Las Vegas proved to be a great host city for the 78th Annual International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO) Education and Business Conference as all conference activities were exceptionally well attended. The attendees were there to work and a lot was accomplished in a short period of time. The conference offered industry-leading educational workshops and seminars in addition to expert guest speakers and the opportunity to meet up with other industry professionals.
Conference attendees heard the latest on everything in the plumbing and mechanical fields, including changes to the Uniform Plumbing Code® and Uniform Mechanical Code®, and participated in one of the steps in the 2009 code development cycle.
The trade exposition was well attended and proved to be an excellent opportunity for new products to be demonstrated prior to the Assembly Session. Because IAPMO encourages the fair exchange of ideas, other model code agencies and standards providers were also promoting how the different codes can work together for the protection of the general public.
The educational sessions and workshops had excellent participation on such diverse subjects as Combustion Air and Venting in the 2006 UPC Chapter 5 and 2006 UMC Chapters 7 and 8, the New Venting Methods in UPC Chapter 9, Understanding Fat, Oil, and Grease (FOG) Disposal Systems in UPC Chapter 10, and the Installation of Backflow Preventers in UPC Chapter 6. Of particular interest was IAPMO’s first ever panel discussion on the topic of the Ripple Effects of Code Adoptions.
With over 400 registered attendees and 187 voting members present, the conference was a big success. One of the new activities included was the Assembly Consideration Session held on Tuesday, September 25. This was an opportunity for anyone and everyone to have a voice. The plumbing and mechanical technical committee reviewed over 400 proposed changes to the 2006 UPC and UMC. The action taken on those changes and the results of their ballots were reflected on the Report on Proposals. The Assembly Consideration Session was essentially an opportunity to advocate your position on a particular proposed code change in the Report on Proposals. The great turn out at the assembly allowed the best information to be used in the decision making process.
The ANSI accredited revision process works to the benefit and protection of all persons using the Uniform Codes. By having all interested parties involved, it produces codes that incorporate an entire body of knowledge from the professional plumbing contractor, the manufacturers, and the regulatory agencies. A nice analogy is the “U” Codes have “you” in them. They are written by you and protected by you. The input of all of our members makes the Uniform Codes representative of the needs of the entire industry.
The strong relationship between IAPMO and the United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipefitting Industry (UA) continued to be strengthened, as on Thursday afternoon the conference attendees toured the new state-of-the-art Pipe Trades Training Center.
“We are looking forward to next year’s show which will include the ISH North America expo in Atlanta,” said Tina Rice, IAPMO’s director of meetings and conferences. “There, we will have even more opportunities for our membership to learn and participate in the code adoption process.”
Sponsor of the Uniform Codes, IAPMO – The International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials – works in concert with government and industry for safe, sanitary plumbing and mechanical systems. Learn more about IAPMO at www.iapmo.org.
Last modified: December 19, 2023