Chapter VI: LEGAL REQUIREMENTS, STANDARDS, and OTHER CODES
Chapter VI: LEGAL REQUIREMENTS, STANDARDS, AND OTHER CODES Version 1.0 – October 2006 1 2 6. LEGAL REQUIREMENTS, STANDARDS, AND OTHER CODES 6.1. Definitions 6.1.1. General + L e v e Mandatory l Legal Req. o (Directives, Codes, …) f i m Standards p o r Useful t a n Guidelines / Codes of practice c e - As shown in the figure above, the main difference between legal requirements (regulations and codes) and standards is their legal status. Regulations are made by political bodies (parliaments, governments); they are legally binding, and prescribe an acceptable level of, for example, safety or emissions for the technology in question. In contrast following standards is voluntary, but they are a useful instrument for the industrial organisations or interest groups dealing with the technology in question. 6.1.2. Standards A standard as discussed in this report is a document, established by consensus and approved by a recognised body, that provides, for common and repeated use, rules, guidelines or characteristics for activities or their results, aimed at the achievement of the optimum degree of order in a given context. An international standard is a standard developed and adopted by an international standardisation organisation and made available to the public (as defined in IEC/ISO Guide 2). The application of a standard is not obligatory, unless a regulation refers to that standard. Even then the legal power comes from the regulation, not from the standard. 6.1.3. Legal Requirements A legal requirement (directive, regulation or code, etc.) is a national or European statutory text which is imposed by authority.
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