The American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) has historically supported the voluntary development, promotion and use of consensus standards, and will assist in all practical ways in developing and maintaining such standards within the limits of its Charter and resources. The Society is involved in standards activities with many organizations and committees functioning under the auspices of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). The Society is particularly involved as Secretariat of several Standards utilizing ANSI procedures. This paper does not focus on ASSE's role as Secretariat for Accredited Standards Committees, but instead provides background regarding ASSE policies related to participation and representation on standards committees, provides an overview of major organizations involved in standards development, describes the consensus process, and concludes with an overview of ASSE's position paper regarding the relationship between OSHA regulations and consensus standards.
ASSE involvement with consensus standards development activities dates back to the 1920's. In the decades before OSHA was established, consensus standards committees helped develop uniform norms that impacted the protection of people and property. As such, ASSE found that it was central to its mission to participate in consensus standards activities. Even after OSHA was established, the value of participation in consensus standard activities continues.
In general, consensus standards provide users of the standard with the following benefits:
A consensus of knowledge and expertise in the subjec area or field, usually representing consolidation of current information and data
A guide on the level of safety that is reasonable and necessary in the production process for the protection of employees or of consumers
An approach for national uniformity, which helps employers engaged in interstate commerce and those having establishments in more than one state
A more uniform measure of protection for workers or consumers wherever employed and whenever the product is purchased, and when generally applied, eliminates any competitive advantage.
In addition to the benefits above, consensus standards also provide an useful guide that can be used by government agencies as a basis for regulations, as discussed later in this paper.
Organizations also benefit from participation in the development of standards. Organizations should provide qualified representation to develop practical and technically accurate standards because:
Should the standard become a regulation, all users will be required to meet equal levels of safety in the workplace and in product quality
It is useful for government agencies to have a nationally recognized standard to provide a basis for judging the reasonableness of regulations.
It is ASSE's position that the voluntary consensus standards system as presently constituted most effectively forms the basis for protecting people, property, and the environment. ASSE remains committed to ongoing involvement in the consensus standards process. Further, it supports where feasible, performance over specification standards in order to provide flexibility and innovation in complying with the requirements of such standards.
