Call for Public Comment on Principles to Measure Impact of Standards on Human Health and Safety

Comments Invited by June 15

The American National Standards Institute and UL Standards & Engagement released today for public review and comment a draft white paper Principles for Measuring the Impact of Voluntary Consensus Standards on Human Health and Safety. The white paper seeks to illustrate the value of work done by the standardization community and provide insights on how to measure and articulate impact. It was developed with the assistance of staff of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, and additional working group members from other U.S. federal government agencies, standards developing organizations, and other interested parties.

The white paper includes a discussion of:

• The goals of different stakeholders and approaches to measuring the impact of standards.
• Frameworks for conducting an impact assessment, including the different types of standards, and the importance of the voluntary standards adoption process.
• Collecting and selecting data for measuring outcomes, and the relationship between the effectiveness of a standard and conformance to the standard in achieving impact.

Comments on the draft white paper may be submitted to Jim McCabe, ANSI senior director, standards facilitation, ([email protected]; 212-642-8921) by close of business on June 15, 2023. The working group will address the comments submitted and is targeting to finalize the document for publication by the end of July 2023.

Draft materials are available for download here:

• Draft Principles for Measuring the Impact of Voluntary Consensus Standards on Human Health and Safety (45 page pdf file)
• Instructions for Using Comment Form (pdf file)
• Comment Form (required) (Excel file). When accessing the comment form, you may be prompted for credentials; just hit “Cancel” one or more times to download and open the document

The draft white paper is the result of a process that began in 2021, when staff of ULSE and CPSC approached ANSI to work collaboratively to better understand how standards benefit society. An initial survey of the standards community was conducted, which led to the convening of a 2021 virtual workshop involving standards developing organizations, government agencies, and others, to share information and facilitate dialogue. The working group that came out of those efforts developed the white paper.

For more information, contact Jim McCabe [email protected].

About ANSI

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is a private non-profit organization whose mission is to enhance both the global competitiveness of U.S. business and the U.S. quality of life by promoting and facilitating voluntary consensus standards and conformity assessment systems, and safeguarding their integrity. Its membership is comprised of businesses, professional societies and trade associations, standards developers, government agencies, and consumer and labor organizations.

The Institute represents and serves the diverse interests of more than 270,000 companies and organizations and 30 million professionals worldwide. ANSI is the official U.S. representative to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and, via the U.S. National Committee, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). For more information, visit www.ansi.org.

About ULSE

UL Standards & Engagement is a nonprofit organization that translates safety science into action through standards development, partnerships and advocacy. Since 1903, we have developed nearly 1,700 standards and guidance documents for products ranging from fire doors to autonomous vehicles. ULSE enables innovation and grows trust by convening experts and informing policymakers and regulators as we work toward a safer, more secure and sustainable future. Visit ulse.org for more information.