News
New IAS Accreditation Program Helps Code Officials
Approve Metal Building Systems Fabricators
The International Accreditation Service, Inc. (IAS) Accreditation Committee approved a new accreditation criteria for Inspection Programs for Manufacturers of Metal Building Systems, AC472. The criteria is strongly endorsed by the Metal Building Manufacturers Association (MBMA). This comprehensive accreditation program for the inspection of metal buildings is based on the requirements of Chapter 17 of the International Building Code® and provides code officials with a means to approve the inspection programs of manufacturers involved in the fabrication of metal building systems.
Wide spread support for the IAS program has been building since October 2007, when the MBMA approached IAS on behalf of the metal building industry to consider developing a criteria that would serve MBMA members while fulfilling the needs of code officials and other regulatory agencies. During recent public hearing, MBMA representatives W. Lee Shoemaker, P.E., PhD, Director of Research and Engineering and Charles E. Praeger, Assistant General Manager, testified on behalf of the Board of Directors of the MBMA, praising the work of IAS staff that collaborated with the industry over the last six months to develop AC472.
Praeger adds, “IAS AC472 covers three parts and the first Part (A) is modeled after AC172. Part (B) is cold form steel fabrication while Part (C) is engineering. The program focuses on the need for a comprehensive quality management system based on international standards. Quality has been a hallmark of our organization since its inception and we believe that IAS accreditation will further raise the bar.”
AC472 addresses quality management system elements such as personnel requirements, product traceability, process control and various administrative and technical requirements that are essential for code officials to deem IAS-accredited entities as approved fabricators.
“The MBMA is to be commended for initiating the development of the program that establishes high standards for the metal building industry,” says Sandi McCracken, Senior Accreditation Officer with IAS.
Of particular significance to code officials, AC472 covers all the requirements of IBC Chapter 17 necessary for establishing the basis for quality control and inspection of metal building manufacturers. IAS accreditation measures a manufacturer’s ability to conform to approved construction documents and standards referenced in building codes through onsite assessment by IAS staff and periodic monitoring by IAS-accredited third party inspection agencies.
Members of the IAS Accreditation Committee who approved AC472 included code officials: William Dumbaugh, Broward County, Florida, Robert Goodhue, City of Phoenix, Arizona, Amir Tabakh, City of Los Angeles, California, Thomas Phillips, City of Salem, Oregon and Guy Tomberlin, Fairfax County, Fairfax, Virginia.
Applications for AC472 accreditation will be accepted beginning in May, 2008. For more information about this accreditation program, click here.
About IAS
ICC International Accreditation Service (IAS) accredits testing and calibration laboratories, inspection agencies, building departments, fabricator inspection programs and IBC special inspection agencies. A recognized accreditation body since 1975, IAS is a nonprofit, public benefit corporation. IAS is one of the leading accreditation bodies in the United States and a signatory to several international mutual recognition arrangements (MRAs).
About MBMA
The Metal Building Manufacturer’s Association (MBMA) has been serving metal building systems manufacturers and suppliers for 51 years. Its membership represents more than $2.9 billion in annual shipments and accounts for approximately 43% of the total non-residential low-rise construction market in the United States. MBMA provides engineering leadership through the many research programs that it sponsors annually, often in coordination with major universities and engineering schools throughout North America. This research is used to improve the performance, efficiency and quality of metal building systems and to elevate the technology used to produce them. Additional information is available at www.mbma.com.