The IAPMO Group provides resources for the creation and maintenance of safe and healthy plumbing and mechanical codes. We also provide the tools for jurisdictions to rapidly know if a product meets the codes and applicable standards through our product certification programs.
No matter where you are, there is plumbing and mechanical expertise. In some communities this expertise is evident while in other communities this expertise is urgently sought out or developed as it means the difference between health and sickness. Practical code experts gather from all over to join their collective knowledge into a uniform, working document that is applied globally.
Only the Uniform Codes as developed in a true consensus process giving all experts the voice to make the codes safe and enforceable. The ANSI consensus process is designed to take the “conflicts” out of the code and make the specialty plumbing and mechanical codes integrate solidly into the residential and building codes. The Uniform codes actually work better with the model building codes than the competitive plumbing and mechanical model codes IMC because of our additional staff resources that can work with the AHJ to customize to the local needs.
You Make it Work
It is your efforts that keep your constituents safe from the things that they don’t think can hurt them. You have dedicated your career to looking at the details that no one else will see (unless there is a catastrophic failure and then everyone will be reviewing your work.) One of the most recognized and consistent tools for code enforcement are the UPC Shields of Conformity. Consumers and regulators alike know that when the product has a standard conformity mark on the packaging or the product then the product meets the standard, no additional research, no project delays.
That level of integrity extends throughout the IAPMO Group, from the teams that work with industry and manufacturers to develop new standards for innovation, through the teams that test the product to the standards to the teams that verifies the test reports and manufacturing plants produce what they advertise. Everyone has the focus on consumer safety and health. We are uniquely positioned as the single source provider for a manufacturer’s global testing and certification needs.
Like many endeavors it takes a team to back up what you do. Partnering with the undisputed leader in the narrow focus plumbing and mechanical arena gives the trained professionals in building safety and health departments every advantage to do the job. The codes and supporting documents are the most progressive with the latest technologies and comprehensive in the industry making the enforcement that much less dependent on field interpretation and more on black and white.
You Solve Problems
All the pieces of a building must fit and work together. The same is true of your team. You like people on your team who know their “stuff”. IAPMO brings to the jurisdictions undiluted plumbing and mechanical focus with outstanding cooperation with other industry organizations. These industry relationships open doors when problems require a multidisciplinary approach. Your team now has access to the resources to confidently address issues. Sometimes questions and concerns are not of a technical nature; IAPMO gives you the governmental and policy tools and contacts to address these sticky situations through proactive contact and partnerships.
Sometimes people are just good at solving problems, for those who do not have those skills naturally having the best training by the experts in the code development process goes a long way toward rounding out the professional. IAPMO has an extensive library of education products as well as a bullpen of expert instructors to give your team confidence in these modern and intricate systems.
You Need Answers
When the problems don’t have a ready solution, you have access to the experts though unmatched IAPMO staff support and the full breadth of support services keep your projects moving.
If your jurisdiction wants to include Green code provisions where it really makes a difference, we can help. With our extensive network of plumbing and mechanical experts, we maintain the cutting edge of Green Technology by being the first and remain the foremost authority on green plumbing and mechanical provisions.
Beside the network of experts, The IAPMO Group is the only organization that performs comprehensive research in supporting code change initiatives for roof drains; plumbing efficiency, water pipe sizing, drain line carry, heat metering and the unintended consequences that sometimes go along with great intentions. This internal knowledge base extends to the development of product standards and specific product testing expertise.
Our certification programs provide the assurance for end users and building regulators that the code — which sets the bar for building component acceptability — has been satisfied.
We ask the tough questions, and when we get satisfactory answers we provide an IAPMO Uniform ES Evaluation Report that tells the report holder, and the reader, that someone with the right expertise asked the right questions and got the right answers.
For more than 85 years, IAPMO and its subsidiaries have been involved in product recognition in the form of listings or evaluation reports.
How Can a Uniform Evaluation Report Help you?
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- Provide condensed information: A quick review of the UER briefs the code official for upcoming discussions before they happen.
- Provide convenience: The code official only has to look in one place to find all relevant test data summarized. A Uniform Evaluation Report addresses all the requirements for code acceptance, even in different codes or standards.
- Allows leveraging of resources: It could be argued that each department using Uniform Evaluation Services frees two staff members to do other important work. Using UES can enhance a customer’s counter experience and satisfaction.
- Provide a tool to simplify permit issuance
- Direct line to UES specialists to answer any questions or immediately address any issues you may encounter
- Provide condensed information: A quick review of the UER briefs the code official for upcoming discussions before they happen.
Training to the Codes
You are tasked to do more with fewer resources. Your team needs as much cross training as it can get, as combination inspectors are becoming more the norm than the exception. We can help you create, implement and manage code-based training programs for all the model codes (Uniform, International and National) and, if needed, customize the training for your regional requirements.
We perform all of the planning and implementation steps required to produce a program and teach curriculum-utilizing experts who work every day in the field.
Working with our program sets the minimum level of required knowledge for individuals working in the profession and commits them to continuous self-development through its certification renewal program.