More Than 500 Standards In Every RV

Quality production is a source of pride for the recreation vehicle industry. A recent University of Michigan study indicated that nearly a quarter of RV owners have had their current unit for ten or more years. These statistics certainly indicate a high level of quality, and RVIA manufacturer-members are committed to continuing this record into the future.

RVIA Standards & Member Quality Control Programs

Every Recreation Vehicle Industry Association member (which includes nearly all U.S. RV manufacturers) pledges as a condition of membership to meet or exceed detailed voluntary industry standards and to maintain an internal quality control program.

Enforcement of these membership requirements is managed by RVIA through a staff of professional standards inspectors who conduct unannounced factory inspections at least every eight weeks. These inspections address every stage of the manufacturing process as well as the final product by checking more than 500 items and providing education to assist manufacturers in keeping their membership commitments.

What happens when a manufacturer doesn’t meet the standards? Depending on the severity of the infraction, members might be put on probation, fined, subject to more frequent, unannounced inspections or they may have their membership terminated.

These standards are monitored by the RVIA Standards Department and are updated via a national consensus process that includes industry participants, government officials and third-party inspection organizations.

The RVIA Seal

Affixed to qualifying RVs, the RVIA seal is a sign that the manufacturer certifies it has successfully met the rigorous standards prescribed by RVIA for membership in the association.

Individual Manufacturer Quality Controls

Most, if not all, member companies go above and beyond RVIA’s standards by employing sophisticated quality standards and controls. Some utilize statistical process controls, multi-level inspection audits, assembly line station checks and a host of other procedures.

For additional information about how an individual manufacturer maintains the highest level of quality possible, please contact them directly.

HUD Formaldehyde Emissions Standard

To address recent concerns over formaldehyde, RVIA members voluntarily adopted the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s formaldehyde emission requirements for wood products. These requirements limit emissions from plywood products to 0.2 parts per million and from particleboard to 0.3 parts per million.

Although a very small percentage of customers experience a sensitivity to formaldehyde, RVIA and its member companies felt it was important to formalize a standard addressing the issue. There is, however, no federally mandated standard for RVs, so RVIA seized the initiative to embrace the HUD manufactured housing formaldehyde emission requirements. This is a conservative standard since RVs are most often lived in for short periods of time, as opposed to manufactured homes which are made to be lived in permanently.

California Air Resources Board Formaldehyde Emissions Level

Additionally, on June 12, 2008, the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association's (RVIA) board of directors set an effective date for member manufacturers to begin using wood products that meet the California Air Resources Board's (CARB) new formaldehyde emissions level, as a mandatory condition of membership. Starting Jan. 1, 2009, RV makers that are members of RVIA will be required to build all units with wood products that comply with the CARB standard's emission limits. By July 1, 2010, they must use wood that has been certified by an appropriate third party as meeting the CARB standard.

As a result of this schedule, RVIA will require its members to use CARB compliant wood nationwide a full 18 months before California phases in its requirement.

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