On Dec. 8, 2016, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) dismissed an appeal filed by the Professional Ropes Course Association (PRCA) in regards to the ANSI Board of Standards Review’s decision to approve ACCT 03-2016 Challenge Course and Canopy/Zip Line Tour Standards as an American National Standard (ANS).
The ANSI/ACCT 03-2016 Standard received approval on Jan. 11, 2016, as an approved ANS. PRCA, developer of the ANSI/PRCA ANS 1.0-.3-2014 ANS, filed an appeal with ANSI to have the approval of ANSI/ACCT 03-2016 withdrawn. In August, the Board of Standards found that “PRCA had not provided sufficient or compelling evidence to warrant the withdrawal of approval of ACCT 03-2016 as an American National Standard.”
On Sept. 29, 2016, PRCA filed an appeal of the BSR decision with the ANSI Appeals Board. The Appeals Board is the final level of appeal within the American National Standards Institute. The appeal puts the burden on the appellant to establish a prima facie case that the decision under appeal was clearly erroneous.
The ANSI Appeals Board determined “based on the record before it, that the appellant (PRCA) has not established such a prima facie case. Accordingly, the appeal is dismissed and a hearing will not be held.” This decision completes the appeals process.
1 Comment
I think a back story on how this decision is bad for the industry is in order. Most people don’t understand the differences between the PRCA and ACCT standards, which causes problems. It’s not about politics, it more about harmonization with other relevant standards in our industry. While the ACCT is the largest, it doesn’t always mean the best. Nor is the PRCA the best in all areas.
Sure I have a bias as I’m a co-founder of the PRCA, but that decision came with solid rational and facts. There are also valid points to have an alternative association and a true SAFETY standard which the ANSI/ACCT standard is not. There are also valid points to have one industry association instead of two, but a checks and balances needs to be maintained.
Do you know the difference? I bet not and I’m sure most your readers don’t either. It’s time to put the bull crap aside and speak to the facts and issues, not just brush someone off because they are from this or that association. We all have contributions and value to the greater industry.