Associations
RECORD NUMBER OF NATIONAL
STANDARDS PUBLISHED IN 2021
The South African Bureau of Standards ( SABS ) has published 414 national standards in the financial year that ended 31 March 2021 .
The publication of standards includes new standards as well as adopted , amended and / or revised standards . 127 new standards were published . Comparitively , in 2020 359 national standards were published and 241 in 2019 .
Information contained in South African National Standards ( SANS ) is fundamental to the economic and industrial optimisation of the country . With approximately 7400 SANS available , South African organisations have access to technical specifications of almost every product , service and management system in the South African market .
SANS are developed and published through technical committees . Technical committees are constituted by members of the public and include industry stakeholders , academics , students , regulators and any interested persons . Technical committees are run by an elected chairperson and there is no financial or monetary gain for any member of the committee .
“ The time to develop and publish each standard varies , as every new or amended standard requires public participation . Technical committees take into account every comment or concern raised in the in the participation process and in some cases further amendments and consultations with the public are required before a SANS can be concluded and published ,” explains Sadhvir Bisson , divisional head of SABS standards .
Bisson attributes the record number of SANS published in 2021 to better functioning technical committees and committed members , increased participation from regulators and Departments and efficiencies from virtual platforms as well as within the SABS .
SANS evolve over the years to reflect technological and regulatory changes and it is imperative that all organisations become familiar with SANS , apply and comply to SANS and take the next step to ensure that compliance is verified through an independent body .
Institutions that require assistance with identifying relevant SANS can contact the SABS . SABS can also provide customised training to create awareness and understanding of the collection of standards pertaining to an organisation .
SANS are available via the SABS webstore .
A list in PDF form is available of all of these updated standards on request to the editor , or by contacting the SABS directly . RACA
127 new standards have been published by the SABS in the reporting period .
SABS www . hvacronline . co . za RACA Journal I June 2022 17