Boston, Mass. — The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Board of Examiners of Sheet Metal Workers voted 5-1 in favor of adopting the 2009 Uniform Mechanical Code (UMC®) as the basis for the commonwealth’s newly created Massachusetts Sheet Metal Code (271 CMR). Slated for publication in January 2012, the new code will govern the installation, inspection and maintenance of air handling systems throughout Massachusetts.
Thrice designated as an American National Standard, the UMC is a model code developed and published since 1967 by the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO) as a means of promoting the public’s health, safety and welfare through sound materials and practices. IAPMO will work with the Board of Examiners of Sheet Metal Workers to amend the most recently published 2009 edition of the UMC into a document that best suits the needs of Massachusetts.
The 15th most populated state in the union, Massachusetts’ plumbing industry is regulated by the Massachusetts Board of Examiners of Plumbers and Gasfitters. For the past nine years, IAPMO has been the exclusive administrator of the Continuing Education (CEU) program for each of the nearly 500 municipal plumbing and gas inspectors and is one of the Board approved organizations certified to provide CEU training for licensees in Massachusetts.
IAPMO will provide education to all of the state and municipal inspectors in the commonwealth and will conduct code training for all sheet metal licensees on the new Massachusetts Sheet Metal Code. In excess of 6,000 licensees are projected by February 2011.
“Our decade-strong relationship with Massachusetts paved the way for this significant vote of confidence in IAPMO’s code, how it’s developed and the lengths to which it goes to assure health and safety is protected,” said IAPMO President Dan Daniels. “We are honored to play a substantial role in shaping the commonwealth’s new guidelines.”
The UMC is developed using the American National Standard Institute’s consensus development procedures. This three-year process brings together volunteers representing a variety of viewpoints and interests to achieve consensus on mechanical issues.
Last modified: December 10, 2010