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The National Institute of Standards and Technology will host a meeting to help strengthen U.S. standardization efforts that help developing nations build their economies.The Options for Actions Summit will include trading partners’ assessments of U.S. standards-setting activities provided…
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) plans to form a task force to develop standards to facilitate interoperability of communications equipment used by various emergency personnel. A recent DHS report highlights the need for interoperable emergency communications devices. The…
A new standard provides guidance for identifying and quantifying genetically modified materials in foods. ISO 24276, "Foodstuffs—Methods of analysis for the detection of genetically modified organisms and derived products—General requirements and definitions," lists sample collection…
The International Telecommunications Union has formed a focus group to lead standardization efforts for Internet television.Internet Protocol Television is a system by which digital television content is delivered via a broadband connection. It offers high-speed Internet, television and…
The American National Standards Institute will host an upcoming forum for standards developers in New York City. Open Forum for Standards Developers will be held June 20–21 and will continue a dialogue initiated in March, when consortia representatives met with members of the voluntary…
RABQSA International recently released a new certification scheme for auditor certification of information security management systems (ISMS).Many organizations recognize the importance of their information assets, so they’re implementing information security management systems to identify…
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently issued an updated list of agency-approved consensus standards for the evaluation of medical devices. "Modifications to the List of Recognized Standards, Recognition List Number: 014" includes more than 50 changes to the FDA’s roster of…
The National Institute of Standards and Technology recently issued the first set of standard reference materials (SRM) in a planned series for the assessment of botanical dietary supplements. The dietary supplement industry has exploded in the past decade to about 29,000 products, with about…
The American National Standards Institute recently launched a tracking system to record the implementation of the United States Standards Strategy. Published in December, the USSS establishes a framework that can be used to advance trade issues in the global marketplace, enhance consumer…
The National Institute of Standards and Technology is soliciting public comment on proposed changes to a standard to protect and verify the integrity of electronic data. “Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 186-3-Digital Signature Standard” (DSS) would be used by federal…
The International Organization for Standardization recently published a new standard for tire-pressure early warning devices. ISO 21750:2006, “Road vehicles—Safety enhancements in conjunction with the tyre inflation pressure monitoring,” establishes overall performance guidelines for…
Dozens of the United States’ largest consumer groups and employers recently endorsed new standards released by the National Committee for Quality Assurance. The standards address how health plans assess the quality and efficiency of the care provided by their contracting physicians and…
The International Organization for Standardization recently published a new standard designed for the assessment and reduction of greenhouse gases. ISO 14064 is offered as a solution to the problems posed by governments and businesses, which have used varying approaches to assess…
A poll performed by the American Society for Quality found that while 96 percent of respondents indicated that their companies’ corporate stance toward social responsibility will greatly affect the United States’ economic future, more than 40 percent of them don’t have a social…
The American National Standards Institute recently announced the availability of a Chinese translation of the United States Standards Strategy (USSS). As part of ANSI’s commitment to promote awareness of the document’s initiatives and to support the implementation efforts of various…
The National Institute of Standards and Technology, a part of the Department of Commerce, recently issued the final specifications for Personal Identity Verification (PIV) cards. The cards will be required of all federal employees and contractors by Oct. 27. They’ll be encrypted with…
Are you wondering what to do with the boxes of spreadsheets, forecast plans and financial documents stored in your office? Just ask the International Organization for Standardization, which recently published a new guideline for business-records management. ISO 23081-1:2006 enables the…
Pulte Homes Inc.’s Nevada Area division recently announced its registration to ISO 9001. The homebuilder retained Construction Quality Alliance Partners to consult on implementing ISO-compliant quality processes. Pulte Homes Nevada Area has its headquarters in Las Vegas and builds in…
RABQSA and the Canadian Association for Environmental Analytical Laboratories (CAEAL) recently established an industry-specific laboratory accreditation scheme for Canadian assessors. The scheme provides recognition to assessors who provide Canadian laboratory accreditation assessments…
Standards that relate to the wearability and care of clothes will help even the owners of the glamorous gowns and tuxes seen at the Academy Awards maintain their fancy frocks. Standards developer ASTM International, a member of the American National Standards Institute, has released a…
The American National Standards Institute and ASTM International recently adopted a new standard for personnel certification. ISO/IEC 17024, General requirements for bodies operating certification schemes of persons addresses the need for standardization in the service sector, a need…
The American National Standards Institute recently added upward of 13,000 Chinese national standards to its online offerings. The addition increases the number of international standards available at the site to more than 83,000. The ability to access and purchase Chinese standards…
The International Organization for Standardization has published a standard that will help people assess the ethics and competence of financial planners. ISO 22222:2005, Personal financial planning is aimed at increasing client confidence by providing an international benchmark for a high…
The Arbitration and Mediation Center of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has ruled that several Web addresses violate the trademark rules of the International Organization for Standardization. Announcing that they could mislead people into buying products or services…
The IT service-management profession has taken the leap into the world of standardization. ISO/IEC 20000:2005, Information technology service management, aligns and replaces BS 15000, the British standard that has applied to the IT profession. It’s been issued in two parts: part one…
