How NIST Helps to Lower Barriers to TradeThe global economy rests on an almost invisible foundation of measurements and standards. In factories, on loading docks, at construction sites, in clinics and hospitals, at nearly every kind of facility anywhere in the world, these measurements and standards promote order, efficiency, and fairness in the marketplace. And they ensure desired levels of performance. Without these indispensable tools, processes would become unreliable, commerce would stall, products would not work together, and consumer interests would go unprotected. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), a non-regulatory agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce, is responsible for establishing, maintaining, and improving the nation’s measurement and standards infrastructure. As technology progresses, as trade grows in economic importance, and as production networks spread across countries and continents, NIST’s measurement and standards mission also becomes more critical to U.S. industrial competitiveness. Exacting Measurements For more than 100 years, NIST has maintained the national standards of measurement, a role that the U.S. Constitution assigns to the federal government. Today, this responsibility entails a growing assortment of demanding technical jobs. These range from developing references for high-accuracy measurements of the vanishingly small features on integrated circuits to providing calibrations of satellite antenna to characterizing strands of DNA for forensic testing. NIST and national metrology institutes in other countries form the foundation of the inter-national measurement system. For U.S. businesses, “traceability” to NIST provides an uninterrupted measurement pedigree. In overseas markets, NIST-traceable measurements enable prospective customers to assess the reliability of a U.S. company’s quality control system, and they help buyers and sellers to agree on the specifications of products and services, avoiding ambiguities that can undermine negotiations. Role in Product Standards Under the National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act of 1995, Congress directed NIST to work with other government agencies and the private sector to ensure that the nation’s standards system effectively promotes U.S. technology interests in the international economy. This assignment includes not only physical measurement standards but also “product-element” documentary standards and specifications for the function and operation of a device or system. Examples of product standards include film speed codes, screw-thread specifications, requirements for roofing materials, and formats for cellular phones. Standards for the operation of devices or systems cover everything from elevators and refrigerators to handicapped access. Congress also directed NIST to play a leadership role in strengthening conformity assessment activities—the testing and other procedures required to demonstrate that a product adheres to the standards and regulations applicable to a particular market. Other responsibilities under the NTTA include coordinating with other federal agencies to increase their use of private-sector, voluntary standards—especially those that are internationally recognized. The Link to Trade Documentary and physical standards underpin international trade. Occasionally, however, standards can be used to impede trade. Arbitrary “local” standards can impose conflicting technical requirements, forcing companies to modify their products to meet seemingly subjective specifications. As a result, differences among standards can be barriers to market entry. In response to this problem, the United States entered into the Technical Barriers to Trade Agreement, part of the World Trade Organization Treaty, signed in 1995. The agreement commits the governments of more than 130 signer nations to give preference to internationally recognized standards as a basis for their technical regulations. In addition, the agreement encourages national and regional standards developers to defer to international standards in their activities. The agreement created a new—but still-evolving—framework for standards-related activities. NIST is working with private-sector, voluntary standards organizations to advance a national strategy for effectively promoting U.S. technology as the basis for international standards. Today, about 600 U.S.-based organizations—including some 150 consortia—develop standards. Of major interest to NIST and its public and private-sector partners are measures for achieving procedural fairness, especially steps for ensuring that all parties have adequate opportunity to participate in the development of a standard. NIST strongly believes that the U.S. standards development system must continue to be industry led, voluntary, and committed to the principles of consensus and due process. And it is committed to furthering the industry goal of “one standard, one test.” Achieving this would reduce greatly the costly problem of satisfying technical requirements peculiar to nations or regions. However, NIST, along with many other organizations, also believes that improved cooperation and communication among U.S.-based standards developers would result in more effective advocacy of U.S. technology interests in international standards matters. At Your Service NIST provides behind-the-scenes support that is instrumental to efforts aimed at eliminating technical barriers and enabling free trade worldwide. A few examples:
(To learn more, go to: http://ts.nist.gov/ts/htdocs/210/ncsci/export-alert.htm) Through NIST’s Global Standards Program, hundreds of foreign officials receive training each year on U.S. standards and measurement methods. NIST helped to launch the National Cooperation for Laboratory Accreditation, or NACLA, a cooperative, public and private-sector undertaking to develop a system for recognizing the competence of testing and calibration laboratories and for facilitating worldwide acceptance of their test and calibration reports. NIST’s many standards-related services and activities benefit from the experiences and expertise of its staff. Every year, hundreds of scientists and engineers contribute to the work of standards committees. Of these committees, nearly 200 develop standards intended for international use. For more information on standards and conformity assessment activities, contact: Standards
Services Division Created:September
1998 |
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