TAB FOR THE FUTURE

Local 46, jointly funded ITI and NEMIC, and SMACNA contractors make new TAB lab a reality

By / Jessica Kirby • Photos courtesy of Local 46

A new testing, adjusting and balancing (TAB) lab at Local 46 in Rochester, New York, started with an idea—develop a lab where contractors could send their employees to earn certifications. The demand was there. The need was there. All they had to do was build it.

“The demand for testing and balancing has always been high, as it involves the health and welfare of occupants, their comfort, and energy conservation,” says Ben Bailey, vice-president of Air Systems Balancing, one of the project’s contractor sponsors. “With an increased focus around ventilation due to COVID, Local 46’s focus is in the right place at the right time. This is an asset that not only draws people for certification but can take their training program to the next level.”

Naturally, building the lab was easier said than done, especially in the midst of a global pandemic. But the demand was fierce, and even during COVID-19, something had to be done—especially since Local 46 members could no longer travel out of state for certification, says Allen Mort, Local 46 training director.

“It’s important for us to give our members the opportunity to get into all these specialties,” says Jonathan Perna, Local 46 marketing representative. “We’re always trying to tie everything together—with fire and life safety, indoor air quality training—and with this new lab, it helps us increase that market share and give our contractors the certified people they need.”

SMACNA Rochester contractors and Local 46 worked together through the JATC cooperation and established that the new lab could be integrated into existing training space.

“As a JATC trustee, Allan brought this to our attention and we wanted to move forward with the program, which was a no brainer,” says Troy Peterson, president of SMACNA Rochester.

“Training local people and providing another learning atmosphere for our current Local 46 team of craftspeople is a benefit for all.”

The new 10,000-square-foot TAB lab includes one pressureindependent air handler, nine VAV boxes (two of which are fan powered), three fan coil units (four pipe), two chilled beams, a 10-ton chiller and a stand-alone hydronic testing board.

“On top of this being a TAB certification lab, this is also a HVAC lab, and a Ventilation Verification training lab,” Mort said.

“Congratulations to Local 46 for being able to accomplish such a monumental feat,” Bailey says. “This lab is something that truly sets them apart.”

The bulk of the process came together over the last 18 months and was achieved by a direct, union approach—all hands on deck. Apprentices, instructors, and members donated time, labor, and talent. “It created a lot of hands-on projects for the students,” Perna said.

The project was truly a “many hands make light work” endeavor. Local 46 worked with the ITI to ensure the TAB lab meets the CB/TABB certification requirements and to identify all the potential testing components, test points, and testing equipment. The team also partnered to verify availability of the testing equipment and measure air and water flows of the equipment and components. NEMIC then reviewed the as-built condition of the lab and reported measurements of the equipment and components to design a practical exam that closely resembled all other tests. After these steps, NEMIC worked with the training center to coordinate dates and times for the exam and trained local experts to serve as judges and proctors.

Local 46’s lab is the 23rd certified lab in the United States. It was paid for, in part, by a grant from the ITI in addition to local supporters and donors.

Once the lab began to take shape, leadership gave tours to local contractors and vendors who were eager to help make the lab dream a reality.

“Once you introduce them to what we’re doing, they’re stepping up to the plate, too,” Mort says. “There’s nothing like this. Even at the college level, they don’t have anything like this.”

Union management is hoping the lab will also act as a recruitment tool, attracting non-signatory contractors who are thinking of joining Local 46.

“You can show the opportunity that’s available to members and potential members,” Perna said. “With TAB, we can do

the training here. They can certify here. It’s another specialty we can offer our members, and it’s a very, very big emerging market, especially with the indoor air quality. It all ties together.”

“A lot of Locals can’t afford this type of thing,” Mort added. “Our Local couldn’t afford it without the grant.”

Jeremy Zeedyk, NEMIC’s representative for the Northeast region, says labs like this one allow training centers to get their students certified locally, with the least amount of disruption and lost time.

“It also allows other regional locals a closer option to send similarly trained individuals to take the practical examination at the Local 46 facility without having to expend resources to create their own testing lab. This reduces the burden on the technicians and contractors in the process,” he adds.

“I believe the best learning happens by experiencing,” Bailey adds. “This lab now allows individuals to learn hands on and experience the functionality of a full system. That can’t be accomplished without access to a lab like this.”

To date, the Testing, Adjusting, and Balancing Bureau (TABB)is the only testing, adjusting and balancing certification agency that requires technicians to complete a hands-on practical as well as written exam.

“The consistency in training and certification this lab can provide is something other agencies don’t possess,” Zeedyk says. “The future of our industry is trending toward frequently ensuring that the built environment has the proper amount of ventilation and filtration and is physically verified by skilled, trained and certified workers,” Zeedyk said. “Completing certification labs like the one at Local 46 will help better

position SMART and SMACNA members to be on the leading edge of this movement.”

Although new, the lab is already a point of extreme Local 46 pride. “The potential for growth in this market has no limit, especially post pandemic,” Perna said. “The members are very excited about this, and a lot of them are looking to get trained and certified.”

SMACNA members are eager to see the lab’s trainees prepared for a burgeoning market for trained TAB professionals. “The demand for TAB has always been needed on projects, and it has only increased with the changes in building requirements,” Peterson says. “The contractors all want educated people, and this lab space helps provide the contractors with the skills required.”

Mort and Perna offered up advice for any Local with the ambition to take on the creation of a new TAB lab—take it one step at a time.

“There’s a lot involved with a lab like this, from design and installation to controls and service start-up—all of those are potential entities involved with this,” Mort says. “It took some real orchestration to get to this point, to say the least, especially during a pandemic—hat was a tough lift. But everyone hunkered down and came together to get it done.” ▪

Jessica Kirby is editor-publisher for Point One Media, a small but sturdy family-owned trade magazine creator representing some of North America’s best construction associations. She can usually be found among piles of paper in her home office or exploring British Columbia’s incredible wilderness.