Add Your Voice to Improve Voluntary Standards - Guest Article Cleo Manuel Stamatos, ANSI
"That Equity May Prevail" is the motto of the National Conference on Weights and Measures (NCWM). The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) shares your values and invites you to learn more about volunteer opportunities in the standards process in the U.S. NCWM members understand that standards are behind the scenes making the world safer every day. You know that across the full spectrum of U.S. industries and communities, standards for performance, interoperability, and safety help protect the public and foster commerce and innovation by influencing the design, manufacturing, marketing, distribution, and use of nearly every product, process, and system we use every day. In the U.S., voluntary consensus standards are set by standards developing organizations through a process characterized by openness, balance, due process, consensus, and the right to appeals. One hallmark of this process is assuring that contributors represent a wide range of interests and organizations. “Voluntary standards groups bring together industry experts, government agencies, and consumer advocates to develop safety practices for product manufacturing,” said Alexander Hoehn-Saric, chair of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). “Having a diverse group of stakeholders is one of the founding principles of developing safety standards for consumer products. When we bring experts to the table to discuss incidents associated with a product, consumer representation is essential; without the consumer perspective, the discussion can be unbalanced.” “Given the importance of stakeholder participation in standards development, I urge you to consider joining a standards committee to help shape and improve the world around you,” according tosaid Kathleen Thuner, a long- time NCWM colleague and retired San Diego County Agricultural Commissioner and Sealer of Weights and Measures.
According to Thuner, “NCWM members know how important standards are, but they may not know how much the strength of standards depends on the active participation of all relevant interests, including volunteer consumers, in standards committees. My experience as a weights and measures professional has helped me represent the public interest in many voluntary standards committees, from e-farming to unit pricing.” Thuner recently recruited past NCWM chairman and member and former California State director of measurement standards Mike Cleary, who is now active on several ASTM standards committees. According to Cleary, “I have joined some ASTM committees and now am training to volunteer on international consumer issues, as well. It’s a great way to continue to serve the public and make the world safer for consumers.” For more information, visit ANSI’s Consumers and Standards webpage.
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is a private non-profit organization whose mission is to enhance both the global competitiveness U.S. business and the U.S. quality of life by promoting and facilitating voluntary consensus standards and conformity assessment systems, and safeguarding their integrity. Its membership is comprised of businesses, professional societies and trade associations, standards developers, government agencies, and consumer and labor organizations. ANSI is the official U.S. representative to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and, via the U.S. National Committee, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). For more information, visit www.ansi.org.
NCWM-News 23
2024 Issue 1
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