Pallet users can look forward to receiving better education about standards now that Material Handling Industry of America (MHIA) has assumed responsibility for overseeing them.

MH1, the committee developing U.S. standards related to pallets, slip sheets and other bases for unit loads, has historically been administered by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) recently transferred this work to MHIA.

"It's a natural fit for MHIA to be responsible for the committee," says Ray Niemeyer, director of knowledge management for MHIA. "We're in a better position to promote the pallet standards to the end-user community."

ASME administers thousands of standards committees on everything from nuts and bolts to nuclear power plants. By contrast, says Niemeyer, MHIA is more focused, administering fewer than 50 standards committees. The MHI1 committee, he says, is currently developing detailed standards for plastic pallets.