ANSI accreditation could be next step in wider acceptance of PEARL electrical reconditioning standards

September 15, 2010 – In the future, electrical Reconditioning and Inspect & Test Standards from the Professional Electrical Apparatus Recyclers League (PEARL) could help keep Canadian workers safe from harm, based on a recent meeting between Canada’s British Columbia Safety Authority (BCSA) and PEARL Directors, Malcom Frederick and David Rosenfield.

Frederick, who will assume the PEARL presidency next year, and Rosenfield visited BCSA facilities and met with several staffers, including BCSA Electrical Safety Manager, Stephen Hinde, during a recent volunteer fact-finding mission to Canada’s western-most province. The BCSA is an independent, self-funded, not-for-profit corporation that oversees the safety and permitting of technical systems on behalf of the Canadian government for several industries, including electrical and gas to boiler, ice rink, elevator and escalator, amusement ride, ski lift, and railway. The BCSA has more than 290 staff, inspectors, and administrators.

“Dave and I visited the British Columbia Safety Authority during a recent business trip,” says Malcom Frederick. “We met with Harry Diemer, BCSA President and CEO; Diane Sullivan, BCSA’s Vice President of Human Resources, and several other BCSA staffers, including Provincial Electrical Safety Manager Stephen Hinde. Mr. Hinde was very impressed with PEARL’s Electrical Reconditioning and Inspect & Test Standards. We discussed in detail how BCSA might one day use PEARL standards to improve electrical safety in BCSA’s target industries.”

In addition to promoting PEARL to Canadian permitting officials, the BCSA meeting highlighted a topic that has consumed PEARL Board’s since the group’s founding in 1997. “Mr. Hinde was very impressed with how comprehensive PEARL’s standards are and how they could be used to assess the safe operation of an electrical device, but without national or international acceptance from the American National Standards Institute or the International Standards Organization, it would be difficult for BCSA to adopt the PEARL standards as they are today,” explained Rosenfield. “PEARL has always known that ANSI acceptance would be critical to advance PEARL mission to create a marketable distinction for its corporate members. Now may be the time to take the next step assuming a plan, including funding sources, can be developed that is acceptable to all PEARL members.”

ANSI acceptance is expected to be on the agenda for the next face-to-face meeting of the PEARL Board of Directors, which will be held in Battlecreek, MI later this month.

Members of the electrical industry with interest in PEARL standards, ANSI acceptance and related matters should feel contact PEARL Association Manager, Mark Stone, at 877-AT-PEARL

From Left to Right: David Rosenfield, PEARL Director; BCSA Provincial Electrical Safety Manager, Stephen Hinde; BCSA Chief Instructor, Ted Simmons; and Ulrich Janisch, BCSA Senior Electrical Safety Officer.

About PEARL:
Founded in 1997, the Professional Electrical Apparatus Recyclers League (PEARL) creates, collects, and disseminates information, policies, procedures, and standards to ensure the proper recycling and reuse of electrical power equipment. Its 70+ corporate members must meet strict technical, safety, and operational requirements.

Editorial Contact Winn Hardin Marketing Director Tel: 904-246-8958 winnhardin@pearl1.org

Association Manager Mark Stone Tel: 877-AT-PEARL Fax: 888-996-3296 pearl@pearl1.org