Committee Spotlight: Codes, Government and Industry Affairs Committee

The Codes, Government and Industry Affairs (CGIA) Committee started as a codes task force convened after 9/11 to focus on deficiencies in code enforcement regarding exit doors. At the time, there was no mechanism to ensure that a door was still as code-compliant 1, 10 or 50 years after the day it received its Certificate of Occupancy. Annual inspections, or some other oversight protocol, such as something matching the fire extinguisher certification, was in order.

The Builders Hardware Manufacturers Association (BHMA) had traditionally focused on standards’ creation and reacting to codes. While the association had staff members actively engaged on the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the International Code Council (ICC) committees, there was not a formal directive or plan to engage BHMA member companies in the full codes process: generating proposals, strategizing, building consensus, testifying, reacting to other proposals and staying in the game until a code is revised.

Through the efforts of dedicated BHMA staff focused on this mission, this fully accredited BHMA committee has grown to be respected within the codes community and to be the go-to source for other groups proposing language within the doors and hardware industry. Over the years, the mission has been enhanced to include government and industry affairs.

This committee maintains all current activities and initiatives within the NFPA, the International Building Code (IBC) and the International Fire Code (IFC) code cycles. Primary action items include the following;

• reviewing areas of concern, 
• proposing modifications to
  • clarify existing language,
  • update to include the introduction of new technology;
  • address new societal needs.

The CGIA Committee has scheduled monthly meetings with working groups on specific topics, as needed. Membership is open to all BHMA member companies; for more information or to join the committee, contact [email protected].