Standards and Organizations
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In addition to the standards and organizations listed in this section, the U.S. Justice Department enforces the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) (http://www.ada.gov) and assures that products fully comply with the provisions of the act to ensure equal access for physically challenged users.
| ABPA | The American Backflow Prevention Association, http://abpa.org Develops cross-connections; ABPA is an organization whose members have a common interest in protecting drinking water from contamination. |
| ACI | American Concrete Institute, http://www.concrete.org/general/home.asp Has produced more than 400 technical documents, reports, guides, specifications, and codes for the best use of concrete. ACI conducts more than 125 educational seminars each year and has 13 certification programs for concrete practitioners, as well as a scholarship program to promote careers in the industry. |
| AGA | American Gas Association, http://www.aga.org Develops standards, tests, and qualifies products used in gas lines and gas appliance installations. |
| AGC | Associated General Contractors of America, www.agc.org Is dedicated to improving the construction industry by educating the industry to employ the finest skills, promoting use of the latest technology and advocating building the best quality projects for owners—public and private. |
| AMSA | Association of Metropolitan Sewerage Agencies, http://www.amsa-cleanwater.org Represents the interests of the country’s wastewater treatment agencies. |
| ANSI | American National Standards Institute, http://www.ansi.org Coordinates work among U.S. standards writing groups. Works in conjunction with other groups such as ISO, ASME, and ASTM. |
| ARI | Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute, http://www.ari.org Provides information about the 21st Century Research (21-CR) initiative, a private-public sector research collaboration of the heating, ventilation, air-conditioning, and refrigeration industry, with a focus on energy conservation, indoor environmental quality, and environmental protection. |
| ASCE | American Society of Civil Engineers, http://www.asce.org Provides essential value to its members, careers, partners, and the public by developing leadership, advancing technology, advocating lifelong learning, and promoting the profession. |
| ASHI | The American Society of Home Inspectors, http://www.ashi.org Is a source of information about the home inspection profession. |
| ASHRAE | American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, http://www.ashrae.org Writes standards and guidelines that include uniform methods of testing for rating purposes, describe recommended practices in designing and installing equipment and provide other information to guide the industry. ASHRAE has more than 80 active standards and guideline project committees, addressing such< broad areas as indoor air quality, thermal comfort, energy conservation in buildings, reducing refrigerant emissions, and the designation and safety classification of refrigerants. |
| ASME | The American Society of Mechanical Engineers, http://www.asme.org Develops standards for materials and testing as well as finished products. |
| ASSE | American Society of Sanitary Engineering, http://www.asse.org Develops standards and qualifies products for plumbing and sanitary installations. |
| ASTM | American Society for Testing and Materials, http://www.astm.org Is one of the largest voluntary standards development organizations in the world—a trusted source for technical standards for materials, products, systems, and services. |
| AWWA | American Water Works Association, http://www.awwa.org Promotes public health through improvement of the quality of water and develops standards for valves, fittings, and other equipment. |
| CGA | Canadian Gas Association, http://www.cga.ca Develops standards, tests, and qualifies products used in gas lines and gas appliance installations. |
| CPSC | U.S Consumer Product Safety Commission, http://www.cpsc.gov Protects the public from unreasonable risks for serious injury or death from more than 15,000 types of consumer products. CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical, or mechanical hazard or can injure children. |
| CRBT | Center for Resourceful Building Technology, http://www.crbt.org Contains the online Guide to Resource-Efficient Building Elements, which provides information about environmentally efficient construction materials, including foundations, wall systems, panels, insulation, siding, roofing, doors, windows, interior finishing, and floor coverings. |
| EPA | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, http://www.epa.gov Protects human health and the environment. |
| FM | Factory Mutual, http://fmglobal.com Develops standards and qualifies products for use by the general public and develops standards for materials, products, systems, and services. |
| HFHI | Habitat for Humanity International, http://www.habitat.org Is a nonprofit, ecumenical Christian housing ministry. HFHI seeks to eliminate poverty housing and homelessness from the world, and to make decent shelter a matter of conscience and action. |
| HUD | U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, http://www.hud.gov As part of the HUDs efforts toward eliminating childhood lead poisoning, the Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control is sharing local lead ordinances and regulations that have proven effective in helping communities deal with lead-based paint hazards. Also, the design and construction of manufactured housing are regulated by the federal government and must comply with HUD’s Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards. Modular and panelized construction must comply with model or local building codes. |
| IAPMO | International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials, http://www.iapmo.org Developed and maintains the Uniform Plumbing Code and the Uniform Mechanical Code. |
| ICBO | The Uniform Building Code (UBC)/International Conference of Building Officials, http://www.iccsafe.org Is the most widely adopted model building code in the world and is a proven document meeting the needs of government units charged with enforcement of building regulation. Published triennially, the UBC provides complete regulations covering all major aspects of building design and construction relating to fire and life safety and structural safety. The requirements reflect the latest technologic advances available in the building and fire- and life-safety industry. |
| ICC | International Code Council, http://www.iccsafe.org Produce the most widely adopted and enforced building safety codes in the United States (I-Codes). International Residential Code (IRC) 2003 has been adopted by many states, jurisdictions, and localities. IRC also references several industry standards such as ACI 318, ASCE 7, ASTM, and ANSI standards that cover specific load, load combinations, design methods, and material specifications. |
| ISO | International Standard Organization, http://www.iso.org Provides internationally recognized certification for manufacturers that comply with high standards of quality control, developed standards ISO-9000 through ISO-9004, and qualifies and lists products suitable for use in plumbing installations. |
| MSS | Manufacturers Standardization Society of the Valve and Fittings Industry, Inc., http://www.mss-hq.com Develops technical codes and standards for the valve and fitting industry. |
| NACHI | The National Association of Certified Home Inspectors, http://www.nachi.org/index.htm Is the world’s largest, most elite nonprofit inspection association. |
| NAHB | National Association of Home Builders, http://www.nahb.org Is a Washington, DC-based trade association representing more than 220,000 residential home building and remodeling industry members. NAHB is affiliated with more than 800 state and local home builders associations around the country. NAHB urges codes and standards development and application that protects public health and safety without cost impacts that decrease affordability and consequently prevent people from moving into new, healthier, safer homes. |
| NEC | National Electrical Code, http://www.nfpa.org Protects public safety by establishing requirements for electrical wiring and equipment in virtually all buildings. |
| NESC | National Environmental Services Center, http://www.nesc.wvu.edu/sitemap.cfm Is a repository for water, wastewater, solid waste, and environmental training research. |
| NFPA | National Fire Protection Association, http://www.nfpa.org Develops, publishes, and disseminates more than 300 consensus codes and standards intended to minimize the possibility and effects of fire and other risks. |
| NOWRA | National Onsite Wastewater Recycling Association, http://www.nowra.org Provides leadership and promotes the onsite wastewater treatment and recycling industry through education, training, communication, and quality tools to support excellence in performance. |
| NSF | National Sanitation Foundation, http://www.nsf.org Develops standards for equipment, products and services; a nonprofit organization now known as NSF International. |
| UL | Underwriters Laboratory, http://www.ul.com Tests and qualifies valve and fitting products under UL standards for safety. |
| WEF | Water Environment Federation, http://www.wef.org Is a not-for-profit technical and educational organization with members from varied disciplines who work toward the WEF vision of preservation and enhancement of the global water environment. The WEF network includes water quality professionals from 76 member associations in 30 countries. |
- Page last reviewed: October 1, 2009
- Page last updated: December 8, 2009
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