Questioning Traditional Specs

By Casey Hayes,

Haws Corp.

Awhile back, I read an article about the continued use of sometimes antiquated specs simply because "it has always been done that way."

As I recall, the article described the reason railroad tracks are the width they are. Surprisingly, the dimensions were carried over from ancient horse-drawn chariots. Train tracks were standardized against the width of ruts made by chariots, and later, horse-drawn wagons and buckboards. It has been that way ever since. While it is unlikely that we would ever rip out train tracks to do it a better way, it begs the question: Are there specs that are followed simply because they were "right" at some far-distant time? Are we overlooking better ways because the safe and easy way is to do it the way it was done the last time and the time before that?

While much in the plumbing specification arena is bound by regulations, there are still a many advancements and alternatives that are often not considered because they are nontraditional. In addition, there are certain "accepted norms" that make little sense in today's workplace. Consider the emergency shower and eyewash category.  Manufacturers are still selling several times more eyewashes than eye/face washes, even though the eye/face wash is a superior solution in nearly every case and costs about the same. Why? "Because it has always been done that way!" How about an advancement like the availability of flow controls in emergency equipment? Flow controls ensure a smooth consistent stream over the course of the full 15 minute use cycle. While it is a significant advancement, few specs list flow controls as a requirement. Or, how about the color of emergency equipment? While most major industrial companies have adopted the use of standardized colors to depict hazards and assets (e.g., red: fire protection and response; yellow: caution and physical hazards; green: safety, first aid and emergency showers and eyewash stations) many specs still do not reflect that requirement. Finally, consider tempered water. Today, tempered water is a clearly stated ANSI requirement, with the absence of tempered water also representing a significant potential legal risk. Yet, only a small portion of companies have added tempered water to their official specs.

The outdated spec phenomenon is not strictly an emergency equipment issue. In fact, there are many examples in the drinking fountain and electric water cooler category as well. Consider requirements that cover ease of maintenance such as external accessible flow control adjustments, and easily removed debris screens in drinking fountains: Over the lifespan of these products, The maintenance savings over the lifespan of these products are considerable. And, products that provide these advanced features are mostly still competitively priced vs. older designs. Or, how about child-height ADA accessible fountains? Design advancements that have significantly broadened the availability of products addressing handicapped access often include better answers that aren't considered, because those products were introduced after the outdated spec (still in use) was written. And, as a final example, consider advancements that have been made in freeze-resistant outdoor drinking fountain products: Many facilities that are used year round offer no hydration facilities during colder weather, simply because freeze-resistant products were not considered.

Specs should be critically reviewed at regular intervals to ensure that they accurately reflect requirements that are up to date with technical advancement already in the marketplace and that they challenge manufacturers to innovate-even in mature product categories. Don't be afraid to ask "what's new"? And, likewise, don't be afraid to ask for something that doesn't yet exist! Some of our greatest advancements begin that way.

Casey Hayes is the director of engineering at Haws Corp., located in Sparks, NV. He can be reached at (775) 353-8320 or casey@hawsco.com. Haws Corp. designs, manufactures and distributes drinking fountains and emergency equipment. View the complete line of quality emergency showers, eyewashes, drinking fountains and electric water coolers at www.hawsco.com/gt.