Standards Team Holds Bi-Annual Inspection Staff Meeting

The RV Industry Association’s standards inspection program is one of the organization’s signature industry initiatives and its greatest member benefit. The Standards Department maintains a professional team of full-time inspectors that promote the enhancement of safety by monitoring members compliance to the standards adopted by the board of directors for the construction of RVs and Park Model RVs. Last week, the inspections team met in Elkhart for its bi-annual inspections staff meeting.

“Twice a year, the whole standards team gets together to go over technical matters and work through issues to ensure the team remains uniform and consistent in their enforcement positions for the current—and upcoming standards,” said RV Industry Association Vice President of Standards Bruce Hopkins. “Our team conducts more than 2,000 unannounced inspections annually and these bi-annual meetings are critical to making sure the entire team is consistent as they provide educational resources and hands-on training to manufacturer members during the inspection.”

Last week’s meetings focused on the RV Industry Association’s handbook enforcement positions based on the 2020 ANSI A119.5 Park Model RV standard, the 2020 National Electric Code (NEC), 2020 ANSI Low Voltage standard, and the upcoming 2021 edition of the NFPA 1192 RV standard. Additionally, the team addressed an array of other technical issues and questions that had surfaced since the last staff meeting.

(Greg Wischmeyer receiving an award for 20 years of exemplary service at the meeting.)

“The three days of meetings provide an excellent opportunity for the field staff to get together and fine tune their understanding of the adopted standards and in turn continue to educate and assist their plant contacts in addressing compliance with all the safety requirements,” said RV Industry Association Senior Director of Standards Kent Perkins.

Newly announced Senior Vice President of Standards Curt Hemmeler also participated in the discussions.

“I came away from these meetings with a better understanding of how the inspections team functions,” said Hemmeler. “This was also the first opportunity for me to share my vision for the future of the Standards Department. Bruce has a long legacy and has built an unparalleled program. These meetings are key to ensuring our standards and inspections program remain the gold standard.”

In addition to the official business, the team also took time to recognize the contributions of long-time inspector Greg Wischmeyer.

“Greg is an integral part of the inspections team. He has been vital in the onboarding and training of the next generation of RV Industry Association inspectors,” said RV Industry Association Chief Inspector Curt Richardson. “It was great to be able to recognize Greg for his 20 years of exemplary service with the Association.”