Industry Standards & Codes Flashcards

Industry Standards & Codes

• ANSI stands for American National Standards Institute, responsible for producing standards for U.S. national standards.
• ASTM, the American Society for Testing and Materials International, develops ASTM Standards often with cosponsors for various fields.
• CSI refers to the Concrete Specifications Institute, which sets specifications related to concrete.
• ICC is the International Code Council, involved in the development of building safety codes.
• IOS means International Organization for Standardization, an entity focused on standardizing diverse industries globally.
• NIBS stands for the National Institute of Building Sciences, which aims to improve building performance.
• NIST refers to the National Institutes of Standards and Technology, an agency that develops and promotes measurement standards.
• UL, or Underwriters Laboratories, tests products for safety and performance standards.

Sources of Standards

• National consensus standards, such as ASTM, represent one of the four main sources for standards of practice.
• Building codes are crucial for ensuring safety in construction.
• Manufacturer literature provides essential guidance for installation and maintenance.
• Recent technical literature obligates designers to stay informed about the latest developments.

Importance of Standards

• Standards are necessary for safety and promote economic efficiency in the industry.

Levels of Standards

• Four levels of standards include:
  • Company specific standards
  • Government standards (e.g., OSHA, TxDOT, GSA)
  • Industry/subsector standards (e.g., ACI)
  • Consensus standards, like ASTM, which involve diverse expert committees.

ASTM Development Principles

• ASTM's development follows four legal principles:
  • Due process ensures that iterations and votes are collected
  • No trade restraint allows fair competition
  • Diverse experts must be involved in the process
  • Indemnification protects authors from legal claims.

Historical Code Development

• The first codes were written by the Babylonians.
• The second significant code list emerged in response to the Bubonic Plague, improving sewage systems.
• The railroad era led to the third list of codes focusing on mechanical engineering, particularly pressure vessels.
• Fire safety codes, the fourth significant list, developed following major fires in London and Chicago.

Issues with Codes

• Historical problems included multiplicity and lack of uniformity, partially resolved by the International Building Code (IBC).
• Codes are often slow to update, typically requiring around ten years for revisions.
• Inspectors face difficulties as no one can know all existing codes.

Specific Codes and Organizations

• UBC stands for Uniform Building Code.
• The consolidated ICC was initiated in 1994 and completed in 2003, formed from BOCA, ICBO, and SBBCI.
• BOCA is short for Building Officials and Code Administrators.
• ICBO stands for International Conference of Building Officials.
• SBBCI refers to the Southern Building Code Congress International.
• The first international code introduced was the International Plumbing Code in 1995.

OSHA

• OSHA stands for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, an agency focusing on workplace safety.

Fire Resistance Ratings

• Fire resistance ratings per ASTM E 119 define a system's fire-resistive properties, measuring duration under controlled fire exposure until critical failure occurs.

Needs for Code Updates

• Key needs for updating codes include addressing load paths for natural disasters, enhancing structural protection, utilizing new technologies, and improving mapping for floodplain management.

CSI Masterformat

• The CSI Masterformat is an organizational structure for topics related to technical literature and specifications, primarily for commercial buildings, recognized globally as top-tier for materials and methods.