National Hydrogen Association Charts Course for Codes & Standards in 2008
Karen Hall and Kyle Gibeault, National Hydrogen Association
On November 14th, 2007 , the Board of Directors of the National Hydrogen Association (NHA) met in Washington to establish priorities for 2008, including the NHA's safety, codes and standards (SCS) activity in the upcoming year. Recently awarded a new five-year contract for its technical SCS work, the NHA expects robust activity in this area through 2012.
Facilitating information exchange within the hydrogen and fuel cell communities is among the NHA’s top priorities for codes and standards in 2008. As part of these efforts, the NHA will continue to publish and distribute The Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Safety Report . The NHA will continue to gather industry input on the issues, needs, and priorities of SCS, and will further develop industry consensus on state and national hydrogen and fuel cell programs.
In collaboration with the U.S. Fuel Cell Council, the NHA will engage in outreach efforts to increase awareness and understanding of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies among building code officials, fire marshals, and other individuals critical to permitting the implementation of hydrogen and fuel cell equipment.
The NHA will continue its involvement in the Hydrogen Industry Panel on Codes, or HIPOC. Created in 2005, HIPOC is a joint effort between the International Code Council (ICC), the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), and the NHA. The member organizations of HIPOC are working to harmonize the ICC and NFPA codes and standards for hydrogen technologies. The NHA provides only administrative and clerical support to the panel, and will continue to serve this role in 2008.
Members of the NHA have emphasized the importance of international hydrogen standards to achieving technical consensus and avoiding trade barriers. To this end, NHA staff will continue to participate in several national and international codes and standards development organizations. The NHA is currently involved in ISO Technical Committee 197 on Hydrogen Technologies and its US TAG; the NFPA Hydrogen Technologies Technical Committee responsible for NFPA 2; and the NFPA Vehicular Alternative Fuels Technical Committee responsible for NFPA 52. These activities will continue, subject to the evolving needs of hydrogen industry.
|
