Heads of National Standards Bodies (NSBs) from African countries convened virtually yesterday at an International Organization for Standardization (ISO) roundtable to discuss pertinent issues regarding standardisation. The South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) which is the South African National Standards Body was part of the roundtable discussions.
“Collaboration and participation at international forums such as the ISO presents opportunities for South Africa and the region to ensure that systems, processes and standards are developed to sustainably support social, economic, trade and industrial integration. This means that we need to be vigilant that our developing nation, and those of our continent have access to markets and opportunities regionally and internationally. Standards setting and the influence of standards setting bodies impacts industrialisation, resource use, capacity building, job creation, development of technology and at the heart of it – the creation of jobs, says Jodi Scholtz, Lead Administrator of SABS.
In addition to being members of ISO, most African standards bodies are members of the African Organisation for Standardisation (ARSO), which established itself in 1977. ARSO focuses on regional harmonisation to enhance trading capacity, increase product and service competitiveness globally, and uplift of the welfare of African consumers. Underpinning the work of ARSO is the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to ensure that standards can enhance and support intra-Africa trade.
Some of the key discussion points during the meeting:
- Chad was welcomed as the 165th member of ISO
- All of the members reported that the standards development process has successfully continued during the global pandemic, through the use of virtual technical committee meetings
- ISO has made some standards free and these can be accessed https://www.iso.org/covid19. The standards that are free include:
- ISO 22301:2019 Security and resilience – Business continuity management systems –Requirements
- ISO 22301:2019 Security and resilience – Business continuity management systems –Requirements
- ISO 22395:2018 Security and resilience – Community resilience – Guidelines for supporting vulnerable persons in an emergency
- ISO 22320:2018 Security and resilience – Emergency management – Guidelines for incident management
- ISO 22316:2017 Security and resilience – Organizational resilience – Principles and attributes
- ISO 31000:2018 Risk management – Guidelines
- The finalisation of the ISO strategy 2021-2030 which looks at the development of standard to support the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals
SABS was pleased to present their contributions:
- Standards development has continued with a relatively easy shift to virtual meetings
- Promotion and awareness of standards has continued through a series of webinars on various standards
- Additional standards to the ISO list of standards have been made freely available in South Africa via https://store.sabs.co.za/covid-19-free-sans:
- SANS 490: Disinfectant alcohol-based handrub
- SANS 68: Single-use sterile rubber surgical gloves – Specification
- SANS 11193: Single-use medical examination gloves Part 1: Specification for gloves made from rubber latex or rubber solution
- SANS 50149: Respiratory protective devices - Filtering half masks to protect against particles - Requirements, testing, marking
- SANS 53795 : Surgical drapes, gowns and clean air suits, used as medical devices for patients, clinical staff and equipment - General requirements for manufacturers, processors and products, test methods, performance requirements and performance levels
- SANS 1866-1: Medical devices Part 1: Medical face masks
- SANS 1866-2: Medical devices Part 2: Medical respirators
- SANS 22301: Security and resilience - Business continuity management systems – Requirements
- SANS 50136: Respiratory protective devices - Full face masks - Requirements, testing, marking
- SANS 521: Hospital beds and cots
- SANS 1883-1: Geographic information - Addresses Part 1: Data format of addresses
- SANS 1883-2: Addresses Part 2: Addresses data exchange
- SANS 1883-3: Geographic information - Addresses Part 3: Guidelines for address allocation and updates
Ends
Issued by:
Roshelle Pillay;
Media Relations;
Email: Roshelle.pillay@sabs.co.za