Masonry Magazine September 2010 Page. 37
Those operating rules include the following: Balance of interests (producer, user and general interest); Written balloting of proposed provisions, with defined requirements for a successful ballot; Resolution of negative votes. Negative votes must be discussed and found non-persuasive before a ballot item can pass. A single negative vote, if found persuasive, can prevent an item from passing; Public comment. After being approved within the technical specialty organization, the mandatory-language provisions must be published for review and comment by the general public. All comments are responded to, but do not necessarily result in further modification.
The MSJC is made up of individuals, and has no assigned membership slots for particular elements of the masonry industry. At the same time, the leadership of the MSJC makes an effort to include a wide range of backgrounds and interests. As shown in Figure 2, the MSJC has about 40 members, of whom about one-third are designers, one-third are researchers, and one-third are material suppliers, contractors or building officials.
The MSJC's lead sponsor is The Masonry Society, www.masonrysociety.org, and its other sponsors are the American Concrete Institute, www.aci-int.org, and the American Society of Civil Engineers, www.asce.org. Information about membership is available on the TMS website. The MSJC meets twice each year, in conjunction with TMS meetings, and its meetings are open to the public. The MSJC Code and Specification is published at three-year cycles. The next edition will be published in 2011, and is now undergoing public comment. Input to the MSJC comes from a variety of masonry industry organizations, including the Portland Cement Association (PCA); the National Concrete Masonry Association (NCMA); the Brick Industry Association (BIA); the National Lime Association (NLA); the Expanded Shale Clay and Slate Institute (ESCSI); the International Masonry Institute (IMI); the Mason Contractors' Association of America (MCAA); and the Autoclaved Aerated Concrete Products Association (AACPA).
The Next Step - Model-Code Referencing
THE NEXT STEP in the masonry code-development process is the referencing of the MSJC Code and Specification by model codes. Until about 10 years ago, the United States had three model codes: the Uniform Building Code, the Standard Building Code, and the Basic Building Code. Beginning in 2000, those so-called "legacy" model codes were replaced by a single,
harmonized International Building Code, whose latest edition was published in 2009 (IBC 2009). Although the IBC is the dominant model code in the United States at the present time, another model code has been developed by the National Fire Protection Association, and is used in a few jurisdictions in the US.
The International Building Code is published by the International Code Council (ICC), www.iccsafe.org. It is composed primarily of building officials, although designers, contractors, product suppliers, code developers, and end-users also can be members. Decisions about referencing technical documents such as the MSJC Code and Specification (possibly with amendments) are made at a series of nationwide hearings, scheduled during the development of each new edition of the IBC.
The Final Step - Adoption of Model Code by the Local Jurisdiction
IN EACH local jurisdiction, the legally established authority (usually a city council or county board of supervisors) is responsible for adopting a model code. For most jurisdictions, the choice is which edition of the IBC to adopt. A model code is sometimes adopted with amendments.
The Role of the Federal Government
ALTHOUGH the federal government is not empowered by the U.S. Constitution to develop a national building code, it does provide input to the model-code process, particularly in
FILL BLOCK WALLS
WITHOUT A CONCRETE PUMP OR FORKLIFT