OPPORTUNITy SPOTLIGHT: STANDARDS DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEES AVAILABLE
The Hardwood Plywood and Veneer Association (HPVA) dBA the Decorative Hardwoods Association (DHA) is seeking individuals to participate in our canvass process for the revision of the ANSI/HPVA EF 2020 American National Standard for Engineered Wood Flooring. The EF standard is meant to establish nationally recognized requirements for commercially available engineered wood flooring. It is intended to provide manufacturers, distributors, architects, designers and other users with a description of the characteristics and the basis for the manufacture, purchase criteria and sale of these products.
HPVA must take action to revise or reaffirm their standards within 5 years of the last approval date. To achieve this, HPVA establishes a canvass committee, which is a balanced group responsible for voting on whether to approve or object any proposed revisions. Eligible canvassees include producers or users of engineered wood flooring, as well as companies/persons that have a general interest in the standard.
Canvass Representative Expectations
Representatives are expected to actively participate by reviewing the standard revisions carefully and completing an online ballot to vote Affirmative, Negative, or Abstain within the requested timeframe (typically 45 days). Additional rounds of voting may be required if the threshold for approval is not met. The total time commitment will vary depending on your level of review and number of voting rounds, but typically does not require more than 3 hours. No online or in-person canvass committee meetings are expected to take place.
Standards are everywhere if you look for them - from toys to household gadgets to AI to environmental technologies. Innovation is shaped and guided by standards. Thousands of people around the world - academics, consumers, manufacturers, to name a few - are working to build consensus in committees to ensure the products, processes and systems we rely on every day are safe, efficient and work well together.
Consumers play an important role on standards committees. You need not be a technical expert - your unique contribution will be your experience as a user. Your opinions will be taken seriously, although they may not prevail on every issue. You will see the consensus process in operation. And, you will have the opportunity to help develop a safety standard that will improve products and services, reducing risks.
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