Developing uniform codes with IAPMO
By Ron George, CIPE, CPD
President, Ron George Design & Consulting Services
"Plumbing is Everyone's Business." Coming from anybody else, these words would be little more than a catch phrase, but when delivered with earnest sincerity, as they are by Russ Chaney of the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO), they carry a lot of weight.
A plumbing manufacturer once produced a poster that I still see hanging in plumbing shops and supply houses. The poster states, "The Plumber Protects the Health of the Nation." These words still ring true for civilized nations. Only about one third of the world's population enjoys sanitary plumbing facilities that
are designed and installed with adequate water and sewer for a safe and sanitary facility.
Third-world countries still draw their water from lakes or streams where open-ditch sewers discharge raw sewage to streams, rivers and lakes and spread diseases. Hundreds of thousands of people die each year from very preventable diseases because of lack of treatment facilities for water and sewers. I once toured the Detroit water treatment plant, and a lab technician pointed out that something as simple as a few capfuls of liquid chlorine bleach would kill bacteria in drinking water in third-world countries and prevent diseases that lead to large numbers of deaths each year.
In a very tangible manner, IAPMO's business - making our plumbing systems safe - is now my business too. For the next three calendar years, I will participate in the code development process as a member of IAPMO's Standards Council, which is responsible for administrative oversight of the Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC) and the Uniform Mechanical Code (UMC) development processes. The Standards Council represents the first level of appeal with regard to procedural or substantive issues and chooses the members who will serve on the Plumbing and Mechanical Code Technical Committees. At the conclusion of each three-year development cycle, the Standards council issues the next editions of the UPC and the UMC.
It was an honor to be selected for this prestigious committee, and I am looking forward to the challenges of this very important work. I have been learning more and more each day about the process, and my part is only a small contribution to what is ultimately the collaborative effort of thousands of people involved in the process. The people involved in this process are the proactive people who are making our plumbing systems the safest plumbing systems in the world.
The Uniform Plumbing Code was born 82 years ago (1926) when 39 plumbing inspectors banded together with an ambitious goal in mind. They were beginning to understand the concepts of clean and safe potable water supplies and adequate sewage disposal facilities. They wanted to develop a code that would protect the health of the nation. Their stated goals were
- to advance the latest and most improved methods of sanitation
- to promote the welfare and harmony between the owner, the builder and the craftsman
- to accomplish a uniformity in the application of the provisions of the ordinances
- to promulgate the mutual benefit of the members
There was strength in their numbers and their goals, but those original inspectors also had a wealth of knowledge. The same type of expertise exists today: Many IAPMO code officials have worked in the trade, or they are experts in their respective fields. IAPMO has representation from each industry group, including manufacturers, users, installers/maintainers, labor, research/standards/test laboratories, enforcing authorities, consumers and special experts on the plumbing and mechanical technical committees. Their differing perspectives contribute to a positive consensus process.
IAPMO gathers a large assembly of plumbing and mechanical experts at its annual education and business conference, where anyone, including members and non-members alike, can have a voice in proposed changes to the code.
This tried and true code development process ensures the continued development and maintenance of the Uniform Plumbing and Mechanical Codes with the following goals at the forefront.
- Effectiveness in protecting public health, safety, and welfare
- The timely evaluation and recognition of technological developments pertaining to construction regulations
- American National Standard Institute (ANSI) consensus code development process, which provides for the open discussion of proposals by all parties who wish to participate.
IAPMO takes great pride in following its ANSI-approved code development process and urges its members and interested parties to get involved, since we all have a stake in the resulting decisions. Since plumbing is everyone's business, they truly mean that any interested parties can submit code changes or comment on code change proposals. It is important for manufacturers, installers, plumbing and mechanical officials, the construction industry, engineers and design professionals to review the proposed code changes and to speak up when they see that a submitted code change might limit competition or create an unsafe condition. The code hearings allow proponents and opponents to voice their concerns to the technical committee. We all benefit from a cooperative effort in developing the codes.
Here is a bit of what goes on before the Standards Council even gets involved in the process.
The Uniform Plumbing Code and the Uniform Mechanical Code are developed under a three-year cycle. The first major step in the process is the Call for Proposals. During this period, anyone may submit a proposed code change to the current edition of either of the codes. The code change forms are available online, and I encourage anyone who wishes to improve a code to fill out a form and submit it for consideration at the next code change cycle hearings.
During their spring meeting, held in the second year of the cycle, the Plumbing Technical Committee and the Mechanical Technical Committee review all proposed changes to the codes. Soon after their meeting, the committees are balloted on whether to accept, amend or reject the proposed code changes. Such actions are printed and made available to the public in printed form the following August in the Report on Proposals (ROP).
Following the publication of the ROP, the assembly consideration session takes place at IAPMO's annual Education and Business Conference near the end of year two of the code development process. At this session, anyone in the assembly may speak for or against an action taken by the committee as published in the ROP and may move that the assembly consider a different action on a particular proposed code change. If a motion is successful, it is sent to the technical committee as an assembly comment for its consideration and action at its next scheduled meeting.
These assembly comments are submitted to the technical committees, along with all other membership and public comments received during the Call for Comments period.
At their spring meeting in year three of the cycle, the technical committees review and act on all comments. Again, IAPMO members and others are invited to participate in this open meeting. The committee's actions are published in the Report on Comments. Then, at the annual Education and Business Conference held that year, IAPMO holds the Association Technical Meeting Convention where IAPMO members have a final opportunity to voice their opinions on the language that will be published in the next editions of the UPC and UMC.
Following the association meeting, IAPMO members and other interested parties have the opportunity to appeal to the Standards Council with regard to procedural or substantive matters.
The IAPMO Standards Council consists of nine voting members representing eight interest groups: manufacturer, users, installer/maintainer, labor, research/standards/test laboratory, enforcing authority, consumer and special expert (Due to my expertise in the scope of the UPC and UMC, I was classified as a special expert). No more than three members may represent one interest group, ensuring balance. Standards Council members are Dick Wagner, Bob Courtnier, Dave Levanger, Jim Crawford, John Garvelink, Kevin Kotter, Phil Ribbs, Terry Swisher and Ron George. Staff members are Niel Bogdatz, Gaby Davis, and Lynn Simnick.
I've been attending and involved in IAPMO's code development process for many years, often addressing the committees at their spring meetings. For the next three years, I will probably still offer public testimony during the code change hearings, but I will have a new role as a member of the Standards Council, and I'm excited about serving in this new position.
I have also been serving on the Uniform Plumbing Code Answers and Analysis Committee for several months now. This committee includes a group of industry experts with hundreds of years of experience between them. The committee reviews code questions that have been submitted to IAPMO, and they provide official responses to code questions. Answers and Analysis Committee members are John Roth, Steven Nastruz, Ed Schoenfeld, Bob Adler, Bruce Pfeiffer, Anthony Wilcockson, Phil Campbell, Jed Scheuermann, Ron George and an IAPMO staff representative.
Code questions are forwarded to the chairman of the committee, John Roth, from IAPMO. John distributes the code questions to the committee, committee members respond to him, he drafts the official reply and mails it to the person asking the question, and he has the question and answer posted on the IAPMO Website at www.IAPMO.org.
IAPMO and Uniform Codes officials are being proactive and leading the way toward emerging issues and technologies. One example of their proactive approach is their hiring of Pete DeMarco as a staff person with an expertise in green design and water conservation issues. The green movement is driven by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), with water and energy conservation efforts that promise to shift the plumbing and mechanical landscapes. The easiest way for code officials to anticipate where green design or LEED design concepts will go is to have manufacturers and the promoters of these design concepts at the code and standard development table.
The Technical Committees will be meeting May 5 - 9, 2008, in Denver at The Adam's Mark Hotel to review and act on all proposed code change comments for the 2009 UPC and UMC. If you want to get involved or just to get a first-hand look at the code development process in action, this is a great place to start.
As always, the doors will be open to anybody interested in the proceedings because, after all, plumbing is everyone's business. If you have any questions regarding the development of the UPC or UMC, please contact a member of the IAPMO Code Development Department at (909) 472-4100 or at codesdept@iapmo.org.
Ron George specializes in plumbing, piping, fire protection and hvac design. He also provides plumbing/mechanical code and product standard consulting services and forensic investigations of mechanical system failures.