The life cycle of standards
In general, a systematic review of each individual standard is made every five years.
At the yearly plenary meeting at the ISO Committee on conformity assessment (CASCO), the members decide on a road map for the next five years. This states the status on which standards are to be discontinued, revised, or continued for another five-year period.
A vote is taken on what is referred to as a New Proposal (NP) for Work Item. A NP is presented with a proposed revision of an existing standard or the creation of a new standard. For each NP that is adopted, a Work Group is set up, to which national technical experts are admitted as voluntary members.
The review is sent for consultation to the national members (for example, Danish Standards), which votes for or against a revision. After a new version is released, there is generally a three-year transition period.
The preparation of a standard has six main steps, as illustrated below.
FORCE Technology’s interests
As a provider of laboratory measurements, personal and product certification, it is essential that FORCE Technology contributes to and influences the development of requirements for general conditions for the work of laboratories.
As a government-approved Research and Technology Organisation (RTO) we are obligated to share knowledge and drive technology innovation for SMEs in Denmark. Therefore, it is important to contribute to and influence the future requirements for activities in our laboratories.
FORCE Technology actively participates in this standardisation work with the objective of ensuring product conformity, ensuring valid (test) results, and the validity of certification to be used in international trade agreements.