What is ATTMA Lodgement?
Lodgement is an secure database maintained by ATTMA to serve the goals of ATTMA members. It offers a systematic way of recording many important aspects of building air tightness compliance testing. These include education, qualifications, competence and honour of practitioners who have access to the database; verified quality of the data that is being submitted; a timely method of flagging deviations and noncompliance; and efficient synthesis of resulting trends and summaries of the data. For standards and building authorities as users of air tightness testing as a regulatory tool, it is an extremely efficient way of organising these data while maintaining strict security and privacy.
What do ATTMA Members get in return?
For all the information that is collected on Lodgement, members get benefits such as standardised certificates for every test that is completed, regulation of tests, a standardised way of collecting information and helps improve and regulate the industry. Additionally, documents including ATTMA publications, support documents and technical standards are available on Lodgement.
Why is ATTMA Lodgement mandatory?
One of the strengths of ATTMA is its Lodgement database, however the database only functions if every member is contributing data. It is in the interest of every member to contribute data, because the database will grow and the knowledge from the summary data will grow as well. It is also in the interest of every member to ensure that all other members are contributing and are being held to the same standards of practice. It is an exercise of elevating one’s own practice and raising the expectations of peers as well.
ATTMA Lodgement Fees
ATTMA charges all members a lodgement fee not matter of their location. The funds serve initiatives like maintenance and improvement of the database, audits of data for integrity, and lobbying for increased use of testing.
Last year, ATTMA polled its own New Zealand and Australian tester members to determine what fees for a Lodgement would be fair and useful to their goals as a professional community. The poll results were averaged, and the result was used as the basis for Lodgement fees beginning 1 January 2021.
ATTMA Lodgement Data Rights
Members who contribute data will have rights to every piece of their own data collected. However, they will not have direct access to anyone else’s data. Still, at any time members can request summary data which can be used to illustrate trends and arguments to regulators and stakeholders. As an example, there is the ability to within seconds query the database to illustrate summary data. Data is currently stored on a secure server space in ATTMA based in the U.K.