# Presentation: 902051

## An Overview of the American National Standards Institute

## Overview of the U.S. National Standards Development System

- The ANSI Federation & Mission
- ANSI’s Role
- The US Standardization System
- ANSI’s Relationship with the US Government
- The National Standards Strategy
- Conclusions

**Notes:**
This Presentation about ANSI will address:

What the ANSI Federation is and who it is made up of
 What ANSI’s mission is
What the US standardization system looks like
How ANSI interacts with the US government
And a bit about the National Standards Strategy which was adopted two years ago

## 		WHAT IS ANSI?

- The private sector organization that coordinates standards in the U.S.
- Membership organization
- Open to all stakeholders
- Includes government members
- Not-for-profit

**Notes:**
ANSI  is the administrator and coordinator of the U.S. private sector voluntary standardization system.  It works to promote and facilitate voluntary consensus standards.

ANSI members represent a broad spectrum of interests from
companies, the government, and various organizations.  I’ll talk more about this a little later.

Open to all stakeholders means that membership and participation in ANSI activities is open to anyone interested in the standardization process

As you will see later, there is significant government participation in aNSI activities.

Finally, ANSI is a not-for-profit organization.  This means it is an organization formed for the purpose of serving a purpose of public or mutual benefit other than the pursuit or accumulation of profits. 

## What ANSI is NOT ...

**What ANSI**** is NOT ...**

**A  government  or ****regulatory  body**** **
**A  standards  developer**

**Notes:**

As you will probably begin to discover this week – the US standardization system is in many ways different from others around the world.  

I often hear people call it confusing.  But, we like to think there is actually order in all the confusion.

One aspect that is often confusing to people – both in the United States and outside of the U.S. is what ANSI actually is.

The truth is, ANSI is not a government or regulatory body.  Most importantly to remember, ANSI is not a standards developer.  As I mentioned earlier, ANSI is the coordinator of the US private sector voluntary standardization system.  As such, it has an umbrella like function for the voluntary standards activities in the United States.

##    & Public Sector

**Private  Sector**
**   ****&**** Public Sector**
**Working Together **

- Academia
- Government
- Manufacturing
- Trade Associations
- Professional Societies
- Service Organizations
- Standards Developers

**Notes:**
ANSI is a partnership of the private and public sector working together and this slide lists the types of organization that make up the ANSI membership.

The academic community participates in ANSI activities.  In fact, I participate in ANSI’s Education and Training committee which is chaired by the Dean of Engineering at Catholic University in Washington, DC.  There is great interest at this time about standards education in engineering schools, business schools, and public policy schools to name a few.

Government agencies are also active participants in ANSI activities.  NIST and ANSI have a special relationship, but many USG agencies have a Standards Executive specially assigned to standards work.  This person participates in many of ANSI’s activities.
Manufacturers are members too.
We have many associations in the United States and many trade associations are members of ANSI.  They often run their own standards activities and get plugged into the national and international activities through their membership with ANSI. 
Professional societies are ones like American Society for Mechanical Engineers are members too.
Service organizations such as certification bodies like Underwriters Laboratories belong to ANSI.
Standards Developers like ASTM and countless others in the United States are also members of ANSI

## 			ANSI Membership

- Organizations
- trade associations, professional societies
- Companies
- U.S., foreign, multi-national
- Government
- DoD, GSA, EPA, NASA, NIST, USDA, etc.
- State, local agencies
- Consumers

**Notes:**
The previous slide talked about the private public partnership within ANSI.  This slide really suggests how ANSI is organized.  
Essentially there are four categories.
Organizations are represented through the ANSI Organizational Member Council (OMC).  Here the interests of US professional societies, trade associations, standards developers and academia in the policy setting activities of the Institute with respect to standards, certification and conformity assessment are brought forward.
Companies are represented in ANSI’s Company Member Council (CMC) Here the interests of U.S. industry in the policy setting activities are brought to the Institute. The CMC considers global standardization and conformity assessment related issues, provides policy recommendations to the Board of Directors and its committees, and recommends candidates for Board membership. It consists of one representative from each company member of ANSI. 
The ANSI Government Member Council provides a forum for the discussion of government standards and conformity assessment issues as they relate to the American National Standards Institute and its members. Representatives of virtually every federal department participate in the ANSI GMC. For example, the Department of Defense, the General Services Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, NIST and the US Department of Agriculture are some of the federal government bodies involved in ANSI’s work.  As I mentioned before, these agencies have standards executives specifically charged to handle standards activities.  They are often the ones who also have the responsibility to participate in ANSI activities.
Finally, consumers play a role in ANSI activities.  ANSI has within its structure a Consumer Interest Council which facilitates the representation of consumer interests in the voluntary standards process and enhances the effectiveness and credibility of the ANSI Federation. The CIC consists of knowledgeable representatives from consumer organizations, producers, retailers, distributors, industry councils, and government 

## Slide 7

**Notes:**
Here you can see the logos of many of ANSI’s members.  

You’ll note that several of the organizations represented here at this workshop are included – for example, 

NIST
ASTM
NFPA

## American National Standards InstituteBackground

- Founded in 1918 by five professional / technical societies and three federal government agencies
- From the beginning, a private-public sector partnership
- Today, close to 1,000 members comprise the ANSI Federation

**Notes:**
Now I’ve talked a lot about who ANSI is.

Let me tell you a little bit about how ANSI started.
ANSI was founded 84 years ago by 5 societies and 3 government agencies.  The fact that ANSI was started by both the private sector and the government speaks to commitment to and strength of the private-public partnership which continues to exist today.

Today there are almost 1000 members in the ANSI Federation.

## American Society for Testing Materials 
	(now ASTM International) 
American Institute of ElectricalEngineers (now IEEE)
American Society of Mechanical Engineers (now ASME International)
American Society of Civil Engineers (now ASCE)
American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers (now AIMME)
U.S. Departments of War, Navy and Commerce

*	**(now ASTM International)*
- American Institute of ElectricalEngineers *(now IEEE)*
- American Society of Mechanical Engineers *(now ASME International)*
- American Society of Civil Engineers *(now ASCE)*
- American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers *(now AIMME)*
- U.S. Departments of War, Navy and Commerce

**Founding Members**

**Notes:**
This slide shows the names of the founding members.  You’ll note that ASTM is one of the founding members of ANSI.

The  American Society of Civil Engineers (also represented here this week?).

As you heard this morning, NIST is an agency of the Department of Commerce – one of the founding members. 

## Mission

**Mission**

- 	*To enhance the global competitiveness of U.S. business and the American quality of life by promoting and facilitating voluntary consensus standards and conformity assessment systems and ensuring their integrity.*

**Notes:**

This is pretty clear cut – 

it’s ANSI’s mission statement which says ANSI will work to enhance the US’s competitiveness globally by promoting and facilitating the voluntary consensus standards and conformity assessment systems.

## 			ANSI’S ROLES

- Domestically
- Accredit Standards Developing Organizations
- Accredit certification bodies (product and personnel)
- Provide access to ISO/IEC and regional standards organizations
- Provide a Policy Forum
- Internationally
- Represent the U.S. in ISO, IEC and regional standards organizations
- Promote U.S. Interests

## Representation in International & Regional Standardization Organizations for the U.S. by ANSI

- International – official US representative to:
- International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
- International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) via the United States National Committee (USNC)
- Regional - official US representative to:
- Pan American Standards Commission (COPANT)
- Pacific Area Standards Congress (PASC)

**Notes:**
As the previous slide indicated, ANSI has a role in international activities.

ANSI is the US representative to the ISO, and the IEC.  As the US representative to these bodies, ANSI convenes delegations, and appoints technical groups to represent US in deliberation of various international policy issues.  

ANSI is also the official representative to regional bodies such as the Pan American Standards Commission also known as COPANT by its Spanish acronym and to the Pacific Areas Standards Congress or PASC.

## Some statistics  - 

**In the U.S. there are  -**
**Numerous standards developing organizations, with the 10 largest SDOs producing 90% of the standards**
**At least 150 consortia**
**Countless hundreds of committees addressing the technical requirements of standards**
**The good news  -  the U.S. sectoral approach brings a high degree of order to the system . . .**
**                                                       ****. . . As does ANSI.**

**Notes:**
Something you might find interesting to know is that in the U.S. there are several standards developing organizations.  The number is said to be more than 450 organizations that develop standards.  The important thing to remember is that the 10 largest SDOs develop 90% of the standards.  

For example, some of the largest SDOs include ASTM, the Society of Automotive Engineers, the American Petroleum Institute and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.  

In addition to the SDOs we have at least 150 consortia in the US who are also involved in standards development and develop de facto standards.  These are standards that arise in the competitive marketplace where a specific set of product or process specifications gains market share  and acquires authority or influence (ex:  Hewlett Packard’s printer control language, Microsoft Windows Operating System and Sun Microsystems's JAVA programming language are examples.  ) 

Beyond that there are countless other groups addressing technical requirements of standards.

## Examples of Building Standards

- ANSI/ASCE 7-95 - Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures
- This standard provides minimum load requirements for the design of buildings  and other structures that are subject to building code requirements.  Loads and appropriate load combinations, which have been developed to be used together, are set forth for strength design and allowable stress design.   For design strengths and allowable stress limits, design specifications for conventional structural materials used in buildings and modifications contained in this standard shall be used.
-  Last approved as an American National Standard:  June 1996
- ANSI/ICC A117.1-1998 - Accessible and Usable Buildings and Facilities (revision & re-designation of ANSI/CABO A117.1-1992)
- Contains specifications to make buildings and facilities accessible to and usable by persons with disabilities.
- Last approved as an American National Standard:  February 1998

**Notes:**
This slide was included to give you and idea of how ANSI works with the SDOs in the US.

You will note the ANSI/ASCE designation of the first standard noted here.  This means that the standard was developed by the ASCE and has been accredited as an American National Standard.

The same is true for the second standard noted which deals with accessible and usable buildings and facilities.  This standard was developed by the International Code Council (ICC) and accredited as an American National Standard.

## The U.S. Standardization System is . . .	

**The U.S. Standardization System is . . .****	**

- Open and transparent
- Needs driven
- Based on bottom-up approach

**Notes:**
I’ve mentioned American National Standards and ANSI as the accreditor of these standards.  

What we haven’t discussed yet is the basis for the US Standardization system. 

Essentially there are three major  components.  These include the fact that the process by which standards are developed is open and transparent and allows all stakeholders to participate.  

The system is also needs driven which means that standards aren’t just developed to have them, but rather because a real need has been identified.  

Finally, as you’ve probably gotten the sense from the information presented earlier, the system is based on a  bottom-up approach.  This suggests that when there’s a need out there the appropriate groups get together to figure out whether or not to write a standard.  Then this gets filtered through the system and if the committee or the organization writing the standard would like to see the standard recognized as an ANS then it puts it forward to ANSI for that accreditation.

## Cardinal  Principles of  the  Consensus  Process

**Balance**

**Openness**

**Due Process**

**Consensus**

**Cardinal  Principles of  the  ****Consensus  Process**

**Notes:**
Most formal US Standards Developing organizations operate by the consensus process.  (Consensus means:   agreement, compromise).

This requires openness, balance, due process, participation of interested and affected parties, and a formal process for attempting to resolve differences of opinion.  

The process of developing consensus standards is open and transparent with written procedures covering each step.  

The whole system is voluntary because participation is on a  voluntary basis and compliance with the standard is voluntary, unless adopted or referred to by a government authority.

## What are the Roles of ANSI and NIST?

_**ANSI**_
- Not-for-profit private sector organization with government members
- Coordinator of private sector
- Accreditor of standards developing organizations
- Approves standards as American National Standards
- U.S. member body of ISO and, via the USNC, the IEC
- Represents U.S. interests in non-treaty organizations

_**NIST**_
- Government agency (part of Department of Commerce)
- Coordinator of federal agencies’ policies - chairs the ICSP
- Responsible for weights & measures (metrology)
- Nat’l Center for Standards & Certification Information
- Dues-paying member of ANSI
- Holds some ISO secretariats

**Notes:**
You heard earlier this morning about NIST and our activities.  I’d like to tell you a  little more about the relationship between ANSI and NIST.  

To ensure a coordinated effort between the public and private sectors in both domestic and non-treaty international standards activities, NIST and ANSI have signed a Memorandum of Understanding.  The MOU recognizes NIST and ANSI’s roles and how they will serve as links between private sector standards and conformity assessment interests and government interests.  The objective of this cooperative efforts is to enhance and strengthen the national voluntary consensus standards system of the US will support continued U.S./ competitiveness and economic growth.

This slide shows the distinction between ANSI and NIST

## National Standards Strategy  

**Two-year collaborative effort**
**Input from diverse U.S. interests**
**Approved on August 31, 2000 (available on http://www.ansi.org/public/nss.html)**

**Notes:**

In 2000 members of ANSI came together to create a National Standards Strategy for the United States.  

US interests recognized that other regions of the world were promoting their own standards, technologies and practices and that the Untied States must promote its practices to remain competitive.  The strategy establishes a framework that can be used by all interests – companies, government, non governmental organizations, SDOs and consumers. 

## National Standards Strategy

- Reaffirms the basic strengths of the U.S. standards system
- Decentralized
- Sectoral
- Market driven
- Inclusive of all interests
*“**The strength of standardization in the United States is a sectoral focus supported by a dynamic infrastructure.”*

**Notes:**
The strategy reaffirms the basic strengths of the US system and proposes a set of strategic and tactical initiatives that can be used to meet national and individual organizational objectives.

The basic strengths are outlined on this slide.
The strategy is available for download on the ANSI web site.

## For Access to Standards Information:  www.nssn.org

**More than 600,000 references to standards from 580+ developers worldwide**
- Approved voluntary standards
- Approved international standards
- Approved U.S. Government standards
- Approved American National Standards
- Voluntary industry standards under development
- International standards under development
- U.S. Government standards under development

**Notes:**
This slide was included as a resource for information about standards information.  The NSSN is a national resource for global standards.  

A cooperative partnership between the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) , U.S. private-sector standards organizations, government agencies, and international standards organizations. NSSN's goal to become a leader in the provision of technical data and information about important developments in a global standardization arena. 

Aligned with its standards developer partners, NSSN seamlessly routes users to the commercial and regulatory technical documents they need - desktop access - around the world, around the clock, every day. 

## Summary  -  

**While appearing to be complex, the U.S. standards development system is grounded in a well-defined set of fundamental characteristics:**
**Marketplace driven, private sector led and funded**
**Close partnership with and participation by government**
**Grounded in fundamentally important basic principles of openness, due process, consensus, and balance**
**Strong sector focus addressing the needs of each industry segment**
**Strong central focal point, ANSI, as U.S. “umbrella” organization and international “gateway” pooling the interests of companies, SDOs, and government agencies.**

**Notes:**

This slide summarizes what this presentation has discussed. 

Essentially, the US system is a close partnership between the government and private sector – with ANSI serving as the umbrella for the private sector which is organized sectorally.   

It is let by the needs of the marketplace and grounded in openness, due process, consensus, and balance.

## For more information:

**     ****Headquarters**_**	**__**	**__**	**_**New York Office**
- 	1819 L Street, NW 		25 West 43nd Street
- 	 Sixth Floor 			4th Floor			 Washington, DC 20036 		New York, NY  10036
- 	 Tel:   202.293.8020 		Tel:   212.642.4900  Fax:  202.293.9287 		Fax:  212.398.0023
- web.ansi.org  |  webstore.ansi.org  |  www.nssn.org

_**American National Standards Institute**_

**Notes:**

This is the contact information for ANSI.  
Their main office is located in Washington DC, but they also have an office in New York City.