Overview of ANSI and the U S Standards

Overview of ANSI and the U. S. Standards System 1

Importance of Standards “The international language of commerce is Standards” Source: Donald L. Evans, Former U. S. Secretary of Commerce, From Standards & Competitiveness: Coordinating for Results 2008 © ANSI Slide 2

WTO/TBT Definitions* n Standard - Document that provides, for common and repeated use, rules, guidelines or characteristics for products or related processes and production methods, with which compliance is not mandatory. It may also include or deal exclusively with terminology, symbols, packaging, marking or labelling requirements as they apply to a product, process or production method. n Technical Regulations – Document which lays down product characteristics or their related processes and production methods, including the applicable administrative provisions, with which compliance is mandatory. n Conformity Assessment (Conformance) – Any procedure used, directly or indirectly, to determine that relevant requirements in technical regulations or standards are fulfilled. (e. g. , testing, certification) *World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade Agreement, Annex 1 http: //www. wto. org/english/docs_e/legal_e/17 -tbt_e. htm 2008 © ANSI Slide 3

The ANSI Federation 2008 © ANSI Slide 4

What is ANSI? ANSI is the “Umbrella Organization” for and coordinator of the U. S. voluntary standards and conformity assessment systems. Duties and responsibilities include: n Develop and promote U. S. policies and positions n Accredit SDOs and approve American National Standards (ANS) n Accredit certifiers of products, personnel and management systems n Provide standards and compliance solutions domestically and internationally 2008 © ANSI Slide 5

What is ANSI? A Federation of members representing. . . • • • Academia Individuals Government Manufacturing Trade Associations • • • Professional Societies Service Organizations Standards Developers Consumer and Labor Interests and many more A Private- and Public-Sector Partnership Since 1918 ANSI is not a government agency or a standards developer 2008 © ANSI Slide 6

ANSI: A Private-Sector Organization ANSI is an independent not-for-profit (501(c)3) organization. ANSI does not receive government oversight or subsidization. Advantages: n Public and private sectors are coequal partners n Impartiality n Market relevance 2008 © ANSI Slide 7

ANSI International Interaction n ANSI serves as the official U. S. member and sets policy for U. S. participation in several international and regional organizations, including: Ø International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Ø International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) Ø Pacific Area Standards Congress (PASC) ANSI communicates U. S. positions on standards and conformity assessment with its peer organizations around the world. (e. g. Standardization Administration of China, etc. ) ANSI members also engage with foreign counterparts, advocating for the positions of their individual organizations and engaging in sector and issue-specific cooperation. ANSI supports these efforts. 2008 © ANSI Slide 8

The U. S. Standards System 2008 © ANSI Slide 9

ANSI’s Member-Driven Policy Development Approach in the U. S. Approach in many other countries National Standards Body (e. g. ANSI, SAC) ANSI’s strength comes through effective representation of member interests Standards Developers (Including Consortia) Standards Users (e. g. regulators, companies, etc. ) Other National Standards Bodies receive authority and funding through legal mandate 2008 © ANSI Slide 10

The U. S. System: Comparisons Compared with many other countries, the U. S. system… n n n Emphasizes private-sector solutions to ensure quality and protect Environment, Health and Safety (EHS) Places a higher degree of confidence in private-sector conformity assessment activities for regulatory and non-regulatory functions Provides a stronger voice and greater authority to standards users and individual stakeholders Relies on a strong judicial system, brand-name recognition, open media and corporate social responsibility Is highly decentralized 2008 © ANSI Slide 11

The U. S. System: Benefits n n n Speed and flexibility – solutions are delivered to market and implemented quickly Participation – able to accommodate input from a wide spectrum of stakeholders Efficiency – prevents unnecessary or costly regulation and allows multiple approaches to ensure health, safety, and quality The U. S. approach facilitates economic development and innovation 2008 © ANSI Slide 12

U. S. Regulatory Reliance on Voluntary Standards n n n U. S. regulators use voluntary standards to offset the need for additional regulations or to enhance existing regulations. When regulations are necessary, U. S. regulators are required by law to use voluntary standards whenever possible. When appropriate voluntary standards do not exist, regulators work in partnership with private-sector SDOs to develop suitable standards. 2008 © ANSI Slide 13

The U. S. System: A Toolbox n n Rather than mandating a “one-size fits all” solution, the U. S. system allows players to find the tools and solutions that best fit their needs. Approaches, philosophies and positions often vary across industry sectors. Such variations are seen as beneficial and are promoted in the “U. S. Standards Strategy. ” 2008 © ANSI Slide 14

Standards Used in the U. S. : Different tools for different market needs National Participation • Treaty Organizations • Non-Treaty Organizations Direct Participation Consortia • Nationally Accepted • Internationally Accepted Examples ISO, IEC, ITU, CODEX, etc. Examples ASTM International, ASME, SAE, etc. Examples SNIA, W 3 C, IGRS, etc. Features Formality in process One country, one vote Features Direct link between technical experts and SDOs Features Wide range of processes and procedures allows flexibility 2008 © ANSI Slide 15

Standards Used in the U. S. : National Participation n Treaty Organizations: U. S. government agencies serve as national bodies. For example: Ø Ø Ø n CODEX (U. S. Department of Agriculture) ITU (U. S. Department of State) OECD (U. S. Department of State) Non-Treaty Organizations: ANSI Serves as national body and coordinates broad spectrum of private-sector input: Ø Ø International Organization for Standardization (ISO) International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 2008 © ANSI Slide 16

Standards Used in the U. S. : Different tools for different market needs National Participation • Treaty Organizations • Non-Treaty Organizations Direct Participation Consortia • Nationally Accepted • Internationally Accepted Examples ISO, IEC, ITU, CODEX, etc. Examples ASTM International, ASME, SAE, etc. Examples IGRS, SNIA, W 3 C, etc. Features Formality in process through “one country, one vote” system Features Direct link between technical experts and SDOs Features Wide range of processes and procedures allows flexibility 2008 © ANSI Slide 17

Standards Used in the U. S. : Accredited/Approved Standards n ANSI is responsible for accrediting SDOs and approving standards as “American National Standards. ” n National and international SDOs voluntarily choose to receive ANSI accreditation/approval (the U. S. has no legal requirement) n Accreditation and approval do not guarantee U. S. market acceptance; individual users have complete freedom to choose which standards best suit their needs. n ANSI accreditation and approval processes do not evaluate a standard’s technical merit, but only evaluate the process by which a standard was developed. 2008 © ANSI Slide 18

WTO/TBT Principles for the Development of International Standards* n n n Transparency Openness Impartiality and Consensus Effectiveness Coherence Development Dimension *World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade Agreement Second Triennial Review, Annex 4 http: //docsonline. wto. org/DDFDocuments/t/G/TBT/9. doc 2008 © ANSI Slide 19

Accredited/Approved Standards: ANSI Essential Requirements n n n Openness Transparency Consensus Due Process Balance 2008 © ANSI Slide 20

ANSI Accredited Standards Developing Organizations (SDOs) 3 -A ASC X 9 ASA ACCA AMCA ARI ATIS AA AAMVA ABMA ABYC ABMA ACC ACI ADA AFPA AGMA AH&LA AIHA AIAA AISC AITC AISI ALI ANS ANLA API ASNT ASQ ASAE ASB ASCE ASHRAE ASME ASSE AWWA AWS AWEA ATA ACMI ASIS AIIM AMT NPES AAMI ACDE AHAM ARMA ASTM AIM AGRSS ALI BHMA BICSI BOMA BIFMA CCPA CSAA CAPA CLSI CFPMI CAP CPA CAGI CGA CAM-I CEA CSPA CEMA CTI CSA DISA DASMA EIMA EASA EIA ESTA EIA EOS/ ESD FCI FM GTEEMC GICC GEIA GEI HPVA HIBCC HL 7 HPS HFES HI IESNA ITSDF IEEE IEST IIE INMM 12 AMA IAF IAAMC IAPMO ICPA ICC ITI NETA I 3 A IIAR ISEA ISANTA IWCA IPC ISA JCSEE KCMA LIA MSS MHI MBC NACE NAHBRC NAAMM NBBPVI NBFAA NCMA NCSL NCPDP NECA NEMA NFPA NGCMA NISO NIMS NIST/ ITL NPPC NSAA NADCA NERC NAESB NALFA NASPO NSF NIRMA OLA OPCC OEOSC OPEI PMMI PSA PCA PWMA PMI RPTIA RSTC RVIA RESNA RIA RMA SIA SSFI SIA SMA SPRI SBS SAE SCTE SMPTE SVIA SAAMI SES SDI SJI SSCI TIA TCATA CI TMS SPI TCA TOY-TIA TAPS TCIA TPI USDA USPRO UL UAMA UCC VITA WQA WDMA WCMA WMMA

Standards Used in the U. S. : Different tools for different market needs National Participation • Treaty Organizations • Non-Treaty Organizations Direct Participation Consortia • Nationally Accepted • Internationally Accepted Examples ISO, IEC, ITU, CODEX, etc. Examples ASTM International, ASME, SAE, etc. Examples SNIA, W 3 C, IGRS, etc. Features Formality in process through “one country, one vote” system Features Direct link between technical experts and SDOs Features Wide range of processes and procedures allows flexibility 2008 © ANSI Slide 22

Standards Used in the U. S. : Consortia Standards n Consortia consist of groups of like-minded participants who place a priority on developing standards quickly enough to meet market demands or to harmonize or differentiate specifications within an industry. n Hundreds of consortia organizations operate in the global economy. Many have global membership, including both U. S. and Chinese companies. n Consortia usually have a narrow focus, with some only developing a single specification. However, some consortia are very broad and develop a large number of standards (examples: W 3 C, OASIS, etc. ) n Companies often rely on consortia standards in areas where the technology changes rapidly. 2008 © ANSI Slide 23

The U. S. Standards System: Who’s Who Coordinates U. S. System and policy development ANSI Coordinates USG use & participation Participates in U. S. policy development Provides technical input for standards development Independently runs standards development activities* Legal metrology √ Standards Developers √ √ (Including Consortia) Companies √ √ Government Agencies √ √ (regulators and procurement) NIST √ √ *Documentary Standards, excluding “national participation models” 2008 © ANSI Slide 24

The U. S. Standards System Government Private-Sector Regulators NIST coordinates Federal activities in voluntary standards CPSC, EPA. FCC, USDA, etc. Standards Developers Companies Consumers Government NGOs Academics Trade Associations Others NIST Procurement Agencies DOD, NASA, USDA, etc. Activities Carried out independent of the ANSI Structure Government Agencies are members of ANSI and of SDOs. Agencies participate directly in voluntary standards development and policy setting and use voluntary standards when it supports their missions U. S. Policies and Positions 2008 © ANSI Slide 25

U. S. Standards System “The Drivers” Companies, Government Agencies and other Standards Users “The Vehicle” Standards Developers (Including Consortia) “The Road” ANSI 2008 © ANSI Slide 26

Questions or Comments? 2008 © ANSI Slide 27

Annex 1: Common Acronyms 2008 © ANSI Slide 28

Common Acronyms used in the U. S. n n n n ANS- American National Standard ANSI – American National Standards Institute EHS – Environment, Health and Safety IEC – International Electrotechnical Commission ISO – International Standard Organization ITU – International Telecommunications Union NGO – Non-Governmental Organization PASC – Pacific Area Standards Congress S&C – Standards and Conformance SAC – Standardization Administration of China SCATR – Standards, Conformity Assessment, and Technical Regulations SDO – Standards Developing Organization TBT – Technical Barriers to Trade (Agreement under WTO) WTO – World Trade Organization 2008 © ANSI Slide 29