The RV Industry Association (RVIA)’s Standards department has held 13 inspector training modules at seven facilities through August 2023, with approximately 85 attendees.
The department is a team of professional, full-time inspectors, with the goal of promoting the integrity and enhancement of safety of the manufacturing process. It does this by conducting inspections where they monitor adherence to the standards adopted by the board of directors for the construction of RVs and Park Model RVs. The team conducts more than 2,000 inspections of member company RV manufacturing plants annually.
To help the association’s manufacturer member companies successfully comply with safety codes and regulations, the Standards team offers educational resources and hands-on training.
Presented by Standards department inspectors, these trainings cover the National Fire Protection Association 1192 and the National Electric Code. The training often takes place in person at the member’s location; in addition, virtual training has also recently become an option. The intended audiences for these training courses include production line workers, quality control, plant managers and group leaders.
“We would like to get as much training as possible out to the member companies and their employees, so products are built to meet the standard,” said Standards Inspector Nick Holobaugh. He emphasized that the training presentations, in an effort to be as clear as possible, often incorporate plenty of photos from the field and closely follow the accompanying handbook.
“We want everybody who attends the training to become more familiar with these standards, and they can also research it more in the handbook if they need to,” added fellow Standards Inspector Nate Tressler.
Each presented section lasts around 45-60 minutes, although some sections – like heating and fuel systems – can last longer. The training’s exact schedule can vary, depending on the member’s schedule and availability: “Sometimes we present each section one at a time over the course of a couple of days and sometimes we present all of it in a single day,” said Tressler.
Manufacturer member companies who are interested in scheduling a virtual or in-person training session can contact Bryan Ritchie, RVIA vice president of standards, at britchie@rvia.org.
