17.02.2020

Industry demands publication of new AWP standard

On Friday, Genie, JLG, Skanska and others petitioned the SAIA (Scaffold & Access Industry Association), which acts as the secretariat for the American National Standards Institute, to end the appeals process for the new ANSI A92 standards for aerial work platforms and publish them on March 1st. They have also requested that the appeals process be reformed.

The new standard was released in 2018 with compliance and publication due on December 10th. That date has slipped and might now occur at the start of March - or might not - thus the petition.

The following is an excerpt from the petition:

“As leaders in the construction and access equipment industry, we must all continue to drive the importance of innovation and safety across our end markets. Ongoing delays in the effectivity of the ANSI A92.20, .22, and .24 standards are causing unnecessary disruption and confusion in the aerial industry in the United States and in the global markets that adhere to these standards. As well as concerns over the impact that such delays will have on the users of the products to which these standards apply.”

“Moreover, the appeals process used during standards promulgation, which lacks sensible procedures that allow for a finite timeline, has also contributed to the failure to formally implement the latest standards. While we understand and appreciate the grounds for the appeals that are currently being considered by SAIA, the continued ambiguity around the updated standards and their timing are negatively impacting the industry and must come to an end.”

“Pursuant to Section 8.5 of ASC A9 - Aerial Platforms Committee Policies and Procedures for the Development of American National Standards - we hereby request that the ASC A92 Main Committee issue a letter ballot to make the above standards effective no later than March 1, 2020.”

“Further, in the event that the March issuance date is not adhered to, pursuant to ANSI Essential Requirement Annex B: Procedures for the Development of a Provisional American National Standard (“ANS”) or a Provisional Amendment to an ANS, we hereby demand that you immediately proceed under the authority of the above cited requirement to make the above standards provisionally effective as of March 1, 2020.”

“Finally, we demand that the SAIA and ANSI Board of Standards Review take immediate action to establish and implement new procedures going forward to better define the timing and implementation requirements for any new future standard and the resolution of any corresponding appeals.”

The petition was signed by: Genie/Terex, JLG, Brent Hoover, Skanska, USA, Evulich and Associates, SEA, Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC).
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Genie president Matt Fearon said: “We must all continue to drive innovation and safety across our industry in a coordinated way. We want the appeals resolved and new ANSI A92 standards to be effective on March 1, with no further delays. As an industry, we have invested significantly in our product line, standards together.”

“The continued delay in issuing the ANSI A92 standards has caused significant disruption and confusion for everyone in the industry. On behalf of aerial equipment manufacturers, owners and users, we are petitioning SAIA to ballot the ANSI A92 committee members to ensure the new standards are issued on March 1, 2020, and that the appeals process is reformed.”

Vertikal Comment

The delay in publishing the new standard, which has been fine tuned, refined, tweaked and generally scrutinised to death over the past year or two, having been years in the making, is a failure of the process. It really needs to be formally published and implemented now. There comes a point where someone needs to say “Cut and print!”

As publishers we are used to deadlines - well almost - and there comes a point where you simply have no choice but to cut off all further changes. The new ANSI standard is well beyond this point. If this was a magazine it would be akin to fiddling with the December issue in the following March.

Most manufacturers are now building machines that comply fully with the ‘proposed’ new standards. Continuing to discuss or prevaricate over a standard that is effectively already in force is utterly pointless and suggests a process that is not fit for purpose.

Hopefully this formal prompt from the industry will bring the issue to a head and the standards will be published at the end of the month.