Sheet Metal Licensing Regulations Adopted by Board

At its September 14 meeting, the Massachusetts Sheet Metal Board of Examiners approved regulations to control the licensing of sheet metal work in the state.  So begins the public comment period and sets in motion other required steps toward promulgation of the rules.

A copy of the regulations can be viewed here.

ACCA and its partner in the Coalition for Fair Licensing, the Associated Builders and Contractors of Massachusetts (ABC-MA), continue to be very vocal in calling for fair licensing, which the current regulations do not reflect.  Below is a recap of the major issues the Coalition wants to address:

Training requirements of 750 hours for commercial work, where most other trades that are more technical require less:  ranging from 250 hours for a refrigeration technician (a trade that requires extensive knowledge of thermodynamics) to of 600 hours for electricians, (again, highly technical and dangerous work).  Thirty years ago, these training hours may have been required because of shop fabrication, however now days these shops are highly automated.

Training requirements for residential licensing are too high at 450 hours.   The logic for less hours is that 95% of all the material used in the field is mass produced and available of the shelf at local wholesalers, unlike commercial material, where there has to be extensive fabrication (also in an automated environment).

Apprenticeship of 8,000 hours for commercial licenses and the required completion “over a period of no less than five years” is unfair since an apprentice working full time could complete the required hours in 3.8 years, even less if he works overtime.   In addition, the 8,000 hour requirement is excessive because work in sheet metal shops is highly automated.  Apprentice training should require a  maximum of 4,000 hours in a two year period.

Apprenticeship of 4,800 hours for residential work and the required completion “over a period of no less than three years” is unfair since an apprentice working full time could complete the required hours in 2.3 years, less if he works overtime.  In addition, the 4,800 hour requirement is excessive because work in sheet metal shops is highly automated.  Apprentice training should require a  maximum of 4,000 hours in a two year period.  To further the argument for less-stringent training for residential licensing, 95% of all the materials used in residential are mass produced and are readily available off the shelf at local distributors. Shop fabrication is minimal.

Ratio requirements for commercial work at 3-1 is archaic.  Thirty years ago the trade was highly technical and this ratio may have worked in a shop environment where a higher percentage of knowledgeable labor was required as everything was fabricated without automation.  Now the shops are highly automated, and a lower ratio of 1-1 makes sense.  Also in the field the apprentice is much better served with a ratio of 1-1 as the knowledge transfer is much more focused and concise.

Ratio requirements for residential border on ridiculous; as the residential contractor has to maintain a high degree of flexibility in how he deploys his work force. Today he may need two journeymen on a job and tomorrow he may need one journeyman and 3 apprentices. It will be two costly to adhere to ratios as he cannot throttle his workforce up and down to satisfy job requirements.

35,000 cubic feet cap on residential license is outrageous, as the percentage of single-family homes that exceed that cap is very high. This essentially limits a residential contractor to a 3,500 square foot home. 6,000 to 12,000 square foot homes are not unusual, and all they are for argument sake a bunch of small houses put together as all the mechanical systems are split into various zones. Never is one duct system servicing the home.

Inspections/Covering of work -  The requirement that duct systems be inspected prior to insulating the duct is not practical at all as all residential installations take the usable space requirements of the home into account.  In most cases the ducts are in very tight spaces and require insulating prior to installation.