ANSI releases IESO/RIA Standard for public comment.

Press Release Summary:



Developed by Restoration Industry Association sub-committee of Indoor Environmental Standards Organization, standard helps evaluate whether or not fire-related residue has been deposited on HVAC interior surfaces. According to Tom Yacobellis, chairman of the standard sub-committee, standard provides very specific inspection and sampling protocols and will serve as an important tool for restoration professionals.



Original Press Release:



ANSI Releases IESO/RIA Standard for Determining Impact of Fire-related Particulate in HVAC Systems for Comment



Columbia, MD - The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) has released for public comment the industry's first standard regarding the identification of soot and char in HVAC systems. Developed by a Restoration Industry Association sub-committee of the Indoor Environmental Standards Organization (IESO) the standard, Evaluation of HVAC interior surfaces to determine the impact from fire-related particulate, took approximately 16 months to develop and recently underwent a peer review by the IESO Consensus Body. IESO filed the Project Initiation Notification System notice with the American National Standards Institute for the standard in early 2008.

The purpose of the standard is to evaluate whether or not fire-related residue has been deposited on HVAC interior surfaces. Char is used as the primary indicator and soot is used as the secondary indicator of fire-related particulate. Char and soot were selected as indicators because char is a byproduct of almost all fires and is easily identifiable under most circumstances. Soot is also a byproduct of almost all fires and is easily identifiable if the sample is appropriately collected and properly analyzed.

The Draft Standard and Comment Form may be downloaded on the IESO Website at: www.ieso.org/standards/index.asp?committee=1 or by contacting the IESO Secretariat, Kristy M. Lee at: klee@iestandards.org. Deadline for comments is Monday, August 30, 2010.

"This standard will provide restoration professionals with an important tool when evaluating whether or not the interior surfaces of a mechanical system have been impacted by fire-related residues. It provides very specific inspection and sampling protocols and uses science to confirm their presence," explained Tom Yacobellis, chairman of the standard sub-committee.

This is the first ANSI standard created by an RIA sub-committee. The organization is now beginning work on a second ANSI standard related to fire damage restoration.

The Indoor Environmental Standards Organization (IESO) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the creation of consensus-based standards that provide solutions for healthy indoor environments. IESO is an accredited standards development organization by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). IESO was founded in 2002 and maintains a headquarters in Rockville, MD. For more information, visit www.ieso.org.
The Restoration Industry Association (formerly the Association of Specialists in Cleaning & Restoration) has member firms worldwide. RIA provides industry leadership, supports science, and promotes best practices for cleaning and restoration. More information is available on the RIA website: www.restorationindustry.org.

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