President's Corner

When our editor Kellee Fernandez reserved a corner in the IAS newsletter for some words of wisdom from the president, it felt like a very simple task. But, as I sat down to pen my thoughts for this new opportunity to communicate directly with our stakeholders, my mind immediately went to the 40-plus years that I've been involved with IAS and its predecessor group, the International Conference of Building Officials. I felt humbled by the fact that these four decades of success would not have been possible if not for the solid foundational support I received from giants like James Bihr, Don Watson and John Nosse. Continue reading message

The IAS Accreditation Committee held a public hearing Feb. 10 at the Sheraton Gateway Hotel Los Angeles. The purpose of these regularly scheduled hearings is to establish or revise accreditation criteria pertaining to IAS accreditation programs and to inform the public on IAS principles and major policies. The open hearing process provides all interested parties with the opportunity to contribute ideas or voice their opinions on any item posted on the agenda. For more information, click here.

The city of Kelowna, British Columbia, is the first Canadian municipality to achieve accreditation of its building department from the International Accreditation Service. The IAS accreditation demonstrates that the city's Development Service Department Building and Permitting Branch uses best practices in its plan review, permitting, and inspection services. Continue reading story

Since November 2013, there have been a number of appointments made to the committees and councils of IAS. The IAS Accreditation Committee received two new committee members, three were newly appointed to the IAS Technical Advisory Council for Building Departments, the IAS Technical Advisory Council for Personnel Certification Bodies welcomed new three appointees, the new IAS Technical Advisory Council for Product and Management Systems received five appointees, and one was appointed to IAS Technical Advisory Council for Sustainability.

ICC Los Angeles Basin Chapter Outgoing President Victor Cuevas (center), Department of Building and Safety, city of Los Angeles, received a plaque from IAS Board of Directors Vice Chair Isam Hasenin (left) and IAS President Chuck Ramani (right) for his outstanding accomplishments during his presidential term. During his term, Cuevas reinstated the chapter scholarship program, replenished the Chapter's bank coffers, worked with jurisdictions to maintain consistency and enforcement of the codes throughout the region, and helped the Chapter Committees compile a list of local amendments to the 2013 California Codes and ensured that the Chapter conducted training at a low cost to benefit jurisdictions.

Accreditation Officer Karthik Easwar represented IAS at the ASTM Committee Week, where he observed the E6.55 Sub-Committee on Performance of Building Enclosure meetings. The two-day event consisted of discussions and updates on items being developed by the committee. Of particular interest to IAS was ASTM's initiative in developing a certification program for individuals performing building commissioning for building enclosures. Dan Lemieux, member of IAS TAC-Sustainability, also the chair of the E6.55 sub-committee, updated the E6.55 membership on IAS' efforts in developing IAS Accreditation Criteria for Organizations Training and/or Certifying of Commissioning Personnel (AC476).

To register for the New York City Special Inspection Agency Accreditation Training Program, on April 22–23, click here.

To register for ISO/IEC Standard 17020 training for testing and calibration Laboratories, on May 5–6, in La Habra, Calif., click here.

To register for ISO/IEC Standard 17025 training for testing and calibration Laboratories, on May 7–9, in La Habra, Calif., click here.

A reassessment of Labor Friedle's laboratory facility was conducted by IAS in December 2013. The lab's main focus is food safety analysis; they provide testing of food and vegetable samples for pathogenic microbiological parameters such as E. coli, Salmonella, Listeria and trace levels of pesticides/herbicides. They provide an important service with the use of PCR-based DNA tests to detect pathogenic organisms as well as the use of advanced analytical instruments such as Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry, Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry to analyze pesticide residue in food samples.

International Accreditation Service staff Metrologist Hershal Brewer and IAS Assessors conducted an assessment of high-end, high-technology laboratory Shenzhen BALUN Communications Technology Co., Ltd. BALUN boasts an expansive scope of testing including cell phones and base stations, testing of batteries for hybrid and battery-powered vehicles, and testing of absorption by humans of cellular phone emissions. Additionally, Bluetooth functions and testing well into the radar range are also provided.

In November 2013, IAS Assessors conducted a surveillance assessment of the two laboratory facilities belonging to JAEC. The labs provide analytical services in geological applications and use advanced instruments such as Inductively Coupled Argon Plasma Spectrometers (ICP, ICP-MS), Gamma Spectrometers, and X-ray fluorescence Spectrometers. In addition to supporting JAEC priorities, they also provide services to other government departments, such as Agriculture, by conducting analyses of food and agricultural samples.

International Accreditation Service staff Raj Nathan (pictured left) and an assessment team visited the ACTS laboratory in December 2013 to conduct an assessment. ACTS laboratory, a well-known construction testing laboratory in Qatar, is accredited to conduct a wide range of construction-related testing which may include cement, concrete, aggregates, soil, asphalt, bituminous materials, steel, geotechnical and chemistry.

The Al Hoty Analytical Services lab was recently visited by IAS, where a scope expansion assessment was conducted. The laboratory expanded its testing scope to include chemical and microbiological testing applied to environmental and food applications. In addition to conventional bench top chemical testing, the lab also uses such advanced analytical instruments as ICP, Carbon and Sulfur analyzers, and more. They also test for food pathogens such as E.coli, Salmonella, Listeria, etc., using conventional methods such as the membrane filtration method, MPN method and various culture methods.

International Accreditation Service assessors were in Monclova, Coahuila, Mexico, to conduct an assessment of AZ Industries. This modern fabrication facility manufactures power plant ductwork and exhausts with structural steel supports, refinery reheat furnaces for the petroleum industry, sectional barges, floating platforms, sand silos and steel stacks. Products are shipped internationally. Clients include Braden, Siemens and General Electric. AZ Industries is also accredited by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers for the manufacture of pressure vessels and power boilers.

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EDITOR'S NOTE — We are dedicated to providing informative insight into the world of accreditation. IAS would like to encourage all of our participants in all of our programs to submit relevant articles for future publications. Your unique perspective will prove extremely valuable to our readership. Please forward your articles and photographs to Pat McCullen at pmccullen@iasonline.org.
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