a Volume 3, No. 10, November - December 2012, ISSN 2226-1095 Did you know... • Petrobras CEO on the strategic importance of International Standards th • 35 ISO General Assembly a Contents Comment Comment Did you know… ? ....................................................................................................... 1 Did you know… ? World Scene ISO Focus+ is published 10 times a year International events and international standardization ............................................ 2 … that ISO has standards for pasta, lawn mowers and even toothbrushes ? Most peo- (single issues : July-August, ple recognize the “ ISO brand ” due to the success of ISO 9001 or even ISO 14001, November-December). Guest Interview It is available in English and French. and would be surprised to discover that’s not all we do. But since its founding 65 Maria das Graças Silva Foster, Petrobras CEO ........................................................ 3 www.iso.org/isofocus+ years ago, ISO’s goal has been to put together international experience and wisdom ISO Update : www.iso.org/isoupdate Special Report to develop solutions based on state-of-the-art technology and good practice. The electronic edition (PDF file) of ISO From spaghetti to symphonies .................................................................................. 8 Focus+ is accessible free of charge on the The standardized dimensions of freight containers, and beyond, we must stop and ask : Are we doing Pasta-stic ! How to cook the perfect pasta ................................................................ 10 ISO Website www.iso.org/isofocus+ for example, make trade and transport cheaper and enough ? How can we improve standards knowledge An annual subscription to the paper edition Drink up ! How to make the perfect cuppa, and other thirst-quenching drinks ...... 13 faster. Standardized format and security protocols even further ? ISO Focus+ highlights important issues, costs 38 Swiss francs. Cheers ! Wine lovers could soon be toasting a new standard glass ......................... 16 of bank cards make financial transactions more events and achievements, featuring contributions convenient and secure. Road vehicles are continu- from high-level guests and key actors amongst our Publisher The ISO toothbrush – Keeping the tooth fairy at bay .............................................. 18 ally made safer and more environmentally friendly stakeholders. We delve into technical matters and try ISO Central Secretariat Pump up the volume – Assessing loudness and hearing sensitivity ........................ 20 by standards. Our health is protected by guidelines to present them in an accessible way. We spend hours (International Organization for for food safety and the quality of medical devices. looking for the right words, and for the best images, Standardization) Heard that ? Improving acoustics from the concert hall to the office ...................... 22 IT standards have facilitated the development of the 1, chemin de la Voie-Creuse sometimes drawing our own, to ensure we get the Tune in to ISO 16 ! The long and oscillating history of standard tuning frequency .... 25 CH – 1211 Genève 20 Internet, the exchange of information and images via message across right. And these are just a few exam- Switzerland Durable cards – Giving the ID industry a new lease on card service life ............... 30 e-mail, as well as the arrival of e-business. And these ples of what we do in ISO’s Communication Team. Tel. : +41 22 749 01 11 examples are only scratching the surface. It is incredibly rewarding because every time we learn Fax : +41 22 733 34 30 Centre-fold something new. Even after years of working at ISO, E-mail : isofocus+@iso.org Having fun with ISO standards ........................................................................... 28-29 we can still be surprised and amazed by the wealth of We can still be surprised International Standards out there – like the ones featured Manager : Roger Frost Planet ISO and amazed by the wealth of in this issue. The more we know, the more we realize Editor in Chief : Elizabeth Gasiorowski-Denis International Standards out there. the value of what ISO does. And this is something we Assistant Editor : Maria Lazarte News of the ISO system ............................................................................................ 34 are excited to share with you, our readers. Communication Officer : Sandrine Tranchard We hope that whether you have been with us for CDC Artwork : Xela Damond, Pierre Granier Overall International Standards, be they for cars, many years, or that this is the first time you delve into and Alexane Rosa Good standardization practices – Putting best practice to work .............................. 35 dentistry or ergonomics, spread best practice and our pages, whether you are looking at these words on Copy editor/Proofreader : Mary Ritchie avoid reinventing the wheel, but this requires that Translation : Translation Services, ISO/COPOLCO launches its Facebook page ............................................................ 35 paper or on a screen, you will enjoy reading us as much ISO Central Secretariat people know that they exist in the first place ! With as we enjoyed working on ISO Focus+. But we are ISO/CASCO holds open day in Colombia ................................................................ 36 over 19 400 standards developed by some 200 tech- not stopping here, like our well-known management Subscription enquiries : Sonia Rosas Friot ISO 50001 training in Tunisia ................................................................................... 37 nical committees, this is no easy feat – a challenge standards, the Communication Team is also aiming ISO Central Secretariat faced by ISO’s network of members and also by us, for continual improvement ! So as we go ahead, we Tel. : +41 22 749 03 36 Management Solutions the Communication Team at ISO. welcome your ideas on how we can improve. We Fax : +41 22 749 09 47 Getting the best out of people – ISO 10018 aids ISO 9001 implementation ............ 38 Every idea is considered in our efforts to spread the hope to take advantage of all the different platforms E-mail : [email protected] word about standards : from brochures to cartoons, offered by technology to continue to inform our read- 360° from newsletters to Facebook, from press releases to ers about the valuable work ISO is doing. © ISO, 2012. All rights reserved. apps, from videos to the magazine you are reading, To conclude, we would like to highlight one of the ISO 35th General Assembly : Innovation is name of the game ................................. 42 ISO Focus+. ISO’s Website has been reinvented over most important elements that in our view, is key to The contents of ISO Focus+ are copyrighted ISO Open Session : time to cater to evolving technology and changing and may not, whether in whole or in part, successful communications (and everything else) : be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or Sustainability and innovation – Leveraging International Standards ...................... 51 digital habits. The number of visits on the ISO Website teamwork ! Behind the scenes of ISO there are people, transmitted in any form or by any means, elec- has doubled in the last five years and our Website and the ability to work together across any barrier tronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, New Releases is, by far, the most visited for a standards develop- (language, cultural, etc.) is what we treasure most. A ment organization worldwide. Today we are seeing without written permission of the Editor. ISO road safety standard – Helping save thousands of lives worldwide .................. 56 special thanks goes to our graphic artists : Xela Damond, results of all these efforts ; references to ISO and its Pierre Granier and Alexane Rosa ; the copy editor/proof The articles in ISO Focus+ express the views standards on Internet media sites increased by 38 % of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect Coming Up 57 reader, Mary Ritchie; the translation team of Denys the views of ISO or of any of its members. in 2011. ISO’s Facebook page has over 10 500 fans, Crapon de Caprona, Cécile Jeannet, Anita Rochedy, and Twitter is not far behind. Our Youtube channel and Catherine Vincent, supported by Leila Esteban, plus has scored over 200 000 video views. Clearly, there ISSN 2226-1095 our colleagues from sales, distribution and information. Printed in Switzerland is a growing realization of the benefits of standards, And of course, to you, for reading us ! and a desire to talk and learn on social platforms. The demand for information about ISO standards Cover photo : ISO, 2012 Elizabeth Gasiorowski-Denis, Maria Lazarte, is therefore growing. But as we turn the page to 2013 Sandrine Tranchard and Roger Frost. © ISO Focus+, www.iso.org/isofocus+ 1 a World Scene Guest Interview The companies targeted involve those • Make information on ISO and IEC stand- with an energy consumption between 1 000 ards more easily available through various MWh and 27 000 MWh based in Ghent. means, to enable more people to get the Maria das Graças Silva Foster This is a pilot project in the framework of answers they need the European project Answers to the Carbon • Recognize and respond to the experts who Economy (ACE). contribute their time to developing standards Petrobras CEO with processes and procedures that reflect IEC and ISO look ahead best practice • Use our structures in more proactive ways The International Electrotechnical