ICC Assists Colombian Stakeholders to Upgrade Plumbing Code

Interaction between the International Code Council and stakeholders in Colombia’s building sector has reached a new level with a new Memorandum of Understanding and an initial decision to reference the International Plumbing Code as the code of reference. Over the past several years, the Code Council has been strengthening relationships with Colombia’s building sector stakeholders, including the Instituto Colombiano de Normas Técnicas y Certificación (ICONTEC; Colombian Institute of Standards and Certification) and the Asociación de Profesionales de Conducción de Fluidos (APROCOF; Association of Professional Water Engineers), and academia such as Universidad de los Andes.

This relationship took a major step forward as a result of a workshop promoted by APROCOF involving key Code Council staff and Colombian stakeholders. Recently, the Code Council’s Plumbing, Mechanical and Fuel Gas (PMG) Group Executive Director, Jay Peters, PMG’s Director of Industry Relations, Shawn Martin, and Global Services Director, Sylvana Ricciarini conducted a three-day workshop in Bogota. The workshop was promoted by APROCOF as part of the “Third Congress of Hydraulic and Sanitary Facilities.”

While in Colombia for the workshop, the PMG Group signed a Memorandum of Understanding between the ICC and APROCOF which unites two leaders in the plumbing industry. These respected teams have joined forces to create initiatives that will be mutually beneficial for each organization as well as their respective members and residents. Co-op initiatives will develop and cross promote products, members will enjoy added-value through information sharing and other efforts, and each other’s education and training programs will be leveraged whenever possible.

“This is a very important advancement for both the Code Council and the nation of Colombia,” said Code Council CEO Rick Weiland. Mr. Peters added, “APROCOF and ICONTEC are highly regarded organizations in Colombia, so when they performed a very thorough technical evaluation of the model codes available and initially chose the International Plumbing Code as a code of reference, we were extremely proud and grateful.”

“This is just the beginning of a lot of work that will lead us to great accomplishments,” added Germán Flechas, Vice President of APROCOF. “ICONTEC and the ICC can count on us to attain the goals proposed.”

Hundreds of engineers, architects, contractors, even the general public attended the intensive sessions that began with an overview of the comprehensive provisions in the IPC. Transition, implementation and verification aspects that are critical to ensure that the initial implementation process is seamless and smooth were also reviewed.

This was followed by an overview of the Code Council, including the code development process scope and highlights. Aspects of green plumbing covering both the recently published InternationalGreen Construction Code (IGCC) and what is happening around the world with regards to sustainable plumbing and related provisions in the IPC were reviewed in detail.

The global sanitation crisis, ICC Evaluation Services, including ICC-ES PMG Listing Service and SAVE (Sustainable Attributes Verification and Evaluation), along with certification services for plumbing products were also covered.

Ms. Ricciarini, who has coordinated these efforts from the very beginning said, “We are proud to be able to offer our plumbing codes and related services to assist Colombia to improve the quality of plumbing and water conservation offerings.”

While the initial seminar was both comprehensive and information-rich, additional training consisting of custom-tailored curriculum will be developed based on Colombia’s technical, academic and industry-specific needs. The ICC will also continue to provide extensive assistance with the transition process along the way. And, a delegation from APROCOF plans to attend and participate in ICC’s Annual Conference in North Carolina in October.

For more information on this adoption or to learn more about ICC’s PMG codes and related services, contact the PMG Resource Center at 1-888-ICC-SAFE, x4PMG or PMGResourceCenter@iccsafe.org.

The International Code Council (ICC) publishes building safety, energy efficiency and fire prevention codes that are used in the construction of residential and commercial buildings. Most U.S. cities, counties and states choose the I-Codes based on their outstanding quality. The ICC’s Plumbing, Mechanical and Fuel Gas (PMG) Group is devoted exclusively to providing PMG products and support to jurisdictions and construction industry professionals across the country and around the globe, with one or more PMG codes adopted in 49 states. The more than 200 superior products and related services were developed specifically by and for plumbing and mechanical professionals. Contact the PMG Group for additional information at 1-888-ICC-SAFE, x4PMG, PMGResourceCenter@iccsafe.org, or visit iccsafe.org.