iso focus · 2016. 7. 13. · for iso 14644-1. estech 2004 will be held 25 to 28 april, 2004, in...

ISO FocusThe Magazine of the International Organization for Standardization

Volume 1, No. 3, March 2004, ISSN 1729-8709

Safe driving

CEO of PSA Peugeot-Citroën : quality, with care

Bar coding for the aircraft industry

1 Comment Vadim Koutenev, Chair of the World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations (WP.29), UNECE, Proactive standardization facilitates regulatory work

2 World Scene Highlights of events from around the world

3 ISO SceneHighlights of news and developments from ISO members

4 Guest ViewBy Mr. Jean-Martin Folz, President of PSA Peugeot Citroën

7 Main FocusISO Focus is published 11 times a year (single issue : July-August). It is available in English.

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ISSN 1729-8709Printed in Switzerland

Cover photo : PSA Peugeot Citroën,Direction de la Communication

Contents

Safe driving• Greater responsiveness is needed• Opportunities to enhance ISO’s contributions• Ergonomics in the driving seat• Safety: a priority for manufacturers and users• Steering into a new source of power• Tyres hold the road• Do not reinvent the wheel

22 Developments and Initiatives• Interfaces between launch vehicles and spacecraft• Barcoding for the aircraft industry• International Standards for second hand goods wanted• Reliability of fluid power products• The “ Train the trainer ” approach in Estonia

34 New this month• Data management• A safer working environment for medical laboratories• A unique international identification code for libraries• New publications

37 Coming upHighlights of upcoming articles

ISO Focus March 2004

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and deal more proactively with emerg-ing needs in terms of specifications for the construction of vehicles, so that these provide better safety and are more respectful of the environment.

International standardization, with its flexibility, is well adapted to becoming involved at an early stage in the development of vehicles and their equipment and will thereby use-fully contribute to the work of harmo-nization of regulations at internation-al level.

Comment

International regulations have consid-erably evolved since 1949 when the United Nations’ Vienna Convention

on Road Safety was first adopted. Originally, the purpose was to enable international traffic of road vehicles under acceptable safety conditions, i.e. by reducing the likelihood of accidents due to a lack of harmonization in road signs and traffic rules. For each inter-ested country, the aim was to ensure that international road traffic, while being allowed, did not lead to an increased number of accidents on its territory.

Proactive standardization facilitates regulatory work

This Forum initially became involved in establishing regulations for active vehicle safety such as lighting and braking and then for passive safety likely to minimize accident severity, like safety belts and airbags, and, finally, it was asked to look after matters concerning environmental protection (noise limits and limitations on emissions of gaseous pollutants, for instance). These activities are furthermore conducted with due regard to the rules of international trade. Today, the Forum services several agree-ments and a large number of specific regulations annexed to them.

At its meeting held in Geneva in November 2003, the Forum took note of the recommendation of its management committee to refer whenever possible to International Standards by simply quoting their references and publication dates, rather than reproducing all or parts of the text of the standards.

Since its creation in 1953, WP.29 has benefited from remarkable coopera-tion on ISO’s part. Over the years, it has been able to appreciate the relevance of ISO’s working methods and the techni-cal quality of the International Standards produced. ISO international standardiza-tion is a well-tuned international instru-ment which can complement the inter-national regulatory efforts of the Forum on vehicle construction. The main pur-pose of this decision is thus to make the best possible use of the member govern-ments’ resources by making full use of existing cooperation with ISO.

When new types of vehicles or new types of equipment (for instance electronic or other) are released, it is important to have International Standards available so that the necessary steps can be taken with regard to safety. Far too often in the past, the standards required had not been scheduled or were not ready in time. In future, ISO will clearly have to be more responsive

“ ISO is a well-tuned international instrument which can complement international regulatory

efforts.”

Vadim Koutenev,Chair of World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations, UN/ECE

But the political authorities, who were also deeply concerned about the growing number of road accidents, with their high death toll and injury count, decided at the same time to cooperate to actively combat all other causes of the scourge : faulty signal-ling, training of drivers, and such-like. The discussions in those days also assigned part of the responsibil-ity for road accidents to the features of the vehicles involved. It was thus considered essential to have available in Europe an Agreement that looked for solutions to the problems caused by road traffic as well as those posed by the existence of national technical regulations that could hinder com-mercial exchanges between countries. Thus an Agreement, signed in 1958, charged a working party (WP.29, set up in 1953) to implement technical provisions for vehicle construction, which has today become the World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations.

ISO Focus March 2004 1

World Scene

Water World Day

developing International Standards designed to improve water quality and the quality of service related to drinking water supply and wastewater sewerage, respectively.

For more information : www.worldwaterday.org

World Tourism OrganizationThe World Tourism Organiza-tion (WTO) has become a fully-fledged specialized agency of the United Nations. The United Nations General Assembly unanimously adopted the deci-sion at its fifty-eight session on 23 December 2003.

“ Tourism will from now on be considered by the international society on an equal footing with other major activities of humani-ty : industry, agriculture, educa-tion and culture, health, labour, giving it a status within the sys-tem equal to that of institutions such as UNIDO, FAO, UNESCO, WHO or the ILO. This is a big step forward for our Organiza-tion, but it is an even bigger one for entire international tourism industry,” declared Mr. Francesco Frangialli, Secretary-General of the WTO.

Specialized agency status enti-tles WTO to participate as full member in the United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination, which elabo-rates system-wide strategies in response to overall inter-govern-mental directives on economic cooperation and development. WTO will also be invited in the workings of the UN General Assembly, Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and the Security Council, to which it will be able to submit proposals.

WTO’s participation will enable it to highlight the role of tour-ism in support of socio-econom-ic development and the achieve-ment of the Millennium Development Goals.

ISO intends to become proac-tive in establishing liaison with the World Tourism Organization which could lead to increased cooperation between the two organizations.

For more information :www.world-tourism.org

Environmental Business ConferenceSome 2 000 of the world’s lead-ing experts on the business of the environment will gather in Vancouver, Canada for GLOBE 2004 Trade Fair and Confer-ence. This is the 8 th event in the GLOBE Series, which is now one of the largest and most important international gather-ings of environmental business leaders and corporate environ-mental managers.

ness opportunities. In the busi-ness of building better cities session, leading planners, archi-tects, urban design specialists and municipal leaders share how they are incorporating sus-tainability principles in the design and construction of buildings, urban transportation systems, and energy and water resources.

The Standards Council of Canada (SCC), ISO member for Canada, is one of the sponsor-ing organizations for the event and one of the exhibitors at the Trade Fair.

For more information :www.globe2004.com

Contamination controlThe Institute of Environmental Sciences and Technology (IEST) is inviting users of ISO 14644-1 to voice their comments and rec-ommendations for improving the International Standard. A public session is scheduled for Mon-day, 26 April, during ESTECH 2004, the 50 th annual meeting and exposition of IEST, as part of the systematic review process for ISO 14644-1. ESTECH 2004 will be held 25 to 28 April, 2004, in Las Vegas, USA.

ISO 14644-1, Cleanrooms and associated controlled environ-ments – Part 1 : Classification of air cleanliness, is part of a series of International Standards

concerned with cleanrooms and associated subjects. The docu-ment is one of nine international cleanroom standard documents at various stages of development by ISO technical committee ISO/TC 209, Cleanrooms and associated controlled environ-ments. The ISO/TC 209 family of International Standards gov-erns all aspects of the clean-room community – from design inception to daily operations.

For more information : www.iest.org

The UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction and the World Meteorological Organiza-tion are co-coordinating World Water Day 2004 on 22 March under the theme : Water and Disasters.

Weather, climate and water resources can have a devastating impact on socio-economic development and on the well-being of humankind. According to the World Meteorological Organization, weather and climate-related extreme events, such as tornadoes, thunder-storms, storms, cyclones, floods and drought, account for nearly 75 % of all disasters. They lead to an enormous toll of human suffering, loss of life and eco-nomic damage. Monitoring these events, predicting their movements and issuing timely warnings are essential to miti-gate the disastrous impact of such events on populations and economy.

World Water Day focuses on the need to address problems, among others, relating to drink-ing water supply ; increase pub-lic awareness about the impor-tance of conservation, preserva-tion, and protection of water resources and drinking water supply; and increase govern-ments, international agencies, non-governmental organiza-tions, and private sector partici-pation and cooperation in organ-ization of WWD celebrations.

ISO technical committee ISO/TC 147, Water quality, and ISO/TC 224, Service activities relat-ing to drinking water supply systems and wastewater systems – Quality criteria of the service and performance indicators, are

From March 31 to April 2, 2004, conference delegates will dis-cuss major developments in cor-porate sustainability, energy pol-icy, climate change and building sustainable cities since the 2002 Earth Summit in Johannesburg.

In looking at corporate sustain-ability, the Conference will address the challenge of main-taining profitable business oper-ations in markets that are chang-ing daily in the face of new social, shareholder, consumer and government demands. Energy and climate change ses-sions will provide a comprehen-sive update on emerging priori-ties, creative solutions, new technologies and how compa-nies are seizing evolving busi-

2 ISO Focus March 2004

ISO SceneISO Secretary-General meets with top-level officials of African Union and of Ethiopia

The strategic importance of international standardization as a tool for economic and social development was the focus of meetings held in Addis Ababa between ISO’s Secretary Gener-al, Mr. Alan Bryden and the Vice-President of the Commis-sion of the African Union, H.E. Mr. Patrick Mazimhaka, on 5 February, and Ethiopia’s Prime Minister, H.E. Mr. Zenawi Meles, and Ethopia’s Minister of Trade and Industry, H.E. Mr. Girma Birru on 6 February.

The meetings took place in par-allel with the 12 th General Assembly of the African Regional Organization for Standardization (ARSO), the intergovernmental body mandat-ed to promote standardization activities in Africa, which was held between 2 to 6 February 2004, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Among the subjects under dis-cussion were the importance of

standards for accessing world markets, the dissemination of technology and good practices, the protection of the environ-ment, improvements to health and safety and overall contribu-tions to the betterment of lives and the global economy in the context of the World Trade Organization’s Technical Barri-ers to Trade Agreement. The relationship with the New Part-nership for Africa’s Develop-ment (NEPAD) programme for the economic development of Africa and the role ARSO could play to organize regional coop-eration and improvement in the area of standardization and quality were also addressed.

During his visit in Addis Ababa Mr. Bryden also met with Mr. Mesai Girma, Director-General of QSAE, (Quality and Stand-ards Authority of Ethiopia), ISO member for Ethiopia, and the host of ARSO’s 12th General Assembly. Mr. Bryden congrat-ulated QSAE for its organiza-tion of the venue, which helped raise awareness of the role of standardization at the highest level of Ethiopia’s Government.

International conference on social responsibilityISO is to hold an international conference on social responsi-bility on 21-22 June 2004 in Stockholm, Sweden.

The input provided by the con-ference will complement the current exploration by ISO of social responsibility initiatives around the world and issues arising. Together, they will form the basis for a decision by ISO on whether or not to propose the development of International Standards or other ISO tools addressing the social responsi-bility of organizations. Any such proposal would be subject to a vote by the full ISO membership.

Prior to the conference, which will be hosted by the Swedish Standards Institute (SIS), ISO will set up a public Web site to encourage exchanges of infor-mation and to allow all interest-ed parties – including those that will not be able to participate directly in the conference – to submit comments. The report being prepared by the ISO advi-sory group will be posted on the Web site at least a month before the conference.

Participation in the conference will be open to delegations from the national standards institutes that make up ISO’s membership. Representatives of concerned international organizations will also be invited to participate.

Children take the lead on environmental issuesIn addition to awareness, moti-vation and communication on the part of the private and pub-lic sector players, tackling the world’s environmental challeng-es requires technology and good management practices, ISO Secretary-General Alan Bryden said at the opening of the 4th International Environ-mental Children’s Drawing Contest Exhibition on 3 Febru-ary 2004 at the United Nations Office in Geneva, Switzerland.

The drawing contest attracted nearly 12 500 entries from 60 countries by children aged 7-15. This year’s exhibition of the 100 winning entries takes place for

the first time in Geneva, under the joint patronage of the Direc-tor-General of the United Nations Office in Geneva, Mr. Sergei Ordzhonikidze, and the Regional Director, UNICEF Geneva Regional Office, Mr. Philip O’Brien.

The contest was organized by IQNet – The International Cer-tification Network and the Japa-nese Quality Assurance Organi-zation, with support from the UNICEF Office for Japan.

Contest for young standardizersISO is holding a contest for young standardizers in developing countries and economies in transition.

The purpose of this contest, held every second year within the framework of the ISO Programme for developing countries, is to encourage young professionals to embark on a successful career in stand-ardization and to raise aware-ness of the importance of stand-ards in promoting safe and sus-tainable economic development. The theme for the 2004 Award is “ International Standards to Access World Markets ”.

The Award is co-sponsored by ISO and the Deutsches Institut für Normung (DIN), ISO mem-ber for Germany.

The contest is open to perma-nent employees of ISO member bodies and correspondent mem-bers, eligible for assistance under the ISO Programme for developing countries, including developing countries and econ-omies in transition that have requested to benefit from the Programme. To take part in the contest, candidates must be 35 years old or under and write an essay on the proposed theme and complete the contest entry form. Entries will be accepted by the ISO Central Secretariat until 3 May 2004.

For more information : [email protected]

In a televised appearance, ISO’s Secretary-General, Mr. Alan Bryden (left) meets with Ethiopia’s Prime Minister, H.E. Mr. Zenawi Meles (right).

Alan Bryden (left) with Vice-President of the Commission of the African Union, H.E. Mr. Patrick Mazimhaka (right).

ISO Secretary-General Alan Bryden (centre) at the opening of the 4 th International Environmental Children’s Drawing Contest Exhibition at the United Nations Office in Geneva. With him is (left), Mr. Philip O’Brien, Regional Director, UNICEF Geneva Regional Office, and (right) Dr. Fabio Roversi, IQNet President.(Photo : Hans Buser, IQNet Secretary-General)


Guest View

Jean-Martin Folz

“ PSA has been involved for a long time in

a voluntary policy to protect the natural

environment and the quality of life in the vicinity

of industrial sites.”

Jean-Martin Folz, President of PSA Peugeot Citroën, completed his studies at the

Ecole Polytechnique and the Ecole des Mines, then spent one year in Tokyo at the Maison Franco-Japonaise. In 1972, he began his professional career in a local office of the French Ministry of Industry. Between 1975 and 1978, he belonged to various ministerial staffs, and was appointed Chief of Staff to the Secretary of State for Industry. In 1978, he joined the Rhône-Poulenc group as Plant Manager of the Saint-Fons unit. He later was appointed Deputy General Manager of the Rhône-Poulenc Specialty Chemicals Division. Between 1984 and 1987 he was President of Jeumont-Schneider, a subsidiary of the Schneider group. He was appointed CEO of Péchiney in July 1987 and Chairman of Carbone Lorraine. In 1991 Mr. Folz was appointed CEO of Eridania Béghin-Say. He joined the PSA Peugeot Citroën group in July 1995 and was appointed Director of the Automotive Division in April 1996. He was appointed Chairman of the Managing Board of the PSA Peugeot Citroën group as of 1 October 1997. On that same date he also was appointed Chairman of Automobiles Peugeot and Automobiles Citroën.

ISO Focus : In the context of trade glo-balization, what is the strategic impor-tance of International Standards for a company such as PSA Peugeot Citroën with its staff of 200 000 people spread among 140 countries ?

Jean-Martin Folz. ISO, through its International Standards which lim-it the multiplication and variety of regional standards – or even local stan-dards – has an essential role to play in the automobile sector, in particular for PSA Peugeot Citroën :

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• who buys from suppliers in all parts of the world ;

• whose factories are located on sev-eral continents ;

• whose vehicles of the two brands Peugeot and Citroën are marketed in 140 countries.

This involves not only the “ tech-nical ” standardization of components and equipment aboard our vehicles and the standardization of production plants, but also the standardization of test methods, quality and environ-mental management systems, both in-house and of our suppliers.

These topics are dealt with in a number of ISO technical committees and in particular, for our automotive products, within TC 22, the “ Road

vehicles ” technical committee. The latter addresses issues of compatibility, interchangeability and safety, as well as the related test methods for assess-ing the performance of vehicles and of their equipment in accordance with international and national regulations.

ISO Focus : How does the use of ISO standards, for instance in the fields of safety, comfort and vehicle ergonom-ics, provide additional leverage for improving performance and relations with suppliers, customers and regula-tions ?

Jean-Martin Folz. Standardization enables simplification and thereby facilitates relations with suppliers. It also has a scale effect in terms of con-trolling costs and quality, and offers an opportunity to work with suppliers from all over the world, particularly those in emerging markets.

• The standardization of test proce-dures and measurement methods recognized throughout the interna-tional community can serve as the basis for drawing up regulations.

• The role of the legislator is to lay down regulations and, in particular, to set threshold values that need to be met.

• The consequences are barely visi-ble to the customer. Indeed, perfor-mance in terms of safety, comfort and ergonomics are significantly above the minimum levels required by regulations. This performance also results, on one hand, from the improved technical know-how of each manufacturer and, on the other hand, from his product offer in a competitive market situation.

ISO Focus : In line with its commit-ment towards sustainable develop-ment, PSA is introducing an environ-mental management system based on ISO 14000 ; what improvements has PS

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this brought about in ensuring better integration of PSA’s vehicles into the environment ?

Jean-Martin Folz. Preservation of the environment is an absolute necessity. For this reason, PSA has been involved for a long time in a voluntary policy to protect the natural environment and the quality of life in the vicinity of indus-trial sites.

This concern is a fully-fledged item of the group’s industrial strategy. The group’s commitment to achieving ISO 14001 certification of its production sites’ environmental management sys-tems aims to confirm and strengthen that policy line.

Based on the principle of con-tinuous improvement, this approach enables each site to consolidate its environmental achievements and to foster a thorough implementation of the related regulations.

The success of this approach lies in the commitment of the entire staff

of each site and in the setting up of a network of correspondents across the group, operating within permanent structures specifically devoted to envi-ronmental action.

Action to maintain ISO 14001 certification is now an essential part of life on each production site, helping to ensure consistency in the activities of each site, as well as our corporate image.

ISO Focus : The industry is moving increasingly towards the use of hydro-gen as a clean energy source and ISO

has undertaken work within its techni-cal committee on “ hydrogen technol-ogy ”. What form of joint action needs to be undertaken in terms of standard-ization of the hydrogen economy ?

Jean-Martin Folz. As far as hydrogen is concerned, standardization will have to deal with such matters as :

• interface between the vehicle and its environment, in particular the fuel distribution network ;

• interface between the components of a storage system ;

• safety ;

• hydrogen purity.

Several standardization groups may become involved in addressing some of the above aspects.

It is essential that standardization activities dealing with hydrogen as a fuel for road vehicles be conducted in proper consultation between the various groups involved. It should be

PSA Peugeot Citroën, Direction de la Communication


“ ISO/TS 16949 certification is only a

preliminary step towards achieving the level of

quality required every day for every product delivered

by our suppliers.”

noted that ISO is represented in Geneva in the Working Party on Pollution and Emissions (GRPE) in connection with the development of future hydrogen regulations.

ISO Focus : ISO has developed quality management system requirements for the suppliers of the automotive indus-try, which are embodied in technical specification ISO/TS 16949, Particular requirements for the application of ISO 9001:2000 for automotive production and relevant service part organizations. What impact does ISO/TS 16949 have on the needs of quality management systems within the automotive industry in general and within PSA Peugeot Citroën in particular ?

Jean-Martin Folz. Several years ago, representatives of the European and American car manufacturing groups established the IATF (International Automotive Task Force) with a view to harmonizing the requirements of manufacturers in regard to their sup-pliers’ quality management systems. PSA Peugeot Citroën has been part of the IATF since its inception.

This work, carried out under the wing of ISO Technical Committee TC 176, led to the official approval of ISO/TS 16949, based on ISO 9001:2000, itself supplemented by specific requirements for the automotive sec-tor. This common standard, which has since been adopted by all manufactur-ers part of the IATF, enables suppliers of the automotive industry to avoid the multiple auditing they previously had to undergo.

But such a standard alone is not enough ; it is worth only as much as the quality of the related certification and how this is applied by the suppli-ers certified.

ISO has alerted the international community and has been taking action since the end of 2001 in regard to bad practice and lack of integrity of some certification bodies. Having made the same observations, car manufacturers within the IATF decided to qualify themselves, according to their own rules, the auditors and certifiers engaged in certification according

to ISO/TS 16949 in order to achieve better control of the quality of their performance.

ISO/TS 16949 certification is not an end in itself, and is only a prelimi-nary step towards achieving the level of quality required every day for every product delivered by our suppliers.

Generic quality standards such as the ISO 9000 series cannot address the specifics of each trade ; but it is first and foremost the command of the trade that ensures the quality of the result. ISO/TS 16949 supplements ISO 9001:2000, adapting it to the automotive industry. ISO/TS 16949 certifica-tion provides us with “ reasonable ” assurance of a supplier’s capacity to produce quality, but with no guarantee as to the actual quality of each product item that will be delivered.

ISO Focus : ISO has a technical committee in charge of developing International Standards for intel-ligent transport systems, including topics such as geographical data files, information management protocols and positioning references. What other

products, services and/or functions need be addressed in International Standards, and according to what scale of urgency ?

Jean-Martin Folz. Existing ISO work-ing groups cover the various areas of ITS satisfactorily ; two items, however, could be strengthened :

Long-term initiatives on the stan-dardization of communication systems for road infrastructures should be pursued and strengthened in regard to short distance systems. The devel-opment of safety applications for these systems requires some steps to ensure long term visibility in regard to frequency allocation and the kind of protocols that can be assigned to them. There is already an apparent need, in this regard, to harmonize the approach-es that need to be taken into account in Europe, in Asia and in America.

In addition, ISO is becoming involved in geographic and road infra-structure databases. Here again, tech-nology is beginning to lay forth sys-tems for alerting or assisting the driver in order to anticipate and control risk situations. The management of safety data in geographical databases is one of the key issues in this type of devel-opment. While implementation pros-pects are still somewhat remote, it is essential that not only the format of such information be standardized but also their certification process.

Guest View

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The road vehicle has known since it was born an uninter-rupted advance in technology

to improve the performance of the product and offer to its various clients a mobility package as efficient as pos-sible at the lowest cost possible. Since the 1980s, though, political demand for greater safety in transportation and a reduced environmental impact of the use of road vericles has deeply influenced the orientation of this tech-nological evolution. Some of the major technological leaps forward have been accomplished in this period of 20 years, both in safety and in environ-ment.

Regulatory and legal issues represent a major challenge for road vehicle standards. Design regulations have been implemented since the very beginning of the 20th century to care

Safe driving

for the crucial safety aspects of the use of vehicles in every industrial-ized country. In the 1950s, interna-tional discussions to harmonize these national regulations began. The inter-national vehicle regulating body, the UNECE (United Nations Economic Commisssion for Europe) World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations (WP.29), has decided to reference international standards directly within its regulations, a deci-sion that will certainly encourage even closer collaboration with ISO’s com-mittee on road vehicles, ISO/TC 22.

Automobile safety has become the priority for both manufacturers and users. According to the UNECE, traffic fatalities and injuries worldwide accounted for an estimated 1,26 mil-lion deaths in 2000 ; the economic costs of such injuries amount to USD

518 billion per annum worldwide (developing countries bearing USD 100 billion of the cost). Additional efforts to raise awareness of safety and preventing road traffic injuries are being reinforced by the World Health Organization (WHO) decision to dedi-cate World Health Day 2004 to “ Road safety ” to be commemorated on 7 April 2004.

All of the knowledge acquired by engineers since the 1970s is being implemented in the cars’ structures and restraint systems. ISO standards are making inroads in helping protect the drivers and passengers, among them child restraint systems, antilock breaking systems (ABS) and airbags – and that help to prevent road crashes and ensure road safety.

The automobile being an indus-try that takes advantage of many tech-nologies, road vehicle standards are also indirectly addressed or influenced by many other standards groups in ISO, in IEC for the electrotechnical aspects, in CEN (the European Committee for Standardization), and in SAE, to quote the most relevant work underway. In the search for new and cleaner mate-rials, hydrogen could be a promising new clean fuel for vehicles. But stand-ards have also proved and are proving helpful, even in “ classic ” areas such as the automobile tyre or wheel where the variety of wheels and of their attach-ments has become so high that it has sometimes resulted in poor fixations (wrong threads, etc.), causing serious accidents with trucks.

As the automotive industry introduces new technologies, looks for clean energies, and seeks higher per-formance, comfort and safety, ISO’s International Standards for road vehi-cles and intelligent transport systems lie at the interface of developments. At the same time as increasing the comfort of the vehicles, the increas-ing sophistication inside the car and demands on a driver’s attention need to be watched. Rapid changes are tak-ing place in the possibilities of intelli-gent transport systems – so now, what direction are they taking ?

Main Focus

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Main Focus

Greater responsiveness is needed

by Mr. François Abram, Technical programme Manager

W ith regard to reference to standards in the World Forum for Harmonization of

Vehicle Regulations (WP.29) regula-tions, what is actually going to change in road vehicle standardization ? What is new for the ISO member bodies ? What should they retain from this decision for the future ?

From a theoretical point of view, the change may seem minimal, rather a shift of emphasis. After all, it was a known fact that reference to standards was already possible in the work of the World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations, only it was seldom applied. Now, it is being recommended by the World Forum to its subsidiary bodies. So this – we might say formerly “ taboo ” – issue is now the open for discussion within WP.29.

This apparently superficial development involves something much deeper at the cooperation level between WP.29 and ISO.

Mr. Vadim Koutenev and Mr. Bernard Gauvin who have both chaired WP.29 in recent years have pointed out that “this decision is a logical conse-quence of a long-standing and fruitful cooperation with ISO”.

The rationale for the decision

One basic issue that is fully understood by all involved is to ensure that regulatory authorities can concen-trate more easily on their objectives of safety and preservation of the environ-ment, leaving it up to the specialized standardization bodies to develop tech-nical standards for test methods and design – ISO taking care, for its part, of test methods and vehicle construction specifications that require regular updat-ing to keep up with technical progress.

To strengthen this approach while avoiding some of the hesitations and/or misgivings about which body (World Forum or ISO) should initiate proposals for updating the contents of the requirements, these shall no longer repro-duce the full text of the standards. They shall refer to them as far as necessary.

This will result in greater clar-ity between the work of World Forum and ISO, and it is obvious that ISO is implicitly being called upon to play a more active and responsible role in this area by drawing more extensively on its relevant member bodies and technical committees. It is understood of course that technical coordination with the World Forum will have to be pursued – and even strengthened – on all aspects relating to safety and the environment.

Some important advantages

First advantage

The automobile industry has significant needs in terms of harmo-nization of standards at international level. So far, however, the ability to convert an ISO International Standard into a regulation has led to some amount of reluctance to, or even hin-drance of, international standardiza-tion. In future this should no longer be the case. In fact, some ISO standards are already well recognized, with or without reference, for new equipment such as electronic driving assistance equipment. On this subject, one can also quote ISO standard 15622:2002 on Adaptive Cruise Control Systems

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– ACCS, which required consultations between the ISO and WP.29 to come to an agreement on specific features such as, for example, urgency break-ing priority and interaction with rear stoplights.

In all this work the aim is to ensure that new equipment does not compromise safety. After all, if there is an appropriate standard and if all goes well, what else could one ask for ? Hasn’t the goal been achieved ? On the other hand, if some equipment does have shortcomings that affect safety, the regulators will certainly step in.

In this sense, the automotive industry and ISO will have to do more to anticipate the needs and coordinate their action on standards for vehicle construction and their equipment. This is a real challenge for ISO.

Second advantage

Let us next recall that inter-national standardization work should preferably take place before the equipment is released on the market. To wait for the equipment to be gener-ally available means the compromising efforts required by standardization run the risk of becoming very difficult, if not impossible. There are numerous examples of standardization opportu-nities missed for want of having acted in time. Many such examples can be taken from everyday life. One should standardize when it is possible and timely, and definitely before technical regulations are brought into the game.

As far as road vehicles and their equipment are concerned, the main

part of international standardization work should be carried out in parallel with research and development. The work can be carried out within the highly suitable ISO framework lead-ing to voluntary standards (at least for a given period of time) and with the relevant experts, which should ensure optimal efficiency while providing an appropriate level of confidentiality.

Third advantage

Some proposals for regulations or amendments to regulations submit-ted in the framework of WP.29 could be more easily referred to ISO for consid-eration when the underlying problem is one of harmonization between national and/or international technical standards, i.e., which is not closely linked to safety or environmental performance.

The list below gives some idea about the deep change and develop-ments that are taking place.

For this reason, ISO Interna-tional Standards have been developed to enable the usefulness and compati-bility of new equipment to be assessed in the most objective and unequivo-cal way. These standards cover and number of aspects such as :

• electromagnetic compatibility (ISO 7637),

• assessment of the suitability of transport information and control systems for use while driving (ISO 17287:2003),

• measurement of driver visual behaviour with respect to transport information and control systems (ISO/TS 15007-2:2001),

• in-vehicle visual presentation of transport information and control systems (ISO 15008:2003),

• in-vehicle presentation of audio information for control and infor-mation systems (ISO 15006),

• symbols and tell-tales for controls (ISO 2575).

This list is not exhaustive but it demonstrates the proposed stand-ardized approach for developing new equipment for installation in vehicles. More efficient in-vehicle electrical cir-cuitry should also be foreseen to ena-ble the use of many new appliances. A draft on 42 V circuitry is currently out for enquiry (ISO/DIS 21848).

Demand for standards on new subjects

Furthermore, the liaisons main-tained between the regulatory author-ities (WP.29, European Union, NHT-SA [National Highway Traffic Safety Administration], etc.) and the ISO technical committees mean that, with their support, requests for new in-vehi-cle equipment can be considered. One well-known example is that of stand-ards for equipment for emissions-relat-ed diagnostics (ISO 15031 and ISO 15071). These systems were devel-oped at the request of the European Union and are of major interest when it

“ Standardize when it is possible and timely, and

definitely before technical regulations are brought

into the game.”

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About the author

François Abram s Technical

Programme Man-ger at ISO Cen-ral Secretariat for he IT, Servicesnd Infrastructure ectors. He haseen in charge of

technical committee ISO/TC 22, Road vehicles, since 1970.

Integration of new systems

The integration of new elec-tronic, IT, communication and traffic or other systems raises a series of ques-tions with regard to vehicle safety and driving in road traffic. Many equipment manufacturers regret that some of their products are not adopted by the car manufacturers. But let us be clear : if such items of equipment are chosen by a car manufacturer and later found to cause accidents, this may cause severe prejudice to the manufacturer and, moreover, the regulatory authori-ties will not fail to pursue the matter with the automotive industry itself to ensure that corrective action is taken. This responsiveness is reassuring for the consumer. But for those who design new equipment, the sanction can be very heavy, going as far as prohibition.


Main Focus

comes to checking engine performance in terms of gas emissions. Similar new studies are currently being proposed by the WP.29/GRPE on equipment for vehicle safety-related diagnostics. A new field of activity is thus open-ing up for standardization as well as for research and development. Steps are being taken and further steps will be needed to alert all of the industrial players represented in ISO/TC 22.

ISO work lies at the heart of discussions on tomorrow’s vehicles and equipment.

Where ISO member bodies can play a role

Against this new setting, each member body has the opportunity to review existing needs within its own country. Road safety and environment are concerns that are shared worldwide and should be addressed on a world scale. Each country can identify its own needs and its possible contribution to solving the problems at hand. This is an opportunity for the member bodies to review the role that they are able to play in the framework of ISO’s activities.

Member bodies need to under-stand the consequences at their own level, to make sure that they involve all stakeholders at national level (manufac-turers, equipment industry, testing lab-oratories, scientific institutions, users, regulatory authorities), to ensure their participation in the work of the rel-evant ISO technical committees, i.e. those dealing with road vehicles (ISO/TC 22), tyres and rims (ISO/TC 31), noise (ISO/TC 43), gas cylinders (ISO/TC 58), internal combustion engines (ISO/TC 70), hydrogen technologies (ISO/TC 197), intelligent transport sys-tems (ISO/TC 204) and cryogenic ves-sels (ISO/TC 220).

A new era is beginning for inter-national standardization in the automo-bile sector where greater responsive-ness is needed. This is a real challenge for ISO. With the participation of all industries involved and all stakehold-ers, ISO is now called upon to show that it can meet the challenge.

Opportunities to enhance ISO’s contributions

By Mr. Jean-Pierre Cheynet, Chair ISO/TC 22, Road vehicles

F or a long time already, the reg-ulations developed by the World Forum for Harmonization of

Vehicle Regulations formerly known as (WP.29), the Working Party on Vehicle Construction (created on 6 June 1952) within the Inland Transport Commit-tee through Resolution No. 45 of the Subcommittee on Road Transport of

the United Nations Economic Com-mission for Europe, have been quoting all or part of a number of Internation-al Standards, among which figure some of ISO’s.

All together, 122 different stan-dards have been referenced, 32 of which were developed by ISO Techni-cal Committee TC 22, Road vehicles, some of these standards being refer-enced in several regulations.

The Road vehicles technical committee is subdivided into 26 sub-committees, 10 of which have pub-lished referenced standards. The main contributors operate in the electrical and electronic fields (in particular standards for interchangeability of connectors between tractors and trail-ers as well as standards regarding data transmission protocols), engines, active safety and passive safety.


As the work progresses, a num-ber of standards have been quoted in part and, therefore, have not been refer-enced ; this was the case, in particular, of ISO 362, Acoustics – Measurement of noise emitted by accelerating road vehicles – Engineering method, which was taken over in Regulation R51 “ Type acceptance of vehicles with at least four wheels in regard to noise ”.

The same is true of ISOFIX, which is the subject of ISO 13216, a concept developed by manufacturers within TC 22 (SC 12, Passive safety crash protection systems, Working Group 1 Child restraint systems in vehicles) to ensure interchangeability of anchoring points for such devices in different vehicles to avoid misuse.

In other circumstances, one working party or another within WP.29 has “ commissioned ” ISO to develop specific standards. Thus, in 1999, the WWH-OBD ad hoc group of the Working Party on Pollution and Energy entrusted the ISO/TC 22 Subcommittee on Engine tests (TC 22/SC 5) with the development of three ISO standards on : engine fami-lies (ISO 16185), measuring proce-dures and conditions for undiluted gas emissions (ISO 16184) and the mea-surement of particles (16183). More recently, the Working Party on Noise requested a revision of ISO 362.

At its 131st session, in Novem-ber 2003, the World Forum (WP.29) took note of the recommendation of its Management Committee AC2 to make reference to International Standards rather than copy the the full text of the standard.

A number of opportunities are likely to arise in the near future to enhance ISO’s contribution, and in particular that of TC 22, Road vehi-cles. For example :

• the forthcoming finalization of the draft on a side impact dum-my (ISO/15830, Road vehicles — Design and performance specifica-tions for a 50 th percentile male side impact dummy (WorldSID) ;

• the current publication of standards specifying test methods for electro-magnetic compatibility (ISO 767, Road vehicles — Electrical distur-bance from conduction and cou-pling ; ISO 11451, Road vehicles — Vehicle test methods for electri-cal disturbances from narrowband radiated electromagnetic energy ; ISO 11452, Road vehicles — Com-ponent test methods for electri-cal disturbances from narrowband radiated electromagnetic energy) ;

• draft standard ISO 12161 on test methods for endurance braking systems for industrial vehicles sub-mitted to the February 2004 meet-ing of the Working Party on Brakes and Running Gear (GRRF) ;

• the revision of ISO 2575 relating to symbols used in road vehicles, quoted in several regulations and serving as a basis for a draft global regulation considered by the Work-ing Party on General Safety Provi-sions (GRSG).

Thus ISO – and in particular its Technical Committee on Road vehicles will have to increase even further its alertness to technical needs and con-tinue to reduce it standards develop-ment times.

This recommendation, which should be seen as a positive sign of recognition for standardization work, confirms the close relations that exist between the World Forum (WP.29) and ISO/TC 22, Road vehicles.

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Ergonomics in the driving seat

By Dr. Gary Rupp, Chair ISO/TC 22/SC 13, Ergonomics applicable to road vehicles

S afety and comfort – where driving is concerned form an inseparable pair. In the

increasingly sophisticated automobile environment of today, the driver may be solicited by many diverse distrac-tions from telephones to road maps to e-mail, that potentially can both help and hinder his driving – if the new features and instruments are not rationally organized and designed so the driver can cope with them.

A wide variety of in-vehicle information systems known as “ trans-port information and control systems ” (TICS) currently exist or are planned to support the driver. This new gen-eration of information systems offers opportunities for improving safety and environmental concerns : navigation systems that include advanced up-to-date parking information and help in avoiding detours eliminate the need to look for direction signs and paper maps. Assistance systems, such as adaptive cruise control and collision mitigation, partially automate elements of the driving task. Emergency calls save lives by automatically forwarding accident information to the rescue serv-ices. These kinds of technical advances

About the authorJean-Pierre Cheynet, Chair, ISO TC 22, Road ehicles. He has been

Director of the Bureaue Normalisation deAutomobile (BNA)ince 1996. Prior to that,e worked at UTAC, theest laboratory dealing

with type approval of road vehicles inFrance.


Main Focus

From ISO 7010:2003.

need to take account of driver physical and mental abilities and limitations to ensure driving does not become more accident-prone due to additional driver distractions.

ISO subcommittee 13 is devot-ed standardization related to ergonomic issues in road vehicles. The committee and its working groups have developed standards addressing international sym-bols, control and display location, con-trol direction of motion, driver reach to controls, measurement methods for seats and pedals, as well as in-vehicle TICS interfaces.

Technologies change… humans stay the same

The fundamental driver/vehicle issues that ergonomics addresses have not changed very greatly over the years, but the technologies it deals with are constantly changing. The field of automotive ergonomics in the 1960s and 1970s focussed primarily on development of the vehicle archi-tecture, the physical side of ergonom-ics – tools and methods for laying out the geometry of the driver workspace (pedals, seat, steering wheel, and other controls), devices to design and verify seats, etc. The workspace around the driver was, and is, constantly being refined, with new studies undertaken even today to ensure the right posi-tioning of the different elements in a vehicle. Physically setting up the work environment for the driver is fairly well understood, and SC 13 work in that area now focusses on refining its standards to take account of the lat-est data. For example : seat designs have changed from bench seats with fixed seat back angles of the 1960’s to bucket seats with reclining seat backs and other modes of adjustment in today’s vehicles. Not only do seats have more adjustments, but pedals and steering wheels are also adjustable in some vehicles. SC 13 has to make sure that its measurement tools keep pace with new technologies.

Mental workload of the driver

Compared to the physical side of ergonomics, the mental side and cognitive workload for the driver is becoming increasingly important with the introduction of the various TICS systems into road vehicles. Safe and rational integration of these new ele-ments is particularly challenging because there often isn’t a sufficient

load of the driver. In November 1994 SC 13 formed WG 8, TICS on-board – HMI, (see box following page) from a CEN10 group of experts that had existed in Europe to obtain more inter-national involvement for these types of issues. HMI (Human-Machine Inter-face) experts both from the automotive industry and scientific institutions rec-ognized that it was vital in the automo-tive environment to have internationally accepted standards. Ergonomic activi-ties in ISO/TC 204, Transport informa-tion and control systems merged with WG 8 a few years later.

Regulators are too slowThe automotive industry is now

a global industry. All of the world’s vehicle manufacturers take the ISO standards seriously. Many of the manufacturers are represented in the committee. Manufacturers often take the ISO standards as base documents and elaborate on them for their own corporate standards. We are constantly challenged to keep ISO standards focussed on ease of use and safe operation of road vehicles while being flexible enough to not stifle creativity and useful new technology.

Some of SC 13’s standards have been adopted in national and interna-tional regulations. One important stand-ard is ISO 6549, Road vehicles – Pro-

research base for developing standards. Ergonomics in general, and as applied to the automobile industry, is still large-ly an experimental science. The field of cognitive ergonomics in particular lacks good mathematical models that could be applied to assess driver work-load and distraction. As a result, exten-sive studies are now being undertaken to develop standard methods for meas-uring and managing the mental work-

“ All of the world’s vehicle manufacturers take the ISO standards

seriously.”

Phot

o: P

ierr

e G

rani

er


Passive Fire

cedure for H- and R-point determina-tion. It defines a device, called the H-Point Machine or HPM, and a measure-ment procedure for verifying that seats are built to manufacturer specifications. Regulatory bodies use this standard to verify seats before installing crash dummies, testing vision to mirrors, test-ing wiped and defrosted areas of wind-shields or backglass, etc. This stand-ard is cited in numerous regulations in many countries. A computer represen-tation of the H-Point Machine is a key design tool used by vehicle manufactur-ers to design and dimension the vehi-cle interior. The HPM was developed in the 1960’s and served the industry well for many years. In the late 1990’s a new version the HPM (HPM-II) (see p. 14) was developed to better measure mod-ern-day seats. A new standard, ISO/DIS 20176, Road vehicles – H-point machine (HPM II) – Specifications and

procedure for H-point determination is nearing completion.

Safe driving

accept the cost in having to design and certify to two different H-Point Machines).

Manufacturers sometimes find themselves frustrated when they cannot implement a new standard because the regulatory bodies still reference older versions of a standard.

The need for new international symbols

Today, vehicles travel from one country to another country with ease. It becomes important to have a language all can “ read ” and grasp. This is the role of symbols, to provide a way to communicate information in a universal manner. To illustrate the increasing demand for more symbols, in the 1980s, SC 13 had about 60-70

TICS help drive a vehicle

The standards developed by WG 8 cover a broad field of ergonomic

issues : The multitude of information to be displayed to the driver through TICS may create the need to minimise visual load and make more and bet-

ter use of the auditory channel. The Auditory Standard (ISO 15006) provides ergonomic specifications for the design and installation of auditory displays presenting speech and tonal information while driving.

The Dialog Management Standard (ISO 15005) supplies principles on how to design user interfaces to limit driver distraction. This standard was pivotal in the creation of the European Statement of Principles on HMI. Key concepts and principles in ISO 15005 and ISO 15008 are included in a set of voluntary driver distraction guidelines from the Alliance of Automotive Manufacturers (AAM), the trade organization of car manufacturers in the USA market.

For the overall assessment of in-vehicle information systems a structured methodology is provided by the ISO 17287 standard Procedure for assessing suitability for use while driving.

The Message Priority Technical Specification (ISO 16951) provides methods to determine the relevance of warnings and to control their presentation to the driver accordingly.

A technical report on warnings (ISO 16352) compiles state-of-the-art knowledge of the topic and gives guidance to HMI developers. Taking into account the importance of that topic a

new WG8 task force has been established to develop a guide-line on warnings based on the existing knowledge.

Rather than fixing certain details of the HMI, another approach WG 8 is taking is to standardize test procedures to determine the overall influence of the HMI to driving performance. One method currently under development is a Visual Occlusion Method (AWI 16673) in which drivers interact with the HMI of a TICS system while wearing glasses with shutters that open and close at predefined intervals. A task force has also been formed to develop a Lane Change Test methodology that measures driving performance while changing lanes on a test track simulated on a desktop PC at the same time drivers are operating a TICS system (below).

The ISO standards created by WG 8 are intended to help estab-lish HMI’s with high quality and minimized driver distraction.

However, the new HPM-II exemplifies how the regulatory proc-ess, a process that often takes years to change, can also delay the application of new or revised standards. Currently, regulations require use of the “ old ” machine, as described in ISO 6549, so manufacturers will be unable to certify to the new machine once the new stand-ard is published (and are unwilling to

“ Manufacturers are frustrated when they

cannot implement a new standard because

the regulatory bodies still reference older

versions of a standard.”

Dr. Christian Heinrich, WG8 Convener, HMI Telematics and Speech Control Daimler-Chrysler AG.


Main Focus

standardized symbols in ISO 2575, Road vehicles – Symbols for controls, indicators and tell-tales. In the 7 th edi-tion of 2575, which will be published by summer 2004 there are approxi-mately four times as many symbols – and WG5 already is working on about 30 more symbols that will com-prise amendments to the 7 th edition.

As manufacturers introduce new features and more symbols are devel-oped or proposed as potential stand-ards. WG 5 works diligently to make symbols as legible and understandable as possible even though data is often not available to determine whether a proposed symbol is well understood throughout the world. It is rare in fact that the original proposed symbol is the final approved standard symbol !

Several symbols in ISO 2575 already appear in national regulations and there are draft regulations in proc-ess regarding control and displays that make reference to many more of the symbols in the 6 th edition of ISO 2575. SC 13 hopes that the proposed regula-tions will be revised so the final regula-tions cite symbols in the forthcoming 7 th edition.

The importance of legibility on displays

Visual displays can have an important impact on the driver’s behaviour and potential safety. The visual information that is presented to drivers must be legible so it can be read quickly, accurately, and be less likely to interfere with the primary task of driving and thus compromise safety. If the information is not legible, drivers will likely spend more time looking at the display and less time looking at the roadway.

ISO 15008:2003, Road vehi-cles – Ergonomic aspects of trans-port information and control systems – Specifications and compliance procedures for in-vehicle visual pres-entation, offers recommendations to assist designers, manufacturers, and suppliers regarding visibility-related issues affecting transport information and control systems.

The new standard improves the ease with which the driver can recognize the in-vehicle texts and symbols while the car is in motion, thus decreasing their mental workload and visual distraction. Red characters on blue backgrounds, for instance, should be avoided since the eyes will have trouble focusing on these colour combinations. This standard (at draft stage) has already been cited in a November 2003 EU Directive (EU/R/297 Directive 2003/97/EC) on Mirrors and Systems for Indirect Vision.

The designOne of SC 13’s standards that

defines how to measure pedal spacing, ISO 3409, Passenger cars – Lateral spacing of foot controls, is used as a basis for a regulatory requirement on the spacing between accelerator, brake, and clutch pedals. A UNECE regulation adopted the ISO standard and put metrics on the pedal spacing. This standard was one of the early SC 13 standards and has not been changed since it was developed in the 1970’s.

The standard ISO 4040, Location of hand controls, indica-tors and tell-tales in motor vehicles, exemplifies how, by standardizing the general areas for placing controls, the driver’s task is facilitated. This stand-ard specifies which controls should be located to the left or right of the steer-ing column. For instance the ignition control for cars should be on the right of the steering column. In this way, drivers know where to look for the igni-tion key cylinder in vehicles through-out the world. Interestingly, with the advent of new technologies such as card readers for starting vehicles, some manufacturers are challenging whether this requirement is still needed.

ISO/DIS 16121, Road vehicles – Ergonomic requirements for the driv-er’s workplace in line-service buses, based on a German standard, specifies how to design the workplace of bus drivers, and will certainly have a big

About the author

Dr. Gary Rupp has een with Ford Motor

Company since 1979,where is a PrincipalResearch Engineer. Prior o coming to Ford, he

was an Assistant Profes-or of Industrial Engi-

neering at The University of Toledo, specializing in Human Factors. Dr. Rupp was president of the Southeast Michigan Chapter of the Human Factors Engineering Society from 1980-1990. He is a past member of Transportation Research Board’s Committee on the Measurement and Simulation of Driving and the past Chair of the American Automobile Manu-facturers’ subcommittee on Human Factors. Dr. Rupp chairs the American Society of Automotive Engineers’ commit-tees on Driver Vision and Human Ac-commodation. Dr. Rupp has been chair of ISO TC 22/SC13 since 1993, and is involved in all its working groups.

Dr. Rupp has a BSE in Electrical Engi-neering from Ohio State University, and MSE and PhD degrees in Bioengineering from the University of Michigan.

“ If the information is not legible, drivers will likely spend more time looking at the display and less

time looking at the roadway.”

New SAE H-Point Machine (HPM II).


Safe driving

Safety : a priority for manufacturers and users

By Mr. Georges Stcherbatcheff, Chair ISO/TC 22/SC 12, Passive safety crash protection systems

such as France, the risk per kilometre driven of being killed in a car accident has been reduced sevenfold over a 30-year period (figure 1, next page). The objective of continuing to significantly reduce the number of road victims is thus an attainable goal.

In fact, in spite of the inherent limits of the human body’s resistance to impact, the development of new technologies and new materials opens up new opportunities for progress to engineers. Inter-vehicle compatibility

Over the last ten years, auto-mobile safety has become the priority for both manufactur-

ers and users. All of the knowledge acquired by engineers since the 1970s has been implemented in the cars’ structures and restraint systems alike. Research and development has accelerated over the last few years, increasing the degree of protection available to vehicle occupants. These developments now extend to traffic partners outside the vehicle, and first and foremost, to pedestrians.

These major vehicle develop-ments have contributed to the sub-stantial reduction in the number of road accident victims. In a country

in a collision, for a car population that is increasingly heterogeneous in terms of weight, geometry and rigidity, is an important avenue for progress, and a challenge to engineers. “ Pre-crash ” management is also another avenue which shows great potential and one which combines primary and secon-dary safety. Rapidly developing sensor technology, in fact, makes it possible to envisage preparing the vehicle and its occupants for a collision in the moments that precede impact.

But the driver’s central role, his/her integration in the safety loop, remains a fundamental principle of safety and an important factor in development. This is true both in

impact on bus design. The four parts of this standard address driver compart-ment dimensions, vision, information and control devices, and cabin environ-ment, i.e. heating/cooling issues.

SC 13 recently adopted a Technical Specification (ISO 12104) that describes which direction to move a hand control to manually upshift or downshift through gears without need for a clutch pedal in a manual transmission. Automatic transmissions may also have this feature to provide drivers the option of manual shifts. The hand control for shifting has two set-tings, one labelled “ + ” for upshifts and one labelled “ – ” for downshifts (See illustration p. 11, showing shift control for +/- “tiptronic”-type transmissions – the direction specified in ISO/TS 12104). The most controversial part of this TS was deciding which direction a floor-mounted shift lever should move to upshift. There are equally valid ergonomic reasons to pull the lever rearward (toward the driver) for upshift as to push the lever forward (away from the driver) to upshift. Research available to SC13 showed there was no stereotype among drivers for either direction of motion for upshift. What do you think is the best direction for upshift ? Vehicles in the marketplace today have both solutions.

Who are we ?Subcommittee 13, with its four

working groups, has developed 16 standards so far, with another 10 in the pipeline. We have been fortunate to enjoy a highly skilled group of experts, a membership with minimal turnover, and a team spirit of hard workers.

New designs and new technolo-gies are constantly challenging us, so that we can never rest on our laurels. There is continuing need and plenty of interesting future work for SC 13.

Mégane: Frontal collision against deformable obstacle at speed of 64 kpm (EuroNCAP – European New Car Assessment Programme type test).


Main Focus

terms of the role the driver has to play in installing the child restraint system and, of course, in the fastening of seat belts, which remain the key to protec-tion for vehicle occupants. Then, at the stage when the car is being driven, this role is to ensure primary safety. The development of information and communication technologies provides new perspectives for driver control of safety parameters, with the assistance of various automated safety systems and devices (ABS [Anti-lock Braking System], ESP [Electronic Stability Programme], etc).

Progress in child restraint systems in vehicles

The role of ISO/TC 22, Road vehicles standardization, notably for subcommittee 12, which is responsi-ble for Passive safety crash protection systems, is to support these new tech-nological developments, and in some cases, to trigger them. As such, the ISOFIX standard developed by SC 12 initiated important progress concern-ing child restraint systems in vehicles. Today, this progress has been con-firmed and is upheld in legislation by the United Nations implementing the ISOFIX standard. Work continues in SC 12/WG 1, Child restraint systems in road vehicles in order to improve child safety still further (ISO 13216, Anchorages in vehicles and attach-ments to anchorages for child restraint systems, ISO 13215, Reduction of mis-use risk of child restraint systems, ISO 13218, Child restraint systems – Report form for accidents involving child pas-sengers, for instance).

Dummy) (figure 2). Today at the qualification test stage, this crash test dummy represents progress in terms of bio-fidelity and potential progress with regard to the harmonization of automobile technical legislation on a worldwide basis. ISO will thus have contributed to a virtuous circle, and the savings generated by unified leg-islation can be invested by automobile manufacturers in the effort to achieve pressing safety objectives (see ISO/WI 15830-1 to 5).

The crash test dummies are instruments used to measure the safety of vehicles. The criteria for injuries measured on their body parts are defined in SC 12/WG 6, Performance criteria expressed in biomechanical terms. During a test, crash test dum-mies and the vehicle are fitted with

About the author

Georges Stcherbatcheff joined RENAULT in 1972 as a research and development engineer. He was a research staff member in the field of impact

biomechanics before joining the design office. Here he held several positions in vehicle design, before being made respon-sible for passive safety and then for tech-nical regulations. Today he is the corpo-rate delegate for international standards.

The SC 12’s WG 5, Anthro-pomorphic test devices also initiated a worldwide programme for develop-ing a side impact crash test dummy, the WorldSID (World Side Impact

“ The fastening of seat belts remains the key

to protection for vehicle occupants.”

Figure 1 – Automobile casualties in France: graph showing the evolution of fatal accidents in France (red line) since 1959. This traffic index (100: 1959) was established against the traffic flow daily on national roads and motorways and in proportion to the length of the road networks.

Figure 2 – The World Side Impact Dummy (WorldSID).


1800016000140001200010000

8000600040002000

0

700

600

500

400

300

200

100

0

1959 1972 2003

16 6005 732

Road Traffic Fatalities in France

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several dozens of sensors that prima-rily measure acceleration and forces. These measurements, which are, after all, used by nations in a vehicle’s homologation, must be repeatable and reproducible, and easily transmitted to laboratories the world over. SC 12/WG 3, Instrumentation, established the standards defining the conditions for measuring quality, then proposed inter-laboratory communication standards in multimedia format that are widely used today.

The problem of measurement also arises during the final phase of the comparative evaluation of safety provided by the vehicles, within the framework of the crash rating pro-tocols. The WG 7, Traffic accident analysis methodology of SC 12 details, through its standards, the conditions of representativity of the criteria and com-parative evaluation measurements of the vehicle performances under impact, drawn from accidentology data (ISO 6546, on information core appropriate to the field study of accidents in which seat belts are used, and ISO 6813, Collision classification – Terminology, among others).

This review of SC 12’s work emphasizes the importance of the con-tribution to safety of ISO’s TC 22, Road Vehicles. Other TC 22 subcommittees such as SC 10, responsible for crash test configurations and procedures, SC 13, responsible for on-board ergonom-ics, SC 2 and SC 9, whose work centres on braking and road holding, testify to the scope of TC 22’s involvement in terms of automotive safety, incontest-ably a priority for ISO.

Steering into a new source of power

By Mr. Randy Dey, Chair of ISO/TC 197, Hydrogen Technologies

The need for clean urban air and the growing concern with regard to global climate changes is

forcing the society to move toward energy resources that minimize the emissions of atmospheric pollutants such as carbon dioxide (CO

2) and

nitrogen oxides (NOx).

The most promising avenue in terms of a renewable, sustainable energy system consists of using hydro-gen in a large number of energy appli-cations. Indeed, when hydrogen is burned directly as a fuel or converted to electricity and heat, its principal by-product is water, which can be safely returned to the environment.

The automotive sector is seri-ously considering hydrogen as the fuel that will revolutionize the industry in a near future. All majors automotive companies are currently investing a lot of resources in developing prototypes that either use hydrogen-powered internal combustion engines or fuel cell drive systems. The environmental benefits that will result from the near zero-emissions vehicles are obviously the main driving force behind this move. However there are many other advantages of using hydrogen-pow-ered vehicles. Compared to today’s gasoline-driven vehicles, the hydro-gen-powered vehicles could eventually

“ Hydrogen-powered vehicles could eventually

lead to increased performance, greater

comfort and completely new vehicle configuration

and design.”


Main Focus

lead to increased performance, greater comfort and completely new vehicle configuration and design, all of which represent huge opportunities for the automotive industry, but also raise major challenges.

Establishing a comprehensive set of regulations and standards

One of the automotive indus-try’s biggest challenge will be to have in place a comprehensive set of regu-lations and standards that will govern the use of these new technologies and ensure the same level of safety or high-er compared to today’s vehicles. This is where ISO/TC 197, which is the technical committee of ISO responsi-ble for the international standardiza-tion of hydrogen technologies, can play a major role toward this goal.

Indeed, as indicated in its busi-ness plan, the main objective of ISO/TC 197 is to help bringing the most mature hydrogen technologies to the market through pro-active standards. As the road vehicle sector has been identi-fied as one of the early market niches, ISO/TC 197 is therefore committing

the necessary resources to develop the international standards that will be required to move these hydrogen tech-nologies into widespread applications.

As part of the International Standards that are being prepared to meet the needs of the automotive industry, the following work items have recently reached the enquiry stage (see table below).

These work items are cur-rently being circulated for approval to the whole membership of ISO as Draft International Standards (DIS). Once they are approved, the resulting International Standards will become a reference for all the countries that are interested in the subject matter.

The ISO/TC 197 work should also speed-up the regulatory process by providing International Standards that define the minimum requirements applicable to these rapidly emerging technologies. In this respect, ISO/TC 197 is working closely with the World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicles Regulations of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) in the development of hydrogen vehicle regulations.

It is through this cooperation that the technical content of the draft liquid and gaseous hydrogen storage systems regulations of the UNECE has been respectively harmonized with the technical content of ISO 13985, Liquid hydrogen – Land vehicle fuel tanks and ISO 15869, Gaseous hydrogen and hydrogen blends – Land vehicule fuel tanks (five-part standard). As the World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicles Regulations has recently taken the decision to rely more broadly on international standardization work, it is possible that the forthcoming draft reg-ulations on hydrogen storage systems eventually refer to the international standards ISO 13985 and ISO 15869 instead of reproducing them in extenso.

Hydrogen technologies

ISO/TC 197, Hydrogen Tech-nologies, develops standards in the field of systems and devices for the production, storage, trans-port, measurement and use of hydrogen. The secretariat resides with the Bureau de normalisation du Québec (BNQ), which acts on behalf of the Standards Council of Canada (SCC) with Sylvie Gingras as secretary.

About the author

Mr. Randy Dey, Chair of ISO/TC 197, Hydrogen technolo-gies, is a Professional Engineer in Ontario, Canada. He is the President of The CCS Global Group Inc., in

Oakville, Ontario, a consulting firm he established in 1977. Mr. Dey is an expert in international standards and codes development and compliance with a spe-cial focus on hydrogen, fuel cell and alternate fuel sectors. Mr. Dey also holds leadership positions in other codes and standards committees related to hydrogen and fuel cell technologies and chairs the Canadian National Committee of ISO (CNC/ISO).

ISO/DIS 13985 Liquid hydrogen — Land vehicle fuel tanks

ISO/DIS 15869-1 Gaseous hydrogen and hydrogen blends — Land vehicle fuel tanks — Part 1 : General requirements

ISO/DIS 15869-2 Gaseous hydrogen and hydrogen blends — Land vehicle fuel tanks — Part 2 : Particular requirements for metal tanks

ISO/DIS 15869-3 Gaseous hydrogen and hydrogen blends — Land vehicle fuel tanks — Part 3 : Particular requirements for hoop wrapped composite tanks with a metal liner

ISO/DIS 15869-4 Gaseous hydrogen and hydrogen blends — Land vehicle fuel tanks — Part 4 : Particular requirements for fully wrapped composite tanks with a metal liner

ISO/DIS 15869-5 Gaseous hydrogen and hydrogen blends — Land vehicle fuel tanks — Part 5 : Particular requirements for fully wrapped composite tanks with a non-metallic liner

ISO/DIS 17268 Gaseous hydrogen — Land vehicle filling connectors

ISO/TC 197


A hydrogen infrastructure

The entry of hydrogen-pow-ered vehicles in the marketplace will obviously also require that a hydrogen infrastructure be in place. In order to facilitate the construction of hydrogen service stations around the world, we are working on developing the neces-sary international standards. In this respect, ISO/TC 197 is working on defining the minimum requirements that will apply to the service stations themselves and their components. In this case, we are considering all available hydrogen processing routes, with service stations that store hydro-gen produced elsewhere or generate hydrogen on-site using fuel process-ing technologies or water electrolysis processes.

As the service life of fuel cells is highly dependent on the quality of the hydrogen that is being used as a feedstock, ISO/TC 197 is also in the process of preparing an amendment to ISO/14687:1999, Hydrogen fuel — Product Specification. This amend-ment should help meet the needs of the automotive industry that is developing fuel cell vehicles by defining a new category of fuel that will be more suit-able for fuel cell applications.

ISO/TC 197 definitely wants to facilitate the introduction of hydrogen-powered vehicles to the market. This is why it is proactively seeking participa-tion of the automotive manufacturers, the infrastructure companies and their major suppliers to join the ISO techni-cal committee on hydrogen technolo-gies so that they can bring forward their standardization requirements. ISO/TC 197 looks forward to work-ing with all interested parties toward the building of a strong hydrogen economy.

Safe driving

essential elements for the construction of regulations.

The experts of the tyre industry are deeply involved in the studies of TC 31, Tyres, rims and valves, and the eight technical subcommittees, which cover all domains of transport by land (passenger cars, commercial vehicles, earthmovers, industrial and lift trucks, agricultural tractors) and by air trans-port. The experts also participate in some subcommittees of ISO/TC 22 (road vehicles) for the standardization of wheels, but also to define new stand-ards for innovative systems to improve the vehicle adherence with the road.

To illustrate the utility of cur-rent standards, let us look the follow-ing examples of noteworthy existing standards or those under development concerning passenger car tyres.

Tyres hold the road

By Dr. Jean-Jacques Almon, Chair ISO/ TC 31, Tyres, rims and valves, SC 3, Passenger car tyres, Michelin, Standardization and Regulation Department, Clermont-Ferrand, France

Three sets of tyre standards have been developed by the tyre industry to follow the vehicle

growth market inside the three major economic areas (Europe, North Amer-ica, and Japan). In each area, the objec-tive was to define the common tech-nical performances in terms of design characteristics for each tyre catego-ry, according to the local specifica-tions of vehicles, road designs and tyre uses in order to guarantee tyre inter-changeability between different brands for the user. Today, market globaliza-tion imposes universally recognized and compatible technical solutions. ISO standards propose to progressive-ly harmonize these professional stand-ards relative to product characteristics. They also propose standards concern-ing performance in use and measure-ment methods, thus completing the

Standards that hold the road

The distance that a vehicle trav-els for each revolution of its tyres is a factor used more and more by vehicle electronic systems. In particular, this allows the driver to know his speed instantaneously. This is determined by the rolling circumference of the tyre under normal driving conditions (tyre deflection according to the supported load and adapted pressure).

A standardized measurement method is needed to calibrate the measuring equipment in the dashboard, in particular for the indicators of speed and distance covered. ISO 17269: 2000, Measurement method for rolling circumference of new tyres, contributes


to the interchangeability of tyres for a given vehicle, and its application by tyre makers allows the information given to the driver to remain correct even if he or she changes his tyres.

Measuring noise levelsThe overall noise level of a

vehicle stems from several sources of sonic emissions. Some of these sources are found in the vehicle itself (powertrain, motor, vibration of structural elements, and others) while others come from the rolling of a tyre on the road surface. The ISO standard for measurement method for noise emanating from tyre/road contact (ISO 13325:2003) defines a method for determining the noise generated by contact with the road surface. It applies equally to tyres on passenger cars and on trucks. The measurement involves measuring the noise generated by a vehicle coasting at a given speed with the motor shut off and the transmis-sion in neutral (the coast-by method). Another standard, ISO 362:1998, cur-rently under revision (ISO/CD 362), is used to determine noise specific to the powertrain itself

The test conditions speci-fied in the ISO 13325:2003 standard have been essentially copied for the European directive 2001/43/CE, which imposes maximum noise levels for new tyres approved after 4 August 2003.

Adherence of tyres to wet road surfaces

ISO Working Draft 23671: 2003 on the measurement method for the adherence of tyres on wet road surfaces, which is in the final editing phase, describes a method for evaluat-ing a relative index of braking capac-ity on wet road surfaces for new tyres tested under normal vehicle use condi-tions. In order to be useful, the test has to be reproducible and discriminating. Many test parameters have to be con-trolled in order to limit the dispersion of the results (vehicle characteristics, tyre conditioning, type of solicitations the tyre is subjected to, definition of

A draft regulation concerning wet grip which is based on the principles and experimental conditions of the ISO standard is currently being prepared by the World Forum for the Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations (WP.29).

Driving safely with tyres losing air pressure

The current ISO run flat stand-ard (ISO/NP 16 992, Run Flat systems Standards) concerns passenger car tyres that can allow the driver to continue on his way in a safe manner, even if he loses air pressure in one of the tyres. This additional mobility may vary to a large degree according to the equipment installed and to real operating conditions of the tyre in run flat mode; the objective of the proposed standard is to qualify the run flat performance level of these systems which are being introduced into the market today with a test. Therefore, the driver has continued control of the vehicle (in speed and direction) in order to reach an appropriate place for serv-icing. Here we have another example of a standard following technological progress in the marketplace

Overall performance guidelines for tubeless tyres

A draft International Standard Tyre pressure monitoring systems (ISO/WD 21750:2003) deals with electronic “ Tyre Pressure Monitoring Systems ” (TPMS) for tubeless tyres in association or not with a Run Flat System for passenger cars.

The systems are to be able to survey all tyres excluding the tyre of the temporary use spare wheel and provide information to the driver.

It establishes overall perform-ance guidelines for the systems and their components, independently of the physical principles and the tech-nological solution which have been selected to monitor the tyre pressure and to deliver relevant information to the driver if the pressure of one, sev-eral or all tyres is underinflated for the intended service conditions.

Main Focus

the test track and the water depth, among others).

The originality of the test resides in the use of a reference tyre standardized by the profession, which is tested under the same conditions as the test tyre. The performance of the tested tyre is expressed as an index relative to the performance of the ref-erence tyre.

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Tests on wet surfaces and for noise control.


This standard is being devel-oped within ISO/TC 22 in cooperation with the car manufacturers and elec-tronics suppliers.

Two complementary orientations

In conclusion, an increasing role of international standardization is foreseen in the automotive sector with two complementary orientations :

– To accompany, or even to antici-pate technological innovations of road vehicles and their equipment (tyres in particular) put on the mar-ketplace.

– To supply regulatory bodies with specifications of test methods or design guides suited to reply, through regulation, to the needs expressed by the public : improv-ing the users’ safety and reducing negative environmental impacts caused by land transportation.

Jean-Jacques Alm-n graduated as a

Chemical Engineer nd as Ph D. in

Physical Chemistryas been workingince 1977 in the

Michelin GroupFrance).

For the last two years, he has been incharge, the Standards and Regulations Department, of following tyre regula-tions and standardization activities in relation to public authorities and profes-sional organizations .

At the start of his career, Dr. Jean-Jacques Almon had primary responsibilities in mate-rial research and developments programmes. Subsequently, he was successively involved in projects related to quality and environ-mental management ; in this field, he has been responsible at the Corporate level for managing Michelin’s policy on used tyres.

He currently chairs TC 31, Tyres, rims and valves, SC 3, Passenger car tyres. He is also President of TNPF (French manufacturers’ association for the standardization of tyres).

Do not reinvent the wheel !

By Mr. John Kinstler, Chairman TC 22/SC 19, Road wheels

Standards related to wheels for cars and trucks have been worked on since 1972. ISO/TC

22/SC 19, Road Wheels was formed in 1972 and has been active ever since. The scope of the subcommittee is standardization of wheels and wheel mounting systems with particular ref-erence to nomenclature, interchange-ability, and test procedures. There are seven standards issued on wheels and three more at the DIS ballot stage.

Why do we need wheel stand-ards since wheels have been around for over 2000 years ? The first stand-ards established evaluation methods for fatigue and kerb impact properties so that global vehicle manufacturers could evaluate wheels from different wheel manufacturers and still maintain the safety required. The performance for each wheel is not specified since the application and usage is different for different type of vehicles and in various areas of the world. The next standard defined nomenclature in English, French and German so that all users could communicate with the same concepts. The standard also cov-ers marking of the wheels to match up with tyres and let users know what size they are using to allow proper fit to the vehicle and tyre. Since commercial vehicles are more global in usage than the automobiles, standards for these wheels include the bolt pat-terns used to attach the wheel to the vehicle and the fasteners, d imensions and strength p rope r t i e s . These stand-

ards were created when there werea wide variety of bolt patterns and fasteners in use. By standardizing these dimensions, the new wheels have migrated to the ISO standards. TC 22/SC 19 is still working on new standards related to the uniformity of wheels for ride control, balance weight standards for clip on weights, fasteners strength properties for passenger car wheel nut seats, and maintenance for wheels. The last standard will define conditions for a wheel to be removed from service if the wheel will no longer safely perform its functions. The standard also defines the causes for these conditions so that users can replace the wheel and fix the condi-tions that caused the problem with the original wheel. All of this work is done so that everyone does not have to reinvent the wheel.

John R. Kinstler is chairman of ISO/TC 22/SC 19, Road wheels. He is also the chairman of the USA technical advisory committee for wheels in the USA. Kinstler began his career at Goodyear Tire and Rubber in 1970. He soon transferred to Motor Wheel in Lansing, Mich. where he held various engineering and management positions. In 1996, Hayes Lemmerz Inter-national, one of the world’s leading global suppliers of automotive and commercial highway wheels, brakes, suspension, structural and other lightweight compo-nents, acquired Motor Wheel where John Kinstler held the position of Vice Presi-dent of Engineering for the Fabricated Wheel System Business Unit, located in Northville, Mich.

John retired from Hayes Lemmerz in 2002 after 33 years in wheel engineering and currently consults on wheels.

Safe driving

About the author

About the author

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Developments and Initiatives

By Mr. Philippe Boland, TC 20/SC 14, Space Systems and operations, WG 2, Interfaces, integration and tests (France), Head of French Delegation and Project Leader

When the WG 2 members of TC 20/SC 14, Space Systems and operations,

met for the first time, back in 1993, as an international committee of launch vehicle specialists, they agreed that the prime subject of interest for stand-ardization ought to be launch vehicle and spacecraft interfaces. In fact, this was probably the first time that launch vehicle experts from Europe, Japan, Russia and the USA (China and Brazil joined the group later) started discussing about technical informa-tion on launch systems developed on national grounds and implemented by commercial agencies involved in open competition.

It is amazing that this aspect never surfaced in the course of the many work sessions held by the group. On the contrary, technical discussions have always been held by all of the national experts with a scientific and objective attitude, with the constant aim of reaching final agreement. This was certainly the key to the success of this intellectual venture.

This first meeting was the starting point of a long approach to the problem, including the defini-tion of the interface concept in the context of space transportation, the characterization of the various techni-cal aspects related to interfaces, and a consensus as to what could be the subject of standardization. In the fol-lowing years, an impressive series of passionate and never-ending technical discussions, held in a multi-lingual environment, finally materialized in the first draft of a future standard

entitled Launch-vehicle-to-spacecraft interfaces, now published as ISO 14303.

In the meantime, the working group recognized the need to develop not only one, but a set of standards that fully describe the overall process

of exchanging technical information between launch vehicle and space-craft contractors. This approach took into consideration common prac-tices already established in the launch business. In this respect, the follow-ing additional projects of standards were undertaken in sequence : ISO 15863, Spacecraft-to-launch-vehicle interface control document, published in late 2003 and ISO/DIS 17401, Spacecraft interface requirements document for launch vehicle services, in publication.

Presentation of the series of three standards

This series of three documents contains a standard presentation format of the overall procedure necessary to define the respective technical require-ments of spacecraft and launch vehicle contractors when launching commer-cial or scientific spacecraft by means of any of the existing commercial launch systems. The rationale behind this approach is explained below.

ISO 14303 provides a general format for writing a launch-vehicle-to-spacecraft interfaces document with a comprehensive presentation of the major topics that are usually incorporated in a launch vehicle user’s manual.

This document is written by the launch vehicle authority and is intend-ed for use by customers. It contains a general description of the launch vehi-cle and launch base characteristics, a detailed presentation of the launch vehicle to spacecraft interfaces and launches facilities to spacecraft inter-faces, and an inventory of the launch services. The launch system capabili-ties and limitations are clearly defined. The resulting potential constraints imposed by the launch system on the spacecraft design or integration proce-dure are explained.

Interfaces between launch vehicles and spacecraft

Spacecraft interfaces : all technical aspects related to the interaction between space-craft and launch systems for the following phases addressed in a launch contract : spacecraft preparation with resulting verifi-cation analyses and tests, ground operations, launch and flight until separation of the spacecraft from the launch vehicle.

Launch vehicle contractor :representative(s) of a launch vehicle service provider bound by contract with a customer for the launch of a spacecraft.

Spacecraft contractor :representative(s) vis-à-vis the launch vehicle contractor of the spacecraft customer (or of the spacecraft manufacturer acting for the customer).

Launch vehicle authority :representative(s) of a launch vehicle service provider entitled to take technical or programmatic initiatives concerning the launch vehicle to spacecraft interfaces.

Launch system capabilities : performances of the launch vehicle and associated ground facilities in terms of launch cam-paign efficiency and delivered orbit (payload mass and orbital characteristics).

Glossary


ISO/DIS17401 provides the general format for writing an inter-face requirement document (IRD) for launch vehicle services. The IRD includes the overall requirements of the spacecraft customer for a specific mission, in relation to the launch facili-ties and services offered by the launch agency as described in the correspond-ing user’s manual.

This document is presented in the form of a questionnaire that must be filled in by the spacecraft contrac-tor. The latter will provide a general description of the spacecraft and relat-ed mission, detailed information about the spacecraft to launch vehicle and spacecraft to ground facilities inter-faces, and the list of launch services that are requested.

ISO 15863 provides the general format for writing an interface control document (ICD) between spacecraft and launch vehicle contractors. The ICD is the contractual document that verifies and controls the compatibility between the spacecraft and the launch vehicle for a specific mission.

This document is written by the launch vehicle contractor in response to the IRD submitted by the spacecraft contractor. It is revised periodically by both parties and amended on the basis of a common agreement. The ICD specifies the customer dedicated launch vehicle mission, establishes the spacecraft to launch vehicle and space-craft to launch facilities interfaces, and

defines the launch services required in relation with the preparation of the spacecraft and its integration on the launch vehicle.

The major common subjects of the three standards

As can be inferred from the above logic, these standards have very similar topics ; however they are treated from a different perspective in each document, which makes them inseparable. In what follows, we give a brief description of the major com-mon chapters, taking the ICD standard as reference, since all relevant subjects are developed from both the launch vehicle and spacecraft standpoints.

The main subjects incorporate mechanical, electrical, radio frequency and electromagnetic interfaces, launch vehicle and spacecraft mission char-acteristics, verification analyses and tests, and launch range operations. The information is supposed to be provided in drawings and in tabular or narrative format with figures.

The mechanical interface chapter provides the specific charac-teristics and parameters that establish the mechanical interface between the spacecraft and the launch vehicle. This chapter covers the overall configura-tion of the spacecraft with respect to the launch vehicle with special atten-tion to the allowable usable volume

within the payload compartment. Critical clearance information is pro-vided in detail. A section on the space-craft and launch vehicle adapter deals with the physical characteristics of the interface, the mating system (clamp-band or pyrotechnic bolts) and the sep-aration system. Finally, the mechanical aspects of connectors, micro-switches and gas or fluid connection interfaces are listed.

The electrical interface chapter addresses typical electrical parameters related to power supply, umbilical connectors and wiring links between the launch vehicle and the spacecraft, and electrical commands initiated by the launch vehicle and dedicated to the spacecraft. The latter consist of pyro-technic, dry-loop and electrical com-mands. Schematics of the spacecraft electrical circuits related to pyrotech-nic commands are requested. On the other hand, the launch vehicle contrac-tor gives indications about potential constraints applicable to the spacecraft circuitry as a result of commands gen-erated by the launch vehicle.

“ This was the first time that launch vehicle experts

from Europe, Japan, Russia, the USA, China and Brazil discussed

technical information on launch systems.”

The radio-frequency and electromagnetic interface chapter contains the list of launch vehicle and spacecraft radio frequencies, with typi-cal characteristics of the transponders and associated transmission plan for ground operations and flight. Of equal importance is the telemetry and com-mand links that are activated during ground operation between the space-craft and related control facilities, either through radio-frequency com-munications or via ground lines (base-band links). Key items include the description of the various spacecraft antennas, the definition of radio-trans-parent windows or repeater systems,


the elaboration of the radio-frequency link budget and the base-band system characteristics.

The launch vehicle and space-craft mission characteristics chapter accommodates most of the mission analysis input and output data. In par-ticular, the spacecraft mass and inertia characteristics, a model of the sloshing masses (when propellants represent a significant fraction of the total spacecraft mass), and all spacecraft mission constraints that can affect the trajectory profile, the attitude or the sequence of flight events of the launch vehicle. Similarly, the launch vehicle contractor supplies a synthesis of tra-jectory and orbital data derived from mission analysis studies. The launch window is typically a spacecraft input ; however, in case of multiple spacecraft launches, the launch vehicle contractor may require the corresponding opera-tional constraints of the co-passengers for verification purpose. In this case, a standard dual launch window is defined in the user’s manual of the launch vehi-cle. Finally, the spacecraft attitude at separation (fixed or sun dependent) is specified in some appropriate refer-ence frame, taking into consideration the separation mode (3-axis stabilized or spinning spacecraft).

The verification analyses chapter is devoted to the environment induced on the spacecraft by trans-portation, ground operations, and the launch vehicle countdown and flight phases. The results of these analyses, carried out by the launch vehicle con-tractor, can be stated either explicitly, or by reference to applicable docu-ments. The main subjects are : static and dynamic loads, random vibrations, acoustic noise, shocks, thermal and electromagnetic environments.

The verification tests chapter provides concise information showing the compliance of the spacecraft test results with the corresponding launch vehicle requirements. The results of these tests can be stated either explic-itly, or by reference to applicable documents. The series of potential environmental tests consists of static load, modal survey, sinusoidal vibra-


tion, acoustic noise, random vibration and shock. In addition, some compat-ibility tests between the launch vehicle and the spacecraft may be requested. The list includes match-made (or ‘fit-check’), separation, clearance measurement, electrical continu-ity, electromagnetic compatibility, and radio-frequency link.

The Launch range operations chapter documents the facilities and support available for the launch range operations dedicated to the spacecraft contractor mission. The following operations correspond to so many facilities that are necessary to ensure proper preparation and integration phases for the spacecraft : handling and transport ; preliminary prepara-tion ; tank filling; control and final assembly ; remote control for hazard-ous operations ; composite assembly ; mating with launch vehicle ; mission control. The latter requires a complete description of the range communica-tion network and associated mode of operation for all types of transmis-sions, and of the umbilical-line and ground-line network. Finally, the list of technical and general range services is provided.

About the author

Philippe Boland, a member of TC 20/SC 14, Space Systems and operations, WG 2, Interfaces, integration and tests, is Head of the French Delegation and Project Leader, and studied as a Phycisist Engineer and Doctor in Applied Mathematics at the University of Louvain, Belgium.

He has worked as a visiting scientist at the University of California San Diego (1974), a research affiliate at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena (1975), Attitude control & mission analysis specialist for European Space Agency (1976-1981) and a System studies specialist at Arianespace (since 1982). He has been ISO representa-tive for Arianespace since 1996.

By Mr. King G. Yee, Ph.D., Convener of ISO/TC 20, Aircraft and space vehicles, WG 13, Integrated data processing materials manage-ment, and Mr. Lawrence H. Org, Boeing Systems Architect, Seattle Washington, USA

nternational economies and the operation of global businesses rely on the timely exchange of accurate

data. ISO/TS (Technical Specification) 21849, Aircraft – Integrated data processing materials management – Bar coding, defines a consistent process and the business rules and data structure that permit industry and government enterprises including airlines, manufacturers, and suppli-ers, and repair agencies, regardless of ownership, to uniquely identify and expedite the exchange and manage-ment of essential and historical infor-mation generated over the life cycle of its products using state-of-the-art technology. This technical specifica-tion was created to enable lifetime part tracking for critical parts or tangible items that are used by industry and by military interests. The purpose of the technical specification is to iden-tify a common method, data structure and business rules, for data sharing that will promote safety, efficiency, cost effectiveness, and technological advancement to support multi-faceted business applications and users.

ISO/TS 21849 is not media- or technology-specific, and provides a common process for the identification and management of both military and commercial products. ISO/TS 21849 allows part identification with multiple common and widely accepted methods in such a way that users may interoper-ate with appropriate supplier equipment and derive any of the alternate identifi-cation data from the marked data on the permanently identified part.

Barcoding for

I


ISO/TS 21849 and its current revision aimed at its transformation into a full ISO International Standard has been in development for several years. Collaborating and contributing to the development of this standard have been the members of ISO/TC 20, Aircraft and space vehicles, Working Group 13, Integrated data processing materials management, Air Transport Association (ATA), and the members of TC 184, Industrial automation sys-tems and integration, SC 4, Industrial data.

ISO/TS 21849 is based on the Air Transport Association (ATA) Common Support Data Dictionary (CSDD) and the business rules of ATA Spec2000.

Identification of partsThe basic concept for the iden-

tification of parts under ISO/TS 21849 is that of each part having a unique identity that will function in much the same manner as Social Security Num-ber (SSN) provides a unique identity for each individual.

Lifetime Item Level Part Track-ing enables Product Data Management over the Product Life Cycle includ-ing :

• Life Cycle Traceability.

• Provision of reliable and accu-rate data for business systems, financial accountability, and asset management purposes to promote improved data quality and global interoperability.

• Enables more accurate audit opin-ions on the property, plant, and equipment and operating materials and supplies portions of financial statements.

• Spare Parts Procurement.

• Configuration Management.

• Logistics Management (supply chain, warehousing, transporta-tion).

• Maintenance and Repair Manage-ment/ Warranty Service.

• Inventory Management.

• Avoidance/Elimination of Unap-proved/ Rogue Parts.

• Disposal.

A technology independent process

ISO/TS 21849 is important because international economies and the operation of global businesses rely on the timely exchange of accurate data. The standard provides rules, guidelines, and definitions that allow clear, accurate, and efficient com-munication of business information to be generated and to be exchanged by trading partners and by associated business interests within the industry/government supply chain.

The standard is important because it embraces the whole product life cycle from creation to disposal and enables life cycle item identification tracking during all components of the life cycle flow.

Equally it is important because it allows interoperability between dif-ferent identification marking and label-ling standards processes for example, those employed by European Article

the aircraft industry

ISO/TS 21849



Numbering/Uniform Code Council (EAN.UCC) Standards, Material Handling Institute (MH10) Standards, and by Air Transport Association (ATA) Standards. The interoperabil-ity is the result of the collaboration of diverse industry and government groups with converging interests.

ISO/TS 21849 is important because it is designed to endure as a technology independent process that can work well with human readable information, with either linear or two dimensional bar code, with RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tags, or with other automatic identification technologies that are yet to be devel-oped.

ISO/TS 21849 is important because it is an International Standard that has been developed under the auspices of ISO, the worldwide fed-

eration of national standards bodies (ISO member bodies) and its technical committees. The close international collaboration assures that the resulting standard is robust and representative, and that it has withstood many techni-cal challenges during the process of its development.

Now where?The current ISO/TC 20/WG 13

work on the revision of ISO/TS 21849 for its transformation into a full ISO International Standard is progressing well. The submission of a pertinent ISO/DIS is expected in 2004.

That future ISO 21849 is expected for possible deployment in a number of applications across the aerospace and transportation indus-tries. Its schema has been adopted for RFID for asset management in a num-ber of industrial applications in Europe and the USA.

Planned future enhancements include customer-in requests to enhance the standards for new RFID applications in multiple industries as a TC 184/SC 4 project. “ Each part has a unique

identity like a social security number

for each individual.”About the authors

Lawrence H.Org is a Systems Architect at Boeing CommercialAirplane and theChair of the CompanywideMachine Readable CodeTechnical

Working Group. He is a graduate of the State University of New York. He has more than 30 years of experience in design for manufacturing and the develop-ment of new technology and advanced manufacturing processes. Recently he has been responsible for advancing new com-pany and international standards and for defining solutions involving Automatic Identification Technologies.

King Yee is a Boeing Senior Technical Fellow and is the Boeing Product Data Technology Program Manager. His primary research area is harmoni-zation and inte-

gration of large-scale systems. In support of ISO development, he is the PDES, Inc. technical chair, developing ISO product data models and the PLCS, Inc. co-chair developing a product life cycle manage-ment model.

King holds a Ph.D. in Systems Engineering from the University of Washington. Prior to joining Boeing, he was a consultant to the National Institute of Health and held teaching assignments at Portland State University and Seattle University.

Consumers


By Mr. Steve Williams, Co-convenor, COPOLCO Working Group on Second-Hand Goods, Trinidad and Tobago, and Ms. Sadie Homer, Senior Standards Officer, Consumers International

The ISO Consumer policy com-mittee (COPOLCO), at its annual plenary meeting held

in Bangkok, Thailand, in September 2003, endorsed the proposal to develop an International Standard on second-hand goods. The aim is to establish a set of consensus-based international and measurable criteria against which second-hand goods can be evaluated to protect consumers against risk to health and safety when purchasing such items. The recommendation marks the culmination of six years of

research by Consumers International and national standards bodies in an effort to gather relevant information that can serve to justify the need for an International Standard. It will eventually be taken to the Technical Management Board (TMB) of ISO for final approval before International Standards work can proceed.

Why do we need standards for second-hand goods?

Second-hand goods are goods that have previously been in service and are re-entering the market for sale or donation. These would not include items that have been factory recondi-tioned and accompanied by warranty/guarantee certificate.

International Standards play a major role in facilitating trade globally

by addressing areas such as health and safety, performance, product informa-tion and testing to name a few. These standards provide confidence to both manufacturers and consumers of new products.

In an effort to protect consum-ers against undue risk to health and safety that may be inherent with the escalation in trade of second-hand goods, International Standards will mean that goods conforming can be evaluated in a cost effective and consistent fashion. These standards should address concerns of consumers globally, provide stakeholders with an international benchmark to facilitate trade, serve as an adjunct to regulatory approaches, especially in developing countries where consumer protection is less developed, and establish a level playing-field that will benefit cross-border trade.

With the increases in world trade of second-hand goods, new chal-lenges have emerged. Consumers want the assurance that second-hand goods are safe, serviceable, and that they provide some form of value for money. Governments, on the other hand, have the responsibility of preventing their countries from being used as a dumping ground for unwanted and hazardous products, whilst at the same time encouraging the benefits to both economy and environment that the extended use of products offers. And all the while, business enterprises would like to have access to this new and emerging niche market. These wide and varying concerns can only be addressed through the confidence that is placed in the established pro-cedure for developing International Standards.

Traditionally, standards were developed for new products listing

“Consumers want safe and serviceable

second-hand goods that they provide

some form of value for money.”

want International Standards for second-hand goods


minimum acceptable criteria for pro-duction. These served as guidelines for manufacturers and service providers and were incorporated into business practices and processes before the product or service was delivered to consumers.

However, when standards are being developed for second-hand goods (which by their nature have already been manufactured and have provided some service), it is important to ensure that the elements and crite-ria of these standards are practical, reasonable and measurable. A stan-dard for used pneumatic tyres, which states that the minimum acceptable tread depth on used tyres ear-marked for export should be x millimetres is one that would encourage export-ers of used tyres to only export tyres which are able to withstand some use before they are deemed unserviceable, and thereby prevent importing coun-tries from being used as “ dumping grounds ” for non-roadworthy tyres, which will contribute to environmental problems. This criterion is measurable and clearly should serve as a trade facilitation mechanism and not as a technical barrier to trade.

Generic or specific ?In examining the results of

a just-concluded survey, consumer groups are mainly interested in International Standards for used tyres, vehicles, electrically-powered appli-ances and tools, and clothing. The areas of concern identified related to health, safety, product information, servicing and repairs and the environ-ment. The question that one now has to address is whether the standard(s) should be generic or specific. Currently, countries such as Yemen, Tanzania, St. Lucia, Kuwait, Kenya, the Philippines and Botswana, as well as France, Italy, Kenya, Mexico, and the United Kingdom, to name a few, already have specific national standards for used goods which are being implemented. Trinidad and Tobago, for example, is one of the countries experiencing a healthy trade in used tyres. In 1993,

when the national standard was first implemented, the percent of rejected tyres per container could reach as high as 80 %. Today, approximately 10 years later, the rejection rate has been reduced to less than 6 %.

These existing national stan-dards could serve as valuable refer-ence material in the development of International Standards. On the other hand, due to the diverse nature of the products identified, it is the opinion of the writers that generic standards will not offer maximum protection to con-sumers for the related products.

Existing technical committees that may be able to accommodate these new work items are TC 22, Road Vehicles, TC 38, Textiles and TC 31, Tyres, rims and valves. There may also be need to liaise with the IEC in an

can place innocent and unsuspecting consumers at the mercy of those with unscrupulous business practices. In order for global trade to succeed, con-sumer confidence must be assured.

Developing countries in par-ticular are not in a position to pro-tect their consumers and environ-ment against undue risk in a free trade world. With the introduction of International Standards for second-hand goods, all stakeholders, namely, exporters, importers, consumers and governments, would have available a set of transparent, consensus-based criteria that can serve to protect con-sumer interests, and at the same time, facilitate cross-border trade.

Research has convinc-ingly demonstrated that the need for International Standards for second-hand goods has received widespread support from developing, transitional and developed countries in response to the rapid growth in international trade of second-hand goods. Some of the concerns expressed by these countries relate to the environment, health and safety, product information, servicing and performance.

The areas to be covered ?

In February 2003, a sur-vey questionnaire on the need for International Standards for second-hand goods was circulated to mem-bers of both COPOLCO and ISO’s Committee for developing countries matters (DEVCO). Survey results have identified the main problem areas as clothing, household electrical appli-ances, electric tools, baby cribs, vehi-


effort to collectively address concerns related to electical-powered appliances and tools. Should the existing TC’s be unable to accommodate this new work item, the survey of NSB’s showed that there is sufficient interest internation-ally to warrant the establishment of a new TC.

Relationship with trade agreements

In the context of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade Agreement (WTO TBT) and other a g r e e m e n t s that are sure to emerge in our ever-changing environment, trade will be conducted in a virtually bor-der-less world. The effect of these changes

“ The criteria should be that the standards are

practical, reasonable and measurable.”


cles and pneumatic tyres, all of which may pose risk to health, safety and/or the environment. Performance speci-fications, relating to health and safety, servicing, and product information are the main requirements that must be addressed to provide and enhance cus-tomer satisfaction internationally.

Responses from 31 countries indicated that concerns regarding second-hand goods were brought to the attention of at least one of their national bodies, either public authori-ties, standards organizations or con-sumer groups. The common problems that were reported related to health, safety, performance, environment, product information, servicing, repairs and guarantees. More than 50 % of the countries indicated that there existed national standards and/or laws that were either being enforced or under the process of development, which stipulated requirements for second-hand goods. Most of these countries agreed that International Standards needed to be introduced.

Challenges in developing national standards

Some countries have devel-oped national standards and/or have laws that are used by their regulatory agencies as guidelines to prevent poor quality or inferior goods from crossing their borders. Governments and regu-latory agencies are sometimes chal-lenged by commercial stakeholders to justify that these national regulations are neither technical barriers to trade nor protective measures, that were put in place to ensure the survival of local industries.

These challenges may take the form of trade disputes or some form of diplomatic exchange which can be time-consuming, very costly and unnecessary and which ultimately negatively affect the atmosphere in which the trade is being conducted. Measures that are put in place to protect consumer interests may ini-tially present some obstacles to those already involved in the import and export of second-hand goods, some of which may be questionable prod-ucts. Consumers may have to pay a little more for some used products. However, the quality of these products

About the authors

Steve Williams as been mployed at the

Trinidad and Tobago Bureau f Standards TTBS) for the ast 15 years, nd during this me has played n active role in

the development of national standards for the inspection of second-hand pneumatic vehicle tyres and electrically powered appliances, and at present is in charge of the Tyre Inspection Unit at TTBS.

He has also conducted numerous tyre training programmes for regional standard bodies with the aim of improving their capability of inspecting and monitoring second-hand tyres being imported into the region.

Sadie Homer gained her expe-rience in con-sumer testing and product standards whilst working for the United Kingdom’s Consumers’ Association, at

their test laboratories, between 1983 and 1996. She has also represented consumers in standards committees at the United Kingdom, European and International level, over the last 10 years. Sadie joined Consumers International in 1997 as their Standards Officer, and is responsible for coordinating and ensuring the views of CI’s member organizations are heard with-in the ISO and IEC, at committee, policy and strategic levels.

should be such that the unsuspecting consumer would not be exposed to undue risk, and trade in these items should not result in environmental problems being transferred from one country to another. International stan-dards would ultimately build consumer confidence and give credibility to the second hand goods market, allowing growth without threatening the health, safety or environment of the importing country.

Next step for second-hand goods

COPOLCO recommends that work on International Standards for second-hand goods begin. It is now awaiting a response from the ISO TMB to its request, and the Trinidad and Tobago Bureau of Standards (TTBS), in view of its involvement and experience in dealing with the trade in second-hand goods, wishes to take this opportunity to invite readers who are interested in commenting or providing additional information on the subject matter, to please contact Steve Williams at the following e-mail address, steve.williams @ ttbs.org.tt



By Mr. John F. Berninger, Chair ISO/TC 131, Fluid power systems

Suppose you were asked how reliable is any mechanical device you own – how would

you answer? Your car might have had some moments of difficulty in the past, and you might hesitate before you answer the question. Now, if you put that question to the person selling

you the car, do you think they would give you a technical answer? Or a typi-cal salesperson’s reply: “Oh, it is very reliable!”

But industrial customers who build machines with fluid power systems want to know the technical answers. They sell their machines for production operations, and their repu-tation for good performance depends on how well a machine runs. Of course, fluid power is not the only sys-tem on a machine – there are mechani-cal and electrical systems also. But, for some of those systems, good reliability information exists – which is useful during operations to predict when ser-vice is to be performed.

The most frustrating experi-ence in a production operation is an unexpected breakdown. Perhaps you have had that experience with your car

and can appreciate the helpless feeling. Maintenance helps to prevent those problems, but you need to know when to perform the service. If there is no information with which to develop a schedule, the responsible engineer will be conservative and recommend that it be done frequently. This becomes a nuisance, followed by the user skip-ping the procedures occasionally and ultimately failures ; which, of course, leads to complaints.

experience and incorporate sufficiently tough conditions under which these products will be tested. Such a stan-dard must consider accelerated testing in order to reduce the amount of test time in a laboratory; but the failure modes experienced must match those found in field operations.

Laboratory conditions versus those found in the field

One comment already voiced by some experts is that results of test-ing under a set of laboratory conditions may not be applicable to the wide vari-ety of conditions found in the field. This is a valid point. But, there are three items to consider:

• The user of the fluid power com-ponent can compare conditions between those in a standard (used for a lab test) and those in their application. From this, engineering judgment can be used to adjust the results for the different conditions. But, without data from a standard-ized test, this adjustment is not pos-sible.

• The user and the supplier can agree on alternate conditions to use in a special test. This would allow testing under conditions similar to a particular application, while the standard provides the controls necessary for a test programme. In addition, the standard specifies cal-culation methods for determining the reliability metrics.

• The standards might be developed to allow different classes of con-ditions. This would provide some testing choices for a supplier, based upon the types of markets and applications in which they might be engaged. A user could then choose the class that comes closest to their application.

Reducing the time of testing

The fluid power manufacturers and users who participate in ISO/TC 131 have initiated a programme to develop ISO standards for determining the reliability of their components by testing. The motivation is to enhance the image of our industry as one that is progressive and eager to advance its knowledge base by providing custom-ers with technically sound information on the reliability of components. But the task is formidable and fraught with difficulties for the experts to resolve. Perhaps the most significant is that the conditions under which the reliability of a fluid power component is tested in a laboratory must represent real world conditions. It will be up to the experts developing the standards to use their

How a fluid power system (in this case, pneumatic) is used on an automatic assembly machine.

Reliability of fluid power products


About the author

John F. Berninger, Chair of ISO/TC131, Fluid power systems, has a BSME (1958) and MSME (1966) from Illinois Institute of Technology. He is a registered

professional engineer in the USA (2 states). He retired from Parker Hannifin Corp., Portage, USA, as global engineer-ing manager for pneumatic products.

The new work item ballots for this programme have been successful. One working group is developing stan-dards for pneumatic components, and another one is working on hydraulic components. Since these standards include test procedures, it may be necessary to perform round robin test-ing to prove that the procedures can

be applied and interpreted uniformly. Consequently, this programme is likely to require more time to complete than standards that do not include testing procedures.

This is a challenging pro-gramme and the experts will need to work hard to accomplish the goals. However, when completed, the fluid power industry will have moved into an advanced position of knowledge and be able to serve its customers bet-ter – and even more reliably.

“ The motivation is to enhance the image

of our industry by providing

technically-sound information on the reliability

of components.”

By Mr. Sven Kasemaa, Managing Director, Estonian Centre for Standardization

The reason for adopting the “ train the trainer ” approach in the Estonian Centre for

Standardization (EVS) lies in its his-tory. In 1999, a decision was made to introduce major changes to the legal framework of the standardization system, which resulted in the reorga-nization of the governmental national standardization organization into the private (non-profit) NSO, the Estonian Centre for Standardization. The reor-ganization involved the recruitment of new staff that had had little or no experience in the field, and the need for training that would raise their competence was obvious – not to say glaring.

The issue of finding experts able to act as competent trainers was raised and, before long, the new sys-tem took its first timid steps. The first move EVS made was to turn to neigh-bours for help. Since the neighbours in the south were in a situation similar to our own, the solution came from the north. Finnish colleagues were not only willing to share their experience with us, but also provide expert assis-tance in compiling the very first train-ing curriculum of EVS. Based on their practice, EVS made its own choice of training topics and frequency of courses.

EVS had its first real encounter with the “ train the trainer ” scheme within the framework of a bilateral cooperation project with the Danish Standardization Association (DS).

The main aims of the project were to provide assistance to the EVS in adopting CEN (European Committee for Standardization) standards, to consult EVS in the development of the organization and the elaboration of the necessary technical infrastructure. The “ kick-off ” for the project was in October 2000 when a World Standards Day seminar took place. The project also supported the study visit of EVS staff members to DS, the development of IT systems, including the imple-mentation of a standards database with relevant training, and the introduction of the shopping basket, and culminated in the elaboration of the EVS Strategy for 2002-2004. The project was funded by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs under the FEU Programme (covering pre-accession aid for appli-cant countries to the European Union) and carried out by DS.

Gaining experience of the “ Train the trainer ” approach

The project ended in late October 2001 and was considered a huge success. In the first place, first-hand experience in the new “ train the trainer ” approach was gathered, which became a starting point for the World Standards Day seminar organized for representatives of the machinery industry to reinforce the new training system. It became obvi-ous that the message of standardiza-tion must be clear, presented in a very simple way and illustrated by practical examples. The work done in the pre-paratory phase was extremely detailed

The “ train the trainer ” approach in EstoniaThe “ train the trainer ” approach in Estonia


and exact, as passing on knowledge to the audience meant having an in-depth understanding of the system. The approach also encouraged follow-up activities that would reinforce the knowledge acquired.

This project was followed shortly after by another, since in 2001 EVS became active in the elec-trotechnical field. The Phare Access Assistance project 1) was launched with the objective of raising the qual-ity of the products of the electrotehni-cal field through the promotion of standards. The cooperation partner in the project was AENOR (the Spanish Association for Standardization and Certification), and the funding was provided by the Phare Programme of the European Commission. The project lasted nine months and came to an end in July 2002. Again, “ train the trainer ” principles such as the development of a sustainable cost-efficient training sys-tem, increased capacity building and the creation of a domestic knowledge base were followed.

Projects with industryThe experience of the first two

projects proved very successful and the knowledge acquired was fully applied in the EVS training programmes. The third project following the principles of the “ train the trainer ” approach was carried out in cooperation with SIS (the Swedish Standards Institute) and fund-ed by the SIDA (Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency). Lasting from October 2002 to March 2003, the project’s aim was to increase industry participation in standardiza-tion, with one part of it consisting of the training of the EVS staff. During the Business Seminar (53 participants from various industrial sectors) in February 2003 both EVS and indus-try “ champions ” made presentations to interested parties on voluntary standardization, which particularly stressed the efficiency of the “ train the trainer ” scheme.

The projects provided the basis for further activities, and between 2001 and 2003 EVS concentrated on setting

up new priorities and target groups for trainings. More attention was laid on involving experts from fields that could lead to the establishment of new technical committees. The fact that 5-6 sessions using the “ train the trainer ” approach were held and that they attracted over 300 participants from the industry and EVS gives an idea of the success of the scheme, and proves that this means of teaching about stan-dardization principles and practice was well appreciated.

1) Part of the broader framework of the Phare programme, which supports the preparation of candidate countries for membership of the European Union and, specifically, initiatives to strengthen the operational capacity of NGOs and non-profit organizations.

“ The participants valued training courses in

their own native language and using common

terminology.”

In the feedback, which was most positive, the participants val-ued the possibility of having a train-ing course in their own native lan-guage and using common terminology. Appropriate case studies provided by local trainers helped them understand the whole standardization system and, even more, when speaking about con-formity assessment and market sur-veillance aspects. Expressing the mes-sage in an extremely clear way and illustrating it by practical examples was greatly appreciated by all stake-holders and the value-added follow-up courses increased interest as well as willingness to become involved in the process.

In 2004, EVS is focusing more on cooperation with industry, consum-ers and universities. Involvement of

Mr. Bernhard Mertens, Division Manager, Corporate Activities, CENELEC (European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization), speaking at the World Stabndards Day presentation in Tallinn in October 2003.


About the author

Viktor-Sven Kasemaa, the Managing Director of Estonian Centre for Standardiza-tion (EVS), was born in 1973. After graduating from the Estonian Agricultural

University in 1997 (majoring in agricul-tural mechanizing), he worked in various manufacturing enterprises as a project, production and executive manager. In April 2000, he was offered the position of the Managing Director of the Estonian Centre for Standardization, and has since then been actively involved in the work of European and international standardization organizations.

He has given lectures on standardization, CE-marking, conformity assessment, market surveillance and quality infrastruc-ture in about 25 training sessions or seminars. He is an advisory board member of the Estonian Accreditation Centre since001. He is fluent in Estonian, Englishnd Russian.

lecturers outside the standardization organizations will hopefully engage the attention of both a wider and, at the same time, more specific audience, and raise the awareness of the whole soci-ety about standardization in Estonia, which, after joining the European cen-tral standardization organizations CEN and CENELEC on 1 January 2004 will hopefully rise to new heights. The year 2004 is also crucial in shifting the bal-ance of our stakeholders.

technical committees as well as that of other interested parties (see Figure 1, below).

Another as important aspect of the adopted scheme is the resources. Today we can say that the “ train the trainer ” approach has substantially helped EVS allocate its human as well as financial resources in a more efficient way. It has also facilitated the sale of standards over the past years, as the total number of people interested in standardization and standards has been increasing. In conclusion, we could claim today that the “ train the trainer ” approach has proved most successful for EVS, and is very effective and effi-cient for a developing standardization organization.


The coming era in Estonian standardization promises more free seminars and training sessions than ever. This way we hope to extend the range of both standardization experts and specialists in the 25 Estonian

“ The “ train the trainer ” approach helped EVS

allocate its human as well as financial resources

more efficiently.”

Figure 1


Knowledge Intellectual

Fund

TrainerNew

Trainer

Expert

Technical Committee

New interested

Party Individuals

Business Envir

onm

ent

Mar

ket

(Con

sumer)

Industry

Rules, Regu

latio

ns

(from Industry society)

New this monthRecipe book for digestible data management

ISO to make medical laboratories a safer working environment for personnel

S taff of medical laboratories can be at risk from the infectious agents and toxic chemicals that

they may have to deal with. A new International Standard is expected to make medical laboratories a safer place to work.

The technical report will help to improve the shareability of resources located at one or more computer sys-tems as well as to help minimize the cost of supporting an information sys-tem, including design, development, operation and maintenance costs. It is also expected to reduce the number of standards required and simplify the content of such standards.

ISO/IEC TR 10032:2003 defines a reference model of data manage-ment by providing a common basis for the coordination of standards development, while allowing existing and emerging standards to be placed into perspective.

“ The new technical report offers a frame of reference to understand the common concepts pertinent to all data held in information systems,” says Mr. Douglas Mann, Secretary of the subcommittee that developed the new standard. “ It provides some terminol-ogy and structure that may be used to

W ith organizations largely dependent on information for their daily operations, a

new technical report for the manage-ment of data aims to make it easier for them to improve information sharing and, in so doing, reduce costs.

Any organization, whether large or small enterprise, needs to collect, keep and process information about its own operations, its external environment and its interaction with its environment. As information flows into and out of an information system – interacting either with persons or with processes, including other infor-mation systems – it is necessary to cre-ate standardized facilities to permit the sharing of data by a number of users.

ISO/IEC TR 10032:2003, Infor-mation technology – Reference model of data management, is intended to look at ways of improving the inter-face between information systems and users accessing the facilities by identi-fying areas where standards may be improved or developed.

communicate underlying ideas for data management.”

The new standard is the work of joint technical committee, ISO/IEC JTC 1, Information technology, sub-committee SC 32, Data management and interchange.

34 ISO Focus March 2004 ISO Focus February 2004 34

Libraries ? ISO’s got your number !

A new International Standard will make it easier for libraries to collaborate, communicate and

share resources with other libraries anywhere in the world.

ISO 15511:2003, Information and documentation – International Standard Identifier for Libraries and Related Organizations (ISIL), provides a system for assigning a unique inter-national identification code not only to libraries, but to all kinds of infor-mation-related organizations, from archives and museums to government agencies and educational institutions.

“ Until now there have been several systems for identification of libraries which work well inside a country, but are not able to meet loan requests sent across borders ”, said Leif Andresen, responsible for the ISIL Registration Authority. “ The International Standard Identifier for Libraries and Related Organizations (ISIL) will tie together the libraries all over the world in one system.”

The new standard specifies a means of uniquely identifying a library or a related organization throughout its life and, in so doing, will make it easier for them to gain direct access to records, documents and services sup-plied by other organizations anywhere in the world.

“ A library assigned an ISIL, for example, will not need to be assigned a special code for each of the organiza-tions it wishes to make use of, ” further notes Leif Andresen. “ An ISIL will effectively facilitate library collabora-tion and, at the same time, save them both time and money for the assign-ment and administration of identifiers for different libraries in different countries.”

In accordance with ISO 15511, the ISIL Registration Authority (ISIL/RA), which is headed by the Danish National Library Authority, has the responsibility for the overall ISIL sys-

ISO 15190:2003, Medical laboratories – Requirements for safe-ty, is designed to prevent laboratory acquired infections by personnel and prevent the accidental release of agents which can be potentially dangerous to humans, animals and plants.

“ Laboratory acquired injuries, infection, and illness, not only harm the worker and their colleagues, but also impact on family, friends, and the public,” said Dr. Michael Noble, a member of the working group that developed the new standard. “This standard assists in establishing policies and processes that makes the laborato-ry a safer place to work while allowing essential diagnostic work to continue.”

ISO 15190 specifies require-ments to establish and maintain a safe working environment in a medical laboratory. It covers all safety aspects of laboratory safety, from management requirements and personnel respon-sibilities to radiation safety and fire precautions.

“The new standard addresses specific requirements for the most com-mon issues that lead to accident and injury. It provides valuable informative tools to aid immediate implementation and safety assessment of laboratories,” further notes Dr. Noble. “ISO 15190 can be used effectively by laboratories as a basis of their safety programme. Laboratory Accreditation bodies will also find the standard a helpful resource.”

ISO 15190 is intended for use in all types of medical laboratories, from major research and teaching institu-tions to field laboratories with limited resources. The special needs of labo-ratories that work with exotic infectious agents requiring elevated levels of containment are not addressed by the standard.

The new standard is the work of ISO technical committee ISO/TC 212, Clinical laboratory testing and in vitro diagnostic test systems, working group WG 1, Quality management in the medical laboratory.

tem maintenance and administration. ISIL/RA will appoint and oversee the work of the ISIL National Assignment Agencies which will be authorized to assign the ISIL to libraries in their country.

The new standard is the work of ISO technical committee ISO/TC 46, Information and documentation, subcommittee SC 4, Technical inter-operability.

ISO

ISIL

Phot

o: P.

Gra

nier

et P

.Krie

ger


New this month

“ Surf ” the world of ISO standards with ISO CataloguePlus 2004

ISO has published a new edition of the ISO Catalogue of all cur-rently valid ISO standards on one

CD-ROM. The ISO CataloguePlus 2004

contains information on all published ISO standards and other publica-tions, plus the ISO technical work programme of draft standards with the added accessibility provided by its electronic format. It provides users with easy-to-use search functions by subject area, ISO number, technical committee along with a complete keyword index. The ISO Catalogue on CD-ROM contains the list of standards in both English and French.

It also includes a list of ISO members and their addresses, the titles of technical committees, a list of withdrawn standards and technical corrigenda, ISO maintenance agencies and registration authorities, as well as a list of ISO information publications and products.

The CD-ROM is compatible with Windows, Macintosh and UNIX operating systems and demands no particular technical skills other than opening a file in a web browser.

The traditional paper edition of the ISO Catalogue is also available– price 97 Swiss francs – in the samstructure as the successful versionof the previous years. In additionto the list of standards classifiedby subject and the alphabeticindex, it is available in two separate volumes, English (ISBN 92-67-10389-1) and French (ISBN 92-67-20389-7).

ISO CataloguePlus : (ISBN 92-67-01145-4), price 47 Swiss francs, is available from ISO national member institutesand from ISO Central Secretaria([email protected]).

ISO Memento – Bringing the family together

The ISO Memento 1) brings the ISO family together for its “ annual reunion ” with up-to-

date lists of full members, correspon-dent members and subscriber mem-bers, all the Technical Committees and their “ offspring ”, subcommittees and working groups, as well as the scopes of all. Much of the information is also available electronically on ISO Online, but the ISO Memento has its uncondi-tional users, those who find it handy to refer to and ideal to dip into to find that missing bit of information in the ISO family tree. It contains useful material on ISO’s governing bodies. The broad index of the technical committees has proved of great help to those who are not sure of a TC’s exact title or who need to search by subject. The ISO Memento is a bilingual publication. It answers at the flip of a page all the questions concerning just about all matters on ISO and its work. A refer-ence book you will certainly want to have at hand.

The WTO/TBT Standards Code Directory 2004 appears

The ninth edition of the ISO/IEC WTO (World Trade Organiza-tion) TBT (Technical Barriers

to Trade) Standards Code Directory, published annually by the ISO/IEC Information Centre lists all the stan-dardizing bodies that have notified their acceptance of the WTO TBT Code of Good Practice for the Prep-aration, Adoption and Application of the Standards 2). The intention is to give systematized information on standard-izing bodies having accepted the Code of Good Practice.

Details of the “ new ” signato-ries are published monthly in the yel-low Supplement to ISO Focus.

In view of the importance of the collaboration between ISO and WTO, a section of ISO Online (www.iso.org), entitled “ WT, ISO and World Trade ” provides a readily available source of information for those interested in finding out more about this subject.

1) ISO Memento 2004, 210 pages, ISBN 92-67-01144-2, bilingual edition is available from ISO members or from the ISO Central Secretariat, 1, rue de Varembé, 1211 Genève 20, Switzerland, Tel. + 41 22 749 01 11 ; Fax + 41 22 733 34 30 ; e-mail : [email protected]

2) The WTO TBT Standards Code Directory, Ninth Edition 2004, Published by the ISO/IEC Information Centre, 152 pages, price CHF 61, published in English (ISBN 92-67-10390-1), French (ISBN 92-67-20390-6), and Spanish (92-67-30390-2) editions, is available from ISO members or IEC national committees, or from the ISO Central Secretariat or IEC Central Office.


Coming up

Main Focus

Developments and initiatives

The oil, gas and petroleum industryThe implementation of ISO standards for the petroleum industry has increased worldwide. April’s Main Focus examines the industry and its relationship with standards from a number of perspectives, including those of manufacturers, purchasers and regulators.A study conducted by Shell confirmed that the oil and gas industry would save an equivalent of one per cent of its annual expenditure by imple-menting International Standards. This translates into a savings of USD 180 million and represents a return on investment of 25 to 1.Many or most of the major actors in the industry cooperate, and ISO standards are the result of a fruitful collaboration between them; an over-view of what they do clarifies the specific roles of each, and the Chair of ISO technical committee ISO/TC 67 shows how and why this collabora-tion has been instrumental to progress. The standards that are developed on the international level bring benefits precisely because, applied locally, their effects are global and felt over all the industry in terms of effective-ness, harmonization and cost. The example from Norway exemplifies benefits ISO’s standards have brought the country’s industry. Now, too, on the regional level, standards are

moving towards ever-greater enmeshing with International Standards. New actors with major reserves of petrol are emerging such as Kazakhstan, that is anxious to take aboard International Standards, and is looking to participa-te ever more in their development. In a recent move, China decided to block-

adopt large numbers of ISO standards, including the petroleum and natural gas industries’ suite of standards ; we look at some of the reasons behind this decision. Because of the colossal size and technical complexity of the industry, ISO Focus studies some cases histories of the way that the standards are actually implemented, and the effects that this has. Piping is a huge industry closely related to and working to the needs of the petroleum industry, that also has an interest in seeing that the standards are international. Refining, the “ downstream ” industry, where the standards are developed within TC 28, has also a close interest in ensuring harmonization within the overall global picture. And because of the intrinsic nature of the industry, the petroleum industry is keen to ensure that its record of safety, the environ-ment and occupational health and safety are properly handled and efforts are canalized towards goals of sustai-nable development. Finally, we look at ISO/TS 29001:2003, Sector-specific quality management systems – Requirements for product and service supply organizations, that is envisaged to become the common and unique basis for the industry’s quality management system requirements worldwide, thereby helping to avoid multiple systems that would, if each needs to be certified, require multiple audits.

Statistical methods improve the effectiveness of ISO 9001:2000 Statistical techniques offer insight into the nature, extent and causes of variability in products and services and, in so doing, help control and reduce problems that could arise from such variability, and which exists throughout the life cycle of products, from market research to customer service and final disposal. The effec-tive deployment of statistical techni-ques is largely governed by how well their potential application and benefits are understood by management.

Cleanrooms and associated controlled environments – Biocontamination control Designed to eliminate the hazards of contamination or minimize the likelihood of their occurrence in the production area, a new ISO standard in two parts on cleanrooms, will, in so doing, contribute to the creation of safe and stable products for the global market place. The first complete, comprehensive International Standards on biocontamination, these will provide a universal framework for critical industries worldwide to be used both internally and externally to control biocontamination in clean-room environments.

© Norsk Hydro

ISO Focus March 2004

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