Page 18 - Volume 8, Issue 1 Winter 2013

they are organized, managed and funded by the stakeholder organization.
How does ASA fit in?
Compared to other organizations of its size, ASA has an unusually large role in internation- al standards. ASA administers nine U.S. TAGs:
• Electroacoustics (IEC/TC 29)
• Acoustics (ISO/TC 43)
• Noise (ISO/TC 43/SC 1)
• Underwater acoustics (ISO/TC 43/SC 3)
• Mechanical vibration, shock and condi-
tion monitoring (ISO/TC 108)
• Measurement and evaluation of mechanical vibration and shock as applied to machines, vehicles and struc-
tures (ISO/TC 108/SC 2)
• Use and calibration of vibration and
shock measuring instruments (ISO/TC
108/SC 3)
• Human exposure to mechanical vibra-
tion and shock (ISO/TC 108/SC 4)
• Condition monitoring and diagnostics
of machines (ISO/TC 108/SC 5)
In addition to organizing and administer- ing these nine U.S. TAGs, ASA also provides the international secretariat for three of the ISO committees:
• Mechanical vibration, shock and condi- tion monitoring (ISO/TC 108)
• Condition monitoring and diagnostics of machines (ISO/TC 108/SC 5)
• Underwater acoustics (ISO/TC 43/SC 3)
Steps in the ISO/IEC standards development process
ISO standards are developed in a series of steps, each strictly limited in regard to the time allocated to complete it. (The longest possible timeframe is 4 years, which is the timeframe referenced in the text below.) By their nature, standards are very practical documents. They are prepared to address a specific issue or problem identified by the people working in the trenches. So every standards development project starts when someone identifies a need.
Figure 1 shows a simplified version of the ISO steps and also the points where the mem- bers of the U.S. TAG have input at each step. Figure 2 shows the process used to acquire the U.S. TAG input.
The first step in the ISO process is the “New work item proposal” (NP). The proposal may come from various sources such as any P-member country or from within the committee itself. The key factor is that the idea almost always comes directly from the stakeholder community rather than
Fig. 1. International Standards Organization/International Electrotechnical Commission (ISO/IEC) standards development process (simplified).
being imposed “from above” by an outside authority. Whatever the source, the person wishing to make the pro- posal must complete a form explaining the scope of the proj- ect and justifying the need. Issues such as conflict or duplica- tion of pre-existing standards and the potential to develop a “globally relevant solution” to the identified problem are
International Standards Development 17