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INTRODUCTION

This is the 12th edition of the ASME A17.1/CSA B44 Handbook, and the first one not authored by Ed Donoghue. The idea for the Handbook came from Mr. Donoghue and has grown from that simple idea to the valued resource we all know today. The history behind the Handbook is important, so, below, I have included Mr. Donoghue's Introduction from the 2013 edition to provide that background.

In 1976 I was appointed to the A17 Editorial Committee with Al Land (Chair), William "Bill" Crager (A17 Chair), and Manuel Gutierrez (ASME Secretary). At the time, the A17 Editorial Committee was charged with a total editorial review of the A17.1 Code for the 1978 edition. Every Rule was scrutinized and editorially revised for clarification when appropriate.

The Committee met weekly for this massive project. To avoid unintentionally changing the content of a Rule, it was essential that the Committee members had a clear understanding of the technical requirements and their intent. Bill Crager had a long history as a member of the A17 Committee, including 15 years as Committee Chairman. At the meetings, the members would look to Bill for his recollection of why a Rule was in the Code. Bill possessed an encyclopedic knowledge of the history of A17 requirements. His typical response would start by stating, "At the (date) A17 Meeting, the Committee approved the Rule for the following reason." At our next meeting, Bill would arrive with documents from his home file backing up his recollection - including the meeting dates.

I quickly came to the conclusion that the "Bill Cragers" on the A17 Committee were mostly retired or would be retiring from Committee activities over the next few years. Their expansive knowledge of the past committee work and the rationale for the A17.1 Rules would no longer be available. This would be a loss not only to the A17 Committee but also to the users of the Code.

I concluded that a Handbook for A17.1 would be an invaluable addition to the A17.1 Code, as the NEC® Handbook was an invaluable supporting document for the NEC®. I approached Mel Green, then director of ASME Codes and Standards, with a proposal to write an ASME A17.1 Handbook. He thought the idea had merit, and the first edition of the A17.1 Handbook was published at the time of publication of the 1981 edition of the A17.1 Code. A new edition of the Handbook was published thereafter with each new edition of the A17.1 Code and later the A17.1/B44 Code . . . - Ed Donoghue

With each passing year, we see experts in the industry retire and we welcome new faces to the Code development process. The Handbook, much like the Code itself, is a living document. Each edition updates and expands upon the information provided in previous edition. I have the privilege of authoring this edition of the Handbook and hope to continue the tradition and build on the foundation that Mr. Donoghue and so many others have helped to create.