The NDT Technician Who Knows That Being Adventurous Is The Way to Learn

Any idea what -4 degrees Fahrenheit feels like? Well, Michael “Mickey” McIntosh sure does! About a year and a half ago, Mickey joined the IIA Lifting Services team. Formally trained at the Canadian Institute for Non-Destructive Evaluation (CINDE), Mickey attributes most of his expertise to learning it in the field. He joined the organization with eight years of experience in non-destructive testing, working in pressure vessels and with nuclear components, magnetic benches, coil machines, and performing radiography and ultrasonic testing. IIA Lifting Services was a change of pace that he welcomed in order to broaden his skill set to include equipment testing.

As a NDT Technician based out of the Sudbury, Canada office, Mickey spends nearly all of his time in the field inspecting equipment, writing reports, scheduling projects, and working with IIA customers. So how does he know what -4 degree weather feels like? Well, Mickey volunteered to spend six weeks in the Canadian Arctic!

Traveling across North America and enjoying the outdoors is what Mickey likes most about his job… yes, as difficult as it may be to believe, even the Canadian Arctic. Although he inspects the same types of equipment, the scenery is always different. On one day he may be doing an inspection in a shopping mall and the next day he’ll be inspecting a crane on top of a mountain. Mickey says, “I like the variety” and “getting to be active.”

Mickey challenges himself professionally by embracing the adventure that comes with having an open mind. The best advice he has for others is to “be available and willing to embrace opportunities the job has to offer,” encouraging others to get as much varied field experience as possible. Mickey recognizes the opportunities that exist within IIA and knows that IIA is not just a non-destructive testing company, there is an immense amount of potential to grow and advance professionally and personally within the company.