Page 53 - Fall 2006

Standards
HOW AN IDEA BECOMES A STANDARD
Susan B. Blaeser
Acoustical Society of America Standards Secretariat Melville, New York 11747
and
Paul D. Schomer
2117 Robert Drive Champaign Illinois 61821
According to its bylaws, the purpose
of the Acoustical Society of
America (ASA) is “to increase and
diffuse the knowledge of acoustics and
promote its practical application.” ASA
was founded in 1929, and by 1930, the
ASA had already formed the ASA Committee on Standards (ASACOS) that over the years has become its primary vehi- cle for promoting the practical application of acoustics. Yet at the same time, the ASA Standards Program may be one of the Society's best-kept secrets. In this brief introduction, we hope to shed some light on this outreach arm of ASA and to invite your participation in standards activities that are of interest to you and your company, employer, or spon- sor.
In its scope, the ASA Standards Program spans the disci- plines covered by the thirteen ASA Technical Committees. That is not to say that there are currently standards available in every discipline since certainly some subject areas are still at the early research stage and are too new for standardiza- tion. As a rule, standards follow research and can only be developed when the science is well-established and mature. As newer scientific areas mature, they often begin to experi- ence the need to standardize some elements of their subject and seek out standards.
The ASA Standards Program includes work on both American National Standards (called “ANSI” standards) and International Standards—either International Organization for Standardization (ISO) or International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standards. The Standards Committees are accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) in the areas of acoustics (S1), mechanical vibration and shock (S2), bioacoustics (S3), and noise (S12).
All the American National and International Standards developed under this program are termed “voluntary con- sensus standards.” They are voluntary in that there is no obli- gation that they be used except to the extent that they may become required by law or contract. The existence of stan- dards does not preclude anyone from manufacturing, mar- keting, purchasing, or using products, processes, or proce- dures not conforming to them. In standards work, the term consensus means “substantial agreement has been reached by
“... the ASA Standards Program may be one of the Society's best-kept secrets.”
directly and materially affected interests.” This signifies the concurrence of more than a simple majority, but not necessarily unanimity. Consensus requires that all views and objections be considered, and that an effort be made toward their resolu-
tion.1 “Standards fulfill many needs such as helping to protect health and safety (ANSI S2.70-2006 dealing with vibration transmitted to the hand, for example), providing a common language to promote and facilitate communication among scientists (ANSI S1.1-1994 Acoustical Terminology, for example), and specifying the performance of an instrument (ANSI S1.4-1983, Sound Level Meters). Regulators rely on some standards such as ANSI S3.22 that specifies the charac- teristics of hearing aids. Standards are commonly specified in contracts so there is no doubt about the desired outcome. Test and measurement standards promote uniformity where it is desirable. At the same time, well-written standards pro- mote innovation and invention by specifying performance rather than design.
By and large, standards development is a bottom-up process. This summary will focus on the development of an American National Standard in one of the four ASA-man- aged Committees. The process is different for ISO and IEC standards and differs somewhat among standards developers within the U.S. If you are familiar with the development of ASTM International or IEEE standards, for example, you may note some differences. The key is that each standards developer meets the requirements of the ANSI Essential Requirements: Due process requirements for American National Standards, and adheres to operating procedures that meet those requirements and have been accredited by ANSI. Each accredited standards developer is subject to periodic operational audits by ANSI.
The standards development process begins when experts in a given subject area recognize the need for one or more standards in their field and bring the idea forward to the ASA Standards Secretariat. The initial proposal requires a brief overview of the proposed standard, justification of its need, and interest in its development. The standards leadership, including the Chair and Vice Chair(s) of one or more stan- dards committees, Chair of ASACOS, Standards Manager,
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