Chapter 34 - Related standards

Abstract

Standards define criteria for materials, products, and procedures in precise, authoritative, and publicly available documents. They facilitate design and manufacture by establishing safety criteria, promoting quality with economy, assisting communication and trade, and by inspiring confidence in manufacturer and user. Standards are increasingly referred to in contracts and are used as a basis for quality management and product certification. The British Standards Institution (BSI) was the world's first national standards body, which was established in 1901. British Standards Publishing Ltd., supplies British Standards worldwide in hard copy, on CD-ROM and the Internet via British Standards Online. BSI quality assurance is the largest independent certification body in the UK and provides a comprehensive service including certification, registration, assessment, and inspection activities. ISO is made up of national standards institutes from countries large and small, industrialized and developing, in all regions of the world. ISO develops voluntary technical standards, which add value to all types of business operations. They contribute in making the development, manufacturing and supply of products and services more efficient, safer and cleaner and make trade between countries easier and fairer. ISO standards are market-driven as they are developed by international consensus among experts drawn from the industrial, technical or business sectors, which have expressed the need for a particular standard. These may be joined by experts from government, regulatory authorities, testing bodies, academia, consumer groups or other organizations with relevant knowledge, or which have expressed a direct interest in the standard under development. ISO standards also act as technical agreements, which provide the framework for compatible technology worldwide.