The Alliance for Concrete Codes and Standards (ACCS) representing associations and organizations serving material, product, engineering and construction
The Alliance for Concrete Codes and Standards (ACCS) Û representing associations and organizations serving material, product, engineering and construction interests across the industry Û recently incorporated in order to secure funding for building code and standards development. The move positions ACCS, founded in 1996, to ensure that appropriate concrete solutions for providing life safety, property protection and welfare for the general public are included in the national model building codes and referenced standards, alliance officials note. The combined efforts of the national, regional, state and local industry partners will support and direct research, testing and consulting that is necessary to substantiate code change proposals and challenges, they add.
According to Portland Cement Association Director of Codes and Standards Stephen Szoke, P.E., the ACCS’ mission is to identify and pursue provisions to codes and standards as well as reference standards that improve life safety, property protection and welfare of the general public at the national, state and local levels through the use of concrete-based systems. As such, incorporation will allow the ACCS to operate with an organizational structure that allows the entity to be more active in the codes and standards development process, he said.
Identified during the Alliance’s reorganization process were 15 areas of activity. The membership agreed that the initial efforts should be focused on fire safety in multi-family construction where the threat to life safety, property loss and harm to emergency responders can be substantially reduced with concrete building methods.
The new ACCS structure provides for the expansion of membership to include regional, state, and local cement and concrete promotion groups and other interested parties in order to 1) implement unified, industry-wide codes and standards development campaigns, including those aimed at marketing, promotion, educational, and advocacy; 2) support code change amendments at the state and local level; 3) identify state and local code provisions that may find their way into national model building codes; 4) foster support for code change provisions at the national building code level; and, 5) increase coverage in standards development activities.
ACCS members include American Concrete Pipe Association, Architectural Precast Association, National Precast Concrete Association, National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, and Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute. PCI Director of Technical Activities Jason Krohn is the current ACCS president of the board. Other officers are Concrete Reinforcing Steel Institute’s Scott Humphreys, vice president; Concrete Foundations Association’s Jim R. Baty II, secretary; and, Wire Reinforcement Institute’s Roy Reiterman, treasurer. Additional information on the alliance can be obtained from Jim Baty, 319/895-6940.