Selected Standards Granting Organizations
Selected Standards Search Engines and Vendors
What are standards?
Standards are published documents created to ensure the reliability of the materials, products, methods, and/or services. They establish requirements, specifications, guidelines, characteristics, and/or procedures designed. Typically, they are developed through a consensus process and approved by various national and international agencies, professional societies, or industry organizations. Standards are the minimally accepted professional practice and/or quality that must be observed.
How are standards developed?
The following are a few examples of how standards organizations develop their standards:
ISO - "Like a symphony, it takes a lot of people working together to develop a standard. ISO’s role is similar to that of a conductor, while the orchestra is made up of independent technical experts nominated by our members. The experts form a technical committee that is responsible for a specific subject area. They begin the process with the development of a draft that meets a specific market need. This is then shared for commenting and further discussion. The voting process is the key to consensus. If that’s achieved then the draft is on its way to becoming an ISO standard. If agreement isn’t reached then the draft will be modified further, and voted on again. From first proposal to final publication, developing a standard usually takes about 3 years." - ISO Developing Standards
ASTM - "A full consensus standard is developed by a cross-section of stakeholders with an interest in its use. When there is a need for new standards, requests can come from trade associations, government agencies, and professional societies that do not create their own standards; or manufacturers, consumer groups, and even individuals. The request is presented to an ASTM technical committee and the process of standards development begins." - ASTM Standards Process
How long are standards active?
The time frame in which a standard remains active varies based on the standards organization's review and revision processes.
Who uses standards?
Small businesses, national and international businesses, governments, engineers, scientists, architects, designers, students, etc.
Why are standards important?
What are some of the risks of not identifying and not complying with relevant current standards?
What types of standards exist?
The following are a few examples of how different standards granting organizations publish different types of standards.
What are the major sources of standards?
While the US tends to have a stakeholder-driven development process, the rest of the world tends to have a politically-drive, government-based, standards development process. In the US there are hundreds of decentralized, non-government standards development organizations active. ANSI is the US's official coordinator of these organizations.
How are standards named?
Standards are named using the acronym of the standard granting organization, the number of the standard, and the year the standard was issued.
References
American National Standards Institute, "An Introduction to Standards: Why, Where and How Are They Developed?" American National Standards Institute Education and Training Services, 2010. [Online]. Available: https://www.ansi.org/search#q=introduction%20to%20standards&sort=relevancy
ASTM International, "ASTM Standards and You: The Role of Standards in Our Everyday Lives," ASTM International, 2002. [Online]. Available: http://www.astm.org/studentmember/Learning_Modules.html
IEEE Standards Association, "Develop Standards," ieee.org, 2020. [Online]. Available: http://standards.ieee.org/develop/overview.html
International Organization for Standardization, "Standards," iso.org, 2020. [Online]. Available: https://www.iso.org/standards.html
Please note that above citations reflect IEEE Style
Standard - A standard is a technical publication created to ensure the reliability of the materials, products, methods, and/or services. They establish the technical requirements, specifications, guidelines, characteristics, and/or procedures designed. Standards are a recommend set of design tolerances, practices, operations, manufacturing methods, or uses of equipment within a specified environment. Standards are not mandatory by law, unless they are adopted as a code or regulation.
Code - A code is a type of standard that is adopted and enforced by one or more governmental agencies. Unlike a general industry standard, a code MUST be followed when it has been adopted into law in a specific geographical/political region or when it has been included in a contractual agreement. The National Electrical Code (NFPA-70) is an example of this type of standard. Every state in the United States adopted it to protect people from electrical hazards. Model codes, which are developed to become industry wide standards, are not enforceable until they are adopted by a jurisdiction. The International Building Code is an example of a model code.
Regulations - A regulation is a type of standard that has been mandated by law. Regulations specify legally obligated requirements that must be met under specific laws and implement general agency objectives. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Regulations are an example of this type of standard.
Corporate/Institutional Standards - Standards are instructions, specifications or measurements that serve as minimally accepted requirements for expected normal practices in a specific organization.
Special thanks to the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology for allowing ECPI to reuse their EET Standards LibGuide information.