Codes and Standards

ANSI

(American National Standards Institute): The coordinator of the US national standards systems.

ASTM International

(American Society for Testing and Materials): Standards covering the properties of materials, equipment to test properties and outlining the procedures for testing.

ASME

(American Society of Mechanical Engineers): The ASME was founded, in part, to address the issue of industrial standards.

ISO

(International Organization for Standardization): World's largest developer and publisher of international standards

NIST

(National Institute of Standards and Technology): A measurement standards laboratory

UL

(Underwriters Laboratories): To prevent loss of life and property from fire, crime, and casualty

List the five types of standards

1. Dimensional Standards 2. Performance/Quality Standards 3. Test standards 4. Standard technical terms and symbols 5. Standard "codes" of practice

Briefly explain the "hydro-level" case and its significance to ASME

ASME created a standard, which effectively made the product of hydrolevel unsatisfactory with respect to this standard. Hydrolevel retaliated and almost bankrupted ASME in a lawsuit.

What is ISO 14000?

Environmental management standards exist to help organizations minimize how their operations negatively affect the environment and to continue improvement of their environmental performance

What are the five purposes of standards?

Establish a common dimension base Set out current engineering practice in common design situations Increase the effectiveness of the designer Reduce the cost of the manufacture Increase consumer safety

What is ISO 26000?

Guidance for Social Responsibility; The objective is to contribute to sustainable development in which attention is given to planet, people, and profit.

What is ISO 9000 and what makes it different from other standards?

Quality management systems and is designed to help organizations ensure they meet the needs of customers and other stakeholders. It is the only standard in the family against which organizations can be certified.

What is the difference between a "code" and a "standard"? What is the definition of each?

Standard - set of technical definitions and/or guidelines; suggested practice Codes - Laws; they are legal requirements