2007 Media Releases & Alerts
National Ornamental & Miscellaneous Metals Association Retains NAHB
Research Center to Conduct Independent Rail Climbability Study
May 5, 2007, McDonough, Ga. — The National
Ornamental & Miscellaneous Metals Association (NOMMA) has entered
into an agreement with the NAHB Research Center, the research arm of the
National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), to conduct an independent study
on guard safety in relation to young children. The study will include an
exhaustive, worldwide literature search as well as the development of a
computer model analysis.
The NAHB Research Center, working with Alan Hedge, Ph.D. of Humanuse Inc., an
ergonomics research consulting firm, will embark on a study to review existing
data on factors affecting the climbability of specific guard designs. Some of
the human factors to be reviewed in the study include the capabilities of
children in different age groups, such as their physical abilities, cognitive
skills, and temperament. The study will also use child anthropometric data to
guide the development of various guard configurations. Guard design factors to
be covered include height, spacing, orientation, size, and pitch.
Since the mid 1980s, there has been an ongoing trend to regulate the safety of
guard designs. NOMMA applauds and supports any code changes that provide proven
safety benefits, and believes that code change proposals should be based on the
best research evidence. NOMMA hopes to make a major contribution with this
study.
Since 1999, the NOMMA Technical Affairs Division has conducted extensive
in-house research on guard climbability, however NOMMA recognizes the value of
an objective, comprehensive third-party study in bringing new perspectives to
the issues.
In 2004, the International Code Council created the Code Technology Committee
(CTC) to examine guard climbability as well as other complex issues. Since June
2005, NOMMA has been actively involved in this process and is formally
represented on the CTC Climbable Guard Study Group.
In February 2006, NOMMA retained the services of Whorton Marketing &
Research of Columbia, Md. for an initial industry study. The Whorton study
identified knowledge gaps in the current pool of research, and provided a
foundation for more studies. Kevin Whorton, the principal of Whorton Marketing
& Research, remains as an adviser, and will serve as a liaison between
NOMMA and the NAHB Research Center.
The NOMMA Board competitively chose the NAHB Research Center to conduct the
study because of their excellent reputation in the construction industry, their
solid understanding of the issue, their expertise with managing collaborative
studies and their collaboration with subject matter experts, such as their
working with Alan Hedge, Ph.D., an internationally recognized expert in
ergonomics. The NAHB Research Center is also well known by the CTC and is
respected in the code community. The NAHB Research Center hopes to provide a
preliminary report in June, with final completion of the study in late summer.
NOMMA, headquartered in McDonough, Ga., was formed in 1958 to serve the
ornamental and miscellaneous metals industry. NOMMA’s members produce a wide
range of ornamental and miscellaneous metalwork, ranging from railings to
driveway gates, and from sculpture to light structural steel. NOMMA provides a
variety of educational services to the industry, including an annual trade show
and convention, glossy trade magazine, continuing education classes, technical
bulletins, and more.
The NAHB Research Center, located in Upper Marlboro, Md., promotes innovation in
housing technology to improve the quality, durability, affordability, and
environmental performance of homes and home building products. Created over 40
years ago as a subsidiary of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB),
the NAHB Research Center has established itself as the source for reliable,
objective information and research on housing construction and development
issues. Through its various testing and certification services, the Research
Center seal is internationally recognized as a mark of product quality and an
assurance of product performance.
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