January 2009 Vol. 64 No. 1
Business
NASSCO President Cites Many Accomplishments In 2008
That NASSCO (National Association of Sewer Service Companies) has become an influential force in the sewer rehabilitation industry was clearly evident in 2008, said current association President Marc A. Anctil as he reviewed NASSCO accomplishments in the past 12 months.
Much of NASSCO’s work, he continued, could be considered “routine” as the organization continues to pursue the goals of establishing and implementing standards for the rehabilitation of underground utilities, along with educating the industry about technologies and procedures that apply to rehabilitation.
However, several accomplishments in 2008 clearly stand out, he stressed.
“NASSCO took the lead in opposing several provisions contained in a proposed OSHA rule change to its confined space standard that would have raised costs of sewer rehabilitation projects,” said Anctil. “NASSCO’s efforts were primarily responsible for OSHA’s assurance that it would drop the plan to reclassify rehabilitation work from maintenance to construction. That change would have substantially raised the costs of sewer rehabilitation projects.”
Another milestone was completion of the NASSCO CIPP Inspector Training and Certification Program.
“This is a major accomplishment that will have far reaching influence on the industry” said Anctil. “Several classes were completed during the year, and were enthusiastically received by those participating. We rate the program a resounding success.”
Busy year
There were also several other significant achievements in 2008.
NASSCO completed negotiations with the Canadian province of Quebec to make the NASSCO PACP (Pipeline Assessment and Certification Program) mandatory. PACP standardizes the ways sewer pipes are inspected and evaluated, trains and certifies the personnel who inspect and maintain records of sewer pipelines, and provides the means for compiling a comprehensive data base to help effectively plan and prioritize renovation of wastewater collection systems.
“In addition,” said Anctil, “we are on the threshold of making PACP the standard throughout Canada.”
In cooperation with the Trenchless Technology Center at Louisiana Tech University, NASSCO completed the Trenchless Assessment Guide to Rehabilitation (TAG R), a comprehensive database which calculates the best rehabilitation process for each production situation. TAG R is provided to every student in the Inspection Training and Certification Program and is available for purchase on the NASSCO web site.
The association published the NASSCO Guideline for the Use and Handling of Styrentated Resins in Cured In Place Pipe, available for download on the association web site.
RehabZone
NASSCO continues to sponsor the RehabZone at the annual Underground Construction Technology Conference, participated in WEFTEC and No Dig, conducted six educational sessions at the 2008 Pumper and Cleaner Environmental Expo and exhibited at several regional trade events.
Also, an upgrade was completed to the NASSCO website and an e-mail “Pipeline” was developed to provide updates to association members.
In March, the association moved to new larger offices to accommodate additional staff needed to handle increased workloads.
“We are continually introducing new training and educational opportunities, and frequent visits to the NASSCO web site will provide the latest information about programs available,” said Anctil.
Anctil is president of Logiball Inc., a manufacturer of equipment for the trenchless rehabilitation of sanitary sewer lines. His term will expire at the association’s annual meeting in February when Ed Kampbell, president of Rehabilitation Resource Solutions, will become president.
NASSCO is a national organization composed of several hundred members representing rehabilitation industry manufacturers and suppliers, municipalities and utility districts, engineers, and contracting firms. The association’s headquarters is in Owings Mills, MD.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
NASSCO, (410) 486-3500, www.nassco.org
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