Lead Evaluator Training Offered at Annual Conference

	IAS President Chuck Ramani conducts a Lead Evaluator Training course at last year’s Annual Conference.

Learn how to be an IAS Building Department Accreditation (BDA) Lead Evaluator, or just more about the BDA program at the ICC Annual Conference.

Free to registered conference attendees, the IAS Lead Evaluator training program is an intense two-day program designed to qualify experienced and knowledgeable building officials as lead evaluators for the IAS BDA program. The curriculum will outline lead evaluator responsibilities as well as the purpose, process and benefits of attaining building department accreditation.

IAS Council and Committee News
IAS is pleased to announce the addition of two new members to its Technical Advisory Council (TAC) for Laboratories. Annette Machock, President of Field Calibrations, Inc., in Phoenix, Arizona, and Amr El Hefnawy of the Housing and Building National Research Center in Cairo, Egypt. Read more.

New TAC and Accreditation Committee Members

IAS TAC – Laboratories meeting, held August 2 in Los Angeles. Members attending (L-R) are Annette Machock, Field Calibrations; Don Waldman, RADCO; Amr El Hefnawy, Housing & Building National Research Center; IAS President Chuck Ramani; IAS Vice Pat McCullen; IAS Accreditation Manager Raj Nathan; Jeffrey Turcotte, Intertek Testing Services NA; George Smith, Jr., FM Approvals; and Ayman Mosallam, University of California, Irvine. A complete list of IAS Accreditation Committee and IAS TAC members is now available.

Accreditation Committee Tackles Tough Issues
The IAS Accreditation Committee meeting addressed issues ranging from unlisted electrical equipment to steel fabricator inspection programs. Of particular interest, the accreditation criteria for building departments and code enforcement agencies (AC251) was restructured to improve continuity and clarify intent. Sparking an abundance of public comments, AC251 was held over to the end of the hearing to allow for the TAC-BDA to resolve some of the contested issues. Following an interactive two-hour session, Chairman James Brothers rendered the council's recommendations to the committee, which voted to approve AC251 if, after a 30-day public posting, the criteria has drawn no significant comments. Read more.

Top Five Fabricator Corrective Action Requests
Helping Meet Code Requirements and Save Money
When a building department requires a fabricator to become accredited by IAS, it is primarily to ensure they are meeting the code requirements in Section 1704.2.2 of the 2000 International Building Code® (IBC). What the building department might not realize is that in requiring IAS accreditation, they are often setting a process into place that will save the fabricator money as well. Read more.

IAS Withdraws from NACLA MRA
Effective July 1, IAS withdrew from the National Cooperation for Laboratory Accreditation (NACLA) Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA). The announcement follows the National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program’s withdrawal in April. IAS continues to maintain international recognition and signatory status as an accreditation body through the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation and the Asia Pacific Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation.

IAS Vice President Pat McCullen said, “Based on the findings of our Technical Advisory Council, the IAS Board has advised IAS to concentrate its resources on domestic regulators and its international commitments as these serve the needs and interests of our accredited laboratories. IAS will maintain membership in NACLA for the present and continues to support NACLA’s goals.”

Special Inspection Agencies Gear Up for Accreditation

	Earl Russell, Deputy Director Building and Safety, City of Las Vegas, Nevada.

Since the City of Las Vegas, Nevada, required its special inspection agencies meet the IBC Special Inspection Agency Accreditation criteria and gain accreditation from a recognized accreditation body, a number of special inspection agencies serving the Las Vegas area have requested accreditation through IAS. As of July, 15 special inspection agencies have met the requirements of this stringent process and have been accredited to work for the City’s Building and Safety Department. Read more.

IAS Presents Training in Egypt

Compression testing machine at HBNRC lab.

IAS Manager Raj Nathan conducted a two-day training seminar entitled Conformity Assessment–General Requirements for Accreditation Bodies Accrediting Conformity Assessment Bodies. The training focused on helping attendees understand issues involved in ISO/IEC Standard 17011, and was attended by senior management and technical staff from the Housing and Building National Research Center (HBNRC) in Cairo, Egypt.

Nathan and IAS Technical Expert Dr. Craig Joss reviewed various testing facilities within the HBNRC facility.

Brewer Earns CCT Recertification
Hershal C. Brewer, head of the IAS Calibration Lab program, has been recertified as an American Society for Quality (ASQ) Certified Calibration Technician (CCT). This certification recognizes the “level of knowledge and experience associated with the duties and responsibilities of a mid-level calibration technician per the consensus expectations of hundreds of calibration/metrology professionals” according to the ASQ. Read more.

Accreditation Interest Grows in California and Oregon

	Interested in hearing a BDA presentation? Contact Greg West at 1-888-422-7233, ext. 3267 for details.

In the shadow of the Cascade Mountains, more than 100 building officials learned about the BDA program. During the Oregon Building Officials Association’s annual meeting, IAS Marketing Manager Greg West gave a special presentation about the program and how it can help building departments operate more efficiently and effectively. The program covered the purpose, process, costs and benefits of attaining accreditation. West also recently gave a presentation at the ICC Chapter meeting in Ventura, California.

IAS Provides Speedy Service to Testing Lab
For over 25 years, OMNI-Test Laboratories has provided a full-service testing laboratory for hearth products. While OMNI-Test has accreditation by ANSI as a certification agency, which includes product inspections, the laboratory recently found that this was not enough to satisfy a California inspector.

A contractor wanted to install OMNI-approved, fuel-burning appliances. The inspector, noting that OMNI did not have an AA number as an IAS-accredited inspection agency, stopped work. Within a few days, IAS auditors arrived to complete the on-site assessment. Not long after, IAS assessors completed a field assessment to evaluate OMNI's inspection procedures. The summary report was written immediately following the assessments and within seven days OMNI had accreditation as an IAS inspection agency.

Lostaunau Joins IAS as Project Coordinator
IAS welcomes new staff member, Kellee Lostaunau, Project Coordinator of the IAS Building Department Accreditation program. A Cerritos College graduate and business management student at California State University, Fullerton, Kellee worked for ICC Evaluation Service before joining IAS. She has formal training on building code requirements as well as extensive experience in customer service and customer relations. Since Kellee took over as project coordinator, the IAS Building Department Accreditation program has been moving forward rapidly.

To learn more about Building Department Accreditation, contact Kellee at (562) 699-0541, ext. 3309.

How to reach us
If you have questions or comments about IAS eNews, please call the International Accreditation Service (IAS) at 1-866-427-4422, send letters to 5360 Workman Mill Road, Whittier, CA 90601, send an e-mail to info@iasonline.org, or go to www.iasonline.org.

For specific questions about IAS accreditation programs, contact: