The International Certification Board/Testing, Adjusting and Balancing Bureau recently announced the certification for Duct Air Leakage Testing will go into a pilot program in the first half of 2019.
The creation of the certification is a proactive approach aimed at certifying technicians as demand for duct air leakage testing is expected to increase, said Duane Smith, ICB/TABB director of certification.
“A certification is a third-party verification that whoever holds the certification has the knowledge and skills to complete the job effectively,” Smith added. “That’s assurance to our customers the people they’re hiring have those skills to do the work.”
The development of the certification began a year ago with a job analysis by the organization’s Technical Committee, which identifies all tasks and determines the knowledge and skills required to complete a duct air leakage test. Once the knowledge base is determined, the Technical Committee creates the exam and sets the passing score. The ITI then steps in to build the curriculum.
During the pilot program, volunteers answer all questions and a statistical analysis is done to determine the questions’ strength, reliability and effectiveness.
Out West, the 2019 California Mechanical Code will increase the requirements for duct air leakage testing, including testing the whole system for energy efficiency. Based on this, the demand will increase in California and thereby across the United States, said Chris Ruch, NEMI director of training.
“The Duct Air Leakage Testing Certification will also train to complete the California Mechanical Compliance Form (MECH-04-A),” Ruch said. “It’s going to expand the scope of what our technicians are doing, and I think you’re going to see more and more movement for Duct Leakage Testing across the country.”
ICB/TABB is the first program to gain ANSI (American National Standards Institute) accreditation for certification in the testing, adjusting and balancing industry. Certification is a statement that the technician, supervisor and contractor demonstrate the highest level of professional expertise.
For additional information visit the ICB Certified website at www.icbcertified.org.
