WASHINGTON - A coalition of industry associations and other interested parties has been formed to address changes to FM Global's Property Loss Data Sheet 1-29, "Roof Deck Securement and Above-Deck Roof Components."

WASHINGTON - A coalition of industry associations and other interested parties has been formed to address changes to FM Global's Property Loss Data Sheet 1-29, "Roof Deck Securement and Above-Deck Roof Components." The group includes the National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA), Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association (ARMA), Chemical Fabrics and Films Association (CFFA), EPDM Roofing Manufacturers Association (ERA), Polyisocyanurate Insulation Manufacturers Association (PIMA), RCI Inc.-The Institute of Roofing, Waterproofing & Building Envelope Professionals, and the Single-Ply Roofing Industry (SPRI).

According to the coalition, in January FM Global issued changes to the standard that particularly affect the design of fully adhered roof systems that require a Class 1-90 rating or higher on steel decks. Before the change, the requirements for perimeter and corner attachment could be met by increasing the number of fasteners in the perimeter and corner areas of listed systems, but the newly revised version states that this method cannot be used for fully adhered systems requiring a rating of Class 1-90 or higher. Instead, these roofing systems must meet higher tested ratings for perimeter and corner areas.

Changes also mandate that the minimum number of perimeter and corner fasteners required must increase 50 percent for Class 1-60 roof systems and 100 percent for Class 1-75 roof systems over the number of fasteners in the roof's field.

The coalition points out that the changes were made without consultation or advance notice to industry organizations, and states its goal is to develop recommendations for roof system wind performance. The group hopes to provide information about the requirements for wind-uplift resistance and the determination of building code requirements in accordance with American Society of Civil Engineers standard ASCE 7, "Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures."

In addition, the board of directors of the Midwest Roofing Contractors Association (MRCA) unanimously approved the following motion: "MRCA recommends to its members in particular and the industry in general the abandonment of FM Loss Prevention Document 1-29 as the universal industry standard in light of its unrealistic, unreasonable and unworkable conditions and recommends the use of ASCE Standard 7 as the industry standard for wind uplift."