The American National Standards Institute (ANSI), in partnership with the U.S. Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration (ITA), co-hosted a July 18 roundtable dialogue on consumer protection and risk-based standards development for a visiting delegation of technical experts from the GCC Standardization Organization (GSO). The half-day roundtable event was part of a larger government program involving meetings with U.S. government agencies and industry, including ITA, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).
Held at ANSI’s Washington, DC, headquarters, the roundtable was attended by representatives from ANSI-accredited standards developing organizations (SDOs), as well as technical experts from the GSO and its member states. The primary goal was to highlight and inform the visiting experts of the role of voluntary standards in consumer protection and the risk-based standards development process in the U.S. The dialogue also provided an opportunity for industry to highlight the U.S. approach to safety standards and regulations, with a particular focus on GSO areas of interest: toys and automobiles.
The event featured presentations and an interactive Q&A discussion with ANSI, ASTM International, The Toy Association, SAE International, and American Automotive Policy Council (AAPC). Representatives from these organizations provided insights on:
Additionally, GSO experts shared background information on specific issues they face within the toy and automotive sectors, and explored ways they could adapt U.S. experiences to harmonize standards in the Gulf region. They also shared information on their product safety surveillance platform launched in 2021—Rapid Alert System for Exchange of Information on Dangerous Products (AAJEL)—and the workflow for developing draft notifications to GSO member states, as well as corrective measures being taken.
At the conclusion of the event, GSO, ANSI, and its members in attendance agreed to exchange more information on the management of technical committees and guidance documents to promote consumer participation in their regulatory process.
ANSI and the GSO signed a Memorandum of Understanding in 2009, and have frequently hosted meetings and technical exchanges. For more information on this or other ANSI-GSO cooperation, please contact ANSI.
