So far you have read about ASPE’s AAC, AYP, Bylaws, and Credentialing Committees. The fifth committee in our series of ASPE Committees is the Main Design Standards Committee (we left off “Main” for this alphabetical journey). ASPE is always looking for members to join its committees and participate in the different programs, processes, and governance of ASPE. If ASPE wants you to participate, you need to know WHY you should participate, right?
On to the Main Design Standards Committee:
- Overall supervision of ASPE’s design standards activities is the responsibility of the Main Design Standards Committee. The Main Design Standards Committee is the ANSI (American National Standards Institute) consensus body having responsibility for the review and approval of all ASPE design standards. The Main Design Standards Committee may assign specific activities to Working Groups; however, final approval of actions related to standards needs to go through the consensus process of the Main Design Standards Committee.
- Participation in the standards process is open to all persons who are directly and materially affected by the activity in question. Participation may be through membership on the Main Design Standards Committee or a Working Group.
- Voting membership on the Main Design Standards Committee is not conditional upon membership in ASPE nor unreasonably restricted on the basis of technical qualifications or other such requirements. Members are expected to serve for a term of not less than one year.
- The duty of each member is to give thorough consideration to each subject brought before them for action, to vote on approval or disapproval of each proposal, to contribute their expertise in the preparation of standards, to advise on membership on the committee and subordinate groups, and to assist generally in carrying out the functions of the committee. Such duties shall be carried out by attendance at meetings, correspondence, and/or telephone, teleconference, or other electronic means.
- You can see more information on ASPE’s website. Just click here.
- See pages 8.14–8.24 of ASPE’s P&O Manual (available in the Members Only section of the ASPE website). This Committee description is much more structured and official looking than for other committees due to its association with the ANSI consensus process.
How does the committee benefit or advance ASPE?
The standards process advances the goals of ASPE by expanding its reach to all interested parties in advancing the profession and increasing the knowledge base to better serve public health, safety, and welfare.
Can you share something exciting that your committee is working on now or has worked on recently?
The Main Design Standards Committee is always active in the background to encourage the formation of Working Groups for the development of new standards that are driven by the profession and industry needs. It is the membership that drives the need to develop a specific standard, so step forward and get involved. One of the current projects is ASPE 82: Plumbing Design Methodology to Reduce the Risk of Hospital Acquired Infection (HAI) Transmission by Means of Critical Care Drain, Waste, and Vent Piping Systems.
Why should an ASPE member want to join your committee? What would you say to an ASPE member to entice them to join the committee?
Active involvement allows one to share their knowledge with others to advance the profession and the plumbing industry. While we may all be shy, each of us has a unique knowledge that can assist others and by sharing information; we can grow as well.
If you want to apply to become the newest member of the Main Design Standards Committee, you need to first fill out the application. (Note that this is a different application than for other ASPE committees.)
