by Brianna Crandall — January 10, 2011—The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has released standards in recent weeks pertaining to such issues as improving the quality of learning services globally; reducing the risk of materials being ignited from a dropped cigarette; the significance of international standards; and general design principles for machine safety.
ISO 29990:2010, Learning services for non-formal education and training—Basic requirements for service providers, aims to improve the quality of offerings on the global market that has grown up around non-formal education and training, such as vocational training, life-long learning and in-company training. The new standard will enhance transparency and allow comparison on a worldwide basis of learning services, offering a single alternative backed by international consensus to the huge variety of national service and management standards which now exists in the field of non-formal learning.
ISO 12863:2010, Standard test method for assessing the ignition propensity of cigarettes, is designed to limit the serious risk posed by the inadvertent dropping of a lighted cigarette onto flammable materials such as mattresses or upholstered furniture by providing manufacturers and regulators with a common test to identify cigarettes that are less likely to cause fires. Fire incidence data from New York State suggests that cigarettes compliant with the new performance standard may cut deaths from cigarette-initiated fires by as much as half. ISO 12863 has also been published as a European Standard (EN ISO 12863) under the Vienna Agreement.
The new ISO Video for the General Public and ISO Video for Business and Government communicate how standards help people in all aspects of daily life and provide tools to assist organizations in tackling challenges and improving all aspects of their operations. The videos were produced in English and French, and are expected to have voiceovers added in other languages by the ISO network of national standards bodies of 163 countries. ISO will be following up with a series of shorter videos on its standards for specific challenges, such as food safety, healthcare and the environment.
The new ISO 12100:2010, Safety of machinery—General principles for design—Risk assessment and risk reduction, will protect operators better and help designers and manufacturers reduce safety hazards. Designers will be able to identify risks during the design stage of machine production and hence reduce the risk of future accidents.
