Last month, I had the pleasure of attending the Plumbing Industry Leadership Coalition (PILC) meeting, which was held at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Gaithersburg, Maryland. While there was a lot of great discussion on a number of important issues, one topic really caught my interest, and that was workforce development in this post-pandemic era.
Morris had me on the phone. It was 1974 and he was calling from Brooklyn, New York. I had a waxed handlebar mustache that year, and my workmates at the manufacturers’ rep were calling me Rollie Fingers because he was pitching for the Oakland Athletics in the World Series. Looking at those 1974 photos, I realize that the ‘stache was not one of my best ideas, but the 1970s were their own time and no one can change that.
On a recent weekend, I was catching up on the news and goings-on when I came across this article published on the front page of a well-known national newspaper that caught my eye: “PVC pipes are called a health hazard.” In the back of my mind, I thought “wait, what?!”
Mechanical engineering is an integral part of both HVACR (Heating, Ventilating, Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration) and plumbing. While both disciplines utilize the same science and engineering principles, their application diverges depending on the system under consideration. A prime example of this is the “wet” piping system that moves water through the piping network.
This month of June, six months into 2023, is a great time to review the activities of Standards Development Organizations, or SDOS. These organizations develop standards through voluntary consensus processes for product performance and safety, services, processes, systems and personnel.
Those who evaluate the performance of HVAC source equipment such as boilers, furnaces and heat pumps have to work with a wide variety of acronyms. Some of them were spawned by government bureaucrats, mostly the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Others were created through a consensus process based on input from manufacturers and other industry stakeholders.
Judge Roy Lam could easily have been mistaken for a hang-em-high judge from a Clint Eastwood western movie! His demeanor could have scared-straight even the hardest of criminals. While arguing a case before another District Magistrate Judge where the deadbeat customer’s lawyer clearly sensed he was losing the case, he announced I had chosen the wrong venue (District Court for our business area) and should have filed charges against his client in her district. I asked him if he would really want to have me bring this case before Judge Roy Lam? He, realizing that would be a fool’s errand on his part, wisely threw in the towel. We secured full judgment and, finally, got paid.
My last two columns discussed both chemical and non-chemical additives or technologies that I treat as “must consider” for plumbing engineers in their design practices to reduce the risk of Legionella bacteria developing in the domestic water system. As I mentioned, these topics might not be a code minimum requirement, but as an engineering community, we have a responsibility to uphold the health and safety of the public. Therefore, we should discuss these technologies with our clients for many different building types we come across in our design.