Steve Barnes, AquaStar Pool Products’ director of science, compliance and standards, says that standards are the foundation for modern civilization. They date back to Roman roads, and even further.
The Pool & Hot Tub Alliance (PHTA) is committed to the development of standards, which are the foundation for the industry. PHTA celebrates its 40th year as an American National Standards Institute Accredited Standards Developer.
Barnes, the chair of the PHTA Standards Process Committee explains that while standards are voluntary guidelines, they can be made mandatory if they become law. This is the case for many PHTA Standards.
Barnes, a standard developer for over 20 years, says that standards define the pass/fail requirements needed to prove success. This is how we build consumer trust in our industry.”
IMPORTANCE
PHTA Standards are essential in many ways. They bring safety and accountability to the industry. They help to improve the industry’s knowledge of inspectors, builders and health and building code departments.
The standard development process helps PHTA strengthen its relationships with other standards and community groups, including UL, NSF International and organizations such as the National Environmental Health Association, National Plasterers Council, National Drowning Prevention Alliance, and National Plasterers Council. The adoption of standards on the federal, state, and local level also allows for coordination with government agencies such as the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
PHTA members can serve as leaders in the various standards committees, increasing their visibility as experts. Committee members are frequently asked to give presentations at industry events and to teach educational sessions on the standards. Journalists looking for information about these topics also interview them.
History
PHTA is recognized as the industry leader by ANSI for developing and promoting national consensus standards in residential and public pools, hot tubs, and spas. PHTA developed and revised 16 standards since 1983. These standards cover construction, maintenance and safety, as well as energy efficiency and other important topics. Since 1956, PHTA has focused on the development of these standards, which impact all sectors of the pool, spa and hot tub industry.
NSPI received ANSI approval after a request for external validation. This was in response to concerns that standards were dominated by industry and served the industry instead of consumers. The NSPI Board of Directors recognized the importance of standards and gave the Technical Committee the responsibility of the American National Standards (ANS).
NSPI released its first five ANSI Standards in 1991 and 1992. They covered the following topics: public pools, public hot tubs, permanently installed residential hot tubs, aboveground/onground swimming pools for residential use, and portable residential spas/hottubs.
NSPI-5 was published in 1995. Barnes called this “the crowning achievement of the group” because it was referenced later in many state laws and codes.
In 2004, NSPI became the Association of Pool & Spa Professionals, but this name change did not lessen the organization’s commitment towards standards development.
In 2006, the APSP-7 Standard on Suction Entrapment Avoidance was published. This was two years before Congress passed Virginia Graeme Baker Pool & Spa Safety Act. Barnes explains that APSP-7 was a valuable tool in designing and evaluating the five hazards of suction systems two years before federal law went into effect. As a member of the APSP-7 Standard Writing Committee, it was gratifying for me to read the federal law. APSP-7 provides a roadmap to contractors who want to show that their pools and spas are compliant with the VGBA. This is the reason why PHTA-7 has become the suction safety system standard in over 30 states, and hundreds of local jurisdictions.”
In 2011, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recognized the APSP-16 as the successor standard drain cover to the ASME/ANSI standard. APSP-16 2017, as of now, is federal law. It’s listed in the Federal Register. The VGBA stipulates that drain covers comply with the entrapment requirements of the APSP-16 standard.
In 2012, PHTA and the ICC began a partnership to produce the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code. This code is compatible with International Codes for Building Safety (I-codes). Both groups have since continued to update and develop the 2015, 2018 and 2020 versions of the ISPSC. The content is derived primarily from the PHTA standard or cites it. A collaboration between the two organizations is fostered by the agreement. This can be seen in the cobranding between the PHTA and ISPSC standards.
In 2019, APSP merged into the National Swimming Pool Foundation to form the PHTA that we know today.
In 2022, PHTA will launch its Center of Technical Excellence in order to keep its technical initiatives and activities at the forefront of industry. The newly formed Technical Advisory Council oversees now the Standards Process Committee as well as the Recreational Water & Air Quality Committee. It also oversees the Code Action Committee and the Editorial Review Committee. A fifth committee, which will be created in the future, will focus on research and grant applications. The Standards Consensus Committee works closely with Standard Writing Committees. Each standard has its SWC. The expansion of the center will allow for more participation by PHTA members as well as industry stakeholders in general.
The Center of Technical Excellence was established to better respond to the educational and technical needs of PHTA members, explains PHTA Technical Advisory Council chair Joseph Laurino, PhD, president and CEO of Periodic Products, Inc.
In the 40th year
In February 2023, the new ANSI/PHTA/ICC-2 American National Standard was published for Public Pool and Spa Operations and Maintenance. The PHTA Commercial Council was the initiator of this initiative, which was approved by the PHTA Board of Directors. This standard is important because it contains the most up-to-date public pool policies, in a reference guide that is easy to use and refer back to. It was written with the intention of improving upon the existing knowledge base and the Model Aquatic Health Code developed and updated annually by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Barnes says that despite being known for my work in energy efficiency and applied hydraulics as well as suction entrapment preventatives, he is most proud of his involvement with the PHTA-2 team. “Effective operations and maintenance policies impact all public pool users,” Barnes says. As an association and as an industry, we will always be most responsible for helping to maintain and achieve water quality.
Currently, the two SWCs working on the review and revision drafts of PHTA-1 Standard, for Public Pools and Spas Design, Construction and Installation, as well as PHTA-16 Standard, for Suction Outlet fitting Assemblies for Use in Pools and Spas and Hot Tubs. The PHTA-1 Standard will complement the ANSI/PHTA/ICC-2 Standard for public pools and spas operation and maintenance. Mark Eilbert, CPSC, spoke at the first meeting of PHTA-16 SWC about what was in the public’s interest and within their authority as a government agency. The committees are identifying topics for further discussion.
PSP/Deck Expo, Las Vegas will be the culmination of the 40th anniversary celebrations in November. PHTA will host a reception in Resorts World – Conrad, to honor all the volunteers who spent untold hours developing these standards.
To learn more about PHTA/ANSI standard development, visit phta.org/standards.
