Certifications Defined

CSA - Canadian Standards Association

Canadian Standards Association

Develop both U.S. and Canadian standards and testing parameters ultimately issuing approvals and certifying compliance of products used in gas applications.

UL - Underwriter’s Laboratory

Underwriter's Laboratory

A non-profit testing and certification organization that evaluates the performance of valves in various applications. Compliance with UL standards and testing criteria are displayed as “listings.”

NSF - National Sanitation Foundation

National Sanitation Foundation

A non-profit, non-governmental organization that develops standards and issues certifications for valve and fitting components as they relate to public health and the environment.

A.W.W.A. - American Water Work Association

An educational society dedicated to the improvement of potable water quality through the creation of standards. They do not issue certifications or approvals.

A.S.S.E. - American Society of Sanitary Engineering

An organization founded for the purpose of promoting and ensuring the health and safety of the public through better sanitary principles; they create standards and issue certifications for valves.

FM - Factory Mutual

Factory Mutual

Comprised of three separate insurance companies, this organization’s goal is to set standards, provide services and prevent property loss by focusing on fire prevention systems and practices. They issue approvals based on compliance.

ISO - International Organization for Standardization

(Greek “isos”, meaning “equal”). A global organization that creates standards, which apply to manufacturing (such as quality control audits) and other areas of business. ISO enables synergies through the applications of these standards.

A.N.S.I. - American National Standards Institute

A non-profit organization that oversees voluntary consensus standardization and conformity to all aspect of manufacture and commerce. They are the official U.S. representatives to ISO, coordinating the creation of standards in relation to valve and fitting manufacture.

A.S.T.M. - American Society for Testing and Materials

Also a voluntary standards development organization, they sometimes coordinate testing procedures and standards with the A.N.S.I.

A.S.M.E. - American Society of Mechanical Engineers

An organization primarily concerned with the safety aspects of a finished product, they construct testing and standards and issue joint-certifications with an engineering focus.

MSS - Manufacturer’s Standardization Society

A technical association directly affiliated with ANSI, ASTM and AWWA for the purpose of streamlining the codes and standards process. The do not issue their own certifications, but group the compliance requirements into a “standard practice.”

UPC/IAPMO - Uniform Plumbing Code/International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials

Uniform Plumbing Code/International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials

An association of plumbing inspectors and engineers that oversee the development, construction and maintenance of plumbing systems. They created the Uniform Plumbing Code, which is a combination of the individual Standard Plumbing, Standard Gas and Standard Water Pipe Codes.

 

Certifications Defined