ISO
ISO (International Organization for Standardization) and the Strategic Council on Security Technology have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to map out the standards needed for the improvement of security and productivity of ocean container shipments.
Under the MoU, ISO's technical committee ISO/TC 8, Ships and marine technology, will work together with the Strategic Council on Security Technology in an effort to further their Smart and Secure Tradelanes (SST) initiative, the world's largest public-private initiative toimprove the end-to-end security and efficiency of container transportation.
The cooperation will serve as the foundation for the international pilot programme launched by the ISO technical committee aimed at addressing security gaps as well as proposing solutions to those security concerns through the development of standards for the international trade community.
"By working with the partners of the SST initiative, we will be able to achieve the objective of our programme, while preserving 'company proprietary information' and minimizing commercial disruption," said Captain Charles Piersall, Chair of ISO/TC 8. "Our work with SST will be key to both accelerating the standards development process and to forming a working industry/government coalition to implement the standards."
As part of their cooperation, ISO's technical committee on ships and marine technology will examine the technologies, processes, business practices, data and operational results of the initial phase of the SST initiative as it has been implemented in over 12 of the world's busiest tradelanes. In exchange, the technical committee will baseline current practices, identify security gaps and propose standards-based solutions that address the security concerns over the movement of cargo containers.
Through its cooperation with the SST initiative, the technical committee plans to make recommendations for new procedures for maintenance and transfer of cargo custody, additional data to be transmitted, sensor interfaces and modes of data communication, and the means to search for and access data on an as needed basis.
For the full text see: http://www.scst.info/press.html
A new technical report ISO/TR 16765, Comparison of worldwide safety standards on lifts for firefighers, provides guidance for writers of standards through a comparison of national lift (elevator) codes, fire codes and building regulations as they are applied around the world. It is
intended to serve as a reference tool in the development of safety requirements for firefighter lifts (elevators) in new or revised standards, with a view to gradually merging technical requirements worldwide.
Firefighter lifts (or elevators) are used by fire service personnel when faced with the task of firefighting on a floor high above the ground. They are used to reach the fire quickly and safely, taking with them their equipment, while, at the same time, protecting the physical safety and lives of the occupants of the building as well as their own.
"The selected topics covered in ISO/TR 16765 are analysing the various firefighting applications across the world related to local regulations and existing standards," said Mr. Michael Savage, convenor of the working group. "The technical report also deals with the fire resistance of lift landing doors to prevent fire entering the lift shaft which can act as a chimney.
ISO/TR 16765 provides a comparison between the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) standard for firefighting lifts (EN 81-72) and the national codes of Australia, Canada, China, Hong Kong (China), India,
"The benefits of this technical report is that it forms a global basis for harmonizing the various existing national codes, which at present vary in their detail, but not in their ultimate goals. Therefore, the code makers in each country should be made fully aware that this comparison exists and they should always refer to it when updating either local national codes or regional area codes," further noted Mr. Savage.
ISO/TR 16765 costs 126 Swiss francs and is available from ISO national member institutes (see the complete list with contact details) and from ISO Central Secretariat. The new standard is the work of ISO technical committee ISO/TC 178, Lifts, escalators, passenger conveyors, working group WG 6, Lift installation (classes I,II, III and IV).
Up until now, consumer representatives involved in standardization work could gain knowledge of their work through personal experience, exchanges with peers, or a nationally-run training programme. They can now access a basic reference tool that complements these approaches and gathers all the facts and in one place.
The new brochure, The consumer and standards - Guidance and principles for consumer participation in standards development, provides guidance to those representing consumer interests in the standardization work of not only ISO and IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission), but for the corresponding work at the national level and to assist those who recommend the use of International Standards. The brochure was developed by ISO's Committee on consumer policy (COPOLCO).
The document outlines the meaning and essential elements of consumer participation, including an overview of standards development procedures, as well as the history of consumer participation in standards work. Criteria for setting consumer priorities are provided together with the priority areas selected by COPOLCO. Relevant ISO/IEC guides, International Standards, and other publications are also referenced in this brochure.
"The new brochure is a valuable aid for any consumer representative who wishes to "navigate" within the standardization system of ISO and IEC, to influence the definition of requirements, and thereby help make products and services which are suited to consumers' needs," said Dana Kissinger-Matray, Secretary of COPOLCO, ISO Central Secretariat.
The full text of the document is freely available on our site. The paper version of the brochure can be ordered free (for small quantities - postage and handling are charged on larger orders) from ISO national member institutes (see complete list with contact details) and from ISO Central Secretariat.
ISO (International Organization for Standarization) has just released a new CD-ROM that for the first time makes available all currently valid ISO standards "plus" the complete work programme of all its technical committees.
The ISO CataloguePlus 2003 has been designed to help individuals consult the information quickly and easily. The CD-ROM includes the same useful information as the ISO Catalogue of the previous years, plus goes a step further in providing the complete work programme including every draft standard under development.
The ISO CataloguePlus provides users with all the latest developments in ISO standardization through easy-to-use search functions by subject area, ISO number, technical committee along with a complete keyword index to every published and draft standard. As an added bonus, it contains the list of standards in both English and French, meaning there is no longer a need to possess two separate volumes.
It also includes a list of ISO members and their addresses, the titles of technical committees, a list of withdrawn standards and technical corrigenda, ISO maintenance agencies and registration authorities, as well as a list of ISO information publications and products.
"The ISO CataloguePlus is a time and money saver for organizations who are looking for information on ISO standards and ISO standards work," said Mr. Graham Kimberley, Information Officer, ISO Central Secretariat. "The CD-ROM provides users with easy navigation, numerous search possibilities and faster access and retrieval of information concerning ISO standards at the click of a mouse button."
In response to frequent requests for its free publications, the CD-ROM also provides access to complete texts such as, ISO 9000 - Selection and use, Quality management principles, Environmental management - The ISO 14000 Family of International Standards, ISO Strategies 2002-2004: Raising standards for the world, International Classification for Standards (ICS), ISO in figures, and Information leaflets on conformity assessment, consumer and developing country matters.
The CD-ROM is compatible with Windows, Macintosh and UNIX operating systems and demands no particular technical skills other than opening a file in a Web browser.
The traditional paper edition of the ISO Catalogue is also available - price 95 Swiss francs - in the same structure as the successful versions of the previous years. In addition to the list of standards classified by subject and the alphabetical index, it is available in two separate volumes, English (ISBN 92-67-10372-5) and French (ISBN 92-67-20372-X).
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