The BCICA QAC Saving energy for the future by helping to engineer quality
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s with any system designed to ensure that the quality of work and the materials used in a specific sector of a construction project meet the design specification, the British Columbia Insulation Contractors Association’s (BCICA) Quality Assurance Certificate (QAC) program, which focuses on the installation of mechanical insulation, took time to develop. Quality assurance is not a new idea, but the development and launch of a new quality assurance program is particularly challenging when building owners are faced with a barrage of products that advertise quality, longevity and energy savings, but sometimes fail when put to the test. A true quality assurance program demands a rigorous, consistent system of ob-
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Ops Talk • Spring 2016
servation and reporting that assures the owner that if amendments are made to the specification they are documented, if deficiencies are found then they are resolved, and that within the scope of the work, the project is completed as specified. Over the past four years, BCICA has worked diligently to ensure that the Quality Assurance Certificate program is a system that “walks the walk”. The QAC program ensures true thirdparty independent inspection. Reporting on behalf of the building owner, the designated inspector observes the installation of the materials and reviews material specifications to ensure that they are manufactured to the standard listed in the BCICA Quality Standards Manual. The QAC program consists of the following essential components, which are de-
signed to work in tandem to ensure compliance with the design authority’s specification. The BCICA plays an administrative role to ensure that documents are filed correctly, and contractors, as well as the owner’s representative, receives copies of each report filed as part of every QAC project. Qualified Tradesmen – The BCICA Quality Assurance Certificate Program (QAC) is built on a model that provides building owners with the assurance that only professional mechanical insulation contractors, employing qualified tradesmen, are doing the work. All BCICA members, whether open shop or union contractors, support apprenticeship. All QAC work requires direct supervision by journeymen qualified as heat and frost insulators, a Red Seal trade. Representatives of BCICA sit on the Con-
