What are
standards?
Standards
are documented agreements containing technical
specifications or other precise criteria to be used
consistently as rules, guidelines, or definitions of
characteristics, to ensure that materials, products,
processes and services are fit for their purpose. For
example, the format of the credit cards, phone cards, and
"smart" cards that have become commonplace is
derived from an ISO International Standard. Adhering to
the standard, which defines such features as an optimal
thickness (0,76 mm), means that the cards can be used
worldwide. International
Standards thus contribute to making life simpler, and to
increasing the reliability and effectiveness of the goods
and services we use. What is ISO?
The
International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is a
worldwide federation of national standards bodies from
some 130 countries, one from each country. ISO is
a non-governmental organization established in 1947. The
mission of ISO is to promote the development of
standardization and related activities in the world with
a view to facilitating the international exchange of
goods and services, and to developing cooperation in the
spheres of intellectual, scientific, technological and
economic activity. ISO's
work results in international agreements which are
published as International Standards. ISO's
name Many
people will have noticed a seeming lack of correspondence
between the official title when used in full,
International Organization for Standardization, and the
short form, ISO. Shouldn't the acronym be
"IOS"? Yes, if it were an acronym –
which it is not. In
fact, "ISO" is a word, derived from the Greek
isos, meaning "equal", which is the root of the
prefix "iso-" that occurs in a host of terms,
such as "isometric" (of equal measure or
dimensions) and "isonomy" (equality of laws, or
of people before the law). From
"equal" to "standard", the line of
thinking that led to the choice of "ISO" as the
name of the organization is easy to follow. In addition,
the name ISO is used around the world to denote the
organization, thus avoiding the plethora of acronyms
resulting from the translation of "International
Organization for Standardization" into the different
national languages of members, e.g. IOS in English, OIN
in French (from Organisation internationale de
normalisation). Whatever the country, the short form of
the Organization's name is always ISO. Why is international standardization needed?
The
existence of non-harmonized standards for similar
technologies in different countries or regions can
contribute to so-called "technical barriers to
trade". Export-minded industries have long sensed
the need to agree on world standards to help rationalize
the international trading process. This was the origin of
the establishment of ISO. International
standardization is well-established for many technologies
in such diverse fields as information processing and
communications, textiles, packaging, distribution of
goods, energy production and utilization, shipbuilding,
banking and financial services. It will continue to grow
in importance for all sectors of industrial activity for
the foreseeable future. The
main reasons are: ·
Worldwide progress in trade liberalization ·
Interpenetration of sectors ·
Worldwide communications systems ·
Global standards for emerging technologies ·
Developing countries Industry-wide
standardization is a condition existing within a
particular industrial sector when the large majority of
products or services conform to the same standards. It
results from consensus agreements reached between all
economic players in that industrial sector - suppliers,
users, and often governments. They agree on
specifications and criteria to be applied consistently in
the choice and classification of materials, the
manufacture of products, and the provision of services.
The aim is to facilitate trade, exchange and technology
transfer through: ·
enhanced product quality and reliability at a reasonable
price; ·
improved health, safety and environmental protection, and
reduction of waste; ·
greater compatibility and interoperability of goods and
services; ·
simplification for improved usability; ·
reduction in the number of models, and thus reduction in
costs; ·
increased distribution efficiency, and ease of
maintenance. Users
have more confidence in products and services that
conform to International Standards. Assurance of
conformity can be provided by manufacturers'
declarations, or by audits carried out by independent
bodies. ISO's achievements
Below
are some examples of ISO standards that have been widely
adopted, giving clear benefits to industry, trade and
consumers. ·
The ISO film speed code, among many other
photographic equipment standards, has been adopted
worldwide making things simpler for the general user. ·
Standardization of the format of telephone and banking
cards means the cards can be used worldwide. ·
Tens of thousands of businesses are implementing ISO
9000 which provides a framework for quality
management and quality assurance. The ISO 14000
series provides a similar framework for environmental
management. ·
The internationally standardized freight container
enables all components of a transport system - air and
seaport facilities, railways, highways, and packages - to
interface efficiently. This, combined with standardized
documents to identify sensitive or dangerous cargoes
makes international trade cheaper, faster and safer. ·
m, kg, s, A, K, mol, cd are the symbols representing the
seven base units of the universal system of
measurement known as SI (Système international
d'unités). The SI system is covered by a series of 14
International Standards. Without these standards shopping
and trade would be haphazard and technological
development would be handicapped. ·
Paper sizes. The original standard was published
by DIN in 1922. Now used worldwide as ISO 216, standard
paper sizes allow economies of scale with cost benefits
to both producers and consumers. ·
A well-designed symbol conveys a clearcut message in a
multilingual world. The same symbols for automobile
controls are displayed in cars all over the world, no
matter where they are manufactured. ·
Safety of wire ropes: used on oil rigs, on fishing
vessels, in mines, in all types of building operations,
for lifts and cable cars, etc. ISO International
Standards systematically define basic characteristics
such as size, surface finish, type of construction,
tensile grade of the wire, minimum breaking load and
linear mass. Standardization of performance or safety
requirements ensures that user requirements are met while
allowing individual manufacturers the freedom to design
their own solutions for meeting these basic needs.
Consumers then benefit from the effects of competition
among manufacturers. ·
The ISO international codes for country names,
currencies and languages help to eliminate
duplication and incompatibilities in the collection,
processing and dissemination of information. As
resource-saving tools, universally understandable codes
play an important role in both automated and manual
documentation. ·
The diversity of screw threads for identical applications
used to represent an important technical obstacle to
trade. It caused maintenance problems, and lost or
damaged nuts or bolts could not easily be replaced. A
global solution is supplied in the ISO standards for ISO
metric screw threads. Who makes up ISO?
ISO is
made up of its members which are divided into three
categories: A member
body of ISO is
the national body "most representative of
standardization in its country". Thus, only one body in
each country may be
admitted to membership of ISO. A
member body takes the responsibility for: ·
informing potentially interested parties in their country
of relevant international standardization opportunities
and initiatives; ·
ensuring that a concerted view of the country's interests
is presented during international negotiations leading to
standards agreements; ·
providing their country's share of financial support for
the central operations of ISO, through payment of
membership dues. Member
bodies are entitled to participate and exercise full
voting rights on any technical committee and policy
committee of ISO. A correspondent
member
is usually an organization in a country which does not
yet have a fully developed national standards activity.
Correspondent members do not take an active part in the
technical and policy development work, but are entitled
to be kept fully informed about the work of interest to
them. ISO has
also established a third category, subscriber
membership,
for countries with very small economies. Subscriber
members pay reduced membership fees that nevertheless
allow them to maintain contact with international
standardization. Who does the work?
The
technical work of ISO is highly decentralized, carried
out in a hierarchy of some 2 850 technical
committees, subcommittees and working groups. In these
committees, qualified representatives of industry,
research institutes, government authorities, consumer
bodies, and international organizations from all over the
world come together as equal partners in the resolution
of global standardization problems. Some 30 000 experts
participate in meetings each year. The
major responsibility for administrating a standards
committee is accepted by one of the national standards
bodies that make up the ISO membership - AFNOR, ANSI, BSI, CSBTS, DIN, SIS, etc. The
member body holding the secretariat of a standards
committee normally appoints one or two persons to do the
technical and administrative work. A committee chairman
assists committee members in reaching consensus.
Generally, a consensus will mean that a particular
solution to the problem at hand is the best possible one
for international application at that time. The
Central Secretariat in Geneva acts to ensure the flow of
documentation in all directions, to clarify technical
points with secretariats and chairmen, and to ensure that
the agreements approved by the technical committees are
edited, printed, submitted as draft International
Standards to ISO member bodies for voting, and published.
Meetings of technical committees and subcommittees are
convened by the Central Secretariat, which coordinates
all such meetings with the committee secretariats before
setting the date and place. Although the greater part of
the ISO technical work is done by correspondence, there
are, on average, a dozen ISO meetings taking place
somewhere in the world every working day of the year. Each
member body interested in a subject has the right to be
represented on a committee. International organizations,
governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO,
also take part in the work. ISO collaborates closely with
the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on
all matters of electrotechnical standardization. The
publication ISO Memento provides information on
the scope of responsibility, organizational structure and
secretariats for each ISO technical committee. Detailed
rules of procedure for
the technical work are given
in the ISO/IEC Directives. A list of the 500
international organizations in liaison with ISO's
technical committees and subcommittees is given in the
publication ISO Liaisons. What fields are covered?
The
scope of ISO is not limited to any particular branch; it
covers all technical
fields except
electrical and electronic engineering, which is the
responsibility of IEC. The work in the field of
information technology is carried out by a joint ISO/IEC
technical committee (JTC 1). How are ISO standards developed?
ISO
standards are developed according to the following
principles: ·
Consensus ·
Industry-wide ·
Voluntary There
are three main phases in the ISO standards
development process. The
need for a standard is usually expressed by an industry
sector, which communicates this need to a national member
body. The latter proposes the new work item to ISO as a
whole. Once the need for an International Standard has
been recognized and formally agreed, the first phase
involves definition of the technical scope of the future
standard. This phase is usually carried out in working
groups which comprise technical experts from countries
interested in the subject matter. Once
agreement has been reached on which technical aspects are
to be covered in the standard, a second phase is entered
during which countries negotiate the detailed
specifications within the standard. This is the
consensus-building phase. The
final phase comprises the formal approval of the
resulting draft International Standard (the acceptance
criteria stipulate approval by two-thirds of the ISO
members that have participated actively in the standards
development process, and approval by 75 % of all members
that vote), following which the agreed text is published
as an ISO International Standard. It is now also
possible to publish interim documents at different stages
in the standardization process. Most
standards require periodic revision. Several factors
combine to render a standard out of date: technological
evolution, new methods and materials, new quality and
safety requirements. To take account of these factors,
ISO has established the general rule that all ISO
standards should be reviewed at intervals of not more
than five years. On occasion, it is necessary to revise a
standard earlier. To
date, ISO's work has resulted in some 12 000
International Standards, representing more than 300 000
pages in English and French (terminology is often
provided in other languages as well). A list
of all ISO standards appears in the ISO Catalogue. How is ISO's work financed?
The
financing of ISO closely reflects its decentralized mode
of operation with, on the one hand, the financing of the
Central Secretariat activities and, on the other hand,
the financing of the technical work as such. The
financing of the Central Secretariat derives from
member subscriptions (80 %) and revenues from the
sale of the Organization's standards and other
publications (20 %). The subscriptions required of
members for financing the operations of the Central
Secretariat are expressed in units and calculated in
Swiss francs (CHF). The number of units that each member
is invited to pay is calculated on the basis of economic
indicators: gross national product (GNP), and value of
imports and exports. The value of the subscription unit
is set each year by the ISO Council. The ISO
member bodies bear the expenditure necessary for the
operation of the individual technical secretariats for
which they are responsible. It is generally estimated
that the operating expenditure of the Central Secretariat
represents about one-fifth of the total cost of financing
the ISO administrative operations. To
that, one must also add the value of the voluntary
contributions of some 30 000 experts in terms of time and
travel. While no precise calculation has ever been made
to assess in figures this contribution of fundamental
knowledge to the work of ISO, it is nevertheless certain
that this expenditure amounts to several hundred million
Swiss francs each year. Partners
International
partners ISO
collaborates with its international standardization
partner, the IEC, whose scope of activities complements
ISO's. In turn, ISO and the IEC cooperate on a joint
basis with the ITU (International Telecommunication
Union). Like ISO, the IEC is a non-governmental body,
while the ITU is part of the United Nations Organization
and its members are governments.The three organizations
have a strong collaboration on standardization in the
fields of information technology and telecommunications. ISO is
building a strategic partnership with the World Trade
Organization (WTO) with the common goal of promoting a
free and fair global trading system. The political
agreements reached within the framework of the WTO
require underpinning by technical agreements. ISO is
being recognized as providing a special technical support
role in relationship to the new and expanded WTO
programmes. Regional
partners Many of
ISO's members also belong to regional standardization
organizations. This makes it easier for ISO to build
bridges with regional standardization activities
throughout the world. ISO has recognized regional
standards organizations representing Africa, the Arab
countries, the area covered by the Commonwealth of
Independent States, Europe, Latin America, the Pacific
area, and the South-East Asia nations. These recognitions
are based on a commitment by the regional bodies to adopt
ISO standards — whenever possible without change
— as the national standards of their members and to
initiate the development of divergent standards only if
no appropriate ISO standards are available for direct
adoption. In
addition, ISO liaises with some 500 international and
regional organizations interested in specific aspects of
its standardization work. Enquiries about standards
Enquiries
about standards involve those of ISO and a number of
recognized standards agreed within other international
technical organizations. There are, in addition, several
hundred thousand standards and technical regulations in
use throughout the world containing special requirements
for a particular country or region. Finding information
about all these standards, technical regulations, or
related testing and certification activities, can be a
heavy task. ISONET,
the ISO Information Network, is there to assist customers
in retrieval of information required. This is a worldwide
network of national standards information centres which
have cooperatively agreed to provide rapid access to
information about standards, technical regulations, and
testing and certification activities currently used in
different parts of the world. Members of this network -
usually the ISO member for any given country - act
effectively in the dissemination of information and in
identifying the relevant sources of information for
solving specific problems. Each national member of ISONET
has a dual responsibility. By joining ISONET it has
become the international reference point for information
about the standards, technical regulations and
certification systems which operate in its own country.
Secondly, it is expected to provide its own nationals
with an efficient information service on national,
foreign, regional and international technical rules. Information
on ISONET members is presented in the ISONET
Directory, which gives the addresses of ISONET
members, their information centres and sales services,
and lists the types of information they are able to
provide. The Directory also includes, where relevant, the
names and addresses of the enquiry points established
under the WTO* Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade
(WTO TBT) and under the WTO Agreement on Sanitary
Phyto-Sanitary (WTO SPS). * World Trade Organization Consulting and training services
ISO and
many of its members are actively involved in consulting
and training services which include seminars on the
application of standards in quality assurance systems,
technical assistance to exporters concerning standards
requirements in other countries, workshops on consumer
involvement in standardization, and conferences and
symposia covering recent developments in testing and
certification. For the
particular needs of its developing country members, ISO
operates a special programme consisting of training
seminars, publication of development manuals, and various
other kinds of expert assistance. This programme, which
is supported by governmental aid agencies and ISO members
from several industrialized countries, provides an
important mechanism through which developing countries
may accelerate the advancement of their national
standardization and quality assurance systems. The
international collaborative network of standardization
and standards-related activities is open to all interests
and is directly accessible through the ISO members or the
ISO Central Secretariat in Geneva. How it all started International
standardization began in the electrotechnical field: the
International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) was
created in 1906. Pioneering work in other fields was
carried out by the International Federation of the
National Standardizing Associations (ISA), which was set
up in 1926. The emphasis within ISA was laid heavily on
mechanical engineering. ISA's
activities ceased in 1942, owing to the Second World War.
Following a meeting in London in 1946, delegates from 25
countries decided to create a new international
organization "the object of which would be to
facilitate the international coordination and unification
of industrial standards". The new organization, ISO,
began to function officially on 23 February 1947. The
first ISO standard was published in 1951 with the title,
"Standard reference temperature for industrial
length measurement". |