APSP Quarterly - Winter 2008 - (Page 12)

fered seminars on water chemistry and variablespeed energy-efficient pumps. The Advanced Retailer Program gave in-depth workshops on hiring tactics and strategies for growing a business. The Builders Council and Service Council also collaborated to present the 13th annual Live Workshops, demonstrations of construction and troubleshooting techniques on the show floor of the Expo. In 2006, the Education Task Force began making plans for an APSP Career Institute. Among other initiatives, the Career Institute will make the same course material APSP has traditionally taught in week-long formats available to a wider audience in smaller modules and online. An online Retail Sales Associate exam has already been developed. In November 2006, APSP unveiled its Hot Tub Technician Manual, the fi rst non-brand-specific training manual for hot tub service and repair. A training curriculum is now in development. The widely respected APSP Builders Manual will be updated this fiscal year, and work has also begun on a Spanish translation of the APSP Service Tech Manual. Standards Development ANSI/APSP standards play a critical role in promoting the professionalism and safety of the industry. This is particularly true of the ANSI/ APSP-7 Standard for Suction Entrapment Avoidance. Approved by ANSI in September 2006, it is the fi rst national standard to address all types of suction entrapment, a potential cause of child drowning. Recent entrapment incidents have underscored the critical importance of this new standard, which, if complied with, will eliminate future entrapment risk. APSP standards are increasingly gaining recognition and acceptance at the federal, state and local levels. APSP standards are voluntary minimum guidelines that, when adopted by governments and agencies, have the force of law— promoting safe design, building, operation and maintenance. APSP standards are recognized by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission; its residential standards are referenced in the appendix of the International Residential Code. In August 2007 the Florida Building Commission formally adopted the ANSI/APSP-7 standard into its building code, to become ef- fective in October 2008. The Florida action was the result of hard work by APSP, the allied Florida Swimming Pool Association and many others in the industry. This year, APSP will encourage other states to follow suit and will also promote full adoption of the standard into the International Residential Code. To date, APSP has developed nine ANSIapproved standards that include public pools, public spas, permanently installed residential spas, portable spas (hot tubs), aboveground pools, residential inground pools, aquatic parks and barrier codes. In June APSP published the 2007 edition of its Standard for Aboveground/Onground Residential Swimming Pools (ANSI/APSP-4). As of this writing, five new standards are under development. Standards are developed under the rigorous American National Standards Institute process, which achieves consensus among a diverse group of national volunteers with varied viewpoints. Business Tools APSP has always provided numerous opportunities for members to grow professionally, and 2006-2007 was no exception.

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of APSP Quarterly - Winter 2008

APSP Quarterly - Winter 2008 Contents President's Message Guest Editorial APSP Annual Report Hot Tub Council Initiative to Speak with One Voice Suction Safety Challenging the Process Industry Update Keeping Pace: Staying on the Cutting Edge With Lifelong Learning APSP News & Resources Advertisers' Index

APSP Quarterly - Winter 2008

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