CIPH president and general manager Ralph Suppa addresses harmonization

From left, moderator: Kerri Haresign (2017 SES conference chair), Guilaine Fournet (IEC), Stephen Head (Standards Council of Canada), Yonas Nebiyeloul-Kifle (Department of Homeland Security) and Ralph Suppa (CIPH).

Canadian Institute of Plumbing & Heating (CIPH) president and general manager Ralph Suppa recently presented to the members of the Society for Standards Professionals in Chicago, IL. There is a need in North America for a more effective engagement of stakeholders in the design and implementation of similar standards, harmonization and alignment strategies. according to Suppa, the ultimate goal is “one standard, one test, and one mark ” accepted everywhere in North America.

The Society for Standards Professionals was founded in 1947 as the Standards Engineering Society (SES), a not-for-profit professional membership society dedicated to furthering the knowledge and use of standards and standardization. SES is unique in that it is the only organization in North America committed exclusively to this effort. It also manages the world’s only certification program for standards professionals.

SES provides a neutral forum where standards users and developers can come together to address mutual issues, opportunities, and interests in ways that work to the benefit of everyone involved with, or affected by, standards. Members are primarily involved in the development, application, and use of company, government, national, regional, and international standards. SES is the member body for Canada and the United States in the International Federation of Standards Users (IFAN), and is a member of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).