The International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO) is pleased to announce it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Brazilian government that calls for the two to work together in developing codes, standards, training, product evaluation and compliance services for the South American nation.
 
The agreement with the Associação Brasileira pela Conformidade e Eficiência de Instalações (ABRINSTAL), a public-private partnership consisting of construction trade groups in Brazil, was announced at an industry awards event called Masterinstal in Sao Paolo, Brazil, last month. More than 800 people attended the event, including Allen Inlow, IAPMO’s senior director of Business and Product Development.
 
All of Brazil’s code development will be done through the government offices that house the construction industry associations in San Paolo. The codes will first be implemented in the state of Sao Paolo, followed by the state of Rio de Janeiro. Officials have indicated that the first code to be developed is a natural gas code for Brazil, which will be crucial to averting additional major disasters such as those that have occurred since a large natural gas deposit was discovered several years ago just off the Brazilian coast.
 
In addition to Masterinstal, Inlow attended an intense series of meetings with government and industry offices. The meetings covered such key topics as natural gas code requirements, plumbing and sanitation, mechanical HVACR, and solar design, installation and maintenance requirements. Brazilian officials also indicated they plan to implement measures from IAPMO’s Green Plumbing and Mechanical Supplement with their codes.
 
“It was a tremendous honor to represent The IAMPO Group at Masterinstal to finalize this important agreement between IAPMO and ABRINSTAL,” Inlow said. “IAPMO’s Uniform Codes, along with its industry-leading education, will play a vital role in ensuring that ABRINSTAL accomplishes its goal of enhancing the safety and training practices of the Brazilian construction industry.”
 
During a ceremony earlier this year at The IAPMO Group’s World Headquarters West building in Ontario, Calif., IAPMO and ABRINSTAL signed a letter of intent to jointly enhance support for the needs of the Brazilian installation industry and aid in the development of Brazil’s national standards for health, safety and the environment.
 
ABRINSTAL works to meet the challenges in creating a sustainable building infrastructure that fosters wellbeing and safety for the consumer and society, observing the precepts of ethics and meeting technical regulations.