Manufacturers need them to determine the performance requirements for products they design, make and sell, and the test procedures to assess conformity to those requirements. Sellers, purchasers and users need them to select the right product for the job, and understand its application and limitations. Government agencies incorporate them into workplace safety and health regulations. But even though standards are a familiar part of everyday commerce, there are some common misconceptions about them. A standard is a document, established by consensus and approved by a recognized body, that provides rules, guidelines or characteristics for a product for common and repeated use.
Standards are common in our lives.
Every time you look at your watch you're checking standard time. When you buy a light bulb, you don't need to worry that it will fit the lamp base, because there's a standard. When you need a flashlight battery, you don't have to specify the length, diameter, or voltage - you ask for a C, or D, or AA cell. The helmet's material cannot burn more than 5 sec after you hold an 800 to 900 deg flame to it for 5 sec. The helmet will withstand 20,000 Vrms, AC, at 60 Hz for 3 minutes with no more than 9 mA leakage.