METAL BUILDING CONTRACTORS AND ERECTORS: DIFFERENTIATE YOURSELF WITH IAS AC478 ACCREDITATION FOR ASSEMBLERS

Metal building manufacturers prefer metal building assemblers that maintain an IAS AC478 accredited inspection program. Why? Because it indicates that the assembler, be it business, contractor, or individual, believes in quality workmanship and safety.

The desire for premanufactured metal buildings continues to rise and, with it, the complexity of the structures. As we have said before, metal buildings have gone far beyond the metal box. Prefabricated metal buildings are produced in a plethora of shapes, sizes, and configurations. The workers erecting them must become more highly skilled in order to maintain exceptional quality and safety measures for building owners.

As a metal building contractor, you want to show that your company has those skills and required safety documentation, which has been verified by an impartial third party. Obtaining accreditation from the International Accreditation Service (IAS) with the AC 478 Metal Building Assembler Inspection Program provides you with those bragging rights.

WHAT IS AC478?
This new accreditation offered by the IAS covers the inspection programs, meaning the safety and skills programs, for contractors and metal building erectors. AC478 accreditation shows that you and your business are qualified to (among other things):
Assemble prefabricated metal buildings according to the blueprint specifications and engineering drawings.
Use hand tools, power tools, and hoisting equipment.
Erect frames of buildings using a hoist.
Bolt steel frame members together.
If your contracting business can pass an inspection that shows you have documented (and are following) management and inspection procedures, you can use it to market your company or yourself and potentially increase your revenues. It makes you more competitive and able to stand out from the crowd.

It also effectively dovetails with AC472, Inspection Programs for Manufacturers of Metal Building Systems, a similar accreditation for metal building fabricators.

WHAT IS DRIVING THE NEED FOR ACCREDITATION?
As in any industry, when product popularity rises, so do the number of people getting into the business of making it. Not all of them are going to do it well and some will hire anyone to do it, regardless of skills. But a metal building is not just a large erector set plaything; it is a structure that is meant to safely protect people and things from the elements while making a good impression.

Sloppy work is unsafe work. Assemblers and other trades should be able to expect a safe jobsite and the eventual building occupants need to know the building will not fall down around them, or at the very least, will not require extended rework because of errors in assembly.

AC478 inspectors look into your safety procedures as well as your skills and qualification for erecting metal buildings. A thumbs-up from IAS tells your clients that you take care of them and your own people.

GETTING ACCREDITED
Preparation for accreditation includes several steps, each of which must be complete before you have your initial inspection. These steps include:

Downloading accreditation criteria for AC478 (see box), the IAS Rules of Procedure, and an application for accreditation from IAS.
Document and implement a management system based on requirements in AC478 and approved by IAS.
Submit management system documentation, application, and fees to the IAS.
Schedule an onsite joint assessment with the IAS and IAS-accredited inspection agency to verify compliance with AC478.
After the inspection, you will receive a report of the findings including:

Opportunities for improvement
Concerns
Nonconformance
Once you pass inspection, you will receive a Certificate of Accreditation and you will have permission to place the IAS Accreditation Mark on your website for promotional purposes.

To maintain accreditation your company will undergo a first year assessment and a complete re-assessment every two years, and a “desk” assessment in the intermediate years.

SOME DEFINITIONS
You are probably wondering what a desk assessment is and there are other terms you may run across as you read through the accreditation document, so here are a few definitions that may help things along.

Competent person: one capable of identifying existing and predictable hazards in surroundings or working conditions which are unsanitary, hazardous, or dangerous to employees and with authorization to take prompt corrective measures to eliminate them.

Qualified person: one who possesses a recognized degree, certificate, or professional standing or who has extensive knowledge, training, or experience, to successfully demonstrate the ability to solve or resolve problems relating to subject matter, work, or project.

(Yes, there is a difference between a competent person and a qualified person.)

Desk assessment: a remote assessment tool to evaluate compliance as part of an ongoing plan of surveillance. Limited in scope, it only covers a small number of key requirements.

Approved fabricator: an established and qualified person, firm, or corporation approved by a building official pursuant to the International Building Code.

Management system: a set of interrelated or interacting elements that organizations use to direct, control, and coordinate how policies are implemented and objectives are achieved.

And this is you…

Assembler of metal building systems: erectors/contractors substantially engaged in the assembly of metal buildings under DOT Code 801.381-010 AIMS Code 0877.

There are further definitions within the accreditation document if you need to see them.

PREPARING FOR ACCREDITATION
A number of requirements must be met before you can request your initial assessment, but you probably already have a number of these. Sometimes it’s just a matter of getting everything in one place.

Some general requirements are:

The implementation and IAS approval of a management system.
Documentation that subcontractors are compliant with the accreditation.
Maintenance of insurance coverage including:
Worker’s Compensation
Comprehensive General Liability Coverage
Comprehensive Automotive Liability Coverage
Umbrella Excess Comprehensive General and Comprehensive Automobile Coverage
You must have the following personnel:

Safety manager
Training manager
Quality manager
And you management system must contain:

Training documentation
Safety program documentation
Management reviews
Internal audits
CREDIBILITY THROUGH ACCREDITATION
It is likely that, as a successful building assembler, you have most or all of the items required. Everything in AC478 contains nothing more than best practices. Instead of taking up space on your website and promotion materials with everything you and your business can do, obtaining an accreditation and placing notification for all to see gives you not only a short and sweet way of showing your qualifications and commitment to safety.

Customers and metal building manufacturers can see at a glance that you aren’t just saying all this. An independent, impartial third party agrees that it is so.


Purlin Interchangeable Roll Former Light Gauge Steel Roll Former roofing sheet roll forming machine roll forming machine price