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• ISO Technical Committee 108/SC 3: Use and calibra- tion of vibration and shock measuring instruments
• ISO Technical Committee 108/SC 4: Human exposure to mechanical vibration and shock
• ISO Technical Committee 108/SC 5: Condition monitor- ing and diagnostics of machine systems
TAGs to IEC committees operate under US National Com- mittee-approved procedures. TAGs to ISO committees are accredited by ANSI (Struck, 2016). International technical committees operate in a similar consensus-based manner, but their membership is composed of international delegates from many nations. Committees generally meet every 18 months. The working language for the meetings is English.
ASA Standards also administers the secretariats for two ISO technical committees.
• ISO Technical Committee 108: Mechanical vibration, shock, and condition monitoring
• ISO Technical Committee 43/SC 3: Underwater acoustics
The secretariat handles all administration and coordination of the committee. Holding a secretariat for an international committee is an immense responsibility that requires dili- gence, diplomacy, and patience. For these reasons, holding an international secretariat is an honor and a privilege that enhances the prestige of the United States and of the ASA Standards Program.
Participation in Standards Development
The involvement of a broad range of stakeholders is critical to the successful development of standards. Representatives from groups such as companies, educational institutions, and trade associations as well as individual consultants and retired or semiretired engineers and scientists actively par- ticipate in the standards development process. Other con- cerned stakeholders, in particular government authorities, are often involved to determine if a proposed standard has health or safety implications. A standard developed by a di- verse range of stakeholders that meets the needs of the even- tual end users is always superior to one that reflects only one point of view.
Anyone with a material interest in the scope or subject mat- ter may join a WG. Participation in the development of a voluntary standard typically involves technical analyses and drafting and reviewing text and references in collaboration with other WG members. WG meetings may occur in per- son or using online collaboration tools. There may also be work that occurs outside the formal meetings such as the
electronic sharing of documents. Representatives of mem- ber organizations and ASACOS members attend standards committee meetings and actively participate by proposing, commenting, and voting on draft standards. Participants can follow the progress of related standards and proposals for new standards as well as revisions, reaffirmations, and withdrawals of existing standards. It is also an opportunity to network and exchange technical knowledge with one’s peers and counterparts.
ASA Standards member organizations justify their partici- pation in standards development by the economic benefits to their business or trade association. Strategic standardiza- tion leverages standards to build and sustain a competitive edge. Companies that do not participate in standards devel- opment allow their competitors to define the standards to which they will need to conform in order to remain com- petitive in the marketplace. Industry-wide agreements pub- lished as standards enable economies of scale and reduce the demand for internal resources to develop proprietary procedures. A new standard may help expand or create a new market. Using standards also enables companies to manufacture and test more efficiently and at a reduced cost (Struck, 2015).
Conclusion
The purpose of the ASA Standards Program is to gener- ate and maintain voluntary consensus-based standards in acoustics. Recent examples of the ASA-developed acoustical standards and their benefits include S1.1 and S3.20 to en- able correct and consistent acoustical and bioacoustical ter- minology usage in technical documents. A free, searchable, online database of these terms can be found on the ASA website at http://acousticstoday.org/terminology.
• S1.4 to ensure accurate sound level meter measurements
• S1.6 to ensure standard frequency formats and data com-
patibility
• S3.7 for the measurement and calibration of earphones
• S3.22 to ensure quality and Federal Drug Administration
compliance of hearing aids
• S12.10 to measure and reduce the noise levels of home
appliances and office machines
• S12.42 to quantify the performance of hearing protectors
• S12.60 to improve classroom acoustics
This list is necessarily incomplete because new acoustical stan- dards are published every month. These and all other ASA- developed standards are available for purchase at the online standards store available at http://acousticstoday.org/sstore.
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