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Standardization

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NBSIR 79-1959

February 1980

us DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Bureau of Standards

National Engineering Laboratory

Office of Engineering Standards

i — QC

[ 100

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79-1959

1980

NBSIR 79-1959

STANDARDIZATION IN FRANCE

National Bureau of Standards

Library, E-01 Admin. Bldg.

MAR 2 1981

I .

1 ^'^'

I. M. Martinez

Building Economics and Regulatory Technology Division

Center for Building Technology

National Engineering Laboratory

National Bureau of Standards

U S. Department of Commerce

Washington, D C. 20234

March 1980

Prepared for: Office of Engineering Standards

National Bureau of Standards

Washington, D.C. 20234

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, Philip M. Klutznick, Secretary

Luther H. Hodges. Jr., Deputy Secretary

Jordan J. Baruch, Assistant Secretary for Science and Technology

NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS, Ernest Ambler, Director

Foreword

In recent years, engineering standardization and product certification

activities in the United States (U.S.) have received considerable attention from the Congress and others in the Federal government, and from the

private sector. Increased public awareness of the significant social and

economic impacts of engineering standardization and product certification

has stimulated renewed interest in the workings and effects of standardssetting and certification processes, especially as these processes relate

to public policy concerns such as energy and material conservation, protection of the environment, health and safety, industrial innovation and

competition, international trade, and metric conversion.

As the Nation’s central measurement reference laboratory, and as a major

Federal scientific and engineering institution seeking to help solve

national problems, the National Bureau of Standards (NBS) has played an important and well-recognized technical support role in national and

international staijdardization activities, both governmental and non- governmental. NBS is responsible for providing the Nation’s basic measurement reference standards for the physical sciences and for the development

of state-of-the-art measurement technology in these fields.

Because of this responsibility, and because of its close working relationships with product standards-setting bodies and certification agencies in

the government and the private sector, NBS and its parent agency, the

Department of Commerce, are frequently asked to comment on proposed national

standards policy documents. Recent examples include a proposed policy

governing Federal participation in and use of voluntary (non-government)

standards (0MB Circular), a recommended National Standards Policy prepared by the National Standards Policy Advisory Committee, and proposed

legislation (S.825 and HR1184, introduced in 1977) covering national and

International standardization, laboratory accreditation, and product

certification.

In preparing responses to these national policy proposals, questions arose

as to how other countries have dealt with the kinds of issues currently

facing the U.S. For example, how have other countries defined the government and private sector roles in standardization? Have other countries

been able to assure adequate participation by consumer and small business

interests in standards-setting? How have they handled metric conversion

in standardization? To what extent do other governments support or control

participation in the international standards activities of the International

Organization for Standardization and the International Electrotechnical

Commission? To what extent are other countries concerned with potentially

anti-competitive effects of standards?

Since much of this information was not readily available in summary form

suitable for study and meaningful analysis, the NBS Office of Engineering

Standards initiated overview studies of the national standards systems in

several highly industrialized countries. The first study was undertaken

by Dr. David Hemenway, an economist specializing in industrial organlzalli
tion, a lecturer at the Harvard School of Public Health and author of the

book Industrywide Voluntary Product Standards (Ballinger Press, 1975).

Dr. Hemenway looked at the standards systems of Canada, the United Kingdom (U.K.), the Federal Republic of Germany, and Denmark. He provided an overview of these systems and suggested areas for possible future study

of a cross-national nature.

Ileana M. Martinez, the author of this report, is a mechanical engineer

who was working with the NBS Center for Building Technology at the time

the report was written. She is currently with the NBS Center for Fire

Research. Before joining the National Bureau of Standards in November

1977, Ms. Martinez worked for AFNOR, the official French standards

organization, for seven years. As an engineer in the Building Construction and Public Works Division of AFNOR, she acquired a first hand indepth

knowledge of the standards system in France.

Most of the material used in this report comes directly from Ms. Martinez's

experience. For some of the chapters, very few published references are available. Of those that are available, most are not in English. Some

reference works published by AFNOR in French may be consulted at the

standards library at NBS. The views expressed in the report are the

author's and are not necessarily those of NBS.

Lawrence D. Eicher, Director

NBS Office of Engineering Standards

iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

FOREWORD

ABSTRACT vli

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ix

I. INTRODUCTION 1

II. HISTORY 2

III. FORMAL ORGANIZATION 3

AFNOR 3

Standardization Bureaus 3

Commissioner for Standardization 5

IV. THE FRENCH STANDARD 6

The Ratified Standard 6

The Registered Standard 7 The Experimental Standard 7 The Information Leaflet 7 Choosing the Type of Standard 8

V. DEVELOPMENT OF A STANDARD 9

Initial Development 9

AFNOR* s Standardization Committees 9

Bureau Committees 11

Public Inquiry 11

After Public Inquiry 12

VI. MARKING AND CERTIFICATION 14

The National NF Mark 14

Use of the Mark 14

Management of the Mark 15

Testing 17

VII. GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS AND STANDARDS 18

Regulations 18

Government Standards 19

Antitrust Issues 20

V
Page

VIII. MISCELLANEOUS 22

Consumer Issues . 22

The 1977 Scrivener Law 22

Labor Participation 24

Small Business 24

IX. INTERNATIONAL AND REGIONAL STANDARDIZATION - THE

FRENCH CONTRIBUTION 26

International Standardization 26

European Standardization 29

Future AFNOR Participation 31

Appendix 1 - English and French Terms 32

Appendix 2 - Building Standards 34

Bibliography 40

AFNOR Comments

Figure 1 - Standardization Law of 1941 42

Figure 2 - List of Standardization Bureaus 43

Figure 3 - List of Technical Areas covered by French

Standards 44

Figure 4 - Typical Cover Page of a French Standard 45

Figure 5 - Standards Development 46

Figure 6 - Excerpts from the May 1978 Monthly Bulletin on French Standardization (BMNF) 47

Figure 7 - NF Marking Symbols 49

Figure 8 - Reprint from the Official Dally Journal making a Standard Compulsory (published in a BMNF) 50

About OSIAD 5

I1

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vi
ABSTRACT

This report provides an overview of the voluntary standards system of

France. The author, a former employee of AFNOR - the official French

standardization organization, calls on her firsthand experience to discuss the following aspects of the French standard system: (1) Organization, (2) French Standards, (3) Standards Development, (4) Certification, (5) Government Use of Standards, (6) The role of Consumers and

Labor in Standardization, and (7) France’s Participation in International

Standards Activities.

Key words: AFNOR; antitrust; certification; product; France; French

standards system; government policy; standards systems.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Organization

The French standards system in its current form was set up under a 1941 law which recognized the Association Fran^aise de Normalisation

(AFNOR) as the official French standards organization. Although it is a private association, AFNOR is under the authority of a government official, the Commissioner for Standardization, and a substantial portion of

its budget (which was about 15 million U.S. dollars in 1978) comes from

the government.

AFNOR is governed by a Board and a General Director. Standards work

in many areas is carried out by AFNOR' s Standardization Committees. In

addition, separate Standardization Bureaus are responsible for the standards work in a number of other areas.

French Standards

AFNOR is the only organization in France with authority to publish

national standards. There were about 10,465 AFNOR standards in 1978.

The four types of standards documents published by AFNOR are: ratified

standards (binding for public contracting); registered standards; experimental standards; and information leaflets (e.g., guidelines on how to

interpret standards).

Standards Development

In some ways, the process of developing standards in France is similar to processes in other European countries; for example, there are no fonnal voting or balance requirements. Standards are submitted to a widely publicized period of public inquiry by AFNOR, which is responsible

for validity of consensus. For ratified standards, there is a further

period of inquiry among government ministries.

Certification

AFNOR operates a certification program, using the "NF" (Normes

Fran<jalses) mark, but does not have its own testing facilities. The

NF mark can only be used on products for which compliance with ratified

standards covering all important characteristics of a product has been

independently verified.

Generally certification of conformity to French standards is

optional, but in some cases, it is mandatory, such as for gas appliances

which are subject to regulation. The NF mark, however, remains optional

in all cases. Eighty percent of AFNOR's certification activities relate

to domestic equipment or building products. Use of the mark is managed

by AFNOR special committees which decide when to grant or withdraw the

privilege of using the mark. Information resulting from use of the NF

mark is valuable in deciding whether to modify the standards underlying

certification.

ix
Government Use

AFNOR's ratified standards are extensively used in French government

regulations. If a suitable standard is not available, regulators may ask

AFNOR to develop one. Also, standard-like documents are prepared by the

government for its own procurement needs. The 1941 law provided for cre- ation of a position in each ministry and agency to be responsible for

standardization matters and to represent the government in AFNOR committees. Since 1975, renewed efforts to harmonize government "standards"

with AFNOR's have met with limited success.

Consumers and Labor

There has been a consumer movement in France, as in other countries,

and AFNOR has been strengthening its relationships with consumer groups.

Consumer legislation passed in 1977 (the Scrivener Law) will significantly

affect AFNOR's certification program. On the other hand, while many standards committee participants belong to labor unions, the unions themselves

do not appear to be involved in standardization.

International

AFNOR represents France in non-treaty, non-governmental, international and regional standards organizations, namely, the International

Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the European Committee for

Standardization (CEN). (French participation in other international,

governmental groups is through the government Commissioner for Standardization.) A large portion of AFNOR's budget goes to its international

activities, and in recent years, there has been a trend toward adopting

ISO standards as French standards. AFNOR is extremely active in international standards work, holding 20 percent of technical secretariats

in ISO (more than the UK, Germany, or the U.S.) and 37 percent of CEN

secretariats.

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I. INTRODUCTION

There are some basic differences between France and the United States

with regard to government structure and economic organization which have

implications for standardization.

First, France is divided into ninety-five geographical units called departments (plus several territories overseas) with weak local governments.

The national government, centralized in Paris, has a power and influence

unsurpassed by anything comparable in the United States.

Second, while the French economy is basically capitalistic and while free

enterprise has an important role in the national scene, government intervention in all sectors is very common. Many services are nationalized

electricity, communications (telephone), rail transportation—and government regulates industry and commerce to a much greater degree than in

the United States.

Standardization in France is viewed as a tool for implementing national

policies such as increasing the competitiveness of French products in

international markets, promoting international trade by reducing technical barriers, implementing national and European (Common Market) regulations, contributing to the better use of raw materials and energy, and

informing and protecting consumers.

In addition, standardization is considered a public service, and this

often results in very close cooperation among industry, users, consumers,

government, and other institutions, with respect to standardization activities.

The standards system as it works today is well accepted; hardly anybody

questions its structure or advocates any change. In the author's opinion,

this is significant in light of the political and social turmoil in France

today

1
II. HISTORY

Standardization efforts began in France during the turmoil of the French

Revolution when the variety of weights and measures was enormous and the

resulting confusion was considerable. In 1795, it was for the first time

politically feasible to declare legal the newly created metric system.

During the second half of the 19th century, some products were standardized in the iron and steel industry. However, in France, as in several

other countries, the principal impulse toward standardization came with

World War I. Between 1916 and 1918, standards groups simultaneously

started getting organized in several countries.

A French legislative decree on June 10, 1918 Instituted the Permanent

Commission for Standardization*, a purely governmental body. This group

faced many problems and was not well accepted by industry; it was dissolved for lack of funds in 1924.

Between 1926 and 1928, there were efforts to organize standardization as

a purely private activity. Among these efforts was the creation in 1926

of the Association F^ran(jaise de Normalisation (AFNOR)

.

Between 1928 and 1941, several standards structures and organizations were implemented by various legislative decrees and ordinances. In order

to avoid the drawbacks of an all-private or all-government approach,

there was a tendency to combine the two.

Finally, in 1941, a public law determined and accurately defined the

structure of the French standards system. (See Figure 1). This law

emphasized the national and official character of standards activity and

its principal actor, AFNOR, while recognizing this association as an independent institution where producers, users and government representatives harmonize their points of view in a strictly neutral atmosphere.

The law of May 24, 1941** defines the roles of three entities which are separate but functionally Interdependent:

- AFNOR

- Standardization Bureaus

- Commissioner for Standardization

The framework within which these organizations function today is similar

to the framework as first conceived.

* This is the author's translation of the French term. English translations are used throughout this text. The French terms are provided in

Appendix 1.

** Historical note: France was Invaded in May 1940. In June 1940,

P^taln formed a government in Vichy. This government legally held all

constitutional powers, including legislative authority, until 1944.

2
III. FORMAL ORGANIZATION

AFNOR

Functions . Since its origin in 1926, AFNOR has had the status of a private, non-profit association. In addition, a 1943 decree declared AFNOR

of "public interest"; this is an official recognition that goes beyond

the acknowledgement of non-profit status and is formally accorded to

organizations whose aims are to operate for the public’s benefit.

AFNOR’ s functions are:

- To centralize and coordinate all standards activities in France

(which are, however, under the authority and control of the Commissioner for Standardization).

- To act as the Intermediary between all standardization organizations and activities and the government.

- To forward the government (Commissioner’s) directives to the Standardization Bureaus and to validate and control the Bureaus’ draft

standards by submitting them to a period of public inquiry.

- To set up technical committees to develop draft standards when no appropriate Standardization Bureau exists.

- To publish all French national standards.

- To engage in certification and marking activities.

- To carry out public information activities, public relations programs and training related to standardization.

- To represent France in non-treaty, non-governmental, international

and regional standards organizations (ISO, CEN)

Organization . Oversight for AFNOR’ s activities is the responsibility of

the Commissioner for Standardization, a government official. Economic

and financial oversight is provided by a controller/auditor appointed by

the Ministry of Economy and Finances. (A substantial portion of AFNOR’

funding comes from the government.)

As a private association, AFNOR is administered by a board of directors

composed of an honorary chairman, a chairman, 2 vice-presidents, and some

25 to 30 members. For the day-to-day activities, the Board elects a general director who in turn chooses AFNOR staff. Some 380 people were

employed by AFNOR in 1977

The Board of Directors meets three times per year. It is not involved in

any standards-specif Ic decisions nor concerned with the mechanics of the

development, decision to publish, or conditions of application of partlcu3
lar standards since these procedures are well defined by official,

published decisions. Rather, the Board's responsibilities lie mainly in

giving overall guidance, establishing policy in close coordination with

the Commissioner and the Bureaus, managing the finances of AFNOR, establishing the fees paid by the members of the association and setting the

price of standards and other services provided by AFNOR.

AFNOR* s General Assembly, which includes all AFNOR members, meets once a year to approve the financial and status reports presented by the Board

of Directors. Membership in the association is open to all who are accepted by the Board of Directors and pay an annual fee. Participation

in standards work and contribution to standards development and committee

work are not reserved exclusively for association members. However, most

committee members are association members.

AFNOR maintains six small (one staff person) field offices in Bordeaux,

Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Nancy and Rennes.

AFNOR has standardization committees in many areas such as toys; refrigeration; fire-fighting equipment; paints; documentation; chemistry;

leather and skins (hide); acoustics; statistics and sampling theory;

safety equipment such as safety shoes, helmets, protective clothing,

stretchers, etc.; gymnastic and recreational equipment; camping; fruits

and vegetables; units and symbols (in general); science of terminology;

colors; pictograms; ergonomics; and commercial relations (supplier and

user)

These committees are responsible for developing standards. Chapter V

gives a detailed explanation of how these committees work, how they are managed and who runs them.

Budget . AFNOR' s budget for 1977 was 58,690,000 French francs (about 13

million U.S. dollars). By 1978, it was 70,718,000 French francs (about

15 million U.S. dollars). Until 1975, AFNOR' s budget was about equally

divided between a government subsidy and its own resources (sales of

standards and other publications, membership fees, conference room ren- tals to outside firms, etc.)

The government subsidy was collected as a very small percentage of a fiscal tax imposed on all industry, business and commercial enterprises.

A fiscal reform in 1975 abolished this tax, and AFNOR' s budget was seriously threatened. Since then, the government has continued to helg

support AFNOR on a year-to-year basis to avoid a financial crisis.

In the meantime, AFNOR' s Board of Directors has been attempting to

develop other sources of support, mainly from industry and business.

Membership fees have been increased to reflect the size and importance

AFNOR currently receives an annual subsidy from the Ministry of Industry

which represents about 40% of its budget.

4
of the member. Successful agreements with certain groups for specific

projects have been concluded, but as yet no financial structures have

been set up to guarantee AFNOR's future financial stability.

Standardization Bureaus

Standardization Bureaus are independent organizations, structurally separate from AFNOR and from the Commissioner for Standardization. They have

been described as the "technical agents for the development of standards".

Their legal status varies widely because these bureaus are associated

with very diverse organizations, such as professional organizations,

trade groups, users' associations, and research and development organizations. In each case, however, their function as Standardization Bureau

has been established by government decree. Also, they all have in common

the public service nature of their work which primarily consists of the

initial preparation and development of draft standards. Standardization

Bureaus cover many areas including: aircraft and space vehicles; agriculture; rubber; automobiles; railroads; cinematography; ship-building and

navigation; electricity; bottling; foundry (cast iron); gas; clothing;

watch and clock making (horology); computer sciences; plastics; mechanics,

metals; paper; photography; steel industries; welding; and textiles. (See

Figure 2 for a complete list of Standardization Bureaus.) For these areas,

standards are developed by committees under the leadership of the Standardization Bureaus. (See also Chapter V.)

Conunissioner for Standardization

The Commissioner for Standardization is a civil servant appointed by the

Ministry of Industry, but serving in a liaison capacity with other ministries, in particular, the Ministry of the Interior.

His functions are:

- To establish general directives for the standards organizations.

- To verify compliance with standards developing procedures.

- To define the status of each standard and its implementation

(conditions of application).

- To arbitrate differences between standards organizations.

- To establish and carry out a standards program.

- In the international field, to assure that AFNOR performs its

specific mxssion and to undertake standards related activities

that are the government's responsibility (participation in treaty

and/or governmental organizations such as the Commission of European

Communities in Brussels, the United Nations Economic Commission for

Europe in Geneva, and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade).

5
IV. THE FRENCH STANDARD

AFNOR is the only organization in France with the authority to publish

national standards. Its authority rests upon statutes related to the

promulgation and use of French Standards and the public confidence

which AFNOR enjoys.

In 1976, there were about 7,600 French national standards. By 1977,

about 9,900 French national standards in a large number of technical

areas had been published. In 1978, the total number of standards had

risen to 10,465, of which 873 were published during that year. Figure 3

lists 21 of the broad categories of technical subjects covered by French

standards, as they appear ia AFNOR' s annual Catalog of Standards.

Traditionally, there was only one type of standard published. A variety of reasons, among which reducing the time needed to develop a standard was particularly important, led AFNOR in 1966 to develop a system

to differentiate between standards. This system was approved by the Commissioner for Standardization in his "Decision no. 9 relative to the

nature of official documents of French standardization" (July 11, 1966).

This decision gives AFNOR the authority to publish the following four

types of standards documents:

° the ratified standard

° the registered standard

° the experimental standard

° the information leaflet.

The printed copy of a French standard clearly states in the upper left

hand corner the type of standard it is (see Figure 4).

The Ratified Standard

This is the oldest and most widely accepted type of standard. Its

publication and conditions of application are proposed by AFNOR (and

the standardization committee) and are approved by the Commissioner for

Standardization. Before giving his approval, he undertakes an extensive

(four weeks) period of inquiry directed to all the ministries and ministerial offices interested in the subject area. If there is no opposition

to the particular standard, it is ratified, and this ratification becomes

official through publication in the Official Daily Journal (similar to

the U.S. Federal Register ).

The law of 1941 states that ratified standards are to be used for all

contracting by the State and where any government funds are used, whether

or not these standards are explicitly referenced. In the private sector,

the contracting parties are free to do as they wish. They may or may not

6
refer to national standards, but if they do, they are bound in the eyes

of the law to comply with the standard provisions. However, in cases of

litigation if the contractual documents lack other reference, French

AFNOR standards are usually cited in civil courts as representing the

state of the art. Only when a standard is incorporated (by reference

or explicitly) in a regulation does it become compulsory in the broadest

sense.

All the administrative paperwork for ratifying a standard is carried out

by AFNOR, in part because the Commissioner has a very small staff (two or three usually) and in part because of AFNOR* s comprehensive knowledge

of the development process and technical content of the standard.

The Registered Standard

The development of this standard involves slightly simpler procedures at

the final stages of the development process. A simple decision of the

Commissioner of Standardization without any further inquiry approves a proposal presented by AFNOR. In 1971, a government circular recommended

that public contracting refer in a systematic way to registered standards,

a treatment similar to that previously reserved for ratified standards.

The Experimental Standard

By a decision of AFNOR* s General Director, a draft standard may be published as "experimental" without being previously submitted to any kind

of public inquiry. This may be appropriate for a variety of reasons.

For example, there might be a need to conduct further research, while at

the same time it may be desirable to reach a wider audience than the

standardization committee and for longer periods of time in order to

reach valid consensus.

Experimental standards are included in the catalog of published French

standards and, like other standards, they are available for consultation,

use and purchase. Generally, an experimental standard is reviewed within a maximum of three years and is revised before submitting it to the

usual procedures prior to publication.

As intended, this method of developing standards has been used in relatively few cases. The usefulness and success of these documents in

recent years has led to their increasing popularity.

The Information Leaflet

There is a broad category of information quite valid and useful to tlie

general public, industry, users, consumers, etc., but not suitable for a standard. If proposed by an appropriate standardization committee and

approved by AFNOR* s General Director, such material may be published by

AFNOR in information leaflets.

7
These information leaflets might include guidelines on how to implement

performance standards (a how-to manual), such as guidelines describing

construction details of windows and doors that comply with the performance

specifications of the ratified standard. Also, some complex standards

often may require interpretation. AFNOR receives many such requests to

clarify meaning, and when they are repetitive in nature, the formal

publication by AFNOR of the committee's interpretation becomes very useful to the user of the standard. Such was the case recently for the

interpretation of safety rxiles for the construction and installation of

elevators

.

Choosing the Type of Standard

All the preliminary work of examining and modifying a draft is done by the

appropriate standardization committee, either an AFNOR committee or a Standardization Bureau committee. Which type of standard will be proposed

for publication is entirely the committee's decision.

Tradition intervenes to a large degree when choosing between the ratified

and the registered standard. For example, in the steel industry, all

standards are registered, while the building community prefers ratified

standards

.

However, there are often important reasons for choosing one type over the

other. The decision may depend on the make-up of the industry, since

ratified standards are compulsory where any public funds are used, while

registered standards are not.

The nature of experimental standards and information leaflets is such that

the technical content of the documents usually determines which type of

document is suitable. The decision again is entirely left up to the

committee. The General Director of AFNOR has the authority to approve

publication of these two types of documents, and his approval is needed

each time a document is proposed by a committee. AFNOR' s General Director

acts only on proposals presented by a committee, and he rarely questions

the committee's wisdom.

Many committee members are not very familiar with the subtle differences

between types of standards, and AFNOR staff thus can and often do exercise considerable influence in guiding the choice. However, AFNOR seldom

acts without the advice and consent of its committee.

8
V. development of a standard

Standards are developed in France in much the same way as is customary in

the United States (see Figure 5). There are some important differences in

the development of a standard by an AFNOR committee as opposed to development of a standard by a Bureau, but since the most important stages are the

same, they are treated together in this paper. When necessary, the differences will be pointed out.

The subjects covered by standardization go from the very exotic to the

highly technical and scientific to the most common everyday products.

Figure 6 shows some of the areas where standardization work was ongoing in

May 1978.

Initial Development

The request to develop a standard in an area where there is no Bureau may

be received by AFNOR from a variety of sources: a consumer association,

a manufacturer, a user, a testing laboratory, a special interest group, a government agency, etc. Occasionally, AFNOR will perceive the need for a standard in the public interest and may initiate appropriate action.

The request is accepted on the basis of its merit, if there is sufficient

broad interest to nurture a committee's work. Usually, to support its

request, the petitioner presents an initial draft or proposes a competent

individual to prepare such a draft.

For a standard developed by a Bureau, the initial stages of work are car- ried out at the Bureau's own initiative with the knowledge of AFNOR but

without any supervision.

AFNOR prepares an annual plan which lists standards to be developed or areas where work will be carried out. Including the year in which standards identified in the plan are expected to be published. Short and

long range plans are included.

AFNOR Standardization Committees

Standardization committees (technical committees) are the heart of all

AFNOR standardization activity; they are where the important decisions

are made. In 1977, AFNOR had 972 standardization committees with a total

membership of over 34,000 experts.

A committee chairman is elected in an informal way at a first organizational meeting and is usually a person of significant prestige. He or she may come from industry or a user's group, or some other group.

Occasionally, an individual expert is chosen. An AFNOR technical staff

member, representing strict neutrality among interests, may be selected

to chair a committee. The secretary of the committee is always an AFNOR

technical staff member.

9
The duties of the chairman and the secretary are relatively well defined, even though as might be expected there is room for diversity. The chairman is not expected to handle any of the paperwork of a committee. Notice

of meetings, documents to be studied, redrafts, and minutes of meetings

are all prepared and distributed by AFNOR. Decisions are recorded by the

secretary. The chairman leads the technical discussion and acts as the

catalyst to reach appropriate compromises, turning to the secretary for

all procedural questions.

Meetings are held almost invariably at AFNOR' s headquarters building.

AFNOR has the staff and physical facilities to ensure efficiently run meetings. In 1977, AFNOR hosted some 2300 meetings; 70 percent of those

meetings dealt with national standards, and 30 percent with international

work, including international meetings and preparation for those meetings.

This method of work has proven quite effective in developing national

standards because of the simple principle of division of labor: each

member has a defined task to perform, and the sequential steps are predetermined.

There is no formal membership in AFNOR' s committees. An initial membership list is drawn up by AFNOR staff, based on their own experience and

input from other sources, in an effort to achieve the widest representation possible. This list is read at the first organizational meeting, and

further nominations are made. There is an effort to recruit individuals

who represent their organization — wherever possible a trade association

or other group —but no one is barred from participation. The philosophy

is that if anybody is interested enough to participate, he or she should

be allowed to do so.

There are no set rules for achieving balance within a committee. However,

balance is a strong concern and it is very much in the minds of all participants. While no written guidelines have been adopted, great efforts

are expended in striving for balance, and this is one of the main responsibilities of the secretary (AFNOR) of the committee.

Information concerning the creation of new committees and the highlights

of the on-going work of all committees are reported monthly in an AFNOR

bulletin, the Bulletin Mensuel de la Normalisation Frangaise (BMNF ). Two

typical pages of a BMNF are shown as Figure 6. Usual entries give a short summary of the agenda of every national and International (ISO, GEN)

meeting held at AFNOR or elsewhere in France, as well as international

meetings held outside of France. Activities related to certification and

marking are also included. This allows an interested party to keep track

of regular committee activities. AFNOR may be contacted for further

information on committee work. Including the possibility of becoming a member of a committee.

AFNOR, as a private association, has members who pay yearly dues and

receive in exchange AFNOR's regular publications (such as the BMNF , the

Journal of Standardization , the annual catalog), some special services,

10
and discounts when ordering standards. Most members of standardization

committees are also members of AFNOR. However, association membership is

purely voluntary and the technical staff of AFNOR who manage the committees do not check each individual's membership in AFNOR. Participation

in committee work is encouraged, not restricted.

Usually, a first draft prepared by the petitioner is available at the

first organizational meeting. If this is not feasible, AFNOR staff may

develop a first proposal.

The committee meets as often as it wishes, and it continues to meet until

it agrees upon a text that is suitable for wide distribution, either for

public comment and subsequent issuing as a ratified or registered standard, or for consideration as an experimental standard or information

leaflet.

There is no formal voting in AFNOR' s standardization committees. In lieu

of voting, agreements are reached on the basis of consensus of all interested parties and this consensus is manifested by tacit approval, i.e.

,

when no objections are voiced. Compromise is an integral part of this

process.

Bureau Committees

When a standard is developed by a Bureau, a committee similar to an AFNOR

committee is usually formed. They are, however, not called "Standardization Committees”. Representation in these committees is decided by the

appropriate Bureau and it is usually quite broad, though this varies

from Bureau to Bureau. It is in the best interest of the Bureau to provide for wide representation in the early stages of a standard's development, as this will speed up agreement during the public inquiry which AFNOR

later undertakes to validate consensus before publication. Unfortunately,

in many instances, a lack of sufficiently broad input during the early

development of a standard leads to substantial modifications of the draft,

to take account of responses to AFNOR' s public inquiry. This considerably

delays the issuing of the standard. All draft standards developed and

approved by a Bureau must be transmitted to AFNOR which then processes the

documents until publication.

Public Inquiry

AFNOR is responsible for establishing the validity of consensus of all

standards, and the handling of the public inquiry is crucial to the

consensus process. All draft standards, however developed, are submitted

by AFNOR to a period of public inquiry lasting three months.

The public inquiry is widely publicized in AFNOR' s monthly bulletin

( BMNF ) and in press releases in appropriate technical and trade publications. AFNOR encourages the technical and trade press to circulate standardsrelated information and to reprint its news releases as widely as possible.

11
All comments formulated during the public inquiry are received and sorted

out by AFNOR. A meeting of the standardization committee is called to

examine and resolve negative comments, as well as suggestions for improvements. Since there is no formal voting, a committee's honest attempt to

accept most comments and modify the draft standard to reflect expressed

opinions are vital. It is AFNOR' s responsibility to make sure all

interested parties have been contacted, and all comments have been

thoroughly examined. Comments must be resolved to the satisfaction of

the committee members and AFNOR' s staff representative. Parties who

offered comments and/or voiced objections during public inquiry are expressly asked to attend the meeting(s) where their comments will be

discussed (whether or not they are members of the committee). Depending

on the outcome of the meeting(s), the committee makes the decision to

approve the draft, and it proposes the type of standard it prefers,

ratified or registered.

If a draft receives comments such that the committee cannot approve it,

two possibilities are open. The draft and comments may be sent back to

the standardization committee for consideration, or alternatively, the

committee may redraft a standard. If it has been substantially modified,

the new draft must be submitted again to public inquiry.

The statutes defining the registered standard allow AFNOR in some cases

to forego the public inquiry. AFNOR has used this authority to permit

some standards to be published without the formal review period.

Neither an experimental standard nor an information leaflet require a public inquiry for publication, but in some cases a public inquiry may

have taken place. For example, at times a draft thought suitable by

the committee may be proved by a public inquiry to be too "experimental"

for publication as a ratified or registered standard. Alternatively, the

committee may decide to issue an experimental standard without any outside

comment. An information leaflet is seldom submitted to a formal public

inquiry, but it is often informally submitted for comments to a broad

audience before publication.

After Public Inquiry

After a draft has been modified in response to comments received during

public inquiry and approved by the committee, AFNOR prepares all the

administrative forms for processing the standard and submitting it to the

Commissioner for ratification or registration.

In the case of ratification, AFNOR, acting in the name of the Commissioner, handles the ministerial inquiry. In the case of registration, no further procedures are required besides obtaining the Commissioner's

approval.

Before publication, no other group within AFNOR further reviews the standard's technical content. However, uniformity in presentation and format, correct use of units and symbols and a certain degree of homogeneity

12
are assured by a general-services group within AFNOR which suggests adjustments when necessary. The publication and printing of standards, as individual pamphlets, are handled by AFNOR.

13
VI. MARKING AND CERTIFICATION

In France, compliance to a national standard may be shown in several

ways. For example, a manufacturer may claim in his literature that his

product conforms to a particular nationally recognized AFNOR standard,

or the product itself may even carry an explicit claim of conformity.

However, unless they are covered by the national certification program,

products may not be marked with any sign resembling the NF symbol or any

other character which misleads the consumer into thinking that the product is recognized by the national certification program.

The preferred way to show conformity to a national French standard is to

have an independent, reputable organization back up the manufacturer's

claim. This system is institutionalized in a national certification program, which is symbolized by the national NF mark.

The National NF Mark

The national mark NF (for "Normes Fran^aises") was instituted in 1938.

The 1941 law relating to standardization also determined the present

organizational framework that governs the French certification system and

sanctioned 'AFNOR as the only body in France officially recognized to run

the NF mark, the officially recognized national certification program.

The NF mark is meant to indicate a product's conformity to one or more

ratified, national AFNOR standards. Therefore, only ratified standards

that cover all important characteristics of a product showing its appropriateness for the intended use may serve as a basis for certification.

For example, a mark could not be Issued for a certain product solely

on the basis of the product's compliance with a dimensional standard.

The NF symbol affixed to a product means that:

- the product is in conformity with a standard(s)

- this conformity is verified by independent testing organizations

at production and randomly before and after marketing

- in case of non-conformity, the responsibilities for correcting the

problems are clearly defined.

Figure 7 shows the principal NF marking symbols.

Use of the Mark

Use of the NF mark is optional in all cases. It may only be used under

license. Usually, a marking program is Initiated when a sufficiently

large proportion of French producers of a specific product expresses an interest in such a program, and the suitable standards exist. Once a program is established and a majority of producers use the mark, competitive

forces usually cause most of the remaining producers to also participate.

14
A standard can be made compulsory by incorporating it into regulation by

reference. Comformity to that standard may also be made mandatory by

special government decree. In such cases, the mark is a very convenient

way to show that a product conforms to the standard. However, the use of

the NF itself is never mandatory.

In France, all gas and many electric household appliances are subject to

regulations. These regulations reference AFNOR standards, and the NF

mark is very extensively used to certify that these appliances actually

conform to the required standards. Another important area where the

NF mark is widely applied is firefighting equipment.

The NF mark is used in some 70 areas. Domestic equipment comprises about

40 percent of AFNOR' s marking and certification activities. Building materials and components make up another 40 percent while the rest relates to

other industrial products. The total number of products carrying the NF

mark totaled, at the end of 1978, about 17,500 models from 1,650 licensees.

Granting the NF mark to foreign products is authorized, provided the products satisfy all of the requirements established for national products,

that effective policing of compliance is possible, and that reciprocity

exists. Some foreign products have been approved to use the mark, most

notably in areas where the standards are mandatory. Thus the mark is

quite useful for marketing the product in France.

Management of the Mark

The management of the NF mark is carried out by the Directing Committee under

the overall authority of the Commissioner for Standardization who appoints

members to this committee from a list of nominees proposed by AFNOR' s General Director. The role of the Directing Committee is to oversee and co- ordinate the work.

Day-to-day activities are carried out in a decentralized fashion through

special committees. Each special committee is set up in close liaison

with professional groups, users and interested administrative agencies.

Each special committee writes its own by-laws. These by-laws, however,

follow a regular pattern and are thus not very different from committee

to committee except for obvious reasons, specific to each product. The

special committees process the requests from producers for authorization

to use the mark, arrange for the controls, and propose the sanctions, if

any, to be applied to delinquent products. For many of the marks, quality

control is two-fold: random samplings of products both at production

lines and in the market by independent controllers are coupled with

inhouse, dally quality control. Different industries have different capabilities for performing such internal checks, so the rules of the mark

are adapted accordingly. The intent is to increasingly orient companies

to be able to verify their own production and to diminish the importance

of outside spot-checks.

Special committee by-laws usually provide for inspection visits to factories to insure the adequacy of the equipment available. Special committees

15
may also supplement the standard if needed in areas frequently overlooked

by standards-writers , such as the frequency of sampling, size of samples,

how to take into account dispersed test results, etc.

There may be one special committee per class of products or alternatively

the special committee may cover a vast sector, making it necessary to further subdivide the special committee into stamping committees. For example, the Taps and Faucets (Valves) Special Committee has four stamping

committees (sanitary/domestic, industrial, gas, and heating), while

the concrete roof tiles committee has no subgroups.

Membership in the special committees is strictly regimented in marked

contrast to membership in AFNOR's standards-writlng committees. Balance

rules are formal and strictly enforced. Membership is on a personal

basis, and individuals are representatives of a given interest. Alternate

members are accepted only under extraordinary circumstances. The composition of each committee changes every two or three years.

In general terms, the composition of the special committees is one-third

producers, one-third users, and one-third administrative agencies comprising not only governmental groups but also nationalized institutions such

as the railroads, Electricite de France, and others. The head of the

technical section in AFNOR, responsible for the development of the standard, is a committee member. Representatives of testing labs also participate actively in committee work but are not voting members. The chairman of a special committee is selected from among the users by all committee members; the secretary is always an AFNOR staff member.

Decisions to grant or revoke the privilege of using an NF mark are made

only during committee meetings by consensus on the basis of test results

and other related reports. Testing organizations themselves make no decision as to product conformity, they merely report test results to the

special committee. Special committee by-laws provide rules for voting,

but often there is no need for formal voting, because members are used to

the style of standardization committees where amiable agreement is common. However, the proceedings of certification committees are much more formal

than their counterpart standardization committees.

When first starting, committees meet quite often in order to develop and

approve the by-laws. In addition, these initial meetings often deal with

issues such as sampling, size and frequency of test-piece selection,

acceptability levels, etc. This is necessary because some standards used

for certification purposes lack clarity in these areas, and while a standard may be quite acceptable without these types of statements, an NF

certification program cannot function without them. After the initial

organizational period, the committee meets twice a year to examine test

results, assess any emerging problems, evaluate and issue warnings if

necessary, and, eventually, apply sanctions. A first offense is usually

admonished by a letter of caution, and repeated offenses carry increasingly stronger action including removal of the privilege of using the

mark

.

16
The entire certification program is of great importance to standardization. Often in a first generation standard, levels of performance are

fixed after considering only a limited size population. In the day-today application of standards, the level of performance actually attained

by a product may be more accurately appraised. This accumulated knowledge

may lead to a proposed modification of a standard. Sometimes the change

relaxes the provisions of the standard. More often than not, a product

performs consistently better than originally estimated, and the standard

is upgraded.

When this happens, a special committee may request AFNOR and the appropriate standardization committee to revise a standard, giving all needed

technical justification for the proposed modification.

'fc The recent law concerning consumer protection and information will

affect the use of the NF mark on consumer products. The NF mark program

already implements many of the provisions of the law, but some changes

may be forthcoming. In particular, the mark may have to be more informative, especially when used for consumer products.

Testing

AFNOR, which has the management responsibility for all NF marks and cer- tification committees, has no laboratories or test facilities.

A testing house is selected to perform the tests for each individual

mark created. Most often there is only one candidate with the qualifications required to carry out the work. When more than one laboratory is

necessary, an equitable distribution of testing activity is made. The

decision is AFNOR* s, and it is reached after extensive consultation with

interested parties. In 1977, AFNOR reported that 23 official laboratories

were charged with carrying out tests for the NF mark. There is no program

in operation for accrediting testing Institutions, so no formal criteria

have been developed for selecting testing houses to take part in AFNOR*

certification programs.

See Chapter VIII.

17
VII. GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS AND STANDARDS

Regulations

AFNOR's ratified standards are extensively used in French government

regulations. This is accomplished in a variety of ways.

The most frequent type of use is direct reference to a standard. Direct

reference is being increasingly used in Europe, and it is strongly advocated by such intergovernmental bodies as the United Nations* Economic

Commission for Europe and the Commission of European Communities. Typically, the government in France regulates through direct reference to a standard when the application of such regulation is non-discriminatory

,

applicable to all concerned. The regulation is issued through a statement published in the Official Dally Journal that a particular

standard is mandatory. This information is widely reprinted in AFNOR's

periodical publications and the technical press. (For an example of this

kind of Information printed by AFNOR, see Figure 8.) Usually, the standard itself, as sold by AFNOR, clearly states its legal status. As of

January 1978, some 200 standards in 25 sectors were Incorporated in regulations by direct reference.

Government regulations incorporate AFNOR's standards in other ways, for

example:

1. Regulations may reproduce in full the text of French standards,

and may or may not mention the original source.

2. Regulations may be based on a standard or part thereof, but may

not expressly mention the AFNOR source document.

3. Regulations may require conformance to a particular standard by a specially designated group only. Typical of this category are certain AFNOR testing standards that have been made mandatory

for use by government, by officially accredited labs, or for settling disputes, particularly for agricultural and food products.

When the need arises, regulatory authorities either use an existing standard, if a suitable one is available, or they ask AFNOR to develop one.

In the former case, the degree of urgency and the purpose of the regulation are often made clear to the corresponding standards committee so that its members may take advantage of the guidance and have a better

chance of producing a standard suitable for regulatory purposes. This is

usually done in the formal letter of request and/or accompanying documents. Also, AFNOR staff usually confer extensively with regulatory

officials before committee work starts.

Regulatory officials may take part in committee work, but generally they

do not. If they choose to take part in the development of a standard,

their participation is governed by the usual AFNOR rules: they may participate if they so wish, and the role they play may range from active

18
(e.g., serving as committee chairman) to passive (e.g., a committee

observer). A regulator's actual interest in committee work varies widely

depending on technical knowledge, purpose of regulation, available time,

etc.

Government Standards

The public sector in France develops many technical documents for its own procurement needs. Even though they are not called standards and

make no claim to this effect, they are, for all practical purposes, standards. The use of the term "norme" (meaning "standard") in France is

mostly limited to nationally recognized standards. In part this is possible because there are a plethora of other terms such as "cahier de

charges," "cahier de prescriptions," "cahier de clauses administratives/techniques, " and "recuell de decisions". Even the English word

"standard" may be used to refer to technical documents which may be

construed to be standards. It is rare in France to refer to "French

government standards".

There are several groups in different government agencies* that develop

such documents. The most Important one is the Central Commission for Markets (CCM) and their Permanent Groups for the Study of Markets (GPEM).

They are within the authority and administrative structure of the Ministry of Economy and Finances, but their standards are applicable to all

ministries and public groups.

In addition, many ministries have internal committees that draft standards (e.g. the Ministry of Education) for their own procurement needs.

There is a close liaison between the CCM and AFNOR at the highest level

of authority. The Secretary General of the CCM is a member of AFNOR'

Board of Directors, and some coordination is attempted relative to longrange planning in areas of common interest.

AFNOR' s technical staff is invited to participate in the work of these

government groups, but they seldom do so. In the last few years, selected

GPEM documents that may be applicable to the private as well as public

sector, have been referenced in AFNOR' s annual catalog, which lists all

standards.

The Standardization Law of 1941 provided for the appointment, within each

ministry and agency, of an official who would be responsible for all

standardization matters and who would be the Commissioner's correspondent.

In 1975 the duties of this official were redefined as follows:

- To contribute to standardization work and represent the appropriate

government ministry or agency in AFNOR' s committees.

* It is useful to keep in mind here that France is not, like the U.S., a federation of independent sovereign states, but a highly centralized

republic.

19
- To make sure the period of inquiry within the ministry or agency is

used effectively.

- To encourage implementation by the government of AFNOR's ratified

standards where applicable.

- To participate in the development of the government's and AFNOR's

annual standardization program (these programs typically list and

prioritize standards to be developed, with short-range and longrange goals).

- To transmit to the Commissioner any request for non-implementation

of a particular standard (this is rare, as may be expected, because

it is not possible to ratify an AFNOR standard over the objection

of any ministry or agency).

- To be the liaison between the ministry and the CCM and to carry

out functions analogous to those carried out with respect to AFNOR

concerning representation, period of comments, etc.

- To be the focal point for coordination and exchange of information

relative to standardization within the ministry.

- To contribute to the coherence of the government's standardization

policy, including quality control and certification.

The duties of Internal coordination and information as well as liaison

with other government bodies seem to have been the most effective activities of these officials.

Concurrent with this restructuring, renewed efforts to harmonize government "standards" with AFNOR's have met with limited success. Few sectors

have accepted the idea of unif ormizatlon with enthusiasm. One of the areas where progress is foreseeable in the next few years is in construction. Some modest efforts are presently underway between AFNOR and the

Central Laboratory for Bridges and Roads (LCPC) of the Ministry of Equipment (Public Works) concerning specifications for some granular materials

for concrete.

Antitrust Issues

France does not have comprehensive, actively implemented antitrust legislation.

Since the end of World War II, industrial groups and trade associations

have been allowed to impose minimum prices on their products, but this is no longer condoned.

Antitrust Issues are of much less concern in France than in the U.S. Many

trade or Industry associations regularly discuss and often agree on their

respective pricing policies. The government exercises a strong influence

20
in fixing prices in some sectors and controls the price of some key

commodities, such as cement.

In 1977, new rules applicable to excessive economic concentrations were

adopted in France. These new provisions bring French legislation closer

to Common Market cartel law. The new law establishes criteria for selecting activities subject to control. The intention is to subject some operations to scrutiny by government, not necessarily to impose sanctions

on activities deemed to be in the national interest. The appropriate

Ministry, on the basis of the evidence, decides on its future course of

action and may issue warnings or sanctions or exempt the industry from

compliance with the regulations.

It is unclear at this time how this new development will affect standardization.
VIII. MISCELLANEOUS

Consumer Issues

In France, consumer participation in the development of standards relating to consumer products is a reaffirmation of the statutory principle of

achieving agreement through wide representation in standards-developing

committees. Legislation dating back to 1930, including the Standardization Law of 1941, explicitly refers to "consumers" and instructs that

they be adequately notified of drafts submitted for comments during the

public inquiry period.

As part of the worldwide consumer movement, consumers in France have

organized into many groups. In addition several public organizations are responsible for consumer issues. One is the National Committee on Consumption (CNC) , a government agency of the Ministry of Economy and Finances which acts as the principal permanent public authority on consumer

issues. A second is the National Institute on Consumption (INC), also

under the guidance of the Ministry of Economy and Finances but largely

autonomous

.

The 1977 Scrivener Law

A third government group, the "Agency for Consumer Affairs"* sponsored

consumer legislation, which became law in December 1977. (This agency

has since been dissolved and replaced by other groups.) Certain provisions of this law, known as the Scrivener Law, will considerably affect

standardization. In particular, it will affect certification practices

now followed by AFNOR's NF mark program. However, many of the provisions

of this law are vague.**

The Scrivener Law which complements a 1905 law on fraud and falsification of products and services gives the Council of Ministers power to

outlaw or regulate products dangerous to the safety or health of consumers. Interestingly, this law defines "consumers" as any uninformed or

"Agency" here is a very loose translation of the French "Secretariat

d'Etat" small organizations with variable life spans. The head of

this type of independent department has ministerial ranking and serves on the Council of Ministers, headed by the Prime Minister. At one time or another in the last 5 years there have been "agencies" in

charge of the penal system (in addition to the Ministry of Justice),

of universities (in addition to the Ministry of Education), and others.

"Implementation decrees" to clarify and interpret a law must be published before a French law becomes effective. Many months may pass

before such decrees are approved and published in the Official Daily

Journal . At times, it takes years and, occasionally, implementation

decrees are never published, as was the case with a 1963 law concerning Industrial labeling.

22
unforewarned persons. Most significantly, it stipulates that a certification may only be Issued by an organization that is not under the

control of the manufacturer or seller. Moreover, if a label is attached

to a consumer product, it must be informative. This means that a mark

or symbol by itself will no longer suffice if the product is intended

to be put on the consumer market.

Precise details of labeling are not specified in the Scrivener Law, and

implementation decrees will be published. Also concerned groups will co- ordinate their efforts and help develop acceptable labeling guidelines

that will meet the law's intent.

Consequently, there may be serious implications for AFNOR certification

programs and the NF mark. The NF mark program already conforms to many

of the provisions of the law, but, for consumer products in particular,

some of its rules will have to be modified in order to provide the user

with more information.

Consumer Participation in AFNOR . In France, as in most industrialized

nations, recent years have witnessed an increasing interest by many sectors in consumer affairs. Before the Scrivener Law, AFNOR had begun

strengthening its relations with consumer groups. These efforts included

a series of agreements between consumer groups and AFNOR encouraging consumer participation in AFNOR committees and opening new avenues of co- operation. Between 1973 and 1977:

° Representatives of CNC and INC agreed to serve on AFNOR' s Board

of Directors and on the NF Mark Directing Committee.

° A triangular relationship between CNC, INC and AFNOR was established to consult on Issues relating to the development of con- sumer product standards: (a) when work on a new subject is being

considered; (b) at the first organizational meeting of a new

committee; (c) any time that an Important issue in the standard is to be decided; and (d) during public inquiry.

° Extensive consultations regarding the establishment and adoption

of annual standardization programs for consumer standards are now

common practice.

° A committee on consumer affairs was created within AFNOR' s Board

of Directors, in parallel with ISO's Consumer Policy Committee

(COPOLCO)

.

Operational agreements have been finalized between AFNOR and consumer

groups to enable consumer representatives to participate in committee

work in an appropriate capacity, that is, not necessarily to serve as technical experts, but rather to articulate the needs of product users.

Another organization that may play an Important part in Implementing

the Scrivener Law is the French Association for Informative Labeling

(AFEI). AFEI's main objectives are to establish guidelines for the uni23
form, clear presentation of information on labels for consumer products.

Since its creation in 1970, this association has closely cooperated with

AFNOR. A longstanding agreement assures that whenever an AFNOR standard

exists, the AFEI label references it.

Labor Participation

French labor unions are very different from unions in the U.S. They are divided along political, ideological lines rather than by craft. They

are highly politicized in spite of a law that allows unions no political,

religious or commercial activities. Significantly, union membership

increases markedly during periods of heightened political activity.

Presently, only a few* major labor confederations are considered "representative" at the national level. While many other unions exist, in

practice only these important and representative unions have certain

powers

.

In spite of the important role played by organized labor in France in

national affairs, a smaller percentage of the French working population

join unions than in the United States, Germany or the United Kingdom.

The number of members in a union varies with the type of profession

or industry. Highly unionized sectors Include those employing printers,

teachers, gas and electricity workers. In contrast, textile and retail

workers are less unionized.

While many participants in standards work are members of one of the major

unions, labor unions as an institution do not contribute to the standardization process. To the author's knowledge, organized labor has not

addressed the issue of standards development and has not approached AFNOR

(as consumer groups have) for specific participation agreements.

Small Business

Many small businesses in France are grouped into associations, which in

turn group to form national federations. These associations are often

regionally based and seldom have the resources to participate actively on standards developing committees, all the more so since all meetings are held in Paris. These groups must rely on the national federations to

present their points of view to standards committees. This system functions effectively for small businesses when all the businesses in an association are small, and consequently federation headquarters are sensitive to small business interests.

Small businesses that do not belong to any association have no institutional mechanisms for voicing their opinions in standards activities.

Their options are limited to reading technical publications that carry

Information on standards development work, or to subscribing to AFNOR as

Five for wage earners, including one for supervisory and managerial

personnel, and one for employees

24
request membership on an AFNOR committee, and this Is usually possible If

the Individual or company has some vested Interest In the area of work.

If the Individual or company chooses* not to be a member of the committee,

he or she may always contribute comments when a particular draft Is submitted to public Inquiry.

In the experience of the author, no one has ever been refused membership on AFNOR' S standardization committees. The situation Is

different for standardization bureaus committees, where membership Is

more restricted.

25
IX. INTERNATIONAL AND REGIONAL STANDARDIZATION - THE FRENCH CONTRIBUTION

Among AFNOR's major responsibilities, the most unique is representing

France in non-treaty, non-governmental, international and regional standards organizations, namely, the International Organlz.ation for Standardization (ISO) and the European Committee for Standardization (CEN).

However, French representation in the International Electrotechnical

Commission (lEC) and the European Electrotechnical Committee for Standardization (CENELEC) are not under the auspices of AFNOR.

French participation in other international governmental groups where

standardization is discussed is conducted through the Commissioner for

Standardization. Such groups include the Economic Commission for Europe

of the United Nations (UN/ECE), the General Agreement on Tariffs and

Trade (GATT), the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations

(FAO), and the Commission of European Commmunlties (CEC)*. AFNOR participates quite actively in many of these activities.

International Standardization

ISO Purpose . ISO (the international O^rganizatlon for Standardization)

is the international, non-governmental agency for standardization.

It brings together the Interests of producers, users (Including

consumers), governments and the scientific community in the preparation

of international standards. The objective of ISO is to facilitate the

international exchange of goods and services through standardization and

to develop mutual cooperation in the sphere of intellectual, scientific,

technological and economic activity.

Organization and Scope . ISO is a decentralized organization based in

Geneva. As of 1979, it was composed of the national standards institutions from 86 countries. A member body of ISO is the national body "most

representative of standardization in its country." Thus, only one such

body for each country is accepted for membership in ISO. More than

70 percent of the ISO member bodies are governmental institutions or organizations incorporated by public law, and most of the remainder have

close links to the government, with the notable exception of the United

States of America.

ISO's scope is broad, and it covers both technical and non-technical standards. It is not, however, active in the electrotechnical field which is

the responsibility of the International Electrotechnical Commission (lEC).

ISO is administered by a president, a vice president, a treasurer, a secretary-general, and a council (its "Board of Directors"). The ISO

Council has established a number of committees, including:

The Commission of European Communities (CEC) is the executive arm of

the European Economic Community, commonly referred to as the Common

Market

26
EXCO - Executive Committee

PLACO - Planning Committee

CERTICO - Committee on Certification

COPOLCO - Consumer Policy Committee

DEVCO - Development Committee

INFCO - Standing Committee for the Study of Scientific and

Technical Information on Standardization

REMCO - Committee on Reference Materials

STACO - Standing Committee for the Study of Principles of

Standardization

ISCA - International Standards Steering Committee for

Consumer Affairs

In order to better assess the needs for international standards in a particular field, ISO may create technical divisions (TD) . At present,

there are four technical divisions as follows:

TD 1 Mechanical Engineering

TD 2 Agriculture

TD 3 Building

TD 4 Distribution of Goods

Technical Committees . ISO's technical work is carried out through technical committees (TC) set up by the ISO Council, which also determines the

scope of the committee. Within this scope, the committee determines its own program of work.

The technical committee may, in turn, create subcommittees (SC) and working groups (WG). Each technical committee and subcommittee has a secretariat, assigned to an ISO member body, and for each working group, a convenor is appointed by the parent committee. At the end of 1977, there

were 154 technical committees, 585 subcommittees and 1140 working groups.

By early 1979, the number of technical committees had risen to 157.

Any member body has the right to be represented on any technical committee. Member bodies which actively participate are designated as P-members

(participating) of that committee. Member bodies wishing only to be kept

informed of the work of a technical committee or subcommittee are registered as 0-members (observers). The bulk of the work is carried out by

correspondence. Each year, 10,000 working documents are evaluated.

Meetings are convened when justified. In 1977, there were 617 ISO meetings held in 40 countries, representing almost 1500 working sessions.

ISO official languages are English, French and Russian,

sions are carried out in English and French.

All working sesInternational Standards. By the end of 1978, ISO had published 3750

Adoption of these by member countries is

Russian

international standards.

optional. ISO standards are available in English and French,

versions of ISO standards are issued at the discretion of the Soviet

member body.

27
AFNOR Participation . AFNOR is one of a handful of permanent members of the

ISO Council and participates actively in all ISO Council committees and

activities

Similarly, AFNOR is a member of practically every ISO technical committee

and most subcommittees. The July 1979 participation statistics published

by ISO show France as a "P" (participating) member in all but three technical committees (TC 50 - Lac; TC 169 - Fishmeal; TC 17A - Jewelry) — a record unmatched by any other country. The keen interest shown by France

by being a voting member of so many committees is a strong indication

of the importance which France and AFNOR accord to international standardization work. Furthermore, the fact that French is an official language in ISO

encourages France’s involvement in international standardization activities.

The number of secretariats held is another indication of the desire to

participate and exercise a strong influence in ISO work. More than

20 percent of all ISO technical secretariats are in AFNOR’ s hands. For

comparison purposes, distribution of secretariats among major countries

is shown in Table A.

Table A

Distribution of ISO Secretariats in 1979

Total France UK Germany USA

Technical Committees 157 31 24 21 14

Subcommittees 590 140 79 90 66

Other groups 1066 199 226 194 130

Total 1813 370 329 305 210

Even though member bodies have no obligation to adopt ISO standards, of

the 501 ISO standards published in 1977, 90 percent were voluntarily

incorporated, adopted or reproduced in AFNOR standards; 65 percent

of the 90 percent were not modified.

Although bare statistics do not tell the whole story, there is no doubt

that they show significant French interest in ISO work.

AFNOR Role . In all international work, AFNOR follows its usual practices

for assuring participation by all interested groups and developing a coherent national position. For all ISO (and CEN) work, there is a parallel standardization committee in France under AFNOR auspices. These

committees may be distinct from similar committees working on national

French standards. More commonly, the same committee fulfills both functions, and meetings may be devoted to either national or International

work, or to both. Usually a meeting is held to prepare for every international meeting In which France participates, and other meetings are

28
held as needed for such things as voting on a draft. During committee

meetings, the French position on issues to be discussed is agreed upon.

To defend this position at ISO (and CEN) meetings, the committee appoints

a delegation to represent it. Where travel is required, participants

pay for their own expenses, as AFNOR has no travel funds for this purpose.

In recent years, the tendency towards adopting standards published by ISO

as French standards has increased markedly. A ver^ sizable portion of

AFNOR’ s budget is spent on ISO and CEN activities, and it is generally

felt that duplication of effort should be avoided.

European Standardization (CEN* CEN Background . The European Committee for Standardization **) was

founded in Paris in 1961 as the "European Standards Coordinating Committee", a successor to a Common Market and European Free Trade Association

committee set up in 1957. The present title of the group was adopted in

1971, when the purpose of the committee was redefined from a limited role

of coordination and harmonization to a broader standards development role.

CEN Purpose . CEN aims to promote standardization at the European level

in order to facilitate the exchange of goods and services by eliminating

obstacles caused by technical requirements. To this end, CEN publishes

European standards***. CEN also encourages the implementation of ISO

standards, and it attempts to limit the scope of its work to subjects of

special interest to its members which are not covered by ISO. Occasionally, CEN reluctantly duplicates ISO work if there is a particular regulatory need or trade Interest.

Organization and Scope . CEN members are the standards organizations of

Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, West Germany, Ireland, Italy,

Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, Switzerland,

and, since early 1979, Greece. CEN is a decentralized organization based

in Brussels. CEN has about 60 technical commitees (TC), with relatively

limited scopes. Consequently subdivisions are not common. Official

languages in CEN are English, French and German.

European Standards . By 1977, CEN had issued 48 standards of which 15

were approved in 1977. In 1978, 8 European standards were issued raising

the total to 56. Official versions of these standards in English, French

and German are on file in the Central Secretariat's offices in Brussels,

* This Includes personnel, travel for AFNOR staff, hosting international

meetings (meeting room, interpreters, etc).

** CEN stands for "^omite _Europeen de formalisation."

*** European standards are not to be confused with the "Euronormes"

issued by the Commission of European Communities. These standards

deal exclusively with steel products, and AFNOR actively participates

in their development.

29
but CEN does not publish European standards. Each country that has

approved a European standard publishes it in its own language(s).

The development of CEN standards is extremely long and difficult because

the status of these documents is very special. Contrary to ISO where

adoption is voluntary, a CEN member body who votes positively on a European draft standard is obliged to make, within six months, that exact

text its national standard, and to withdraw any contradicting documents.

Thus, European standards are published as, for example, French, British,

Dutch or Finnish standards. Obtaining a consensus under such conditions

requires great effort.

Cooperation With CEC . The European Committee for Standardization (CEN)

works in close cooperation with the Commission of European Communities

(CEC), but it is not a part of this organization, nor does it have

any legal ties to the CEC. CEN*s relationship to the CEC is one of

cooperation in areas of mutual interest. Their relationship is similar

to that existing between ISO and the United Nations Economic Commission

for Europe*.

Not all members of the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) are countries belonging to the European Community, and not all CEN activity

is related to Community needs.

The European Community includes nine countries: Belgium, Denmark, France,

West Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and the United

Kingdom. CEN has sixteen member bodies, eight of which are not Community

countries. These are: Austria, Finland, Greece, Norway, Portugal, Spain,

Sweden and Switzerland. Luxembourg 4s not a CEN member. Any CEN member

body may participate in the work of any CEN technical committee.

When the Commission of European Communities (CEC) decides to harmonize

regulations in some particular sector, it may ask CEN to prepare a standard. No commitment of acceptance is given, nor does this request imply

assurance that the European standard will be Incorporated in CEC regulations. Such a request to develop a standard must be accepted by all CEN

members. During committee work, however, an awkward situation may develop

because there may be non-Community countries participating in the development of a standard that might eventually become a part of CEC regulations.

Such situations increase the difficulties of approving drafts, because,

while no CEN member body is obliged to participate in committee work,

voting is compulsory.

AFNOR Participation and Role . France was instrumental in the creation of

CEN and its involvement in CEN work is very intense. In 1977, AFNOR held

37 percent of all CEN secretariats and had adopted a majority of CEN

* For a specific example of the cooperative agreements between ISO and

UN/ECE, see NBS Technical Note 976 "International Trends and Developments of Importance to the Metrication Plans of the US Construction

Community.

30
standards*. Many of the rules that govern committee work in ISO are used in CEN. AFNOR follows its usual practices, as described previously

for ISO work, for channeling French participation in CEN.

Future AFNOR Participation

International standardization activities have increased at a very rapid

rate in the last five to six years, and this trend will probably continue

for years to come. AFNOR' s commitment to the success of international

standardization is seated in the deep conviction of the need for a technically rational basis on which to build and improve upon the worldwide

exchange of goods and services. Increasing numbers of countries share

this belief, and are participating more vigorously in standardization

activities. France's long experience in the international field will

hopefully help foster more effective international cooperation.

* When France does not approve a CEN standard it is not obliged to publish

it. However, since AFNOR is responsible for the French language version

and CEN does not publish standards, AFNOR issues European Standards not

approved by France as information leaflets.

31
APPENDIX 1

ENGLISH AND FRENCH TERMS

An attempt has been made not to use French terms in the text. The translations are the author's and are not necessarily generally recognized terms.

The exact French expressions are listed below opposite the English terms

used in this report, which are in alphabetical order.

English FRENCH

AFNOR (French Association for

Standardization)

Agency of Consumer Affairs

Board of Directors (AFNOR)

Bylaws (NF Mark)

Central Commission for Markets

Central Laboratory for Bridges

and Roads

Commission to Give Technical

Opinions

Commissioner for Standardization

Controller/Audi tor

Council of Ministers

Directing Committee (NF Mark)

Experimental standard

Field Offices (AFNOR)

Fiscal Tax

French Association for Informative Labeling

General Assembly

General Director

Group for the Coordination of

Technical Texts

Implementation Decree

Information Leaflet

Inquiry directed to Ministries

Journal of Standardization

Ministry of Industry

Ministry of Equipment

Monthly Bulletin of French

Standardization

NF Mark

National Committee on Consumption

Association Fran^alse de Normalisation

Secretariat d'Etat a la Consommation

Consell d 'Administration

Reglement Particulier de la Marque NF

Commission Centrale des Marches (CCM)

Laboratolre Centrale des Fonts et

Chauss^es (LCPC)

Commission charge^e de formuler des avis

techniques sur des precedes, materlaux,

Elements ou equipments utilises dans la

construction (ATec)

Commlssalre a la Normalisation

Controleur d'Etat

Consell des mlnlstres

Comlte de Direction de la Marque NF

Norme Experlmentale

Delegations regionales

Taxe Parafiscale

Association Fran^alse pour

I'Etiquetage d' Inf ormation (AFEI)

Assemblee Generale

Dlrecteur General

Groupe pour la coordination des textes

techniques

Decret d' application

Feuille de documentation or Fascicule de documentation

Enquete Minlsterielle

Courrler de la Normalisation

Minlstere du Development Industrie! et Scientifique

Minlstere de I'Equipement et du

Logement

Bulletin Mensuel de la Normalisation Fran^aise (BMNF)

Marque NF

Comlt^ National de la Consommation

(CNC)

32
National Institute on Consumption

Official Daily Journal

Permanent Commission for

Standardization

Permanent Groups for the Study of

Markets

Public Inquiry

Public Interest (AFNOR)

Ratified Standard

Registered Standard

Special Committee (NF Mark)

Specialized Groups (ATec)

Stamping Committee (NF Mark)

Standardization Bureaus

Standardization Committee

Technical Opinion

Institut National de la Consommation (INC)

Journal Officiel (JO)

Commission Permanente de Standardisation

Groupes Permanents d' Etude des

Marches (GPEM)

Enquete Publique (EP)

Reconnue d'utilite'^ publique

Norme Homologuee

Norme Enregistree

Comite Particulier de la Marque NF

Groupes Specialises (ATec)

Comite d' Estampillage de la Marque NF

Bureaux de Normalisation (BN)

Commission de Normalisation

Avis Techniques (ATec)
APPENDIX 2

BUILDING STANDARDS

Standards

In France, building standards are developed under a special organization

that does not fit either of the two usual methods of standards development (i.e., the AFNOR committee method or Standardization Bureau method).

In the late 1950s, a variety of organizations concerned with building

construction and standards agreed on some basic procedures for developing

building standards and other related documents. They formed a "Group for

the Coordination of Technical Texts" informally designated as Group DTU*,

which currently includes the following fourteen organizations:

- Association Fran^aise de Normalisation, (AFNOR)

- Centre Scientifique et Technique du Batiment, CSTB

Fe'd^ration Nationale du Batiment, also known as UTI - Union Technique

Interprofessionnelle'*’

Centre Technique du Bois, CTB^

Union Nationale des Syndicats Fran^ais d' Architectes (UNSFA)^

Union Nationale Interprofessionnelle des Materiaux de

Construction et Produits de Carrieres, UNICEM

- Federation de Fabricants de Tuiles et Briques de France, (FFTB)

Centre Experimental de Recherches et d' Etudes du Batiment et des

Travaux Publics, CEBTP

Centre Technique Industriel de la Construction Metallique, (CTICM)^

- Groupement des APAVE

^

i - Bureau Securitas

-|- A Bureau Veritas

Societ^ de Controle Technique et d' Expertise de la Construction,

SOCOTEC"*^

Controle et Prevention, CEP^

* DTU stands for "Documents Techniques Unifies," meaning "Unified

Technical Documents."

^ Standardization Bureau

Private Inspection Organization

34
The Group DTU acts as the General Committee for Standardization for

building related issues. Its secretariat is held by CSTB.

The principal functions of the Group DTU include developing annual programs with long-range and short-range goals, deciding the work to be

accomplished and distributing the various tasks, assessing progress on standards development, monitoring the activities of committees, and

giving administrative and procedural approvals for processing drafts.

Development of a Standard

To understand how this complex system works, the development of a standard for clay bricks from inception to publication is illustrated. The

annual program calls for a standard method for testing clay bricks to

be published in three years. Most certainly this was included in the

program at the request of the Federation of Tile and Brick Manufacturers

(FTTB) which has a technical center available for testing and research.

When FTTB is ready to commence work, the Group DTU will appoint both

a "writer” ( "re^’dacteur" ) and a "manager" ( "animateur" ) for the specific

draft to be developed. The appointment will be made at one of its regular bi-monthly meetings. While a formal decision must be made, obviously

FTTB will be appointed the "writer". The "manager" may be FTTB, FTTB

aided by some other organization such as CSTB or AFNOR, or AFNOR alone.

The "manager" sets up a committee, calls meetings, distributes documents,

keeps minutes of meetings, and redrafts documents. These committees

have no specific bylaws, but they usually follow AFNOR practices. AFNOR

assigns a reference number to the future standard.

The Group DTU is kept informed of progress and is alerted of any major

problems in case rescheduling becomes necessary. When the committee

feels the draft is adequate, the Group DTU is notified. At the next

regular Group DTU meeting, the draft is approved for submittal to AFNOR

for public comment. This approval is procedural, as the technical content

of the draft is approved by the committee.

Following its customary procedures, AFNOR distributes the draft standard

to a list of interested parties — including committee members — and

prepares the press releases. All comments are sent to AFNOR. If a meeting is needed to resolve comments, AFNOR organizes the meeting. When the

draft is in its final form, the Group DTU gives final approval for publication, which is handled by AFNOR.

Standards Types

Building standards in France cover a wide range of subjects and usually

relate to terminology and vocabulary, definitions, methods of test, and

product specifications. Installation guidelines and minimum system

design standards are not published as standards. These types of documents, called "cahiers de charges DTU", are developed and published by

CSTB. They are, however, under the jurisdiction of the Group DTU. The

35
"writer” and "manager" of these "cahiers de charges"* is usually CSTB.

Other organizations may be appointed co-writers. The Group DTU monitors

the progress of the "cahiers de charges" and gives procedural approval

for publication. Technical approval is given by the committee set up

to study the draft proposal. The composition of these committees is

similar to that of standard-writing committees. Since these documents

are not standards, they do not have to comply with the requirements

imposed on standards and are thus not submitted to public Inquiry nor

to the ministries for comment and approval.

"Cahiers de charges" are extensively used in France and enjoy a very

high reputation. They are not, however, consensus documents as they do

not undergo public inquiry and comment. However, "cahiers de charges"

are endorsed by the Central Commission for Markets (CCM) and become an integral part of that commission’s standards for construction.

(These "standards" are called Cahiers des Clauses Techniques Generales

destine aux Marches Publics de Batiment, translated as General Technical

Specifications for Building Construction by Public Contracting.)

"Cahiers de charges” are considered authoritive guidelines, showing one adequate way of accomplishing a job. Standards and "cahiers de charges"

are complementary documents and are usually used jointly. For example,

a "cahier de charges" on joinery would specify how to install wood windows,

wood doors and other wood components such as closets, kitchen cabinets,

partitions, etc. Where appropriate, reference is made to product and

material standards. In turn, the product standard on wood windows, for

example, may indicate the appropriate "cahier de charges" to consult.

The dichotomy between product and material standards on one hand, and

installation guidelines and systems design on the other, is peculiar to

the building Industry. In most other fields, AFNOR standards address all

aspects of a technology.

V In addition to "cahiers de charges," the Group DTU establishes design

rules ("regies de calcul") for reinforced concrete, steel, wind and snow loads, etc.

Another trait peculiar to French building standards is that both standards and "cahiers de charges" include only products, methods and

systems considered "traditional". Performance history must be known

through long field experience before a product or system is considered

by the Group DTU. For example, wood and metal windows are standardized

with methods of tests, performance criteria, and construction characteristics, "cahiers de charges" give installation guidelines for wood

"Cahier de charges" may be loosely translated as "specifications.

They Include technical and administrative clauses of the type

usually agreed on at the awarding of a contract.

See Chapter VII.

36
joinery and metal joinery. However, plastic windows are not yet con- sidered traditional and fall under other procedures for new products.

New Products

New products, as well as not-so-new but non-traditional products and

methods, may be subjected to a procedure known as an "Avis Technique,"

(ATec) which means "technical opinion.

Only products and methods too new to be standardized (or whose use is

innovative) may be subjected to an ATec procedure. Technical opinions

(Avis Techniques, or ATecs) are issued as information documents to give

all interested parties authoritative opinion on the forseeable behavior

of products and systems, but they do not imply governmental or CSTB

approval. Conformance with them is not mandatory, although new products

and methods which do not have a favorable Avis Technique may sometimes

encounter difficulty in being widely accepted.

The "Commission to Give Technical Opinions"* was created by a government

decree in December 1969 to replace the earlier "Agrement" system.

The Commission's members are identified in Article 7 of the 1969 decree.

AFNOR is a permanent member of the Commission. The Commission forms

"specialized groups"** to examine requests for technical opinion, appointing a chairman and establishing the composition of each group. The groups

may also call on outside experts for consultation and active participation

in meetings. The CSTB (one of the organizations mentioned earlier) registers, publishes and keeps records of all ATec activity, and acts as Secretariat to the Commission and its groups.

ATecs must be requested and must be made for a specific product, as manufactured by a specific company in known factories and as intended for use in defined conditions. A trade association, for example, may not

request an ATec for "plastic windows". Manufacturer X may, however,

request an ATec for plastic windows A, B and C, intended for residential

use in all climates, and manufactured in two localities. In the event of

a favorable ATec, a statement of particular conditions of use and/or of

installation may be included in the ATec. An ATec is valid for a limited

period of time — anywhere from 1 to 5 years. ATecs are published and

copies may be obtained from CSTB by anyone.

Requests are presented to appropriate "specialized groups" while CSTB

carries out all necessary testing. Testing procedures may be based on

standardized methods modified as needed, or new procedures may be established. The specialized group makes a decision based on test results

and visits to sites where the product has been previously used.

* Hereinafter referred to as the Commission.

** In 1978, some sixteen "specialized groups" were functioning.

37
Costs of testing and administrative expenses are paid by the petitioner

to CSTB, according to a fee schedule approved by the Board of Directors

of CSTB with the consent of the Commission. Participation on the

committee work of the groups is voluntary.

The relationship between standardization activities and ATec activities

is spelled out in the Commission's by-laws, (approved by the Ministry

of Equipment (Public Works) in 1971), as a mutually cooperative and supportive effort. These two activities address different issues but are complementary. When products reach a point when they are considered

traditional, the standardization process takes over.

Civil Code

France's building regulation enforcement system is^quite different from

the U.S. system. Most jurisdictions have building regulations limited to

zoning, architectural coherence, historic preservation and related subjects. National legislation usually addresses urban development, and

attempts, among other things, to remedy the acute housing shortage. Some

specific national legislation deals with fire safety, elevators and thermal insulation.

Under articles 1792 and 2270 of the Civil Code (involving civil and penal

liability), builders are accountable for ten years for structural integgrity and for two years for other work.

Under the Civil Code, non-conformity with rules and regulations is

punishable only when the non-conformity causes harm. Systematic inspection of constructions is rare, but a building permit may be refused for

non-compliance to rules and regulations.

Instead of systematic inspection by building officials, as in the U.S.,

there may be Inspection of certain buildings by private organizations for

insurance purposes.

Insurance policies may cover one or all parties Involved in the construction, as well as the construction Itself. Private, Independent inspection groups (such as Veritas, Securitas, Socotec and others, members of

the Group DTU) are extensively Involved in field Inspections. Certain

types of Insurance coverages, in particular for large works or risky

constructions, require private inspection groups to be on site to verify

compliance with rules, regulations, standards, cahiers de charges, design

rules, etc.

A recent law passed in January 1978 concerning responsibility and

insurance in building construction made the manufacturer and the

builder jointly responsible for the building construction and

made insurance mandatory.

38
Building regulation is a vast and complex subject. A comprehensive

treatment is not within the scope of this appendix and would require

further research. The intention of the preceding brief description is

to give an outline of the system and to underline the very basic differences that exist between French and U.S. practices in this field.

39
BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bulletin Mensuel de la Normalisation Fran^alse

(Monthly Bulletin of French Standardization), AFNOR*, April 1978.

Catalogue de Normes Franc^alses

(Annual Catalog), AFNOR, 1978.

Courrier de la Normalisation

(Journal of Standardization), AFNOR,

No. 256 - July/August 1977 (General Assembly 1977),

No. 259 - January/February 1978,

No. 261 - May/June 1978 (1977 AFNOR Annual Report).

ISO Memento

ISO**, 1978 and 1979

ISO Annual Report

ISO, 1977 and 1978.

Reprint of decrees and general ordinances concerning ATec, CSTB***.

Reprint of laws, decrees and ordinances concerning standardization from

1918 to 1975, AFNOR.

Statuts, Reglement Interleur

(Statutes and Internal Rules), AFNOR, 1977.

* AFNOR: Tour Europe, Cedex 7, 92080 Paris la Defense, France.

** ISO: 1 rue de Varembe’, 1211 Geneva 20, Switzerland.

*** Centre Scientifique et Technique du B^timent: 4 Avenue du Recteur

Poincare, 75016 Paris, France.

40
association franpaise de normalisation

TOUR EUROPE CEDEX 7 92080 PARIS LA DEFENSE

acces ; LA DEFENSE 2 • COROLLES

f.IRF T 775724 818 00015 tel. ; 33 PARIS 0) 778 13 26

telex : TLX 611974 afnor

Mademoiselle Joan A, KOENIG

U.S Departement of Commerce

National Bureau of Standards

Washington, D.C. 20234

(U.S.A.)

V05 references •

nos rcferpnres : dge/ce

objet : Rapport de Melle MARTINEZ

TOUR EUROPE novembre 1 979

P'eces jointes-anrexes : 1 note

1 rapport

Mademoiselle,

Je vous retourne le projet de rapport realise par Melle MARTINEZ sur la

normalisation en Prance, apres verification des differents services de 1 'AFNOR,

Ce rapport est complet et presente parfaitement la situation frangaise.

Toutefois il a ete releve quelques inexactitudes qui ont ete corrigees au crayon

sur le texte, ou qui sent portees sur la "note ci-jointe.

Je vous serais reconnaissant de me - faire parvenir un exemplaire du rapport

definitif, une fois qu'il sera publie.

Avec mes remerciements , je vous prie d'agreer, Mademoiselle, 1' expression

de mes sentiments les plus distingues.

Departement Administration Finance^

Le Directeur

D. Wronimx

41A

AFNOR • ASSOCIATION RECONNUE D'UTILITE PUBLIQUE - COMITE MEMBRE FRANQAIS DE LTSO
UNOFFICIAL TRANSLATION OF

AFNOR LETTER

Subject: Miss Martinez's report

Attached: 1 note

1 report

Madame,

I am returning the draft report prepared by Miss Martinez

on standardization in France, after consulting with several

groups in AFNOR.

This report is complete and presents perfectly well the

French situation. However, some inaccuracies have been noted

and have been corrected in pencil in the report or are

explained in the attached note.

I would appreciate a copy of the final report, once it is

p ub 1 ished.

With my thanks.

Sincerely,

D. Geronimi, Director

Administration and Finances Department
STANDARDIZATION

LAW

OF

1941

42
Figure 2

List of Standardization Bureaus*

by Subject Areas Covered

French

Aeronautique et Espace

Agriculture

Architecture

Assurance

Automobile

Banque

Bailment et Travaux Publics

Bois et Ameublement

Caoutchouc

Charbonnages

Chemlns de Fer

Cin^matographie

Construction Metallique

Construction Navale - Navigation

Maritime

Electricite

Embouteillage

Fonderie

Gaz

Habillement

Horlogerie

Inf ormatique

Liants Hydraullques

Materiaux de Construction

Mati^res Plastiques

M^canique

M^taux

Papier

P^trole

Photographie

Siderurgie

Soudure

Textile

Tubes d'acier

English Translation

Aircraft and Space Vehicles

Agriculture

Architecture

Insurance

Automobile

Banking

Building Construction and Public Works

Wood and Furniture

Rubber

Coal Mining

Railroads

Cinematography

Metal Constructions (Structures)

Shipbuilding - Sea Navigation

Electricity

Bottling

Cast Iron

Gas

Clothing

Watches and Clocks

Computer Technology

Hydraulic Binders (cement, plaster,

etc. ) Building Materials

Plastics

Mechanical Industries

Metals

Paper

Petroleum

Photography

Steel

Welding

Textiles

Steel Tubes

* For the exact titles and addresses of the Bureaus, see AFNOR Annual

Catalog

.

43
Figure 3

List of Technical Areas Covered by French Standards

(as given by AFNOR's Annual Catalog)

French English Translation

Catalog Classification

A Metallurgie

B Carrieres-Ceramique-VerreRef ractaires-Bois-Liege

C Electricity

D Economie Domestique-Ameublement

E Mecanique

F Chemins de fer

G Textiles et Cuirs

H Emballage-Manutention-Transport

J Construction et Industries Navales

K Banque - Valeurs Mobilieres - Assurance

L Aeronautique et Espace

M Combustibles

P Batiment et Travaux Publics

Q Papiers et Cartons - Technologie

Graphique

R Automobile - Motocyclce - Cycle

S Industries Diverses (Optique - Photographie - Cinematographie - Acoustique - Eclairage - Jeux et Sports - Materiel

de Lutte Contre I'Incendie - Protection et Securite - Horlogerie - Medicine - Chlrurgie)

T Industries Chimiques

U Matleres et objets utilises en Agriculture

V Produits de 1' Agriculture, de la

Peche et des Industries

Alimenarires

X Normes Fondamentales-Normes

Generales

Z Administration - Commerce - Documentation-Traitement de

1' Information

Metallurgy

Quarry Materials - Ceramics - Glass

Refractories - Wood - Cork

Electricity

Household goods - Furniture

Mechanics

Railroads

Textiles and Leathers

Packaging - Mechanical Handling - Transportation

Shipbuilding and Naval Industries

Banking - Real Estate - Insurance

Aeronautics and Space Technology

Fuels

Building Construction and Public

Works

Paper and Boards - Graphic

Technology

Automobile - Motorcycles - Bicycles

Miscellaneous Industries (Optics - Photography - Cinematography - Acoustics -Lighting - Games

and Sports - Fire-fighting

equipment - Protection and

Safety- Horology (equipment for

measuring time and time keeping

keeping (clocks and watches)

- Medicine - Surgery)

Chemical Industries

Machinery and products used in

Agriculture

Agriculture products, Fishing, and

Food Industries

Fundamental Standards and General

Standards

Management - Trade-Documentation

(Library Sciences)-Inf ormation

Processing (Computer Sciences and

Technology)

44
Figxire ij- TYPICAL COVER PAGE OF A FRENCH STANDARD

TYPE OF STANDARD

AFNOR,

EDrroRNORME FRANCAISE HOMOLOGUEE

TfTLE -\ REFERENCE NUMBER

CARACT^RISTIQUES DES FEN^TRES

NF

P 20-302

Juillet 1974

SOMMAIRE

Pag* AVANT-PROPOS 1

1. OBJET 2

2. DOMAINE D'APPLICATION 2

3. CRITIRES physiques 2

3.1 PERMEABILITE a L'AIR 2 3.2 ETANCHEITE A L'EAU 2 4. critEres de resistance mEcanique COMMUNS 3 4.1 deformation sous CHARGES REPROOUISANTLESEFFETS DU VENT 3 4.2 resistance a UNE PRESSION brusque 3

s. critEres mEcaniques specifiques en fonction ou

TYPE DE FENETRE 4

5.1 fenEtres OUVRANT SUR PAUMELLES 4

5.1.1 A ax0 vertical la fran^iM, i I'anglaise) 4

5.1 .2 A axe horizontal (Ji soufflat) 4

5.1 .3 A axes horizontal at vertical (oacillobattants) 4

5.2 FENETRES OUVRANT SUR PIVOTS 5 5.2.1 A axe vertical (pivotant) 5 5.2.2 A axe horizontal (basculant) S 5.2 fenEtres coulissantes a 5.3.1 A translation horizontal (coulissant) 0 5.3.2 A translation verticale (4 guillotine) 6 5.4 fenEtres ARTICULEES SUR BIELLETTES (itallanna, canadienne,

australienna) 7 5.5 fenEtres ouvrant en accoroeon a autres documents a COMSULTER 8

AvAmr-PROPOs

La pr^senta norma fait suita i la norma NF P 20-50 1 at pricisa las caractiristiquas das fanitras. Son axploitatktn na pavt itra fatte sans oonnaitra tusaga qui sara fait da la fanitra at nacassna done la connaasanoe du Hflamanto ~ OTU * qui pracisa i tusaga das

maitras (faeuvra, !a choix das fanatras an fonction da i*ur exposition. NF P 20-501 , NF P 20-302 at la Momenta DTU rdfatancas cf-dessus doivant etra constdiris comma las trois parties inseparables rfun mente document

Homolog u*«

par trr4t* du 25-0-74

J O. du 4-7-74

C AFNOR !•>«

OfOatB rociQgMCliOR

•I M CrwK»c«DA f«OOfN4a

DATE OF

STANDARD

COPYRIGHT

j tAAAo eono mapw

DATE OF RATFICATION,

REGISTRATION OR

DECSON TO PUBLISH

NFP 20-302 I-TIRAGE Windowa : characteristics Eigenschaftan von Fenatatn

TITLE FI ENGLISH

AND GERMAN

PRNTVIGDATE

Figiire 6

EXCERPTS FROM THE MONTHLY BULLETIN ON FRENCH STANDARDIZATION (MY\Y 1976)

travaux en cours

Dans cene rubnque sont mentionnes certains documents non destines a eire communiques au public En eMet. representant une etape transitoire de travaux de commission en cours. ils n'oni en general de signification qu a la lumiere d autres documents anteneurs ou de complements en preparation Le lirage en est. pour cette raison, limile en (onction des effectifs de

la commission mteressee

Sauls les projets arrives au stade de I'enquete publique sont diffuses sans aucune restriction pendant la duree de Tenqu^te -

ceci independamment. bien entendu. de la diffusion ulteneure des normes definitives

adh£sifs

26 evrli : AFNOft - Commission « Colies et colleges ».

Etablissement du programme de travail de 1a commis>

Sion at de ses groupes de travail n^** 1 a 4. Mise au point de la reponse frangaise sur les avant-projets ISO

:

• DP 6S54/0A0.1 * AdKesifs • Vocabulaire »,

- OP 194/0A0.11 « Liste des termes equivalents • Ter- minoiogie des adh^sifs >. Avis de la commission sur les projets de normes sui- vants en cours d'enqudte publique :

- Pr B 51-338 • Contreplaqu6 a piis - Methodes d'essais des plans de collage •.

- Pr B 54-154 • ContreplaquS a plis - Definitions et qualification des plans de collage »

Avis de la commission sur le document « Extrait d'un document relatif aux stratifies decoratifs >.

Echange de vues sur les liaisons de la commission avec

d'autres instances normalisatrices (AECMA, comita

technique iSO/TC 136 « Tubes, raccords et robinetterie en matiares plastiques pour le transport des flu(des -).

aFronautique et espace

New Standards

Issued

Meetings Held Byy/'

Standardization

Bureaus

NORMES NOUVELLES

Voir pages roses (L)

REUNIONS

3 avril : Bureau de normalieatton de I'aaronautlque el de

kreepace (BNAE) - Groupe de travail 44/1 « Tachyma-

^ree tradltlonr>ela •.

Examen du projet concernant les tachymStres.

3 avrN ; BNAE • Groupe de travail GT 44/2 • Capleurs k Impulaiene ».

Suite de ratude des chaines alimentees par une source

exterieure

Revision des normes NF L 23-201. NF L 23-202 et NF L

23-203 sur les segments d'arrdt ’

• Examen de I'utllita d'une tolerance de battement pour

le fond de gorge,

- Examen des temperatures maxImates d'utillsation.

5 avril : BNAE - Groupe de travail QT 80 « RIvetage •.

Revision de la recommandation de fabrication RF Aero 950 11 Rivetage e i'aide de rivets speciaux « SL • en 30NCD16 et en T-A6V - Execution et contrdle •.

3 avril ; Aeroapatlala - Groupe de travail GT 06 « Dossier

industrial •.

Examen des reponses regues d la suite de I'enquete sur

le pro^et de recommandation generals RQ. Aero 000 06

• Dossier de fabrication • et mise au point du texts final de cette recommandation.

4 avril : BNAE - Commission de branche • Aerodynes et orgertes • • Groupe ad hoc • Segments d'arret •.

Resuitats des essais entrepris sur les segments d'arret. Examen du projet de norms Pr L 23-211 Segments

d'arret a montage axiai - Specification technique •

6 et 7 avril : BNAE.

Constitution de la delegation frangaise et fixation de la position frangaise sur les principaux points inscrits 4

I'ordre du jour de la reunion de la commission AECMA/C 3 > Mecanique •.

13 avril : Service technique aeronautlqua (STA) - Groupe

de travail GT 40 « Tuyauterles - Raccords at joints ».

Examen du compte rendu de reunion ISO/TC 20/SC 10 N 262 et des principaux points Int6ressant la France - Mesures 4 prendre • Programme de travail,

Economie domestique

Ongoing Public

Inquiries

^ enouEtes publiques

n' 3516 (Lave-mains), p 223

n^ 3525 (Climatiseurs), p 223

n* 3530 (Equipement de chauffage des machines

a lever ie linge), p 223

n* 3535 fTuyaux flexibies pour appareils a usage

domt-slique). p 223

REUNION

21 mars Association technique de la refrlgerallon

et de rsqulpemenl rnSnager (ATREM) • Commission d'estampiiiage des appareils d’ulllisatlon do- mesOque des gai • Estampllle NF-QAZ.

Mamtien du droit au port de I'eslampille accorde sans

•ssais a 70 appareitt (24 tables de travail * 14 tables de

NORMES NOUVELLES

Voir pages roses (0)

travail combinees • 6 cuisinlbrea comblnOes • 14 cuial- meres - 2 radlateurs - 10 chaudieres a deux services) Examen et reconnaissance de la conformiie aux normes

d'un prototype Examen de 19 appareils de sene . 16 admissions dont

5 avec observations (4 tables de travail • 4 culsinidrea - 2 radlateurs - 2 chaudieres 4 chaudidres 4 deux servi- ces). Examen des rSsultals d'essais effectu4s au litre du

conirbte sur 7 appareils 2 font I'objet d'observailons • une suspension de licence est prononcee.
Figure 6 (cont’d)

S^CURITf ET PROTECTION

MEETINGS

RSUNtONS

MEETINGS

HELD BY AFNOR

5 avrll : APNOR - Committlon de det brtquets k

gaz.Examen da renquile etfectuae par le CEN sur I'opportunit6 d’instaurer un systeme de certification des bri- quets a gaz

7 avrll : AFNOR - Commission fran 9

alsa da normalisation da I'AquIpamant da sAcuril^ contra las chutes.

INTERNATIONAL

MEETING HELD

IN PARIS

SOUS-COMITE TECHNIQUE ISO/TC 94/SC 1 ^

« Steurlte individuaile - V9tamants at Oquipamants da

protection • Casquas da protaction • (Secretariat : BSI • Royauma-Unl)

- du 4 au 6 avril 1976, a Paris

• Participaiant 6 la reunion des deiegues de 10 pays dont

la France

Principales questions exeminaes Examen de Tavant-proiet de norme sur las points d an- crage destines aux equipements de securitO contra les chutes

27 avrll : AFNOR • Commission da la sdcurlte das bri- quets k gaz.

- Methods de chute de la (ausse tete

• Mise au point at modifications

- Creation du groups de travail ISO/TC 94 SC

1 /GT 3 • Fausses tetes >,

• Choc lateral essai dynamique du systeme de retention.

Preparation de la reunion du comite technique CEN/TC 67 « Securite des briquets a gaz • (Pans, juin 1978) GROUPE DE TRAVAIL ISO/TC 94/SC 1/GT 1 « Signailsation des casquas • (Secretariat : AFNOR - France)

CERTIFICATION AND

MARKING MEETINGS

HELD

, , 22 m«r> : AFNOR ComItA partleullar NF-CASOUE

-S5- mOTO.

Examen des demandes d’admisston : huit modeles sont admis. quatre ajournes, un refuse, une extension de li- cence est accordee. Examen des resultats de contrdie une observation est formulae

• le 3 avril 1978, 4 Montihery.

- Participaient 4 la reunion des deiegues de 3 pays, dont

la France.

Pnncipaie question exammee

Mise au point d'un texte d'avant-projet en fonction des

observations formuiees

SOUDAGE

NEW STANDARDS

ISSUED

^

NORMES NOUVELLES

Voir pages roses (A)

REUNIONS

13 avrll : AFNOR - Commission fran^alse da la soudura

(assals at contrdta des souduras).

Preparation de la reunion du sous-comite technique ISO/TC 44/SC 5 « Soudure - Essais de contrdie des

soudure • (Genes, mai 1978) - Definition du point de

vue du comite membre franpais - Habilitaiion de la dele- gation frangaise a cette reunion.

28 avrll : AFNOR • Commission frangalsa da la soudura

(material de soudage aux gaz).

Preparation de la reunion du sous-comite technique ISO/TC 44 'SC 6 • Materiel de soudage aux gaz > (Berlin. mai 1976) • Definition du point de vue du comite membre fran^ais • Habilitation de la delegation fran- gaise 4 cette reunion.

SOUS-COMITE TECHNIQUE ISO/TC 44/SC 6

« Soudure • Materiel de soudage par resistance • (Secretariat : DIN - Ailemagna) INTERNATIONAL ^ el e avm 197B. a Senm. MEETING HELD

ABROAD

• Participaient a la reunion des deiegues de 4 pays, dont

la France (plus 1 pays par procuration).

Principales questions examinees

- Rapport du secretariat,

- Coordination des travaux du sous-comite technique ISO . TC 44 /SC 6 et du comite CEl . CE 26.

- Revision de la recommendation ISO'R 665 concernant les rainuresdans les plateaux pour les machines

de soudage par bossages,

- Avant-projet concernant les transformateurs de sou- dage par resistance, transformateurs incorpores.

• Conducteurs souples secondaires pour les machines

e souder, refroidis 4 fair,

- Cyiindres pour machines a souder multipoints,

- Symboles graphiques sur le materiel de soudage par

resistance,

- Programme des travaux futurs

48
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Mi

?fi%lA3£!

W * * J > - .1 - . .-..'.Ik -•*- ^

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' 5»t^iI»if»'tK*ljfc<j^* * , ,

' 'fkMJt

. '* «VT^ “* ’ i ^,- Jff

•• ^ ki*»i4 * «i '

•.' *' *'lk***^*“ f‘'''^5?'X ' i\i

•' ^ ‘ .?^s!SL:?,W *

^ V -* -* -•*“.•^^. • ^ i ^ " ’• .j .<r. .* . • "* .ir—A 1 . y , ,u. I .•,*. .V. '.•

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- % * . W ^ - ^v«£ases!>*’*'

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'^j.'. !' - : .li M^m . 4 >rf^

S??-?*i;r5vTO ' "wy ^ l i^^i4W*^><i>S?‘ . " , *,K <>>«»
Figlire J

NF MARKING SYMBOLS

NF-tLECTRICIIt

NF-tLEcmicnt - oinus

Clectro-portatifs

NF-USE ®)

A HF—Coaposants ED.ectroniquee

NF-QAZ

NF-MAZOUT

NF-CHARBON

NF-FROlO

NF-CUISSON

NF-MEUBLE

NF-MEUBLE DE BUREAU

NF-SIEGE NF-CUISINE

NF-ALUFRAN

NF-CRISTAL

NF-VP

NF-BLOCS EN BETON

I ^ 100 ^ ®)

NF-CTB

KlurT007

NF-BETONS PRETS a L'EMPLOI prepares EN USINE NF-BOISSEAUX OE TERRE CUITE NF-BRIQUES CREUSES OE TERRE

CUITE

NF-TUILES EN BETON NF-COMPLEMENT D'ETANCHEITE NF-ElEMENTS OE MOSAlQUE OE PATE OE VERRE

nf-rEact)on au feu NF-ROBINETTERIE NF-RESERVOIRS NON ENTERRES EN matiEres PLASTIQUES NF-STOCKAOE PETROUER

NF-UMITEURS OE REMPUSSAGE

NF-ENTREVOUS EN BETON

NF-BOROURES ET CANIVEAUX EN BETON

NF-PLAQUES ONOULEES EN AMIANTE-CIMENT

NF-PLAQUES ONOULEES EN POLYESTER NF-TUYAUX EN AMIANTE-CIMENT

NF-ElEMENTS OE CANAUSATIONS

EN GRES

NF-CARREAUX OE MOSAlQUE OE MARBRE

NF-CTB PORTES PLANES

NF-CTB PARQUETS MOSAlQUE

NF-CTB LAMES A PARQUET EN chEne massif

NF-ARTICLES DE QUINCAILLERIE

NF-BOlTES AUX LETTRES

NF-MIH

NF-AERAULIQUE ET THERMIQUE

NF-CONTENEURS

NF-CAHIERS SCOLAIRES

NF-FILTRES DE PROTECTION OCULAIRE

NF-MIRES ET MICROMIRES

nf-butyromEtres a LAIT

NF-CASQUE MOTO
Figure 8

REPRINT FROM THE OFFICIAL

STANDARD COMPULSORY (AS

DAILY JOURNAL MAKING

PUBLISHED IN A BMNF)

A

MISE EN APPLICATION OBLIGATOIRE DE

(«J.O.» du avril 1978

?

NORMES FRANQAISES

p. IU 96 )

Le ministre ddiftgua k r 6conofme et aux finances, ie mn

ntstre 6e t'agnculture et fe mintstre de rindustrie. du commerce et de I’artisanat. Vu ia k>i du 15 t^vrier 1941 relative a (’organisation de la production, du transport et de ia distribution du gaz . Vu la k>i du 24 mai 1941 relative a la normalisation : Vu ie decret du 24 mai 1941 fixant le statut de la normalisation . Vu ie decret du 23 mai 1962 fuant ies regies techniques

et de securite applicabies aux installations de gaz

combustibles . Vu I'arrete du 15 avni 1942 portant statut de la marque

nationaie de conformite aux normes ; Vu ies arretes du mimstre de rindustrie du 21 fevrier -1966 et du 24 fevrier 1976 portant modification et codification des regies de conformite des appareils et materiels «i gaz aux normes francaises ies concernani

Vu I’arrete du 2 aout 1977 relatif aux regies techniques

et de s^uritd applicabies aux installations de gaz

combustible et d'hydrocarbures liquefi^ situees d I'lnt^ neur des batiments d'habitation ou de leurs dependances . Vu rarticie 23 bis du code des douanes . Sur proposition du commissatre a la normalisation.

Arretent

Art 1* - Dans un d^lai de deux mois a compter de la date de publication du present arr6t^. il est interdit d’im- poner. pour la mi$e a la consommation, des materials et appareils domestiques a gaz qui ne satisfont pas aux

condrtions im(>osees par I'arrete susvise du 21 fevrier 1966 tel qu'il a ete modifi6 par Ies arr^es subsequenis. et notamment par I'arrete du 24 f 6vrier 1976. ou aux conditions imposees par I'articie 4 de I'arrete du 2 aoCit 1977

sutvTse

Art 2 - La charge de la preuve de la conformity aux dis- poertions de I’articie 1* incombe aux fabncants ou aux im- portateurs

Art 3 - Cette preuve results

1 Pour les materiels et appareils domestiques utilisant let combustibles gazeux qui sont titulaires de la marque

nationaie de conformity aux normes NF-GA2. de la pr6

- sentation du certificat d’admission y la marque NF deiivry par la commission d'estampiilage competente de la mar- que NF-CAZ ainsi que de la presence sur cheque materiel Ou appareil de la marque de conformity appos6e dans Ies conditiorta fixees par le ryglement particulier correspondent

2 Pour ies materiels et appareils domestiques utilisant ies combustibles gazeux qui r># sont r as maiaires de la marque nationaie de conformity aua rvermes NF-OAZ mats

qui aux termes de I’arryte susvise du 21 fevrier 1966. doi- veni Sire obiigatoirement conforiaas a ces ^rmes. de la presentation d une attestation de eentrole technique ddli- vree par le mmistere de I'lrKluetne du commerce et de

t’artiaanai (direction du gaz. de l yieciriciiy et du cha/bon)

Cette attestation certifie que le contrdle technique dont

ies modalites sont dyfinies aux articles 5 et 7 dudit arryty a yty subi avec succes. le maintien de cette attestation etant subordonne aux rysultats des controles effectues par les services competents.

3. Pour les materiels et appareils domestiques utilisant ies combustibles gazeux qui ne sont pas couverts par des normes obligatoires mats qui sont soumis aux dispositions de I’arryty $usvi$y du 2 aout 1977. d'une attestation d'agrement dyiivrye par le ministere de rindustrie. du commerce et de I'artisanat (direction du gaz. de l eiectri- city et du charbon) en application des prescriptions de

I’articie 4 ( 1 «) de cet arrety.

Art. 4 • Sauf dans le cas oil un certificat d’admission a

la marque NF-(3AZ peut ytre produit et oil la marque de

conformite est apposye sur chaque materiel ou appareil.

les importateurs de matyriels et d'appareils domestiques

utilisant les combustibles gazeux sont tenus de presenter, selon le cas. a I'appui de la dyclaration en douane pour la mise y la consommation. I’attestation de controle techni- que ou I'attestation d'agrement prevue aux paragraphes 2

et 3 de I’articie 3 ci-dessus

Art 5 - Si une directive adoptee par le conseil des communautes europeennes comprend des dispositions in- compatibles avec celles du present arryte, ce dernier sera modifiy en consequence

Art. 6 - Le directeur general des douanes et droits indi- rects du ministyre de I'economie et des finances, le direc- teur de la quality (service de la repression des fraudes et du controle de la quality) du ministyre de I'agriculture. le commissatre a la normalisation, le directeur du gaz. de

ryiectricite et du charbon. le directeur des Industries metallurgiques. mycaniques et yiectriques et le directeur des

carburants du ministere de I'lndustne, du commerce et de

I'artisanat sont charges, chacun en ce qui le concerne de

(’execution du present arryty qui sera publiy au Journal

Official de la Republique franoaise.

Fait y Pans, le 29 mars 1978

La mmistra de I'lndustne. du commerce ef de I'arlisanat. Pour le mmistre et par delegation . Le commiasaira e la normalisation.

FRANQOIS BARET

Le ministre d6l6gu6 y r^onomie et aux finances. Pour le ministre et par dyiegation : Le directeur general des douanes et droits indirects.

Q VIDAL

Le ministre de I'agriculture. Pour le ministre et par delegation Le directeur de la qualite.

E MATHIEU

SH’ytude est deja faite, pourquoi la refaire ? . ’1^

^chetez la norme

!

50
Figure 8 CONTINUED

TRANSLATION OF THE REPRINT FROK THE OFFICIAL

DAILY JOURNAL MAKING A STANDARD COMPULSORY

(AS PUBLISHED IN BMNF)

Rendering Mandatory French Standards

(Journal Official dated April 4, 1978, page 1496)

The Minister of Economy and Finance; the Minister of

Agriculture; the Minister of Industry, Commerce and Manual

Trades

In view of the February 15, 1941 law concerning the

production, transportation and distribution of gas.

In view of the May 24, 1941 law concerning standardization.

In view of the May 24, 1941 decree establishing the

statutes of standardization.

In view of the May 23, 1962 decree establishing the

technical and safety rules applicable to installations of

combustible gas.

In view of the April 15, 1942 ordinance establishing the

statutes on the national mark of conformity to standards.

In view of the February 21, 1966 and February 24, 1976

ordinances of the Minister of Industry modifying and codifying

for gas appliances and equipment the rules of conformity to the

relevant French standards.

In view of the August 2, 1977 ordinance concerning the

technical and safety rules applicable to installations of

combustible gas and liquid hydrocarbons located inside

buildings used for habitation and their dependencies.

In view of article 23 bis of the Customs Code.

On the proposal of the Commissioner for Standardization.

Dec i de

Article 1. Within two months of the publication of the

present ordinance, it is forbidden to import for the consumer

market gas equipment and appliances that do not satisfy the

conditions set forth by the aforementioned ordinance of

February 21, 1966, as modified by subsequent ordinances and in

particular by the February 24, 1976 ordinance; or the

conditions set forth by article 4 of the aforementioned

ordinance of August 2, 1977.

Article 2. The responsibility for proving conformity to the

provisions of article 1 falls on manufacturers or importers.

* This translation Is for the reader's information only. It is not meant

to be an official translation.

51
Article 3. This proof results from:

1. For household equipment and appliances which use

combustible gases, holding the national NF-GAZ mark of

conformity to standards, the presentation of a certificate

of admission to the NF mark by the competent NF-GAZ

stamping committee, as well as the presence on each piece

of equipment or appliance of the mark of conformity affixed

under the conditions specified by the corresponding NF

by- 1 aws

2. For household equipment and appliances, which use

combustible gases and which do not hold the national NF-GAZ

mark of conformity to standards but that under the terms of

the aforementioned ordinance of February 21, 1965 shall be

obligatorily in conformity to those standards, the

presentation of a document verifying technical control

issued by the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Manual

Trades (Department of Gas, Electricity and Coal). This

verification certifies that technical control, the methods

for which are defined in article 5 and 7 of that ordinance,

has been successfully achieved. The upholding of such a verification is sub ordinate to the results of the control

procedures carried out by the competent office.

3. For household equipment and appliances using

combustible gases that are not covered by mandatory

standards, but that are subject to the provisions of the

aforementioned ordinance of August 2, 1977, of a document

verifying approval issued by the Ministry of Industry,

Commerce and Manual Trades (Department of Gas, Electricity

and Coal) under the provisions of article 4(1 ) of that

ordinance.

Article 4. Except in the cases where a certificate of

admission to the NF-GAZ mark is presented or where each piece

of equipment or appliance has affixed to it the mark of

conformity, the importers of household equipment and appliances

using combustible gases must present, depending on the case, in

support of the customs declaration for placement in the

consumer market, the document verifying technical control or

the document verifying approval as specified in paragraphs 2 and 3 of article 3 above.

Article 5. If a directive adopted by the Council of European

Communities includes provisions incompatible with those of the

present ordinance, the former will be modified.

Article 6. The General Director of Customs and Indirect Taxes

of the Ministry of Economy and Finance; the Department for

Quality (Office of Repression of Fraud and Quality Control) of

the Ministry of Agriculture; the Commissioner for

Standardization; and the Director of Gas, Electricity and Coal,

52
the Director of Metallurgical, Mechanical and Electrical

Industries and the Director of Carburants of the Ministry of

Industry, Commerce, and Manual Trades are charged, for their

respective areas, with the execution of the present ordinance

that will be published in the Official Daily Journal of the French

Republic.

In Paris, March 29, 1978:

•v5.K

'y* The Minister of Industry, Commerce, and Manual Trades. For the

minister and by delegation: the Commissioner for

Standardization, FRANCOIS BARET.

The Minister of Economy and Finances. For the minister and by

delegation: The General Director of Customs and Indirect

Taxes, 6. VIDAL.

The Minister of Agriculture. For the minister and by

delegation: The Director for Quality, E. MATHIEU.

53
ABOUT OSIAD

The Office of Standards Information, Analysis, and Development (OSIAD) is

part of the NBS National Engineering Laboratory's Office of Engineering

Standards. OSIAD has established a Standards Impact Analysis (SIA) project to provide NBS decision-makers and others with information that will

help them better understand the national and international standards

systems and the economic, social, and other Impacts of standards. It is

hoped that this information will increase the effectiveness of NBS's participation in voluntary standards work and will contribute to the development of more rational and cost effective standards.

Functions of the SIA program include:

° Identifying needs for research: 1. on the impacts of standards;

and 2. on standards systems and how they operate, and making

these known to the academic, economic and standards communities;

° Conducting or contracting for needed research of specific interest

to NBS programs; and

° Maintaining close liaison with NBS and outside groups involved in

standards impact or system assessment and developing a collection

of studies in this area.

Some areas in which SIA has sponsored research are:

Regulatory use of standards

Standards systems in Canada, the UK, West Germany, and Denmark

Economic principles applied to standards-writing

Economics of certification.

For information on SIA studies, contact Joan Koenig (telephone:

301-921-2092; address: Tech B162, National Bureau of Standards,

Washington, D.C. 20234).

5 ^
NBS-114A (REV. 9-78)

u.s. DEPT. OF COMM. 1. PUBLICATION OR REPORT NO. BIBLIOGRAPHIC DATA NBSIR 79“1959

SHEET

4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE

Standardization in France

7. AUTHOR(S)

I. M. Martinez

5. Publication Date February 1980

8. Performing Organ. Report No.

9. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME AND ADDRESS

NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

WASHINGTON, DC 20234

12. SPONSORING ORGANIZATION NAME AND COMPLETE ADDRESS fSfreef. City, state. ZIP)

Office of Engineering Standards

National Bureau of Standards

Department of Commerce

Washington, D.C. 20234

15. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES

if11. Contract/Grant No.

13. Type of Report & Period Covered Final

I I Document describes a computer program; SF-185, FIPS Software Summary, is attached.

IG. ABSTRACT (A 200-word or leas tactual summary of moat aignificant information. If document includes a signilicant bibliography or

literature survey, mention it here.)

This report provides an overview of the voluntary standards system in France.

The author, a former employee of AFNOR - the official French standardization

organization, calls on her firsthand experience to discuss the following

aspects of the French standard system: (1) Organization, (2) French Standards,

(3) Standards Development, (4) Certification, (5) Government Use of Standards,

(6) The Role of Consumers and Labor in Standardization, and (7) France's

Participation in International Standards Activities.

17. KEY WORDS r® ix to twelve entries; alphabetical order; capitalize only the first letter of the first key word unless a proper name;

separated by semicolons)

AFNOR; antitrust; certification; product; France; French standards system;

government policy; Standards systems;

18. AVAILABILITY [^Unlimited 19. SECURITY CLASS

(THIS REPORT)

21. NO. OF

PRINTED PAGES

1 1 For Official Distribution. Do Not Release to NTIS UNCLASSIFIED 62

1 1 Order From Sup. of Doc., U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC

20402, SD Stock No. SN003-003-

20. SECURITY CLASS

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22. Price

rX1 Order From National Technical Information Service (NTIS), Springfield, VA. 22161 UNCLASSIFIED $7.00

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