The Professional Ropes Course Association began the process to become an ANSI Member and approved as an Accredited Standards Developer (ASD) for the Ropes Challenge Course industry in March 2005. The PRCA received ANSI ASD certification on December 2, 2005. This defined means that the PRCA has an accredited process that allows for fair and equal representation in developing standards.

Having achieved this position, the PRCA now works with a broad and talented Consensus Body group of industry professionals that answered public notices to serve in a formal capacity. This group is responsible for adhering to the ANSI process, the PRCA approved procedures, and conducting public reviews and implementing feedback received from commentary.

What is ANSI?
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) has served in its capacity as administrator and coordinator of the United States private sector voluntary standardization system for more than 80 years. Founded in 1918 by five engineering societies and three government agencies, the Institute remains a private, nonprofit membership organization supported by a diverse constituency of private and public sector organizations.

Throughout its history, ANSI has maintained as its primary goal the enhancement of global competitiveness of U.S. business and the American quality of life by promoting and facilitating voluntary consensus standards and conformity assessment systems and promoting their integrity. The Institute represents the interests of its nearly 1,000 company, organization, government agency, institutional and international members through its office in New York City, and its headquarters in Washington, D.C.

ANSI serves as a conduit for information exchange between the public and private sector. ANSI assists in the cross-communication of public-sector views to U.S. organizations and companies and private-sector views to government officials. Staff in ANSI’s Washington D.C. headquarters takes the lead in maintaining key government relationships and monitoring public policy issues in the area of standards and conformity assessment.

Source: ANSI Website (www.ansi.org)