As we know, regulatory initiatives promulgated at both the national and particularly the state level can have a major impact on the PHCP-PVF industry. Often, changes to standards and codes take place under the radar and without much time or chance to impact them before they become law. A greater effort MUST be made to protect the industry and the public from costly regulations that have little benefit.

Left unchecked, our industry would have to deal with myriad state codes and standards making our products expensive and difficult to manage as manufacturers attempt to meet multiple standards, on a state-by-state basis.  To make matters worse, distributors would be forced to stock unnecessary products, taking up valuable warehouse space.  A great example of this is once a new code is introduced in California, extreme pressure is put on other states and markets to follow suit and meet the California code changes.  The result is numerous states having multiple interpretations all addressing the same issue.

Manufacturers must then ramp up to meet those new standards by manufacturing multiple products, adding cost to production and to maintain additional inventory. 

Distributors that operate across state lines must add inventory to meet multiple state standards.  To alleviate this issue, the industry must then seek relief through a federal agency to issue a national standard.  The unfortunate downside to this has been the defensive nature of asking for a national standard.

It is precisely for these key reasons that the ASA leadership is in the development stages of creating a new staff position of Director of Codes & Standards. The position of Director of Codes & Standards for ASA will include responsibility for the overall coordination of business strategy, policy development and coordination within all ASA departments. The position will also liaison with allied industry organizations and be highly visible; he or she will be viewed as the principal spokesperson for the association in the plumbing, heating, mechanical, water, environmental and technical areas.

The Director of Codes & Standards will assume a leadership role in positioning plumbing, heating, cooling, pipe, valves and fittings products, as well as other industry-related products, to better serve core constituencies and the industry in general.  This will include supporting the association’s government affairs operation as well as it’s educational programs.  He or she will consistently provide ASA members with access to codes and standards activities for all products in every vertical; and stay current on the impact of codes/standards in areas such as national model codes and select state and local codes.  This person will also be a key liaison between ASA and relevant trade associations as well as various code committees/councils such as ICC, ASPE, ASHRE, PPI, PMI, AHRI, PHCC/MCAA and CIPH. The Director of Codes & Standards will develop and maintain strong relationships with industry stakeholders and the PHCP-PVF community. 

In addition, he or she will leverage ASA’s diverse membership and role in the industry to impact codes and standards as well as provide policy guidance and support in government relations activities at the state and federal levels. This will include monitoring local, state and federal government legislation and regulations related to industry product issues, and developing and presenting testimony that supports the adoption of industry codes.  This person will also be responsible for coordinating and leading a coherent and organized response to codes and standards by driving to build consensus among the ASA membership. Last but not least, the Director of Codes & Standards will provide education and training on codes and standards processes and changes to members and their employees, as well as engaging them in the process.

For more information on ASA’s Codes and Standards position, including further details and/or a pledge form, please contact Mike Adelizzi, ASA executive vice president, at madelizzi@asa.net or at 630.467.0000, ext. 201.