supporting consumers and other users of standards

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Supporting Consumers and Other Users of Standards

GSC-11 User Workshop

Presented by:S. Joe Bhatia

ANSI President and Chief Executive Officer

June 1, 2006

GSC-11 User WorkshopJune 1, 2006 Slide 2

Mission

To enhance the global competitiveness of U.S. business and the American quality of life by promoting and facilitating voluntary consensus standards and conformity assessment systems and ensuring their integrity

ANSI is not a government agency or a standards developerANSI is not a government agency or a standards developer


A Federation of Members representing . . . Academia Individuals Government Manufacturers Trade Associations

Professional Societies Service Organizations Standards Developers Consumer and Labor Interests and many more

Bringing the Private and Public Sectors Together Since 1918Bringing the Private and Public Sectors Together Since 1918


ANSI’s Organizational Structure

ANSI has three Forums based on membership type Organizational Member Forum (OMF) Government Member Forum (GMF) Company Member Forum (CMF)

ANSI’s fourth Forum is based on a topical area of focus Consumer Interest Forum (CIF)


Consumers and Standardization

ANSI defines consumers as . . .

those individuals who use goods or services to satisfy

their individual needs and desires, rather than to resell

them or to produce other goods or services with them


ANSI’s Consumer Interest Forum (CIF)

Educates consumers on the value of standards and conformity assessment in everyday life

Facilitates the representation of consumer interests in voluntary standards and conformity assessment activities

Enhances the effectiveness and credibility of ANSI as a representative of all materially affected interests


CIF: Areas of Activity

Outreach and networking

Increase standards awareness among consumer representatives

Provide information on standards-related consumer issues

Facilitate information exchange among consumer

professionals

Provide consumer feedback to the ANSI Federation


CIF: Areas of Activity (continued)

Facilitate enhanced consumer interest and participation in standardization activities

Represent the United States on the Committee on Consumer Policy of the International Organization for Standardization (COPOLCO) Standards for consumer services and users with special needs

are priority areas


CIF Membership Roster

American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences

Association of Home Equipment Educators

Consumer Federation of America Council of Better Business Bureaus Direct Selling Education Foundation Intertek Testing Services NA Inc. Maryland Consumer Rights

Coalition National Association of Consumer

Agency Administrators

National Consumers League Telecommunications Industry

Association Toy Industry Association Underwriters Laboratories Inc. U.S. Consumer Product Safety

Commission U.S. Department of Agriculture and a number of product safety and

other consultants


ANSI’s Top Ten Priorities

Outreach to Broader Constituencies

Engage and represent new stakeholder groups

Represent broader and more diverse industrial base Service economy Aging population Others


The USSS, Consumersand the Users of Standards

Approved in December 2005, the United States Standards Strategy (USSS) is a revision of the National Standards Strategy for the United States

provides a vision, purpose and common framework that can be used by U.S. stakeholders to achieve their respective standardization goals

represents the vision of a broad cross-section of standards stakeholders and reflects the diversity of the U.S. standards system


The USSS, Consumersand the Users of Standards (continued)

Strategy 3 - Improve the responsiveness of the standards system to the views and needs of consumers

Standards developers should identify, encourage and support appropriate consumer representation on their committees, make virtual attendance at meetings possible through electronic means such as teleconferencing or collaborative meeting tools, and encourage consumer comment during public reviews


The USSS, Consumersand the Users of Standards (continued)

Strategy 3 (tactics – continued)

Industry should use consumer research as a basis for standardization initiatives and decisions

Government should strengthen its consumer-related programs and initiate standards information and participation programs as appropriate

ANSI should work with consumer organizations to educate them about standardization and encourage and support their participation in standards development


Questions?

supporting consumers and other users of standards

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