Keeping in theme with this edition of Working Pressure, I want to cover the progress being made on the development of a new professional qualifications (PQ) standard — ASSE Draft Series 22000 for Water Treatment Equipment Personnel.
With stories of poor water quality making headlines across the country, and increasing consumer demand for water treatment systems, the need for qualified, knowledgeable professionals to install and maintain these systems has never been higher. Since there are no established qualification standards or third-party certifications for water treatment equipment installers, some of these devices are being installed improperly – plumbers may lack the necessary knowledge to properly setup water treatment equipment, and water treatment dealers may lack the necessary knowledge to properly size and plumb water treatment systems. The goal of the ASSE 22000 program is to offer an industry-composed standard, developed by both water treatment and plumbing professionals, along with an industry-developed certification program to provide water treatment installers with the necessary skills and code and technology competencies to install and maintain water treatment equipment. The result will be properly trained professionals, properly operating water treatment equipment, and safer, healthier, and happier water consumers.
A working group that includes both water treatment professionals and plumbing industry professionals has been formed. The initial plans call for the creation of two standards within the series. The first will be for installers and will cover installations, flowrate sizing, and testing of water treatment equipment. The second standard will be for service/repair technicians and will cover servicing, repairing, and testing of water treatment equipment. Both standards emphasize the proper requirements for water sampling and testing in compliance with ASTM D1126, Standard Test Method for Hardness in Water. Numerous ASSE, IAPMO, and NSF Standards are referenced within the draft Series 22000, and certified installers and technicians will have to demonstrate knowledge of these water treatment standards.
New for the PQ Standards Program is the number of Canadian members on the Series 22000 working group. We are happy to see Canadian interest and hope that this will be the first PQ standard that is recognized by both the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the Standards Council of Canada (SCC).
Once the Series 22000 standard is complete, ASSE intends to develop certifications for both installers and service/repair technicians. Trained and certified personnel will help to ensure that water treatment equipment is properly installed and maintained, providing safer and healthier water to consumers. The plumbing industry and water treatment dealers will have a third-party certification program for verifying qualifications of the workforce.
ASSE 22000 Certification will provide regulators who are considering new regulatory requirements for water treatment equipment installation with a third-party certification option. Authorities having jurisdiction that operate specialty license programs for water treatment equipment installation will have the ability to use ASSE 22000 Certification as an alternative to specialty licenses. Model plumbing codes can also adopt the ASSE Series 22000 standard and ASSE 22000 Water Treatment Equipment Personnel Certification.
We will keep you up to date on the development of the standard series as we move through the development process. Of course, we have other PQ standards that are either in development or in revision. The ASSE/IAPMO/ANSI Series 5000-2022, Cross-Connection Control Professional Qualification Standard, is complete and will be published in the coming months. We are also in the process of updating the Field Test Procedures Using Three-Valve and Five-Valve Test Kits pocket guide. The seventh edition will be available in print later this summer — the sixth edition is currently available as a download on the ASSE Webstore at www.assewebstore.com/publications.
Work also continues on the ASSE Series 12000, PQ Standard for Water Management and Infection Control Risk Assessment for Building Systems, where we are adding new PQ standards for technicians involved with air quality. An additional standard for engineers, designers, and commissioning agents is also being developed as a part of infection control risk assessment for building systems. The Series 21000 for Rainwater Catchment Systems Personnel is also in revision with good progress being made.
Working groups for PQ standards development are busy here at ASSE International, as are our certification technical committees. If you are interested in becoming involved, contact me at marianne.waickman@asse-plumbing.org.
