The NEBB Board of Directors (BoD) approved the requirement that all NEBB CPT projects be staffed by a CPT Certified Professional (CPT CP) and/or at least one CPT Certified Technician (CPT CT). The policy was initially publicized in October 2017 to be fully implemented for enforcement on January 1, 2020.

In 2009, a related issue influenced the CPT mandate: NEBB approved a policy requiring a TAB Certified Professional (TAB CP) or TAB Certified Technician (TAB CT) to be on site for all TAB projects where NEBB was specified. This policy took effect on January 1, 2013. The latest NEBB TAB Procedural Standards 8th Edition 2015, section 2.4.3

COORDINATION/SUPERVISION requires the following:

The NEBB Certified Professional is responsible for ensuring either a NEBB CP or NEBB CT is continually present while TAB work is being performed on every NEBB certified project, and directing those technicians in performing the work. The NEBB CP is ultimately responsible for the accuracy of any field measurements and certified reports generated.

With this requirement in place for the NEBB TAB Program, the level of quality on NEBB projects increased dramatically.

The NEBB Board of Directors decided this same approach would be ideal for Cleanroom Performance Testing.

Conversations with major cleanroom operation managers indicated they were less than satisfied with firms utilizing untrained personnel to perform the required certification processes. Instances were mentioned where field staff did not know when the Certified Professional was on site. This a common complaint industry wide, across various certification organizations and firms but one that NEBB does not accept as a standard of operation. A major chip manufacturer indicated they will issue a new requirement for all personnel performing cleanroom performance testing to be either a Certified Professional (CP) or Certified Technician (CT).

By taking a proactive approach with the cleanroom performance testing mandate, NEBB provides a professional solution for the cleanroom industry’s concerns about on-the-job work quality, while bringing NEBB to the forefront in the cleanroom certification field.

The mandate for Certified Technicians (CT’s) on CPT projects provides cleanroom operators and managers with the level of expert CPT testing personnel they expect from NEBB Certified Individuals and NEBB Certified Firms.

NEBB’s goal is to provide quality training and certification programs which leads to quality Certified Individuals, be it NEBB CPs or CTs, so clients are provided with competent and high-end work.

January 2020 is only months away and will arrive quickly; thus, for employers looking to get their employees CPT CTcertified, start now while there is ample time to complete the process. For information on becoming CPT CT certified,

email: certification@nebb.org.