The BCICA QAC: Saving energy for the future by helping to engineer quality

the BCiCA QAC

Saving energy for the future by helping to engineer quality

As 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 observation 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 designed 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-

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.

struction Employers Sector Advisory Group working with the provincial Industry Training Authority to improve apprenticeship training in B.C.

Materials manufactured to industry standards – Only materials manufactured to meet the applicable ASTM and CAN/ULC standards can be used in the QAC program. The BCICA Quality Standards for Mechanical Insulation Manual provides that list of standards. The information is published with the purpose of assisting in the preparation of mechanical insulation, and fire-stopping specifications, and ensuring economy consistent with efficiency.

The current edition (Ed. 7 – 2013) of the manual incorporates the latest information available with respect to materials, application and finishing practices, codes and regulations applicable to mechanical insulation systems. In addition to the mechanical insulation and accessories listed in the materials section of the quality standards, other mechanical insulation and accessory products are defined.

Independent Inspection – The BCICA went to ASTTBC, as well as to experienced supervisors in the mechanical insulation industry to identify essential competencies for a new mechanical insulation inspector program. The courses were developed by the BCICA, in conjunction with BCIT, and are designed to prepare competent individuals to provide inspection services for mechanical insulation work performed in the commercial, industrial, institutional, multi-residential, and marine industries.

In order to complete the designation process, candidates must complete four courses at BCIT, as well as an inspector training course facilitated by BCICA staff. The program focuses on the scope of work encompassed by the mechanical insulation industry, the quality standards manual, as well as the roles and responsibilities of all parties involved when a QAC is specified. Successful completion of all the courses is part of the application process for a designated inspector. Designated inspectors are assigned QAC work and are responsible for ensuring the QAC work complies with specification.

The QAC Administrative Process – It means that the inspector must conduct a pre-construction meeting with the insulation contractor, a series of site inspections (the number of which is determined by the size of the project) are also required. Interim reports, as well as a final inspection and report, are submitted to the BCICA office with copies distributed to all parties – insulation contractor, mechanical contractor, and specifying authority.

It takes time and resources, as well as the commitment of both open shop and union contractors working together to improve the mechanical insulation industry, and develop a new and innovative quality assurance program – one that meets the rigor of the consultants responsible for developing mechanical insulation specifications. At a time when budgets are under pressure and energy conservation is high on every agenda, the arrival of the QAC program is a timely mechanism for the reduction of operational costs and a reasonable return on investment, whether a new or a retrofit project.

Mechanical insulation is a key factor in the conservation of energy, and when done correctly, it saves money on the capital side (less cycling of heating and cooling equipment), as well as on the operational side (lower heating and cooling costs when pipes and ducts are insulated properly). For these reasons, as well as the knowledge that thirdparty inspection allows consultants to avoid any perceived conflicts of interest, mechanical engineering firms such as the Integral Group, Engineering Consultants, as well as Rocky Point Engineering Ltd., have adopted the QAC as part of their master specification.

Interested the the QAC? Visit the BCICA booth at the EFMA 2016 Conference and Trade Show in Penticton, B.C., May 31 to June 3, 2016. Attend the professional development seminar at EFMA on Thursday, June 2 from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., Session 10, Room 1 - Mechanical Insulation, An Energy Conservation Solution.

And, if you would like more information about the BCICA and the Quality Assurance Certificate Program, please visit our website at www.bcica.org/qac. p

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