Publisher: The Construction Industry Institute, Austin, Texas
Authors: Dr. J. K. Yates and Dr. Stylianos (Steve) Aniftos
Research Report: RR49-1
Length: 263 Pages

Publication Date: September 1995

The U.S. construction industry has limited representation in the development of standards and, as a result, it has minimal influence in the development and adoption of international standards. Consequently, many international standards are being adopted without appropriate amounts of input from members of the U.S. engineering and construction industry.

In order to determine the impact that international standards have on the global engineering and construction industry a research project was conducted that examined the standards development process and the results of this process. The research project described in this book indicates that expanded participation by members of the U.S. engineering and construction industry within the international standards-setting community will: Increase the efficiency of developing, adopting, and maintaining international standards. Provide strategies for remaining competitive or increasing competitiveness in the global construction arena. Provide a service to assist in the more efficient delivery of global construction projects. Reduce barriers that cause conflicts or misunderstandings on global projects.

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is the principal organization involved in coordinating standards, and it was established to foster cooperation in the development of standards for the benefit of intellectual, scientific, technological, economic, and construction activities. No international regulatory agency oversees compliance with these standards.

An immense effort to harmonize existing standards on a global level, as well as develop new ones, is underway in the European Community (EC). Standards prepared by the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) are being put forth to ISO for adoption as world standards. Furthermore, some U.S. standards, which until a few years ago were being used internationally, are now being discarded by many countries in favor of ISO standards. If the U.S. does not increase its effort to counter or to join in the CEN effort and the efforts of other countries, international competitiveness of U.S. construction firms will be negatively impacted. By working with the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), the U.S. representative to ISO, international standards can be monitored, proposed, and developed to strengthen the competitiveness of the U.S. construction industry in global markets.

 

Table of Contents

Introduction. General Information on Standards. International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Standards. Global Competitiveness and International Standards. Methodology. Results. Conclusions and Recommendations. Acronyms. Organizations that are Standards Developers. Listing of American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Committees. The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and What It Is. Sample of U.S. Standards Organizations. Construction Societies and Associations. Agencies and Publications Related to Standards. ISO Member Countries. Ways to Accelerate Standards Development. Environmental Protection Management Aspects of ISO 9000. Case Study on the ISO Registration Process. List of ISO 9000 and Other Registrars. Steps for the ISO Registration Process. Internationally Regulated Products