by Kathy Bimber
In early October I attended the Auto Glass Safety Council™ (AGSC) meetings and Auto Glass Week™ 2017 in West Palm Beach, Fla. It was a week packed with networking and learning about the ever-changing auto glass industry.
AGSC hosted its fourth Annual Member Meeting with seminars covering what is new and what is coming for AGSC, how to use AGSC effectively in your marketing, how the AGRSS™ Standard is addressing ADAS technology, AGSC committee updates, the auditor’s update and more.
In the auditor’s update, AGSC’s independent auditor, Penny Ouellette of Orion Registrar Inc., gave an overview of the 2017 audit season and the most common non-compliances that occurred. She stated that 80 percent of the non-compliances that the auditors found were related to the same issue—record-keeping.
The AGRSS Standard provides the following requirements for record-keeping:
- 6.7 All adhesive system component lot numbers must be traceable to each job;
- 6.8 All glass parts must be traceable to the installation by a DOT number and part number; and
- 8.7 Those engaged in automotive glass replacement shall create and retain records of each auto glass replacement for a period of at least three years from the date the work was completed sufficient to demonstrate compliance with this standard. Records, either electronic or hard-copy, shall be legible, easily identifiable and readily available. Such three-year period may be temporarily shortened for specific, clear and substantial reasons but must be adhered to when such reasons no longer exist.
In his update on the AGSC Education Committee, committee chair Jeff Olive re-iterated the importance of record-keeping, stating that record-keeping is extremely important for the auto glass replacement shop for several reasons. One of the main reasons relates to recall issues. Should a recall take place involving the urethane, primer or glass part, the auto glass shop will need the records of the lot, DOT or part numbers used. If the shop does not have this information recorded, it will not be able to comply with the recall. This can put the customers’ safety at risk and cause a liability issue for the shop.
Keeping accurate records also ensures that the technician is aware of the proper minimum drive-away time based on temperature and humidity and then ensures that the customer knows the minimum drive-away time (MDAT). It can also reduce the shops liability through the pre-inspection record ensuring that the customer knows what vehicle conditions were present prior to the auto glass installation.
So, how do you ensure that your auto glass shop is compliant with the record-keeping requirements of the AGRSS Standard? Know what the AGRSS Standard requires and be sure all of your auto glass technicians know and keep the proper records for EVERY installation they perform. It really is as simple as that.