supporting consumers and other users of standards
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Supporting Consumers and Other Users of Standards. GSC-11 User Workshop Presented by: S. Joe Bhatia ANSI President and Chief Executive Officer June 1, 2006. Mission - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
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Supporting Consumers and Other Users of Standards
GSC-11 User Workshop
Presented by:S. Joe Bhatia
ANSI President and Chief Executive Officer
June 1, 2006
GSC-11 User WorkshopJune 1, 2006 Slide 2
Mission
To enhance the global competitiveness of U.S. business and the American quality of life by promoting and facilitating voluntary consensus standards and conformity assessment systems and ensuring their integrity
ANSI is not a government agency or a standards developerANSI is not a government agency or a standards developer
GSC-11 User WorkshopJune 1, 2006 Slide 3
A Federation of Members representing . . . Academia Individuals Government Manufacturers Trade Associations
Professional Societies Service Organizations Standards Developers Consumer and Labor Interests and many more
Bringing the Private and Public Sectors Together Since 1918Bringing the Private and Public Sectors Together Since 1918
GSC-11 User WorkshopJune 1, 2006 Slide 4
ANSI’s Organizational Structure
ANSI has three Forums based on membership type Organizational Member Forum (OMF) Government Member Forum (GMF) Company Member Forum (CMF)
ANSI’s fourth Forum is based on a topical area of focus Consumer Interest Forum (CIF)
GSC-11 User WorkshopJune 1, 2006 Slide 5
Consumers and Standardization
ANSI defines consumers as . . .
those individuals who use goods or services to satisfy
their individual needs and desires, rather than to resell
them or to produce other goods or services with them
GSC-11 User WorkshopJune 1, 2006 Slide 6
ANSI’s Consumer Interest Forum (CIF)
Educates consumers on the value of standards and conformity assessment in everyday life
Facilitates the representation of consumer interests in voluntary standards and conformity assessment activities
Enhances the effectiveness and credibility of ANSI as a representative of all materially affected interests
GSC-11 User WorkshopJune 1, 2006 Slide 7
CIF: Areas of Activity
Outreach and networking
Increase standards awareness among consumer representatives
Provide information on standards-related consumer issues
Facilitate information exchange among consumer
professionals
Provide consumer feedback to the ANSI Federation
GSC-11 User WorkshopJune 1, 2006 Slide 8
CIF: Areas of Activity (continued)
Facilitate enhanced consumer interest and participation in standardization activities
Represent the United States on the Committee on Consumer Policy of the International Organization for Standardization (COPOLCO) Standards for consumer services and users with special needs
are priority areas
GSC-11 User WorkshopJune 1, 2006 Slide 9
CIF Membership Roster
American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences
Association of Home Equipment Educators
Consumer Federation of America Council of Better Business Bureaus Direct Selling Education Foundation Intertek Testing Services NA Inc. Maryland Consumer Rights
Coalition National Association of Consumer
Agency Administrators
National Consumers League Telecommunications Industry
Association Toy Industry Association Underwriters Laboratories Inc. U.S. Consumer Product Safety
Commission U.S. Department of Agriculture and a number of product safety and
other consultants
GSC-11 User WorkshopJune 1, 2006 Slide 10
ANSI’s Top Ten Priorities
Outreach to Broader Constituencies
Engage and represent new stakeholder groups
Represent broader and more diverse industrial base Service economy Aging population Others
GSC-11 User WorkshopJune 1, 2006 Slide 11
The USSS, Consumersand the Users of Standards
Approved in December 2005, the United States Standards Strategy (USSS) is a revision of the National Standards Strategy for the United States
provides a vision, purpose and common framework that can be used by U.S. stakeholders to achieve their respective standardization goals
represents the vision of a broad cross-section of standards stakeholders and reflects the diversity of the U.S. standards system
GSC-11 User WorkshopJune 1, 2006 Slide 12
The USSS, Consumersand the Users of Standards (continued)
Strategy 3 - Improve the responsiveness of the standards system to the views and needs of consumers
Standards developers should identify, encourage and support appropriate consumer representation on their committees, make virtual attendance at meetings possible through electronic means such as teleconferencing or collaborative meeting tools, and encourage consumer comment during public reviews
GSC-11 User WorkshopJune 1, 2006 Slide 13
The USSS, Consumersand the Users of Standards (continued)
Strategy 3 (tactics – continued)
Industry should use consumer research as a basis for standardization initiatives and decisions
Government should strengthen its consumer-related programs and initiate standards information and participation programs as appropriate
ANSI should work with consumer organizations to educate them about standardization and encourage and support their participation in standards development
GSC-11 User WorkshopJune 1, 2006 Slide 14
Questions?