Transcript Document

Global Harmonization of
International Standards
International Congress of
Mechanical Engineering Societies
September 13, 2005
Richard E. Feigel, Ph.D
President, ASME
1
The Road to Standardization
Earliest known standards
• 7000 B.C.: cylindrical Stones Used for Units
of Weight
• King Henry I of England standardized the
ancient “yard” as exact length of his
forearm
Slide 2
The Road to Standardization
Modern era: Rapid Technological Advancement and
Commercialization of Equipment
• Standards setting needed to capture technical
knowledge, foster public safety, reliability, efficiency,
interchangeability, consistency across borders, and
serve as basis for laws/regulatory requirements
• 1884-First ASME Performance Test Code-Steam Boilers
• 1902-First ASME Standard for Machine Screw Threads
• 1915-First ASME Boiler Code
Slide 3
Principles for Development of Standards to
meet Societal and Market Needs
In successful standards processes
• Decisions are reached through consensus among those
affected
• Participation is open to all affected interests
• Balance is maintained among competing interests
• The process is transparent -information on the process
and progress is directly available
Slide 4
Principles for Development of Standards to
meet Societal and Market Needs
In successful standards processes
• Due process assures that all views will be considered and
that appeals are possible
• The process is flexible, allowing the use of different
methodologies to meet the needs of different technology
and product sectors
• The process is timely; purely administrative matters do not
slow down the work
•
Standards activities are coherent, avoiding overlap or
conflict
Slide 5
Principles for Development of Standards to
meet Societal and Market Needs
successful standards processes yield the right results
• Standards are relevant, meeting agreed criteria and
satisfying real needs by providing added value
• Standards are responsive to the real world; they use
available, current technology and do not unnecessarily
invalidate existing products or processes
• Standards are performance-based, specifying essential
characteristics rather than detailed designs
Slide 6
Industry Expectations:
Consensus Standards
• Market Access
• Product Acceptance without redundant testing or
conformity assessment requirements
• Stability-common set of rules for production
• Flexibility-standards development process that
keeps current with technical innovation
• Fairness and Impartiality-international standards
should not distort the global market or favor one
region over another
Slide 7
Industry Expectations:
Consensus Standards
• Global and Technical Relevance-meets market
needs of nations and regions and technically
sound
• Standards Process is open to all interests, is
transparent and provides due process for
complaints to be heard
• Standards reflect accepted business practice
Slide 8
Additional Purchaser Expectations:
Consensus Standards
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Safety in Construction
Product Choice
Economic
Property and Casualty Insurance
Slide 9
Regulator Expectations:
Consensus Standards
• Meet public safety, health and environmental
objectives
• Confidence in the Integrity of the product or
service
• Support mutual recognition essential to trade
Slide 10
10
WTO-Agreement on
Technical Barriers to Trade
• Encourages development of international
standards
• Prohibits unnecessary obstacles to trade
• Recognizes important contributions of standards
and conformity assessment
• Encourages technology transfer to developing
countries
Slide 11
Interpretations of Technical Barriers to
Trade Agreement
• Performance Based Definition of International Standards
– Focus on use-not process
– Widely used
– Due Process
– Non-discriminatory
• Participation in ISO Standards
– Encourage Performance Based Standards where
appropriate
– Provide U.S. input to Prescriptive Standards
– Copyrights
Slide 12
12
ASME Global Initiatives
• Concept of Life Cycle Management
• Risk Based Technologies-Inspection,
Management
• Acceptance of International Materials
• Metrication
• Stronger public/private partnering with
government agencies
Slide 13
13
ASME Global Initiatives
• Increasing International Membership on ASME
Standards Development Committees
– International Delegate
• allows representatives of organized groups of
interested experts focused on a specific technical
area to participate in ASME standards
development
• May perform ASME committee work on Internet
via ASME web-based tool
– International Interest Review Group
• Allows any national regulatory agency worldwide
accepting BPV Code as a means of meeting their
regulatory requirements to appoint a
representative to participate in BPV Code
development
Slide 14
14
Expected Outcomes
• First to market with high quality and globally
relevant standards
• Maintain ASME conformity assessment marks as
the marks for international trade
• Minimize legal exposure for ASME
Slide 15
15