about certification, companies that are around a while will have proper certification. Ask for proof that their thermographers are certified by a third party. This is more important than you may think, as there are a surprising number of people with low cost cameras that have never had a single days training. Using a cmaera is not just a matter of pointing and shooting, you need to understand the physics behind thermography, how the camera works and you need a good understanding of the opbect that you are looking at.

Insurance

Reputable companies will have good insurance, ask about it, and ask for a copy of their insurance schedule.