C3.4.3 Who creates formal Standards?
Formal Standards are created following discussions with a variety of interested organisations and groups.
National
A country’s National Standards Body (NSB) is usually its biggest producer of formal Standards. The NSB brings together representatives from relevant sections of business, government and society in technical committees that develop the Standards. BSI British Standards is the national Standards body in the UK. It produces British Standards and ensures the representation of UK interests in European and international forums. Other NSBs include AFNOR in France, DIN in Germany and ANSI in the US.
European
CEN (European Committee for Standardisation) members are the national Standards bodies of countries in the European Union, including BSI. CEN promotes voluntary technical harmonisation to reduce trade barriers in Europe and worldwide. All European Standards are adopted by the EU countries. In the UK, they are adopted as British Standards (BS EN). An example of this is the toys Standard BS EN 71, which relates to the EU Directive for the trade of new toys in Europe.
International
ISO (International Organisation for Standardisation) is the world’s largest developer of Standards. Its membership comprises the National Standards Bodies of countries around the world. BSI is a leading member of ISO and represents the UK’s interest in the development of international standards. BSI also decides which international Standards to adopt as British Standards (BS ISO).