Directory of International and Regional Organizations Conducting Standards-Related Activities NATIONAL BUREAU of STANDARDS
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NBS SPECIAL PUBLICATION U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE/National Bureau of Standards Directory of International and Regional Organizations Conducting Standards-Related Activities NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS The National Bureau of Standards' was established by an act of Congress on March 3, 1901. The Bureau's overall goal is to strengthen and advance the Nation's science and technology and facilitate their effective application for public benefit. To this end, the Bureau conducts research and provides: (1) a basis for the Nation's physical measurement system, (2) scientific and technological services for industry and government, (3) a technical basis for equity in trade, and (4) technical services to promote public safety. The Bureau's technical work is per- formed by the National Measurement Laboratory, the National Engineering Laboratory, and the Institute for Computer Sciences and Technology. THE NATIONAL MEASUREMENT LABORATORY provides the national system of physical and chemical and materials measurement; coordinates the system with measurement systems of other nations and furnishes essential services leading to accurate and uniform physical and chemical measurement throughout the Nation's scientific community, industry, and commerce; conducts materials research leading to improved methods of measurement, standards, and data on the properties of materials needed by industry, commerce, educational institutions, and Government; provides advisory and research services to other Government agencies; develops, produces, and distributes Standard Reference Materials; and provides calibration services. The Laboratory consists of the following centers: Absolute Physical Quantities 2 — Radiation Research — Chemical Physics — Analytical Chemistry — Materials Science THE NATIONAL ENGINEERING LABORATORY provides technology and technical ser- vices to the public and private sectors to address national needs and to solve national problems; conducts research in engineering and applied science in support of these efforts; builds and maintains competence in the necessary disciplines required to carry out this research and technical service; develops engineering data and measurement capabilities; provides engineering measurement traceability services; develops test methods and proposes engineering standards and code changes; develops and proposes new engineering practices; and develops and improves mechanisms to transfer results of its research to the ultimate user. The Laboratory consists of the following centers: Applied Mathematics — Electronics and Electrical Engineering 2 — Manufacturing Engineering — Building Technology — Fire Research — Chemical Engineering 2 THE INSTITUTE FOR COMPUTER SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGY conducts research and provides scientific and technical services to aid Federal agencies in the selection, acquisition, application, and use of computer technology to improve effectiveness and economy in Government operations in accordance with Public Law 89-306 (40 U.S.C. 759), relevant Executive Orders, and other directives; carries out this mission by managing the Federal Information Processing Standards Program, developing Federal ADP standards guidelines, and managing Federal participation in ADP voluntary standardization activities; provides scientific and technological advisory services and assistance to Federal agencies; and provides the technical foundation for computer-related policies of the Federal Government. The Institute consists of the following centers: Programming Science and Technology — Computer Systems Engineering. 'Headquarters and Laboratories at Gaithersburg, MD, unless otherwise noted; mailing address Washington, DC 20234. ! Some divisions within the center are located at Boulder, CO 80303. Directory of International and Regional Organizations Conducting Standards-Related Activities Maureen A. Breitenberg, Editor Office of Product Standards Policy National Bureau of Standards Washington, DC 20234 v> Q t U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, Malcolm Baldrige, Secretary NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS, Ernest Ambler, Director Issued April 1983 Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 83-600511 National Bureau of Standards Special Publication 649 Natl. Bur. Stand. (U.S.), Spec. Publ. 649, 366 pages (Apr. 1983) CODEN: XNBSAV U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON: 1983 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402 Price $9.50 (Add 25 percent for other than U.S. mailing) FOREWORD The 272 international and regional organizations listed in this directory conduct standardization, certification, laboratory accreditation or other standards-related activities. This volume describes their work in these areas, as well as each organization's scope of activity and the national affiliations of members. It also lists the names and addresses of U.S. participants. This volume summarizes an effort by the National Bureau of Standards to obtain information relevant to monitoring U.S. participation in the many international organizations active in standardization. It is designed to serve the needs of Federal agencies and standards writers for information on international and regional organizations. Manufacturers, engineers, purchasing agents, and others may also find this volume of value. Dr. Stanley I. Warshaw Director, Office of Product Standards Policy ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to acknowledge the contributions of Sophie Chumas and the late Bill Slattery in initially identifying international and regional organizations for inclusion in the directory. I would also like to thank Patricia Healand, Shirley Schrimsher, and Sharon Howard for their long efforts in preparing this volume for publication. iv ABSTRACT This directory contains information on 272 international and regional organizations which conduct standardization, certification, laboratory accreditation, or other standards-related activities. This volume describes their work in these areas, as well as the scope of each organization, national affiliations of members, U.S. participants, restrictions on member- ship, as well as the availability of any standards in English. This volume summarizes an effort by the National Bureau of Standards to obtain information relevant to monitoring U.S. participation in the many international organizations active in standardization. It is designed to serve the needs of Federal agencies and standards writers for information on international and regional organizations involved In standardization and related activities. It may also be useful to manufacturers, engineers, purchasing agents, and others. Key words: certification; international organizations; international standardization; international standards organizations; laboratory accredi- tation; metrology; organizational directory; standardization; standards. v CONTENTS Page Foreword iii Acknowledgments iv 1. Introduction 1 2. Alphabetical Listing of Organizations 3 3* Indexes 3.1 Organizational Index by English Name 336 3.2 Organizational Index by Acronym/Initials 342 3.3 Organizational Index by Subject 353 vii INTRODUCTION Background International standards and implementing actions, the importance of which have only recently been recognized, are intended to affect the flow of goods among 1 nations. In the late 1 960 s , a multi-national working group of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)* began to draft an agreement regarding the use of standards and certification systems in international trade. This effort was transferred to the Tokyo Round of the Multilateral Trade Negotiations (MTN) in 1975. These negotiations led to the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade, which entered into force on January 1, 1980. Title IV of the U.S. Trade Agreements Act of 1979 implemented the United States' responsibilities under this Agreement. The Agreement encourages signatories to participate in international standards organizations with a view towards harmonizing individual countries' technical regulations. The Trade Agreements Act (TAA) of 1979 assigns to the Department of Commerce the responsibility of assuring that U.S. participation in such organizations is adequate to represent U.S. interests. The National Bureau of Standards has developed this directory as part of its responsibilities under the TAA. It seeks to identify organizations involved in standards development, certification, laboratory accreditation, and related activities, and which have identified themselves through their organizational titles as being international or regional in character or which have been thus referred to in other international and regional organizational directories. Another purpose is to identify those organizations which are open to U.S. participation and, for each such, whether or not the U.S. is represented. Organizations such as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the American Society for Testing and Materials, the British Standards Institution, the Canadian Standards Association, and Deutsches Institut fur Normung produce standards which may be used in many parts of the world, but have designated themselves by title as national organizations; they have not been listed herein. However, further information on organizations located in the U.S. is contained in a companion volume to this directory, SP 417 United States Standardizat ion Activities. That volume, last issued in 1975, is to be updated for publication later this year. The information in this directory was obtained from responses to a questionnaire which was sent to more