I hope this finds the plumbing community well. While many of you are still experiencing the wrath of the COVID-19 pandemic, hopefully life is getting somewhat back to normal for others. Here in the United States we are beginning to experience another spike in COVID-19 cases, prompting closures of the hospitality and travel industries again. Construction and plumbing service has been deemed essential, which is a blessing for the plumbing industry. Be safe, Tom Bigley
COVID-19 UPDATES The WPC has created a page to share resources, experiences and updates from its members regarding the global pandemic. The page may be viewed here: www.worldplumbing.org/covid-19-plumbing-reports-from-around-the-world/ If you have information to share, please submit via email to secretariat@worldplumbing.org. Below are the most recent updates: Submitted June 24 by Plumbing Industry Climate Action Centre’s (PICAC)
Measures at PICAC’s campuses include reduced student numbers in classes; online learning where possible; classes postponed when social distancing is not possible; and constant reminders to sanitize and keep good hygiene around campus. Pictured: pre-apprenticeship class at PICAC Narre Warren. CHINA LESSO Group Assists in Pandemic Response Submitted June 25 by Mr. Yongxin, WPC EB member |
Dear WPC members,
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Submitted by Jean Claude Twagirimana, RPO Coordinator As a solution to the community in areas where there is no access to a plumbing system, the Rwanda Plumbers Organization (RPO) has designed and built a mobile hand-washing station that meets sanitation and hygienic standards that can be used in public. RPO’s portable hand-washing station has two storage tanks: one keeps clean water and another safely keeps waste water to be drained out at proper place. It is operated by a foot pillar tap and includes liquid soap that is touchless to avoid any contamination risks. It saves water because we use time delay taps and it only opens when the pedal is pressed. The RPO has organized a community outreach program to respond to COVID-19 and other waterborne diseases, as health experts recommend frequent hand-washing to contribute to the prevention of the spread of COVID-19. As time goes on the number of infections here increases — as now we have 820 infections with two deaths — protective measures are to be reinforced by everyone. The RPO has prepared this event to bring awareness to plumbers’ role in protecting the public’s health.
Theme of the project: “Plumbing for Health” The mobile hand-washing station project demonstrates the role that plumbing plays in daily life and is also increasing public awareness about the RPO as a newly formed and unique plumbing institution across the country. The RPO was been launched in the Musanze District at the Nkotsi head office June 17, 2020. Different partners and government officials were on hand. The RPO recognizes the role of World Plumbing Council (WPC) Chairman Thomas Bigley and IAPMO CEO GP Russ Chaney to connect the RPO with the International Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Foundation (IWSH) to promote this project in local schools in the Musanze District. Hopefully, IWSH and RPO will continue to collaborate to promote the plumbing industry here. IPRC Musanze facilitated RPO access to the plumbing workshop to use tools and equipment to build the hand-washing station structure and install the system. IWSH Managing Director Seán Kearney worked closely with RPO Coordinator Jean Claude Twagirimana to coordinate all of the activities. The RPO team has volunteered to assist in the construction of the hand-washing system. PMI LEGISLATIVE FORUM DELIVERS INSIGHTS ON CRUCIAL INDUSTRY ISSUES
Plumbing Manufacturers International (PMI) delivered important insights to its members on federal infrastructure legislation and critical housing and trade issues during the PMI Virtual Legislative Forum on June 24. “Our members gained access to valuable information from experts with remarkable knowledge and insights into issues affecting our industry,” said Kerry Stackpole, PMI CEO/executive director. “PMI members who could not attend will still have access to the forum’s recording and presentations, as well as to materials they can use to advocate on behalf of their companies to members of Congress.” The two-hour forum was divided into four sessions. The first session, “Eye on Housing,” provided an economic analysis and forecast of the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on home and apartment building from Robert Dietz, chief economist and senior vice president for economics and housing policy, National Association of Home Builders. He discussed the current construction and housing industry outlook and how housing will be a leading element for the nation’s overall recovery. Ed Mortimer, vice president of transportation and infrastructure at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, provided an update during the second session on various transportation and water infrastructure legislation designed to retain or create jobs, repair old systems, and stimulate consumer spending. He covered some of the key elements necessary to pass this vital legislation, including bipartisan solutions and the need for organizations such as PMI to continue their advocacy efforts. During her presentation on the “Future of Trade in the Wake of COVID-19” during the forum’s third session, trade lawyer Nicole Bivens Collinson reviewed the dynamics of the United States-China tariff negotiations, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) effective on July 1, and the impact the pandemic is having on supply chains. Bivens is president of the international trade, customs and export law practice at Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A. Collinson discussed the short windows that PMI member companies have to ask the United States Trade Representative (USTR) for extensions to some previously approved China tariff exclusions. Depending on the plumbing product or component, the deadlines to request an extension range from July 7 to July 31, 2020. The extensions would last for one year and are being offered in an apparent bow to concerns about the tariffs’ impact on companies struggling with the coronavirus pandemic. The move would apply to some products excluded from the 25 percent tariffs that the Trump administration imposed on Chinese goods. The final session, “Outreach to Congress: Take Action and Urge Lawmakers to Support Robust Infrastructure Package,” provided tools and information to assist PMI members in their advocacy efforts for the plumbing manufacturing industry. The tools include a customizable letter that members can use to urge local lawmakers to pass important infrastructure legislation and a directory of Congressional members. The forum was hosted by Stackpole, as well as by the co-chairs of PMI’s Advocacy/Government Affairs Committee: Troy Benavidez, vice president of public affairs for LIXIL; Lowell Lampen, engineering director, K&B NA sanitary products, Kohler Co.; and Stephanie Salmon, PMI’s government affairs consultant. IWSH FOUNDATION JOINS WORLD PLUMBING COUNCIL AS AFFILIATE MEMBER
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The Riddle: How is this possible? Who is the doctor? The answer is: The little boy’s mother is the doctor. But what steps can we take, both individually and collectively, to encourage more women to enter the plumbing trade? Changing society won’t be easy, but we can start by changing the way the world sees women plumbers. We need to interact with and engage young people and sow the idea of women plumbers in their minds as early as possible, so the concept is fully grown and second nature to them by the time they are adults. We need to find ways of mainstreaming the idea of women plumbers through television, movies and other media. We need to let women see themselves as plumbers, so they know it is possible and as acceptable a profession for women as a doctor. We need to make sure women know about the benefits of being a plumber and the pride that comes with being a part of this critical sector of the workforce that helps keep our country strong, safe and healthy. We need to create a new paradigm where women plumbers are as ubiquitous as women teachers, nurses, doctors or lawyers. Read more: www.worldplumbing.org/attracting-more-women-to-plumbing/
WPC SCHOLARSHIP REPORT: A COMPARISON OF BRITISH AND AMERICAN PLUMBING ENGINEERING STANDARDS AND PRACTICES
John Lansing, the U.S. recipient of the WPC 2018 Education and Training Scholarship, has submitted his comprehensive report, A Comparison of British and American Plumbing Engineering Standards and Practices. The WPC scholarship gave Lansing the opportunity to engage with engineering societies in the United Kingdom during June 2019, including the Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering (CIPHE) and the Society of Public Health Engineers (SoPHE), as well as consulting engineers, plumbers, and researchers at Heriot-Watt University studying water supply and drainage systems in buildings. From the report: Read the full report here: A Comparison of British and American Plumbing Engineering Standards and Practices (Lansing). WPC CONNECTS IWSH, PLUMBERS ASSOCIATION OF ZAMBIA FOR CHILDREN’S VILLAGE HAND-WASHING PROGRAM
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The WPC, an international organization that aims to achieve the best possible plumbing for the world through growth and development of the world’s plumbing industries, has connected the International Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Foundation (IWSH) and the Plumbers Association of Zambia (PAZA) for a pilot program that will provide more than 50 hand-washing stands to the SOS Children’s Village in the Zambian capital. The collaboration is the latest example of IWSH’s support for industry partners fighting the COVID-19 pandemic through community-led water, sanitation and hygiene initiatives. SOS Children’s Village Lusaka started its operations in August 1999. Caring for 147 children and 76 youths, there are 15 family houses, four youth homes, and a kindergarten, primary school, high school and vocational training center. “Hand washing in public places and residential care settings is going to become the ‘new normal’ when it comes to preventing infections,” Chongo added. “PAZA has decided to play our part in our local communities, highlighting these new public health guidelines, and helping equip people of all ages with correct and accurate information about the importance of washing hands regularly.” PAZA was founded in Lusaka in June 2019, with the intention of uniting Zambian plumbing and mechanical services professionals to support and educate communities on skills related to water, sanitation, sludge management, public health, and safety. The association has more than 80 members registered from a variety of backgrounds, including plumbing, water operation and supply, HVAC, mechanical plumbing services, pipefitting, and water pump maintenance. “From a World Plumbing Council perspective, we are excited to witness the ongoing development of PAZA, as a collaborative platform for the plumbing industry across Zambia,” said WPC Chair/UA Director of Plumbing Services Thomas Bigley. “PAZA has been a proactive member of the WPC since it was established last year, and this latest initiative is another example of PAZA’s drive to raise awareness of the role of plumbing in its local communities.” Installation for the mobile hand-washing stations began at the SOS Children’s Village Lusaka on June 10. The guest of honor, Adern Nkandela — National Director of the SOS Children's Village Zambia — will be on hand to witness these activities. Photos of the event are available at: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmNnHRu1.
WPC PARTNERS TEAM UP TO TACKLE 2,000 TOWNSHIP TAPS IN DIEPSLOOT |
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The WPC, in association with The International Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Foundation (IWSH), is excited to support an ambitious new initiative from WASSUP Diepsloot — the Water Amenities and Sanitation Services Upgrading Program — which will target repairs to 2,000 communal taps across the township in 50 days, through June and July 2020. “Tackle a Tap” is a nine-week program that brings together a unique group of plumbing industry partners, local and international, in the fight against COVID-19. Local community host WASSUP Diepsloot will welcome volunteer plumbers from the Institute of Plumbing, South Africa (IOPSA) and further technical support and resources from leading South African plumbing merchant Plumblink. These efforts are being further supported by fellow WPC Member organizations BPEC (British Plumbers Employment Council) and the IWSH Foundation. “IOPSA has a passion for plumbing and firmly believes that everyone should have access to proper water and sanitation,” said IOPSA Executive Director Brendan Reynolds. “WASSUP has proven to be a very honest, reliable and hardworking organization. We have similar values and a “can do” attitude. In short it is a good match between two organizations with a common purpose — decent water and sanitation for the people of Diepsloot.” Despite the presence of a water supply in most informal settlements across Johannesburg, local authorities are often unable to keep pace with repairing communal taps as they break quickly due to a high demand on infrastructure and a shortage of outlets. Lack of access to reliable water supply is an issue, even more so in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic and the requirement for regular handwashing and cleaning to prevent infections and virus spread. There are 642 communal taps in Extension 1 alone, which is the largest of the 13 Extensions (neighborhoods) that make up the township of Diepsloot. In some areas, 39 households share one tap between them. Starting at WASSUP headquarters — which is also based in Extension 1 — a team will branch out to conduct audits of tap conditions and prepare lists of materials that will be required to repair them. The team will then prepare material and equipment packs and transport them via hand-pulled cart or truck. This far-reaching program has a further educational aspect, as a group of five young and aspiring plumbers will be joining with WASSUP to mark South African Youth Day, on Tuesday. “We have identified five young people, who are from our community and appreciate what we are doing, for the upcoming program of repairing taps,” said WASSUP member Princess Zondi. “I myself was introduced to WASSUP by a youth program, Project Vuthela; I went to a plumbing school in Pretoria, and then I was bought to WASSUP to do my practical work. After some months, I became employed with them!” “The WPC is honored to be part of such a worthwhile and ambitious effort to make sure as many households as possible have access to clean, safe water, and it’s even better that we’re involving young community members in the program,” said WPC Chair/UA Director of Plumbing Services Thomas Bigley. The WPC is an international organization that promotes the vital role the plumbing industry has to play by enhancing health, environmental sustainability and economic prosperity through good quality plumbing practices, worldwide. Accompanying images are available at https://flic.kr/s/aHsmNMpP6T. |
DATES FOR DIARY 2020 ASSE International Annual Meeting World Health Summit 2020 27th Indian Plumbing Conference & Exhibition Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS) Montreal Fall Home Expo Kitchen & Bathroom Indonesia DesignBuild 7th Emerging Water Technology Symposium 2021 Trades Industry Conference IAPMO 92nd Annual Education and Business Conference Contact secretariat@worldplumbing.org to provide an event report or request listing of an upcoming event.
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