Useful references relating to standards development and procedures
Useful references and guidance for standards-writers – ISO/IEC Guides
ISO and IEC have provided a rich resource of helpful advice for standards writers in the form of Guides. The majority of these will help you deal with specialist issues, such as consumer needs, when writing standards. Many are also useful for people not involved in standards work as the advice they contain can be generally applied to their subject areas. Make a note of the publications below so that if you find yourself dealing with one of the subjects covered, you will know where to find useful guidelines. The ISO/IEC Guides mentioned below are those of the widest general interest; the more specialized ISO/IEC Guides are not mentioned. The full texts of the Guides are not included in this module.
The summaries below will help you to decide which Guide can be helpful in a particular standards development situation.
For interested consumer representatives and other experts working within the ISO system developing standards, the Guides are available upon request free of charge from the member body in their country, or on request to the ISO Central Secretariat. For those not participating in the ISO system, the Guides can also be purchased from www.iso.org/isostore, webstore.iec.ch, or from your ISO member body: www.iso.org/isomembers, or IEC national committees or sales outlets (see www.iec.ch/webstore/custserv/pdf/adNC-SO.pdf).
IEC National Committees, Sales outlets (web stores)
NOTE:
ISO technical committee Chairs and Secretaries can obtain them from the TC Portal (password protected). IEC technical committee officers have access through www.iec.ch/restricted/guides.
ISO/IEC Guide 2:2004, Standardization and related activities – General vocabulary
This Guide provides and explains terms and definitions concerning standardization and related activities. It is intended to aid understanding of commonly used terms amongst the members of ISO and IEC and governmental and nongovernmental agencies involved in standardization at international, regional and national levels. The guide also provides a useful reference, briefly covering basic theoretical and practical principles of standardization, certification and laboratory accreditation.
ISO/IEC Guide 7:1994, Guidelines for drafting of standards suitable for use for conformity assessment
These guidelines can help you to draft standards which are suitable for conformity assessment of products (they can also be useful for process and service standards). If you know that a standard will be used for conformity assessment, you can apply the principles laid down in ISO/IEC Guide 7 to have added confidence that it is written appropriately. Note: Guide 7 is in the process of being revised into a full standard: ISO/IEC 17007 (expected in 2008).
ISO/IEC Guide 14:2003, Purchase information on goods and services intended for consumers
This Guide is one of several dealing with consumer information. It advises standards writers on what information prospective purchasers (of products or services) require and expect. It can also assist you if you use purchase information as part of your job (e.g., regulatory enforcement authorities). It deals with the contents, methods, formats and design of purchase information so that consumers can compare and choose between products and services.
ISO/IEC Guide 37:1995, Instructions for use of products of consumer interest
Instructions for use are an integral part of the delivery of the product, and now increasingly make use of different media such as the Internet. They are the means of conveying information to the user on how to use the product in a correct and safe manner. Guide 37 gives advice on the design and formulation of instructions so that they are helpful to the final users of consumer products and services. This Guide also deals with the use of panel testing to evaluate instructions. It includes checklists for assessment, and for items to be covered in instructions.
ISO/IEC Guide 41:2003, Packaging — Recommendations for addressing consumer needs
Packaging of products is important to today’s consumer - after all indirectly bearing the cost. When your standards deal with packaging, they should therefore address safety, health, fitness for purpose, comfort and reliability, as well as the environment. Guide 41 gives the general recommendations to be taken into consideration when determining the most suitable type of packaging to be used at the point of sale to the consumer.
ISO/IEC Guide 46:1985, Comparative testing of consumer products and related services – General principles
This Guide is primarily for consumer testing laboratories and associations. It provides guidance on presenting test results and information in a readily understandable and easily comparable way. The purpose is to help consumers and others to make an informed choice. The Guide applies to testing of products and services intended for all types of markets (national, regional or international).
ISO/IEC Guide 50:2002, Safety aspects — Guidelines for child safety
Children are born into an adult world. Consequently, the potential for injury is particularly great during childhood. Guide 50 provides a framework for preventing hazards to children from the products and services that they use. It is primarily intended for standards writers because you can play a key role in injury prevention and control. A checklist is included so that you can assess if and how you have dealt with any child safety issues.
ISO/IEC Guide 51:1999, Safety aspects — Guidelines for their inclusion in standards
This helps standards writers to include safety aspects in their standards. It is applicable to any safety aspect related to people, property or the environment, or a combination of one or more of these (e.g., people only; people and property; people, property and the environment). Guide 51 adopts a risk reduction approach. The complete life cycle of a product, process or service, including both the intended use and the reasonably foreseeable misuse, is dealt with.
ISO Guide 64:1997, Guide for the inclusion of environmental aspects in product standards
Every product has some impact on the environment during its manufacture, distribution, use or disposal. These impacts may range from slight to significant. Provisions in product standards can therefore have a significant influence on the extent of these environmental impacts. The Guide therefore aims to raise awareness of the potential for environmental provisions in product standards and to help avoid provisions in product standards that may lead to adverse environmental impacts. A number of practical techniques are given to help those standards writers with limited environmental knowledge.
ISO/IEC Guide 71:2001, Guidelines for standards developers to address the needs of older persons and persons with disabilities
This provides you with a systematic approach to addressing ageing and disability issues when writing International Standards. It will also help whole technical committees to evaluate how they are addressing these issues in their entire work programmes. Effective, practical techniques are given which will help you understand the needs of these people. The Guide applies to products, services and environments encountered in all aspects of daily life.
ISO Guide 72:2001, Guidelines for the justification and development of management system standards
Justifying and evaluating new management system standards can be complex, especially when it comes to assessing market relevance. Guidelines on the methodology for developing and maintaining management system standards are given in Guide 72. Important advice is also given to help ensure new management system standards are compatible and aligned with existing ISO or ISO/IEC management system standards (e.g., ISO 9000, ISO 14000, ISO 22000, ISO/IEC 27000 and ISO 28000 series). This guide will help you if you are involved in the development of management system standards.
ISO/IEC Guide 73:2002, Risk management — Vocabulary — Guidelines for use in standards
Risk management depends on the context. Where terms related to risk management are used in a standard, it is important that their meanings are understood. The aim of this Guide is to promote the coherent description of risk management activities and the use of risk management terminology. It contributes to mutual understanding amongst the members of ISO and IEC on this huge and complex subject.
ISO/IEC Guide 74:2004, Graphical symbols — Technical guidelines for the consideration of consumers' needs
If you are designing a graphical symbol for the public, it needs to be clear and easily understood, as poorly designed symbols can cause confusion for consumers. Furthermore, it is important not to duplicate efforts by creating symbols when ones already exist. Guide 74 will tell you how to develop graphical symbols aimed at helping the public (e.g., instructions or warnings), and indicate databases for symbols and other valuable resources to assist in that task. It covers items such as safety signs and product safety labels which you can use on equipment and products.
ISO/IEC Guide 76:2008, Development of service standards – Recommendations for addressing consumer issues
Standards are increasingly being developed for services, yet there are special characteristics for services which can be challenging for a service provider. These include the conditions for delivery, appropriate training for personnel and strategies to measure and improve customer satisfaction. This Guide has been prepared to help experts to take account of consumer requirements when developing a standard for any kind of service. In particular, Guide 76 has a useful checklist with handy cross-references to the relevant clauses, and informative examples of how the Guide can be used. The information will also be useful for service providers themselves.
ISO/IEC Guide 98:1995, Guide to the expression of uncertainty in measurement, Supplement 2 (GUM)
Two people measuring the same product with the same ruler on different days would probably get different results. This could be because of factors such as a change in the room temperature (important for a metal ruler) or different eyesight capabilities. The two measurements might be equivalent or not, depending upon their individual uncertainties. This concept of uncertainty is a measure of the quality of a measurement and can be vital in many cases. ISO/IEC Guide 98 helps people to evaluate the uncertainty of their measurements, a requirement more and more frequent in technical procedures, regulations, standards and the like, concerning measurements at any degree of accuracy.
ISO/IEC Guide 99:2007, International vocabulary of metrology - Basic and general concepts and associated terms (VIM)
Before people can communicate they need to know and understand the words they wish to use. This is equally true in metrology, where concepts and terms such as measurement result, measurement error and measurement uncertainty need to be agreed upon if they are to be used in a consistent manner. Since metrology is in an evolving state concerning what is the best approach (e.g. classical versus uncertainty), it is especially important to have an international vocabulary that can allow metrologists to clearly communicate about the measurement approach that they are using. This document gives guidance on the concepts and terms used in various approaches to measurement.