To recognize the tremendous impact that voluntary codes and standards have on society’s public health, safety, and security, members of the broader U.S. standardization community gathered last night for the U.S. Celebration of World Standards Day at an exhibition and gala at the Fairmont Washington in Washington, D.C. Each year, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) co-chair the event; the International Code Council (ICC) served as the 2022 administrating organization.
The 2022 U.S. Celebration of World Standards Day theme, Sustaining the U.S. Standards Model and American Standards Leadership, recognized how voluntary codes and standards have protected public health, safety, and security; constituted a backbone of commerce; provided the building blocks for innovation; and served as the basis for quality and interoperability for more than a century.
“Tonight’s theme champions the successes of our national standardization system and the influence our organizations have—not only here at home, but also on the global stage,” said S. Joe Bhatia, ANSI president and CEO, in his welcome remarks. “The U.S. standardization system is one of the most successful public-private partnerships in history. We can be proud that—for more than a century—consumer, industry, and government representatives have been coming together around the same table to create consensus-based standards that drive our economy, bolster emerging technologies, and safeguard our families, friends, and colleagues while they are at home, work, and play. It’s a system that we are incredibly proud to celebrate, support, and protect.”
The event included the presentation of the 2022 Ronald H. Brown Standards Leadership Award to Ed Laatsch, director of the Federal Emergency Management Administration’s (FEMA) Planning, Safety, and Building Science Division. Named in honor of the late U.S. Secretary of Commerce, the award recognizes demonstrated leadership in promoting the important role of standardization in eliminating global barriers to trade. Among his several professional accomplishments, Laatsch was instrumental in spearheading the FEMA Building Codes Strategy, which serves as the blueprint for organizing and prioritizing FEMA activities to advance the adoption and enforcement of hazard-resistant codes and standards for FEMA programs. On an international platform, Laatsch has served as a key participant in the Global Resiliency Dialogue, a joint initiative to inform the development of building codes.
The event also included the announcement of the 2022 World Standards Day Paper Competition winners, who were selected by the SES Publications Committee. Karen Reczek, president of SES – The Society for Standards Professionals announced the first-place recipient and author of the paper, “Next Generation of Industry Standards, Andrew Bank. Purva Gupta is second-place winner and author of the paper “Student Perspective: Sustaining the U.S. Standards Model.” Tiffany Guess, author of “Flying to Success: How Standards Contribute to the Success of the Aerospace Industry,” is the third-place winner.
World Standards Day was initially launched in 1970, and is now celebrated by nations around the globe. U.S. activities are organized annually by a planning committee consisting of representatives from the standards and conformity assessment community. For more information, visit www.wsd-us.org.