bsi's top 10 standards that matter to consumers

The Top Ten Standardsthat matter to consumers BSI Consumer & Public Interest Network

raising standards worldwide™

What are standards?Standards are published documents thathelp to make products and services safe,effective and efficient. They are writtenthrough a formal process involving wideconsultation with relevant bodies –including consumer representatives – andcome in the form of methods of test,guides, codes of practice, terminologies orspecifications.

Standards are not the same as legislation.Their use is voluntary but they can andoften do provide the detail to underpinlegislation. Standards also often supportcertification schemes, such as the well-known Kitemark®.

Why standards matter to consumersStandards matter to consumers becausethey help to protect them, and to ensurethat consumers are given enoughinformation to make informed choices.Standards raise levels of quality, safety,reliability, interoperability and efficiency.

How consumers play their part in standards Consumers are important to BSI (which isthe National Standards Body) and to theUK Government. Both actively supportconsumer and public interest involvementin the standards making process to ensuretheir views are properly taken intoaccount. This function is performed byrepresentatives of the Consumer & PublicInterest Network, who are supported by asmall team in the Consumer & PublicInterest Unit (CPIU) at BSI headquarters inChiswick, London. This brochure has beenprepared by the CPIU.

2 www.bsigroup.com/ConsumerStandards

The Top Ten Standards that matter to consumers

The top ten standards thatmatter to consumersThe ‘top ten’ standards selected hereillustrate the areas where standards matterto consumers: in accessibility, in safety, insecurity, in sustainability and in services.

This is a far from exhaustive list. There arearound 27,000 published standards tochoose from, and for every one of the topten standards chosen, there were severalothers that could (and possibly should) alsobe mentioned. These other examples canbe found at:www.bsigroup.com/ConsumerStandards

For now, it is intended that the followingsmall selection will offer a window into the ways in which consumers can use andbenefit from standards.

The top ten standards

Accessibility:• Accessible buildings (BS 8300) 4

• Accessibility of hotels (PAS 88) 5

Safety:• Fire safety (BS 9999) 6

• Safety of toys (BS EN 71) 7

Security:• Personal data protection (BS 10012) 8

• Internet safety for children (PAS 74) 9

Sustainability:• Environmental labelling (BS EN ISO 14021) 10

Service:• Customer service (BS 8477) 13

• Vehicle body repair (PAS 125) 13

• Adventurous activities (BS 8848) 14

We have a long history of support for the use of standards. They have a fantastic trackrecord of success in bringing consumer protection and confidence into a wide variety of areas. Historically this has been particularly the case in the manufacture of products but increasingly we can see their benefit in various service areas. In an age of better regulation they can also provide an important alternative to statutory approaches to regulation.

Helen McCallum, Director of Policy and Communications, Which?

www.bsigroup.com/ConsumerStandards 3


Accessible buildingsSince 2001 BS 8300 has provided guidanceand recommendations on how the builtenvironment can be designed or modifiedto anticipate and overcome restrictionsthat have caused problems for people with disabilities.

The standard was revised in 2009 toincorporate key changes, such as sanitary‘Changing Places’ rooms, accessible baby-changing and more information on means of escape. It is applicable to all buildings, except individual dwellings,which are now covered in DD 266. It alsohelps organizations to fulfil their legalduties under Part 3 of the DisabilityDiscrimination Act.

BS 8300 – Design of buildings and theirapproaches to meet the needs of disabledpeople. Code of practice

Accessibility for allWe are continuously working for standards that fulfil the basic consumer principles,particularly in the area of accessibility and inclusivity. With that in mind, our worksupports standards that promote the availability of products and services to allconsumers, regardless of where they live, their sensory, cognitive or physicalabilities and other social, cultural and economic considerations.

Accessibility for allWe are continuously working for standards that fulfil the basic consumer principles,particularly in the area of accessibility and inclusivity. With that in mind, our worksupports standards that promote the availability of products and services to allconsumers, regardless of where they live, their sensory, cognitive or physicalabilities and other social, cultural and economic considerations.


Room for everyoneWith over 10 million disabled people in theUK, spending around £80bn on goods andservices, there is an increasing demand foraccessible hotel accommodation.

PAS 88 provides information for large hotel premises and chains working to meet the requirements of the DisabilityDiscrimination Act. It contains principles of good practice and covers every aspect of a hotel stay from access to bedrooms,bathrooms and all public facilities, to stafftraining, transport provisions and interiorfeatures and design. A shorter version isavailable for consumers to check whathotels should be offering – see the BSIconsumer website for details.

PAS 88 – Guidance on accessibility of large hotel premises and hotel chains

PAS 88 has been developed to help hotel companies extend a welcome for allguests and to meet their ongoing obligations under the Disability DiscriminationAct. It explains ways of achieving this in association with British Standards, theBuilding Regulations and guidance from tourism authorities in the United Kingdom.It should be considered a useful tool as part of this process.

Brian Seaman, Head of Consultancy, Tourism for All


Fire safetyFire is ruthlessly destructive of human lifeand property, so a large number of firesafety standards exist to protect consumersand communities.

Among them, BS 9999 builds ongovernment guidance to provide anadvanced approach to fire safety in thedesign, management and use of buildings.Its guidance on means of escape fordisabled people has been greatly expandedfrom that in previous codes, to reflect theprinciples of inclusive design. The standardcovers the design of new buildings andalterations to existing ones, givingguidance throughout the entire lifecycle of the building.

BS 9999 – Code of practice for fire safetyin the design, management and use ofbuildings

Safe and wellSafety has always been at the top of our agenda, particularly with regard tochildren, people with disabilities and older people. Safety standards can save lives,so we make sure consumers are involved across the board, from poweredlawnmowers to safety glass, from the burning behaviour of bedding to childresistant packaging, and many more.


Child’s playProtecting children will always beimportant and many standards take theirsafety into account. BS EN 60335, whichensures the safety of household electricalappliances, is a good example of astandard that includes requirementsdealing with common hazards for children.

Children at play are protected by BS EN 71, an 11-part standard looking at every aspect of toy safety, fromflammability and toxicity to their potential to trap clothing or injure a child’s body. This standard underpins the European Toy Safety Directive. In most instances, toys that fail to meet its requirements may not be placed on the market. A separate standard, BS EN 62115, deals with the safety of electrical toys.

BS EN 71 – Safety of toys

The importance of keeping children safe from accidents cannot be overstated. BS EN 71 provides the detail which underpins the European Toy Safety Directive and as such makes a valuable contribution to ensuring that children playing with toys have fewer injuries.

Mike Hayes, Head of Research and Development, Child Accident Prevention Trust


Protecting personal dataThe cost of identity fraud has beenestimated at £1.7bn a year in the UK. The Data Protection Act (DPA) providesconsumers with legal protection, but recent BSI research showed that almost one in five small businesses had unwittinglybreached the DPA at least once.

In response, BS 10012 sets out a frameworkfor organizations to maintain and improvetheir DPA compliance, providing a tool tomanage consumers’ personal informationresponsibly, confidently and effectively. It includes procedures for training andawareness, risk assessment, and datasharing and disposal.

BS 10012 – Data protection. Specificationfor a personal information managementsystem

Secure and confidentSecurity is key for consumers, who need reassurance about products and services in terms of personal physical security, the security of belongings and the security ofpersonal information. Consumers are involved in a growing number of standardsbeing written to address these issues.


Safer surfingConcern over the safety of children using the internet has been growing. And although there are some commercialinternet safety products available, there hasbeen no way to benchmark their quality andeffectiveness, especially as the majority ofparents are often less conversant with thetechnology than their children.

Some unscrupulous people use the internetto ‘groom’ children for subsequent abuse.PAS 74was written to help safeguardchildren from this. BSI has also established aKitemark® scheme, which manufacturers orsuppliers can use to show the public thattheir products meet a minimum standard ofquality, effectiveness and ease of use. Theseproducts are not a complete answer, nor are they a substitute for parental involvement,but they can be an invaluable aid for parents.

PAS 74 – Internet safety. Access controlsystems for the protection of children online

BSI's familiar Kitemark sends out a message to Mums andDads. It says this product has been tested and been found towork to a high standard – a standard which puts a premiumon usability. We all hope that when parents see the logo theywill feel encouraged to buy and use the product to help keeptheir kids safe. That was the whole idea behind developing it.Standards provide reassurance.

John Carr, Executive Board Member, UK Council for Child Internet Safety


Caring for the environmentMany standards help organizations tosafeguard the environment.

PAS 2050 gives organizations a consistentway to calculate the greenhouse gasemissions of their goods and services acrosstheir entire lifecycle – from sourcing rawmaterials, to manufacture, distribution, use and disposal.

BS EN ISO 14001 sets out the framework for an environmental management system.This is currently enabling more than 154,000organizations worldwide to measure andreduce their environmental impacts.

BS EN ISO 14021 was written to address a growing trend for manufacturers andservice providers to attach environmentalclaims, symbols and declarations to theirproducts and packaging – such as ‘recyclable’,‘reduced resource use’, and ‘designed fordisassembly’. It standardizes definitions andmakes these claims verifiable, accurate andnot misleading.

BS EN ISO 14021 – Environmental labelsand declarations. Self-declaredenvironmental claims

Building a sustainable worldStandards now exist across the environmental and social responsibility spectrum;these can play an important role in enabling consumers to expect and demandhigher sustainability standards from those who provide products and services.

Building a sustainable worldStandards now exist across the environmental and social responsibility spectrum;these can play an important role in enabling consumers to expect and demandhigher sustainability standards from those who provide products and services.


The Olympic Games and Paralympic Games are the world’s biggest sporting events.Underpinning our plans is the ambition to ensure that our Games are truly sustainableand leave a lasting legacy. BS 8901 is inspired by this ambition and will benefit theevents industry long after 2012. It provides a coherent and flexible framework whichcan be applied to all kinds of events and organizations no matter what their size.

David Stubbs, Head of Sustainability, London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games & Paralympic Games

Sustainable eventsFrom London 2012 to the village fête, all events have an impact on the widercommunity and the environment.

BS 8901 provides guidance to enable eventorganizers and suppliers to continuallyimprove the sustainability of their events, by developing and implementing systemsthat identify, evaluate, and address theenvironmental, social and economic issues and opportunities.


Service pleaseService standards are becoming increasingly important as consumers seek themeans to identify in advance what the service will cover, its quality, its safety andwhat can reasonably be expected of the service provider. Consumers have played alead role in the evolution of service standards, especially for customer service.


Meeting customers’expectationsWhen customer service is poor, consumersand businesses both suffer. BS 8477 canplay an important role in improvingcustomer service: it identifies essentialfeatures that organizations need toaddress to meet customer expectations. A partner standard is in developmentwhich will help organizations identify and respond to consumer vulnerability.

BS 8477 recommends that billing is inaccordance with BS 8463, a standard aimedat giving consumers clear, accurate bills for traditional utilities as well as internetservice and mobile phone use. Work on an international billing standard is nowunderway. Additionally, the suite ofcustomer service standards, BS ISO 10001, 2and 3, covers codes of conduct, complaintshandling and external dispute resolution.

BS 8477 – Code of Practice for customer service

Vehicle repair and servicingRecent crash test research proved thatpassengers are considerably less safe in poorly repaired vehicles than in those that are repaired properly. To safeguardpassengers, pedestrians and other roadusers, PAS 125 provides bodyshops with the requirements to achieve safe andtechnically sound repairs. The PAS underpinsthe Thatcham BSI Kitemark® scheme.

Similarly, PAS 80 defines requirements for customer service at garages, ensuringtechnical and service standards aremaintained. There is also a Kitemark®

for PAS 80.

PAS 125 – Automotive services. Vehiclebody repair. Specification

For more on the BSI Kitemark, see:www.Kitemark.com

Having your car repaired by a Kitemark bodyshop could help save your life. The Kitemark isthere to show the motorist that the highest standards of repair have been applied to yourvehicle. It means that the actual repair has been done safely, using the right materials and by skilled technicians so that your car offers you the same protection as it did before youraccident. Kitemark bodyshops are serious about the safety of motorists.

Quentin Willson, motoring journalist, broadcaster and consumer champion


Safer adventuresBS 8848 was developed because of consumer concerns about therisks associated with adventurousactivities, and gaps in providerresponsibilities. BSI researchshowed that one in four parentsdidn’t know who was in charge when their children were away and 82 per cent thought trips shouldcomply with a safety standard.

Parents, travel operators, educationalgroups and adventure specialistsdeveloped BS 8848. It was written tomanage the risks of injury or illness from adventurous activities abroad, whileallowing the fun to remain, and is aimed atanyone involved in organizing expeditions.

BS 8848 – Specification for the provision of visits, fieldwork expeditions andadventurous activity outside the United Kingdom


• keep an eye on standards developmentwork at: www.bsigroup.com/drafts(all draft standards are circulated for public comment);

• ask to be part of the nationalcommittees in their area of interest –developing UK standards or feeding into European or international work;

• propose ideas for new standards forconsideration by the relevant TechnicalCommittees;

• actively sponsor the development of a standard – collaboratively producing a Publicly Available Specification (PAS);

• join BSI’s CPI Network to have a long term and active voice in thedevelopment of consumer standards.

For more information on these standardsdevelopment opportunities, please contactthe Consumer & Public Interest Unit [email protected]

Standards – tackling consumer detrimentConsumer and public interest organizations often campaign for changes tolegislation to right consumer wrongs. Standardization is another approach that is flexible, can be quicker to accomplish and (because of the rules that govern the way BSI operates) allows consumers to be fully involved in the process.

Consumer and public interest organizations can:

The Consumer & Public Interest Network (CPIN)works to give a voice to the consumer and thepublic interest in the standards making process.

We highlight areas where society will benefitfrom the development of standards and liaisewith representatives from consumer and publicinterest organizations to strengthen thisviewpoint on key issues.

CPIN plays an important role in ensuring theinterests of UK consumers are represented in European and international standardsmaking. CPIN is made up of individuals andrepresentatives of consumer and public interestorganizations, who take part in the standardsmaking process. They focus on the real lifeproblems of end users, such as disabled peoplewishing to access spectator facilities, or hotelguests who need safe emergency evacuationfrom hotels.

CPIN is supported by the CPI Unit, which works within BSI. The CPIU can instigate workon new standards and is also the key contactpoint for consumer organizations to feed theirinitiatives and concerns into the standardsdevelopment process.

Contact CPIUBSI Consumer & Public Interest Unit389 Chiswick High RoadLondonW4 4ALUK

Tel: 020 8996 7754Email: [email protected]/standards

Further information:This brochure can offer only a brief introductionto standards that help consumers. Many othersexist, including a set of international Guides.These are aimed at standards’ developers, butare of wider interest, and give advice onconsumer issues in areas such as packaging,instructions for use, service delivery,environmental aspects, child safety andsymbols. Details of these and a longer list of consumer standards can be found at:www.bsigroup.com/ConsumerStandards

To purchase any of the standards mentioned in this publication please contact:www.bsigroup.com/shop

About the BSI Consumer & Public Interest Network (CPIN)

raising standards worldwide™

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