THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 1999

SAN DIEGO DAILY Transcript

 Qualified Crafts People Are Necessary

Qualified crafts people are necessary to ensure that all piping, at any job site, is properly and professionally installed, maintained and serviced. Think about the complex chemicals and gases, which are conducted through the millions of miles of piping in the structures we live in, work in and depend upon for life-giving services. The safety and comfort levels in these buildings and industrial plants are only as good as the skill and knowledge of the professionals who install and maintain these piping systems.

Whether the system is in a commercial, residential or industrial structure, haphazard workmanship, or just plain ignorance on the part of workers can cost us money, inconvenience and sometimes even our health. In an effort to upgrade the industry as a whole and provide quality workers to its member contractors, the United Association of Plumbers and Pipe fitters has taken an aggressive stance toward raising standards of those who do the installation and maintenance of piping systems.

The United Association of Plumbers and Pipe fitters has serviced the pipe trades for more than 100 years through training and labor management partnerships. We offer training and certifications in the following disciplines: plumbing; pipefitting; welding/brazing; medical gas installation; valve repair; clean room installation; CFC recovery; HVAC; controls; tube bending; rigging; backflow prevention; OSHA 500; competent person; CPR; and hazardous materials. The following is an example of just three specialty training and certifications offered by the United Association of Plumbers and Pipe fitters.

Welder Certification Program

The United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry (UA) has launched a welder-certification program. The program is designed to offset certification costs and delays, incurred by contractors who must typically pay to test welders at construction sites. We follow the procedures set forth by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Third-party testing representatives administer the tests at UA training facilities. Independent laboratories x-ray and verify completed test welds. The National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel inspectors audits all testing sites and procedures. This program will help to reduce construction costs, testing and re-qualification costs, and develop a qualified and responsible work force. The UA, in conjunction with all aspects of the piping industry, is continuing to look for ways to reduce costs at no detriment to quality or safety. We believe this UA Welder Certification Program helps to meet that objective.

Medical Gas Certification

In order to become certified under ASSE Series 6000, the medical gas installer will be required to prove he has had the required minimum of 32 hours of training. Inspectors will need 24 hours; Verifiers, 32 hours. They also will need to demonstrate knowledge of the National Fire Protection Association’s ANSI/NFPA Standard 99C on Gas and Vacuum Systems. Medical gas systems installers must pass the required brazing test in the ASME Section IX Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code. To the uninformed this may not seem that important, but to the piping industry, medical facility construction and to every patient, it is! This is a giant step forward in protecting the public.

Valve Repair

The valve inspection and repair course is an intensive 40-hour program. It includes classroom instruction, textbook materials and hands-on experience. Technicians are instructed in the disassembly, inspection, repair and reassembly of different types of valves found in power plants and other industrial facilities. In the process, these technicians learn how to use valve-reconditioning equipment and become skilled in the application of sensitive calibrating tools.

Training is the corner stone of the United Association of Plumbers and Pipe fitters. Apprenticeship training requires individuals to attend school two nights per week for five years, while they work for contractors during the day. The five-year apprenticeship program combines a minimum total of 200 classroom hours with 7,500 hours of on-the-job training.