Clearing Up Miscommunication on the Job Site

                                   Understanding the ICC Evaluation Service (ICC-ES) Report                                                      
                                          By Jessica A. Baris, SprayFoam Magazine


Let’s say you are at a job site, getting prepared to install spray foam insulation for a newly constructed residence. The project has already been delayed several weeks by scheduling conflicts and fickle weather conditions. You are ready to get started, but then an inspector shows up. He doesn’t recognize the spray foam product you are using, which happens to be a new product. You know that it is in compliance with code, but he doesn’t, and that’s what counts.

Now, two things could happen in this situation. One, you have an ICC-ES evaluation report ready to give to the inspector, which will clarify the product’s compliance with code. Or, you won’t have any documentation on hand, which could delay the project again until the inspector acquires evidence that the product is in compliance. Which scenario would you rather it be?

Miscommunication on the job site happens often. It can be a stressful and time-consuming experience when a contractor’s job is halted because an inspector does not have the right documentation to support the application of a product. It has happened before and will happen again, but if you know how to access and read the ICC-ES evaluation report for your spray foam product—and have the report available at the job site or can access it through the Internet—you can avoid miscommunication with inspectors.

Background on ICC and ICC-ES

The International Code Council (ICC) is a nonprofit association of members who are dedicated to building safety. To achieve the construction of safe buildings, the ICC publishes the International Codes (also known as I-Codes). The I-Codes provide minimum safety and fire prevention standards for all buildings in the United States. This includes people’s homes, elementary schools, high schools, universities, offices, and businesses.

I-Codes benefit the public because they provide the building and construction industry with a standard that everyone can recognize, despite what region of the country a building is being constructed in. Most U.S. states, including Washington, D.C., have adopted several of the I-Codes on a state or local level.

The ICC Evaluation Service (ICC-ES) is the arm of ICC that evaluates building products, components, methods, and materials, and then publishes a report on it—the ICC-ES evaluation report. The ICC-ES evaluation report addresses whether or not a product or method is building code compliant. Because ICC-ES oftentimes evaluates new and innovative products that are not yet referenced or not specifically referenced in the I-Codes, acceptance criteria are developed during public hearings to address specific industry products, such as Acceptance Criteria for Spray-Applied Foam Plastic Insulation (AC377). The ICC-ES Evaluation Report on Spray-Applied Foam Plastic Insulation uses these acceptance criteria from AC377 as a basis for the report. To view AC377, visit the ICC-ES website. All approved acceptance criteria are posted on the website under “Approved Criteria.”

The evaluation report is useful to many groups of people. ICC-ES reports help regulatory agencies determine code compliance and enforce building regulations. The reports are valuable to manufacturers because a report provides evidence that their products are in compliance with code.

The report is valuable to the spray foam contractor as well. If a contractor has an ICC-ES evaluation report on the spray foam product he or she is using, that contractor can provide evidence to inspectors, designers, and planners that the product is code compliant. The ICC-ES evaluation report is a great way to keep communication clear on the job site.


How to Read an ICC-ES Evaluation Report

ICC-ES developed a “How To” guide for reading and understanding ICC-ES evaluation reports, which is reprinted below. Spray foam contractors and business owners can use this as an introduction or as a refresher to understanding the information included in each of the reports’ eleven categories.

1. CSI Division Number––ICC-ES Evaluation Reports, and the building products represented in them, are organized according to the Construction Specifications Institute’s (CSI) Masterformat system.
2. Report Holder––The name and address of the company or organization that has applied for the evaluation report.
3. Evaluation Subject––The specific product(s) covered by the report.
4. Evaluation Scope––The code(s) that were used to evaluate the product.
5. Properties Evaluated––A brief description of the properties that the product was evaluated against, such as fire resistance and wind resistance. This section also shows if the product can be used for structural purposes.
6. Uses––Identifies the scope of the evaluation report and relates the product evaluated to code provisions.
7. Description––Provides a general description of the product and its features, such as length, thickness, etc.
8. Installation––Identifies general and often specific requirements to help the inspector ensure that the product is installed properly according to the code requirements or acceptance criteria.
9. Conditions of Use––Statement that the product, as described in the evaluation report, complies with or is a suitable alternative to the requirements of the applicable code and a list of conditions under which the report is issued.
10. Evidence Submitted––Data (i.e., test reports, calculations, and installation instructions) that was used in evaluating the product.
11. Identification––Information that can be used to identify the product, including the manufacturer’s name, product code, evaluation report number, etc.

Where Can I Find a List of ICC-ES Reports?

As the leader in building product evaluations, with over 80 years of experience, ICC-ES has issued over 1,500 evaluation reports. You can find a list of ICC-ES reports on the ICC-ES website at http://www.icc-es.org/Evaluation_Reports. All valid ICC-ES reports are available to you free. Click “List Reports” on the left-hand menu bar to see the complete list of reports, or click “Search Report” to search by report number, manufacturer, or product. The reports are in PDF format, so you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to open the files. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader, scroll down to the very bottom of the page; ICC-ES provides a link to where you can download the free program. You may also contact ICC-ES at (800) 423-6587 with any questions you or an inspector may have regarding a specific ICC-ES evaluation report.


More ICC-ES Resources

AC377: Acceptance Criteria for Spray-Applied Foam Plastic Insulation
http://www.icc-es.org/criteria/pdf_files/AC377.pdf

History and Development of AC377
http://www.icc-es.org/News/Articles/020811-AC377.pdf

The Role of the ICC-ES Evaluation Committee
http://www.icc-es.org/News/Articles/020811-ES-EvalCommittee.pdf
 

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