Key relevant technical standards documentation

Introduction

This chapter provides an introduction to all the documentation that has been identified as being particularly relevant to the assessment of the technical aspects of COMAH Safety Reports.

The list below enables access to the various web sites that are particularly relevant and appropriate, in connection with Level 3 Guidance.

The following types of documents are covered:

• British Standards

Information relating to British Standards currently covered in this Level 3 Guidance.

A comprehensive list of all the standard numbers covered, with the relevant title of each, and information on how to access the British Standards web site for guest users and also subscribers.

• Published Standards

A list of the Standards Organisations, giving contact details, web address and an overview of what the organisation does.

• Published HSE Guidance, Regulations and Statutory Instruments

A list of HSE Guidance, and Regulations, with detailed information on how to access the various web sites, in order to obtain the relevant information.

• Trade Associations

This is a comprehensive list of Associated Members, giving contact details, web address and an overview of what the organisation does.

British Standards Institution (BSI)

The British Standards Institution (BSI) is the UK National Body providing the organisation, facilities and structure for the preparation of UK National Standards.

British Standards Online is the most authoritative current site for all BSI publications.

The documents published by BSI currently covered in this Level 3 Guidance can be found on the British Standards Website:

Health & Safety staff can readily gain information regarding British Standards, by accessing the HSE Intranet site, going into HSE Information Services, clicking on the British Standards Online link, and reading the HSE Guidance that it contains.

British Standards Online has three levels of user access:

• Guest: You can search and view results. Click on the Search button or enter a standard number in the Search field to the left.
• Registered Guest: In addition to searching and viewing results, registering for Free also allows you to view summaries and order hardcopy documents online.
• Subscriber: Become a Subscriber and get instant unlimited online access to standards. For all HSE staff, information from British Standards is available without having to subscribe.

To start using British Standards online, please click on the link below.

British Standards

In addition to standards the site also includes:

• Technical handbooks
• Codes of practice
• Guidelines
• Specifications for products, dimensions, and performance
• Glossaries

PLEASE NOTE the following definitions as applied to British Standards:

• Withdrawn: the standard is no longer current
• Obsolescent: the standard is not recommended for use for new equipment, but is retained to provide for the servicing of existing equipment that is expected to have a long working life.

Published Standards

This section covers the following standards organisations

• British Standards Institute (BSI)
• American National Standards Institute (ANSI)
• International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)
• Association Francaise de Normalisation (AFNOR)
• Deutsches Institut fϋr Normung (DIN)
• Verein Deutscher Ingenieure (VDI)
• International Standards Organisation (ISO)
• Comité de Normalisation Européen (CEN)
• Comité de Normalisation Européen Electrotechnique (CENELEC)

Definition of a Standard

A Standard is a document established by consensus and approved by a recognised body that provides for common and repeated use, rules, guidelines or characteristics for activities or their results, aimed at the achievement of the optimum degree of order in a given context.

Standards should be based on consolidated results of science, technology and experience, and aimed at he promotion of optimum community benefits.

If products are not compatible with worldwide standards, then it is conceivable for that product will not become a success.

Having one common standard that guarantees access to a worldwide audience, means that product can reach a much wider market at a cheaper development and testing cost.

Standard products gain automatic acceptance by their target users as they can identify and consequently accept these products:

Standards Mean Recognition

British Standards Institute (BSI)

Overview

Founded in 1901, the BSI Group is a leading global provider of professional services to organisations worldwide.

British Standards is the world's leading provider of standards covering every aspect of the modern economy from protection of intellectual property to technical specifications for personal protective equipment.

What are the standards and how to use them.

British Standards Online is the authoritative and most current site for all BSI publications. The site is updated daily and includes over 38,500 current, draft and historic British Standards.

In addition to standards the site also includes:

• Technical Handbooks
• Codes of Practice
• Guidelines
• Specifications for Products, dimensions and performance
• Glossaries

American National Standards Institute (ANSI)

Overview

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) has served in its capacity as administrator and co-ordinator of the United States private sector voluntarily standardisation system for more than 80 years.

ANSI currently provides a forum for over 270 ANSI-accredited standards developers representing approximately 200 distinct organisations in the private and the public sectors.

These groups work co-operatively to develop voluntary national consensus standards and American National Standards (ANS). In 2001, there were approximately 11,500 such documents available.

The ANSI process serves all standardisation efforts in the United States by providing and promoting a process that withstands scrutiny, while protecting the rights and interests of every participant. In essence, ANSI standards quicken the market acceptance of products while making clear how to improve the safety of those products for the protection of consumers.

Through ANSI, the US has immediate access to the International Organisation for Standards (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standard development processes.

International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)

Overview

The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is the leading global organisation that prepares and publishes international standards for all

• Electrical
• Electronic, and
• Related technologies

These serve as a basis for national standardisation and as references when drafting international tenders and contracts.

Through its members, the IEC promotes international cooperation on all questions of electrotechnical standardisation and related matters such as the assessment of conformity to standards, in the field of electricity, electronics and related technologies.

IEC references now use a 60000 series designation, so for example - IEC 455-3-2 is now 60455-3-2

Association Francaise de Normalisation (AFNOR)

Overview

As a leading player in European and International standardisation, the tasks of AFNOR are:

• To strengthen the European and International dimension of French standardisation
• To make sure that national positions adopted in the working structures are consistent
• To promote voluntary standardisation as a tool for new International regulations

AFNOR works in collaboration with the trade organisations and with a large number of national and regional partners. Within the framework of the decree of January 26, 1984, AFNOR pilots the French standardisation system comprising 31 sectorial standardisation bureaux, the public authorities and 20000 experts.

Deutsches Institut für Normung (DIN)

Overview

DIN, the German Institute for Standardisation, is a registered association, founded in 1917.

Since 1975, it has been recognised by the German Government as the national standards body and represents German interests at International and European level.

The DIN group is throughout a modern services organisation dedicated to the creation of technical rules and the promulgation of their application.

DIN standards promote rationalisation, quality assurance, safety and environmental protection, as well as improving communication between industry, technology, science, government and the public domain.

Perinorm, a bibliographic database dedicated to helping with standards and technical regulations enquiries, has become the world's leading database containing over 650,000 records from over 18 countries.

Perinorm offers the user a fast and flexible way to access standards collections through 35 search fields, including Standard Number and Publication Date. PLEASE NOTE: Perinorm is only available on subscription.

Verein Deutscher Ingenieure (VDI)

Overview

VDI The Association of Engineers is a financially independent and politically unaffiliated, non-profit organisation of 126,000 engineers and natural scientists.

Established in 1856, the VDI is today recognised as the largest engineering association in Western Europe.

New developments and innovations cannot be kept to single countries or continents. Indeed, as the strands of the global economy intertwine ever more tightly, the world now requires a more extensive exchange of technical knowledge and expertise on an international level.

The VDI was quick to recognise these trends and has taken an active part in helping to shape the rapidly changing conditions in the field of engineering.

International Organisation for Standardisation (iso)

Overview

ISO (International Organisation for Standardisation) is a network of the national standards institutes of 147 countries on the basis of one member per country, with a Central Secretariat in Geneva, Switzerland, that co-ordinates the system.

ISO is the world's largest developer of standards. Although ISO's principal activity is the development of technical standards, ISO standards also have important economic and social repercussions.

ISO standards make a positive difference, not just to engineers and manufacturers for whom they solve basic problems in production and distribution, but to society as a whole.

ISO standards are technical agreements, which provide the framework for compatible technology worldwide. Developing technical consensus on this international scale is a major operation. In all, there are more than 2,850 ISO technical groups (technical committees, subcommittees, working groups etc) in which some 30,000 experts participate annually to develop ISO standards.

ISO - together with the IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) and ITU (International Telecommunications Union) - has built a strategic partnership with the WTO (World Trade Organisation) with the common goal of promoting a free and fair global trading system.

Comité de Normalisation Européén (CEN)

Overview

CEN's mission is to promote voluntary technical harmonisation in Europe, in conjunction with worldwide bodies and its partners in Europe.

Harmonisation diminishes trade barriers, promotes safety, and promotes common technical understanding.

In Europe, CEN works in partnership with CENELEC - the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardisation and ETSI - the European Telecommunications Standards Institute.

CEN works through procedures which guarantee respect for the following principles:

• Openness and transparency: all interested concerns take part in the work; representation is secured through the national standards body which have the duty of sending balanced delegations to the policy making bodies and technical committees.
• Consensus: European standards are developed on the basis of voluntary agreement between all interested parties.
• National Commitment: formal adoption of European Standards is decided by a weighted majority vote of all CEN National Members and is binding on all of them.
• Technical coherence at the national and European level
• Correct Integration with other international work: standardisation is expensive and time-consuming. Wherever possible CEN works with other European bodies, and the ISO (International Organisation for Standardisation)

Comité de Normalisation European Electrotechnique (CENELEC)

Overview

CENELEC, the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardisation, was created in 1973 as a result of the merger of two previous European organisations: CENELCOM and CENEL.

CENELEC's mission is to prepare voluntary electrotechnical standards that help develop the single European Market / European Economic Area for electrical and electronic goods and services removing barriers to trade, creating new markets and cutting compliance costs.

CENELEC members have been working together in the interests of European harmonisation since the 1950's, creating both standards requested by the market and harmonised standards in support of European legislation and which have helped to shape the European Internal Market.

CENELEC works with 35,000 technical experts from 22 European countries. Its work directly increases market potential, encourages technological developments and guarantees the safety and health of consumers and workers.