International Standards and Practices Notes

Standardization: A Historical Overview

Standardization has ancient roots, evolving from early community rules to enhance rulers' power. The industrial revolution significantly propelled its growth, and socio-political factors continue to shape standardization efforts.

• Early societies relied on generational rules, language, and writing.
• Measurement systems used body parts like the "ell" (elbow to fingertip), foot length, and hand breadth.

International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)

Both ISO and IEC are independent, non-governmental, and not-for-profit organizations that develop international standards based on consensus.

• Members include government, private, and public-private entities with one vote per UN-recognized country.
• National positions should represent all stakeholders, including government experts.
• ISO and IEC promote global trade, economic growth, and safe, efficient, environmentally friendly products and services.
• International Standards are voluntary but support public policy implementation.

Definition and Importance of a Standard

A standard is a document providing requirements, specifications, guidelines, or characteristics to ensure materials, products, processes, and services are fit for purpose.

• Importance of Standardization
  • Harmonizes processes, regulations, and conformity assessment.
  • Establishes trust for smooth market operations.
  • Provides a common language for performance measurement.
  • Enables interoperability of components from different companies.
  • Protects consumers through safety, durability, and market equity.

IEC and ISO International Standards

Represent global consensus on solutions to specific issues, ensuring safety and fitness for purpose.

• Offer strategic advantages for businesses:
  • Cost reduction.
  • Increased productivity.
  • Access to new markets.
  • Facilitation of freer and fairer global trade.
• Embody universally agreed procedures or practices based on the experience and expertise of all interested parties
• Requirements are expressed in terms of performance rather than design.

Usefulness to Public Policymakers

International Standards align with public policy objectives like enhancing economic competitiveness, efficiency, and facilitating international trade.

• Consistent with WTO obligations to reduce technical barriers to trade.
• Powerful instruments of governance due to their impact on goods, services, and quality of life.
• Good policy-making and standardization practices share common characteristics:
  • Openness.
  • Transparency.
  • Effectiveness.
  • Global relevance.
  • Consensus.
  • Input from expert opinion.
• Respond to verified needs and ensure stakeholder buy-in.

Table 1. Advantages and benefits of using and referencing IEC and ISO International Standards in public policy

Standards Development Process

Values inclusiveness and responsiveness to changing dynamics.

• Developed in a multi-stakeholder environment, incorporating diverse technical views and social/economic interests.
• National perspectives are gathered through liaisons and cooperation with international governmental and non-governmental organizations.
• Reflects a double-layer of consensus:
  • Among experts during drafting.
  • Among countries during formal commenting and voting.

Brands and Reliability

IEC (founded in 1906) and ISO (founded in 1947) are recognized worldwide, symbolizing quality, confidence, reliability, trust, and safety.

• Develop standards based on established international market needs.
• Ensure procedures prevent duplication and conflict.
• Provide access to all relevant parties for participation and influence.
• Maintain low participation costs through fees from national members and sales of standards.
• Ensure standards are correct and up-to-date through regular review and revision.

Global Participation and Applicability

IEC and ISO have broad geographical reach, covering approximately 97% of the world’s population.

• Members can select committees and standards based on national interests.
• Actively encourage developing countries' involvement to enhance their participation capacity and awareness of the benefits of International Standards, as well as to promote their adoption and usage.
• Many countries and companies recognize and implement IEC and ISO International Standards for commercial or national purposes, making them globally applicable for trade.

World Trade and International Standards

Standards facilitate trade.

• The World Trade Organization (WTO) ensures that national regulations, standards, and conformity assessment procedures do not create unnecessary obstacles to international trade through the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT).
• The WTO/TBT Agreement recognizes the contribution of International Standards in improving production efficiency and international trade by promoting harmonization, focusing on the establishment, recognition, and application of common measures by WTO members.
• WTO members should use International Standards as a basis for their national technical regulations and conformity assessment procedures, and participate in International Standardizing bodies.

Supporting Public Policy

Public policy includes government actions addressing public issues, based on values and norms, which can be legislative or non-legislative.

Table 2. Legislative actions & Non-Legislative actions

• Standards are often used in technical regulations but can also support government policy actions beyond legislation.

Costs of Standards Development

Involve time, travel, and expenses of experts, costs of running secretariats, and expenses incurred by the IEC Central Office and the ISO Central Secretariat.

1. Expert Costs: Time, travel, and expenses of experts in technical committees, borne by their employers or themselves.
2. Secretariat Costs: Expenses for running technical committee secretariats, hosting meetings, supporting national infrastructure, gathering stakeholder views, and distributing published standards, borne by IEC and ISO members (publicly or privately funded).
3. Central Office Costs: Expenses for infrastructure, program management, document distribution, committee management tools, voting, collaborative working, and expertise provided by the IEC/CO and ISO/CS, funded by member fees and sales of standards.

National Policies on Standards

Major economies have developed policies to encourage the use of standards to support public policy.

• IEC or ISO International Standards may be used directly in regulations or policy documents after assessing their suitability.
• Adoption may be necessary in some regions.
• National stakeholders assess IEC or ISO International Standards to ensure they meet specific needs and are fit for purpose.

Examples of national policies:

• China: Mandatory standards are used for pharmaceuticals, safety, transportation, environmental protection, and construction, influenced by WTO/TBT principles. About 74% of China’s standards are developed based on related International Standards.

  • Regulation: Safety Production Law of the People’s Republic of China

• Japan: Encourages the use of voluntary Japanese Industrial Standards (JIS) and harmonizes them with International Standards.

  • Regulation: Electrical Appliance and Material Safety Law – Technical requirements

• United States: Considers standards vital to world commerce and coordinates through ANSI. Federal policy is guided by the National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act (NTTAA).

  • Regulation: 46 CFR 111.105-11, Title 46: Shipping, Chapter I: Coast Guard, Department Of Homeland Security

• Philippines: Adopts Philippine National Standards (PNS) based on IEC standards.

  • Regulation: DTI- Department Administrative Oder (DAO) No. 18-03, Series of 2018 Mandatory Philippine National Standards (PNS) for Household and Similar Appliances

Joint Technical Committee (JTC) ISO/IEC

Forms a specialized system for worldwide standardization.

• National bodies participate through technical committees.
• ISO and IEC technical committees collaborate in areas of mutual interest.
• Other international organizations also participate.
• ISO/IEC JTC 1 focuses on information technology.
  • ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 36 focuses on IT for learning, education, and training.
• International Standards are drafted according to ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.
• Draft International Standards require approval by at least 75% of national bodies.
• ISO and IEC are not responsible for identifying patent rights.
• Example: ISO/IEC 19796-1 was prepared by Joint Technical Committee ISO/IEC JTC 1, Information technology.

Examples of IEC and ISO International Standards Supporting Public Policy

• Sectors include air transport, electric motors, energy management, climate change, food products, laboratory medicine, medical devices, power transformers, product safety, radio services, railways, road vehicles, ships, standby power, television, and transport of dangerous goods.

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO)

An international standard-setting body with representatives from national standards organizations.

• Founded on February 23, 1947, it develops and publishes worldwide technical, industrial, and commercial standards.
• Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, with operations in 165 countries.
• Derived from the Greek 'isos', meaning equal, ensuring consistent acronym usage across languages.
• ISO has 23831 international standards, 794 technical committees, and subcommittees.

Membership Categories:

1. Member Bodies: National bodies with voting rights.
2. Correspondent Members: Countries without their own standards organization.
3. Subscriber Members: Countries with small economies, paying reduced fees.

The Philippines is represented by the Bureau of Product Standards (BPS), participating in 165 Technical Committees and three Policy Development Committees.

ISO Philippines Representation (Bureau of Product Standards)

BPS mandate is under Republic Act 4109, Executive Order 133 of 1987, and the Consumer Act of the Philippines, Republic Act 7394 of 1992.

• Develops and publishes Philippine National Standards (PNS).
• Operates as a staff Bureau under the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) with 95 personnel.

Committee Members

• P-MEMBER: Participating member with voting rights.
• O-MEMBER: Observer member without voting rights.

Strengths of ISO standards - created by industry experts, giving early access to information, a voice in development, and helping to keep market access open.

Popular ISO Standards

• ISO 9000 Family: Quality management.
• ISO 45001: Occupational health and safety.
• ISO 14000 Family: Environmental management.
• ISO 22000: Food safety management.
• ISO/IEC 27001: Information security management.
• ISO 50001: Energy management.
• ISO 6: Camera film speed.
• ISO 639: Language codes.
• ISO 4217: Currency codes.
• ISO 8601: Date and time format.
• ISO 9660: ISO images for computer files.
• ISO 13216: ISOFIX child seats for cars.
• ISO 13485: Medical devices.
• ISO/IEC 17025: Testing and calibration laboratories.
• ISO 20121: Sustainable events.
• ISO 26000: Social responsibility.
• ISO 31000: Risk management.
• ISO 37001: Anti-bribery management systems.
• ISO 3166: Country codes.

ISO Standards Catalogue

Standards for electrical engineering fields are included in ISO Standards catalogue 29 (International Classification for Standards -ICS 29).

• ICS 29.020: Electrical engineering in general.
• Electrical power stations are found in ICS 27.100.
  • Nuclear power plants (27.120.20).
  • Hydraulic power plants (27.140).
  • Solar power stations (27.160).
  • Wind turbine systems (27.180).
• ISO 18888:2017 Gas turbine combined cycle power plants — Thermal performance tests.
• ICS 13.100: Occupational safety. Industrial hygiene.

The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)

A global, not-for-profit membership organization preparing and publishing international standards for all electrical, electronic, and related technologies (electrotechnology).

• Standards cover power generation, transmission, distribution, home appliances, office equipment, semiconductors, fiber optics, batteries, solar energy, nanotechnology, and marine energy.
• Manages four global conformity assessment systems.

IEC standards cover all electro-technologies, including energy production and distribution, electronics, magnetics, electromagnetics, electroacoustics, multimedia, telecommunication, medical technology, terminology, symbols, electromagnetic compatibility, measurement, dependability, design, safety, and environment.

Brief History of IEC

• Began at the International Electrical Congress in St. Louis in 1904.
• Preliminary meeting in London in 1906.
• Birth of SI unit linked to Professor Giovanni Giorgi.

Examples of Units (Electricity and Magnetism, and Light)

• IEC 80000-6: Quantities and units – Part 6: Electromagnetism
• IEC 60050-845: Quantities and units – Part 845: Lighting

IEC brings together 173 member-countries, with more than 10000 published standards, more than one million certifications, and more than 20000 experts

Membership Levels:

• IEC Full Member: Can send experts, apply for management positions, and has voting rights.
• IEC Associate Member: Can access documents and send experts to a limited number of committees, but cannot hold management positions or vote.
• National Committees: Appoint experts to participate in IEC standardization and conformity assessment work.
• Affiliate Country Programme: Offers developing countries the benefits of standardization and conformity assessment without financial obligations.

Philippines: Full membership status with nine committee participations and as observer in 28 committees, represented by the Bureau of Philippine Standards.

Conformity Assessment

Determines whether a product, system, service, or person fulfills the requirements described in a standard or specification.

• Verification is generally done through testing or inspection.
• Conformity assessment is the activity of verifying that a standard or technical specification was applied in the design, manufacturing, installation, maintenance or repair of a device or system, and this activity must be carried out according to a set of well-defined rules to ensure consistent and replicable results.

ISO and IEC standards for conformity assessment.

The ISO/IEC 17000 standards series contains the CASCO Toolbox, providing tools for consistent and reliable conformity assessment.

Why is conformity assessment needed?

• To demonstrate safety and performance to buyers or regulators.

With conformity assessment:

• Governments can verify infrastructure resilience and protect populations.
• Insurers confirm risks are managed properly.
• Buyers receive proof of product safety and performance.
• Investors trust that best practices have been applied.
• Users and consumers can be confident in the performance of electrical and electronic devices.

Types of Conformity Assessment

1. First-Party Conformity Assessment (Self-Declaration): Manufacturer declares conformity (lowest trustworthiness).

   • Common for low-risk products.
   • Cheapest and simplest, lacking independent verification.
   • Example: European CE mark.

2. Second-Party Conformity Assessment: A person or organization with a direct interest verifies performance (mid-level trustworthiness).

   • Large customers conduct their own assessments.

3. Third-Party Conformity Assessment: Independent person or organization performs certification (high level of trustworthiness).

   • More expensive - used when mandated by legislation or market size justifies the cost.

The IEC supports all three forms of CA and runs the IEC CA Systems, whose members provide 3rd-party CA.

Key Concepts of IEC Conformity Assessment Systems

• Openness
• Democracy (including transparency)
• Obligatory mutual recognition

Important Terminology

• Conformity: Compliance with the relevant technical specification.
• Test report: A document detailing the results of testing that a product has undergone to check whether it meets the technical specifications it is being tested against.
• Certification: A determination by an independent third party that a product meets the requirements detailed in the technical specification, based upon the test report.
• Mark: Symbol used to identify that a product is compliant.
• Mutual recognition: Reciprocal acceptance of results among the system participants.
• Peer assessment: Assessing the competence and capability of a body carried out by a “peer”, i.e. another participating body of the same type.

Policies and standards enable all types of conformity assessment. The IEC provides a framework for certification bodies and testing laboratories to participate in the IEC Conformity Assessment (CA) Systems.

• Every member accepts the test results and certificates of all other members, avoiding duplication of testing.

The conformity assessment policy outlines the general principles that all members of the IEC CA Systems must follow.

IEC Focus -Millions of everyday devices function safely and efficiently together because they meet the requirements specified in IEC International Standards and Conformity Assessment Systems.

• Energy
• Sustainable Development Goals
• Protecting the Environment
• Smart Manufacturing
• Healthcare
• Cities and Communities
• Transportation
• Cyber Security
• Artificial Intelligence
• Internet of Thing
• Fundamentals

IEC on Energy

IEC Standards and Conformity Assessment Systems ensure electricity is produced, transmitted, and consumed safely and sustainably.

• IEC paves the way for efficient and smart electricity use in both developed and developing countries.
• IEC International Standards underpin the entire energy chain.
• IEC runs four Conformity Assessment Systems.

List of International Electrotechnical Commission Standards

Older IEC standards were converted in 1997 by adding 60000 (e.g., IEC 364 became IEC 60364).

• IEC 60364-1:2005 Low-voltage electrical installations - Part 1: Fundamental principles, assessment of general characteristics, definitions
  Applies to the design, erection, and verification of electrical installations operating at nominal voltages up to and including $1 000 V$ a.c. or $1 500 V$ d.c.

Benefits of IEC

The IEC brings together more than 170 countries, with close to 20,000 experts cooperating to ensure products work safely with each other.

• Academia: Offers learning modules and courses to integrate standardization concepts.
• Government and regulators: Ensures laws and regulations are state-of-the-art and promote safety. Standards also provide governments with technical references in public tenders
• International organizations: Enables sustainable solutions and promotes global trade.
• Developing countries: Help developing countries ensure that products entering their market fulfill required safety and performance criteria. This makes citizens safer, promotes economic development, and facilitates access to investment.

How to get involved - Contact your IEC National Committee (NC). Philippines is being represented by the Bureau of Philippine Standards as well.