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SMACNA continues to raise its profile and that of its members by earning some of the association’s standards a stamp of approval from the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). So far, four manuals have passed the highly regarded consensus-based process, and three more are currently underway.

ANSI has acted as the co-ordinator of the U.S. private sector voluntary standardization system for almost 100 years and has an inventory of over 60,000 standards, many of which have international recognition. Once a document receives ANSI approval, it becomes the standard within the building and design communities and ensures no other entity can develop a document for ANSI approval that duplicates the intent of the initial ANSI standard.

Obtaining the approval is an important move for SMACNA, says executive director, SMACNA Technical Services Eli Howard. “When you get that stamp on a document it means it meets the highest consensus-based process there is.”

The process is lengthy. SMACNA begins by setting up a committee of members that spends 18 to 24 months developing what the standard will contain. A public review period follows, during which SMACNA makes publicly known its goal to have a document ANSI stamped. The association solicits volunteers for a review team from design, construction, code, and other related communities that are slotted equally into categories based on their expertise— research, code, design, manufacturer, end user, and general interest—to form a consensus body.

Members of the group are given a copy of the document, a ballot, and a set number of days (usually 60) to review the document and cast one of three possible votes: 1. approved 2. yes as noted (meaning changes are required) or 3. disapprove and an explanation of why.

SMACNA has achieved the approval for its Seismic Restraint Manual, IAQ Guidelines for Occupied Buildings Under Construction, HVAC Duct Construction Standards, and Round Industrial Duct Construction Standards. Approval for Testing, Adjusting & Balancing, Rectangular Industrial Duct Construction Standards, and HVAC Air Duct Leakage Test Standard is currently underway.

The number of reviewers is relative to the effect the standard will have on the industry—SMACNA has had smaller review teams for specialized topics, but the HVAC Duct Construction manual, for instance, would have required significantly more because of the topic’s broad reach.

Once a consensus is established, the document is filed with ANSI, which conducts an internal audit to ensure the process was conducted in accordance with ANSI procedures. SMACNA will then receive an acceptance notification, ANSI logo for the cover and all associated materials, and a numeric designation from ANSI.

Bruce Sychuk, executive director for SMACNA-BC, says the credibility that ANSI approval brings to the manuals gives SMACNA-BC contractors a competitive edge. “SMACNABC contractors know and abide by the standards set in the manuals and have been through the process of attending SMACNA sponsored presentations that focus on the detailed information within as well as the implementation of this information,” he says.

He says that if an engineer specifies a SMACNA manual for a project, SMACNA-BC contractors will have the ability to quote accurately on a project based on consistent and all-inclusive pricing noted in the manual. Non-SMACNA contractors unfamiliar with the manuals may underbid the project, but inevitably have to redo the work if it doesn’t comply with the SMACNA standard.

“SMACNA Standards make sure that the owner will receive the quality and best value for their project, and doing it properly is a little bit more costly than just hacking it in,” says Sychuk. “But when an engineer specifies SMACNA Standards, [a SMACNA-BC contractor] makes sure the owner is getting SMACNA Standards.”

Another benefit is that publications with ANSI approval are readily acceptable by the engineering community, says Howard. “Once they have the stamp it is much easier to have them adopted into the Model Building Code, because they’ve already been through the consensus based process.”

SMACNA has developed over thirty-five technical standards, but the association won’t pursue approval for all of them. Some, like the Architectural Sheet Metal Manual, aren’t written in “mandatory language,” because it can restrict users’ flexibility, says Howard.

“Architects are creative and like flexibility. The architectural manual gives recommended metal gauges based on metal widths, but still allows flexibility for innovative designs.”

That said, all SMACNA manuals are still vetted by the same consensus body process, even if the association doesn’t seek approval for them. The process generally takes between 18 and 24 months, and a SMACNA manual has never failed the qualification process.

“The public review process has provided valuable feedback and insight that, when incorporated into the manuals, creates an improved product,” says Howard.

“We always strive to be successful. If we have any doubts we wouldn’t begin the process.”

For more information about SMACNA manuals or the ANSI approval process, visit <www.smacna.org>. SMJ