Standard is an agreed way of doing something. It could be about making a product, managing process, delivering a service or supplying materials. Standards cover a huge range of activities undertaken by organisations and used by their customers. They can make organisations more successful and people's living easier, safer and healthier.
An International Standard is a document, established by consensus. It describes how to achieve optimal outcome by using an agreed and consistent approach.
International standards bring technological, economic and societal benefits. They help harmonise technical and other specifications of products and services making industries more efficient and breaking down barriers to international trade. Conformity to International Standards helps to reassure consumers that products are safe, efficient and good for the environment.
International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) is an independent, non-governmental international organisation with a membership of 164 national standards bodies. It has 780 technical committees and subcommittees to take care of standards of development. More than 135 people work full time at ISO's Central Secretariat in Geneva, Switzerland.
ISO has published over 22802 International Standards and related documents, covering almost every industry, form technology to food safety, agriculture, healthcare and many others. ISO International Standards impact everyone and everywhere.
Standards positively influence industrial sectors. Studies investigating the benefits of Standards for industrial sectors indicate the significant contribution of standards to business performance in terms of profit and growth, or both. It helps to improve quality, enhance customer satisfaction and increase sales and promote intra-industry trade.
Interoperability and standards work hand-in-hand to make today's increasingly connected world possibilities. But without those two fundamental enablers, global trade would languish in chaos, disorganisation and incompatibility. Without interoperability and standardisation there would be many more obstacles to global trade.
Standards underpin the global communications network - they standardise telephone numbering system, technology to encode your voice and fibre optics to carry the data. Without internationally standardised communication networks, phoning a trading partner or a potential buyer in another country would be impossible.
Containerisation is another triumph of global interoperability. Global standardisation of cargo containers in the 20th century created true interoperability of land, sea, and air transport of goods. The breakthrough came when national container standards were adapted and which reduced transport costs in international trade.
Now-a-days product and services components are built in different places, then shipped and finally installed elsewhere. If they are not standardised, chances are that sooner or later, expensive trade-offs will have to be made.
Business, industry and government must be certain that the systems they purchase will work and communicate safely with other systems already in place, including information and in-and out-data feeds. They want assurance that standardised components will be available from different vendors for the projected life-time of the system. This provides bigger choice and better prices without the vendor lock-in that stifles competition.
Banking goes global through interoperability. Along with the dramatic growth in international financial traffic, bank customers expect their transactions to be fast, accurate and secured. This puts pressure on banks to improve interoperability. A key tool is the International Bank Account Number (IBAN) standard published in 1997, allowing cross-border identification and validity checks of bank accounts and rapid and secured payments.
Then, to reach optimal interoperability, banks created the Bank Identifier Code (BIC) specifying a unique worldwide identifier for each bank. Other system standards such as the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications (SWIFT) and the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) have contributed to today's high level of interoperability in financial transactions.
It is every country's duty to protect its citizens. This protection must be far reaching and include all aspects of life. Consumers have the right to buy safe and reliable goods, to live and work in buildings that have safe electrical installations, and to be protected from all kinds of hazards associated with products, equipment and systems.
International Standards are developed by experts. By integrating an International Standards into national regulations, governments can get benefit from state- of-the art expert knowledge and know-how without having to call on their services directly. It helps to reduce the duping effect of sub-standard and low-quality products in local markets. Defective products can cause overheating and fires. Such hazards cost substantial amounts of money to local economies and endanger the lives of thousands.
The scope of international Standardisation is vast. It covers billions of electrical devices and electronics used not only at home, in offices, medical facilities, manufacturing or energy generation but also in food safety, transportation and many other everyday products like sports equipment or toys.
Additionally, International Standards on air, water and soil quality, gas emission and radiation, as well as environmental aspects of products help preserve the environment and the health of citizens.
The World Standards Day is celebrated on October 14 every year by the members of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) and International Telecommunication Union (ITU). This signifies the means of paying honour to the joint efforts of the numerous experts across the world that voluntarily develop the technical agreements which are issued as International Standards.
World Standards Day 2019 is themed as "video standards create a global stage." In a message IEC, ISO and ITU explain more about its importance: "Video is the modern medium of expression. Advances in technology have changed our world, revolutionising entertainment, connecting friends and families across the globe, enriching our communications experiences and enabling major improvements in medical care and education. Innovations of recent decades have driven a huge leap forward in video quality and video has also become more accessible, helping people worldwide to share their stories in vivid, moving pictures. These gains in both the sophistication and accessibility of video are built on International Standards…."
World Standards Day is observed each year across the world to raise awareness of responsibility and role that standards play in international economy.The Standard Council of Canada (SCC), which is national accreditation body of Canada, celebrates World Standard Day along with international society.
Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) is a member of ISO since 1974 and celebrates the World Standards Day by organising different programmes to popularise the issue among relevant quarters. Now it is our time to participate in standards development and stay informed of changing standards.
The writer is a retired Additional Secretary.
mdabuabdulah@gmail.com