Developing Standards and International Standards Organizations

Abstract

International standards are becoming an important aspect in global engineering and construction. If new standards are not carefully monitored they could negatively affect the global competitiveness of U.S. engineering and construction firms. Therefore, it is important that members of the E/C industry be aware of how standards are developed and what standards are being adopted for international use. This article presents information gathered from a research project, which was sponsored by the Construction Industry Institute, on how engineering and construction industry international standards are developed and implemented. It discusses participation in the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and ISO liaisons. Definitions of standards are provided and consensus standards are explained. In addition, the article provides a detailed synopsis of the development process for standards, including: how the ideas for standards are created; how issues are raised to the ISO council; how ISO technical committees, subcommittees, and working groups are formed for the creation and adoption of standards; what technical committee drafts and draft international standards are; and how international standards are approved.