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ISO leads a committee made up of independent technical experts
nominated by its members. Each technical committee 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 achieved then the draft is on its way to becoming an ISO
standard. If an agreement isn't reached then the draft will be
modified further and voted on again. From the first proposal to final
publication, developing a standard usually takes about three years.
EN - European Standards are developed by the European
Standardisation Organisations. The three European Standardisation
Organisations, CEN, CENELEC and ETSI are officially recognised
as competent in the area of voluntary technical standardisation
under European Union (EU) Regulation (1025/2012). Through their
services, they provide a platform for the development of European
Standards (ENS) and other consensus documents.
For example, CEN's 34 National Members work together to develop
these publications in a large number of sectors to help build the
European internal market in goods and services; removing barriers
to trade and strengthening Europe's position in the global
economy.
BSI is the UK's national standards body and has a portfolio of more
than 30,000 standards. The standards are designed for voluntary
adoption and represent best practice and a benchmark to work to,
without stifling innovation; many people apply them rigorously shile
others develop them to meet their own bespoke applications.
An opportunity to secure more business by giving innovation a
badge of authority
Getting products and services to market faster by creating a rapid
route to standardisation
Building trust in your organisation by setting the bar for good
practice
Raising your industry and media profile
Taking a leadership role in your sector by helping to resolve its
strategic issues
Finally, private standards and company materials are developed
within organisations to ensure the consistent application of policies
and procedures to drive improvement and best practice locally.
Benefits of using
standards
Regulators often specify the standards that need
to be followed by suppliers, and purchasers often
include them as a requirement in their tender
documents, some of the benefits being:
Economic benefits
Research from many countries suggests that
these standards help to boost the economy. In the
UK, $8.2 billion is thought to have been
contributed to annual growth in gross domestic
product (GDP).
Business benefits
Cutting costs through improvements in
systems and processes
Increasing customer satisfaction with
improvements in safety and quality
The ability to access new markets and
supporting innovation
Reducing environmental impact
Consumer benefits
Consumer confidence can be increased when
they see the international standard and/or
accreditation logo, trusting that the product or
service is safe and reliable, as well as of good
quality
Consumers are included in the process of
creating and writing International Standards
Government benefits
Expert opinion of standards production teams
and groups means that when regulations are
created, their opinions and skills can be relied
upon
Opening up global markets; standards have
meant that the movement of goods, services
and logistical technologies are now compatible
to make trading easier but also safer too.