CSA STANDARDS AND NASSCO ANNOUNCE CANADIAN PIPELINE ASSESSMENT CERTIFICATION PROGRAM

MISSISSAUGA, ON, Jan. 21 /PRNewswire/ - CSA Standards, a leading standards-based solutions organization, and the National Association of Sewer Service Companies (NASSCO, Inc.) today announced the availability of the Pipeline Assessment Certification Program Version 6.0 (PACP®) in Canada.  This new certification program provides pipeline professionals in Canada and the United States with the necessary knowledge and information to visually evaluate sewer pipe conditions and manage TV inspections required for assessing trenchless projects before they begin. This will help to ensure positive underground pipeline repair and rehabilitation results.

This new edition includes the CSA Plus 4012-10 Technical Guide Visual Inspection of Sewer Pipe, which provides a "top-down" approach to help Canadian communities and utilities make decisions about their infrastructure.

"CSA Standards welcomes the opportunity to work with NASSCO to help Canadian pipeline professionals accurately assess infrastructure assets using standard tools and methodology common across Canada and the U.S.," says Bonnie Rose, president, CSA Standards. "By recognizing the critical needs associated with aging and climate-vulnerable infrastructure, this certification program will help determine sewer pipe conditions within a utility, and compare sewer pipe conditions at different points in time and for different utilities."

"The need for condition assessment in the trenchless industry is growing," explains Ted DeBoda, NASSCO's executive director.  "Initiatives such as ASCE's Infrastructure Report Card, the EPA's Gap Analysis Report and other congressional and private interest data demonstrate that the demand for standards is increasing not only in the United States, but throughout North America and around the world.  We are pleased that CSA Standards has helped to identify this need and has assisted NASSCO in establishing guidance for pipeline assessment across Canada."

The expansion of PACP into Canada began in 2009 in Quebec. The Centre for Expertise and Research on Infrastructures in Urban Areas (CERIU) worked closely with NASSCO to establish a French version of PACP as a standard and uniform protocol for sewer condition evaluation. CSA Standards is working to help bring the PACP and the technical guidance of CSA Plus 4012 to the rest of Canada.

For a schedule of upcoming PACP classes, please visit www.nassco.org.  To learn more about CSA's Canadian PACP offering, including a list of qualified instructors, please visit www.csa.ca/infrastructure.

About CSA Standards
CSA Standards is a leading standards-based solutions organization serving industry, government, consumers and other interested parties in North America and the global marketplace. Focusing on standards and codes development, application products, training, advisory and personnel certification services, the organization aims to enhance public safety, improve quality of life, preserve the environment and facilitate trade. CSA Standards is a division of CSA Group, which also consists of CSA International, which provides testing and certification services for electrical, mechanical, plumbing, gas and a variety of other products; and OnSpeX, a provider of consumer product evaluation, inspection and advisory services for retailers and manufacturers. For more information visit www.csa.ca

About NASSCO, Inc.
NASSCO, the National Association of Sewer Service Companies, is dedicated to setting industry standards for the rehabilitation of underground utilities through training, education and networking.  Established more than thirty years ago as a not-for-profit trade association, NASSCO represents contractors, manufacturers, suppliers, engineers and municipal workers involved in the trenchless industry.  For more information, please visit www.nassco.org or call (410) 486-3500.

SOURCE CSA Standards