Document Center answers questions on Industry Standards

Looking for help with the Industry Standards you use in your business?  Every day Document Center answers questions on Industry Standards that help people like you make good purchasing decisions.  And what we notice is that we are one of the very few places you can find a Standards Expert anymore.

I can remember when I first took over Document Center in the 1980’s, it was not unusual to find customers with large standards libraries.  And there might be several people in the organization who were tasked with the oversight of the collection.  A company would have a legacy of standards expertise within the organization.

But the other day, one of my friends in the Dept. of Defense noted that one of the results of Mil Spec reform was a loss of the “institutional memory” of how things should be done in the organization with regards to the use of standards.  And I think this is true in many companies who rely on outsourced standards collection services as well.

Successful use of standards is not only the adherence to an existing list of standards in your collection.  It involves understanding what standards are being released in your area of interest, understanding the changes as new revisions are released, and keeping up with the evolving global regulatory environment.

Document Center provides a broad range of services to make sure you use standards in the best way possible to get the most out of your standards program.  When you contact us, you can ask us questions about government and industry standards and know that we have the expertise to provide you with an answer.

And Document Center has our Standards Audit service which gives you a list of the items you need to avoid simple errors brought about by the use of incomplete or obsolete documents.  We monitor Industry Standards with both our regular Notification service and our Premium StandardsAlert and StandardsExpress services.  These programs notify you when changes to your standards collection occur, so you know how the documents you use are changing.  And we offer a current awareness program StandardsInformer to help you keep up with the emerging developments and documents in your field.

The intelligent use of standards is more than just having documents available to your staff.  Document Center is here to answer your questions about standards and to make sure that the benefits of standardization are maximized within your company.

Search for standards and more at our webstore, www.document-center.com.  Or contact us by phone (650-591-7600), fax (650-591-7617) or email (info@document-center.com).  We’re the go-to location for questions on standards!

New BS EN 71-4 released for Toy Safety – Chemistry Sets

There’s a new toy safety standard available from Document Center Inc. – BS EN 71-4 2013 Edition, “Safety of Toys. Experimental Sets for Chemistry and Related Activities.”  This is one of a set of 11 European Standard 71 Series on the Safety of Toys and supports the two toy safety directives, 88/378/EEC and 2009/48/EC.

BS EN 71-4 specifies requirements for the maximum amount and/or concentration of certain substances and mixtures used in experimental sets for chemistry and smiliar activities. These substances and mixtures are:

  • those classified as dangerous by the EC-legislation applying to dangerous substances and dangerous mixtures
  • substances and mixtures which in excessive amounts could harm the health of the children using them and which are not classified as dangerous by the above mentioned legislation, and
  • any other chemical substance(s) and mixture(s) delivered with the experimental set.

The standard applies to experimental sets for chemistry and related activities including crystal growing sets, carbon dioxide generating experimental sets and supplementary sets. It also covers sets for chemical experiments within the fields of mineralogy, biology, physics, microscopy and environmental science when the set contains a hazardous substance.

BS EN 71-4:2013 also specifies requirements for marking, a contents list, instructions for use, eye protection and for the equipment intended for carrying out the experiments.

Here is the complete listing of the set:

  1. BS EN 71-1:2011, Safety of toys. Mechanical and physical properties
  2. BS EN 71-2:2011, Safety of toys – Part 2: Flammability
  3. BS EN 71-3:1995, Safety of toys – Part 3: Migration of certain elements
  4. BS EN 71-4:2013, Safety of toys – Part 4: Experimental sets for chemistry and related activities
  5. BS EN 71-5:1993, Safety of toys – Part 5: Chemical toys (sets) other than experimental sets
  6. BS EN 71-6 – Withdrawn
  7. BS EN 71-7:2002, Safety of toys – Part 7: Finger paints – Requirements and test methods
  8. BS EN 71-8:2011, Safety of toys – Part 8: Activity toys for domestic use
  9. BS EN 71-9:2005, Safety of toys – Part 9: Organic chemical compounds – Requirements
  10. BS EN 71-10:2005, Safety of toys – Part 10: Organic chemical compounds – Sample preparation and extraction
  11. BS EN 71-11:2005, Safety of toys – Part 11: Organic chemical compounds – Methods of analysis

All BS and BS EN standards are available from Document Center Inc. at our webstore, www.document-center.com.  Or contact us by phone (650-591-7600), fax (650-591-7617) or email (info@document-center.com).  We’re here to assist you with your requirements for keeping your compliance documentation complete and current!

New ISO 7870-2 standard released on Shewhart Control Charts

Another ISO standard in the 7870 series on Control Charts has been released.  The new ISO 7870-2 1st Edition, “Control charts – Part 2: Shewhart control charts,” is available now.  This first edition establishes a guide to the use and understanding of the Shewhart control chart approach to the methods for statistical control of a process.

Control charts were initially proposed by Dr. Walter Shewhart in 1924.  They are a graphical means to compare the actual state of a process against a predetermined process capability.  They are used to detect unnatural patterns of variation in the process, which allows for the identification of problems and of ways to make improvements.

While the new ISO 7870-2 covers only the Shewhart system of charts, the ISO 7870 series itself covers Control charts in general.  There are currently four accepted standards, one draft and one additional part in the works.  Here’s the list:

Additionally, ISO 7870-5, “Control charts — Part 5: Specialized control charts,” is in draft format at this time, while an additional ISO 7870-6 covering EWMA control charts is also planned.  FYI: ISO 7870-2 replaces the now obsolete ISO 8258:1991.

All current ISO standards (as well as many obsolete editions) can be purchased on Document Center’s website, www.document-center.com.  Or contact us by phone (650-591-7600), fax (650-591-7617) or email (info@document-center.com).  Territorial restrictions may apply.

New ASTM F138 2013 Here for Stainless Steel for Surgical Implants

ASTM F138-13, “Standard Specification for Wrought 18Chromium-14Nickel-2.5Molybdenum Stainless Steel Bar and Wire for Surgical Implants (UNS S31673),” has just been released.  It is available now from Document Center Inc. in paper, pdf, and redline editions.  The document covers the chemical, mechanical, and metallurgical requirements for wrought 18 chromium-14 nickel- 2.5 molybdenum stainless steel bar and wire used for the manufacture of surgical implants.

ASTM F138 was written to ensure consistent material, used either directly or as forged, in the manufacturing of medical devices.  This low carbon alloy was chosen in order to avoid intergranular corrosion.  The basis for the metallurgical requirements is the consensus that a homogeneous structure is superior in it’s resistance to corrosion and fatigue.

The current edition does allow for both inch-pound or SI units, although the user must choose one or the other of the two systems.  This is to facilitate the transition by the medical materials industry to SI units by 2018.

The new 2013 edition replaces the earlier ASTM F138-08.  Beyond the modifications to allow for the use of SI units, there are also new standards referenced and others removed in this edition.   And Sections 10, 11.3 and 13 have been added/updated.

All current ASTM and many obsolete editions are available from Document Center’s website, www.document-center.com.  Or contact us by phone (650-591-7600), fax (650-591-7617) or email (info@document-center.com).  We’ve been providing ASTM standards under license agreement since the 1980’s and can assist you with the questions that may arise for these compliance documents.

It’s Earth Day and the new ISO 12655 is here for the Energy Performance of Buildings

Since it’s Earth Day, I thought it would be a good idea to discuss a new ISO standard that’s part of the project to standardize the calculation and evaluation of a building’s energy performance.  The new document is ISO 12655:2013, “Energy performance of buildings – Presentation of measured energy use of buildings,” and it’s available now from Document Center Inc.

It’s an extension of ISO standards ISO/TR 16344 on common terms, definitions and symbols for the overall energy performance rating and certification, ISO 16343 on expressing energy performance and for energy certification of buildings  (currently under development) and ISO 16346 on overall energy performance (also under development).

The new ISO 12655 provides classifications of building energy use by purpose, like lighting or heating.  It also provides categories of energy use by boundaries either inside or outside of a building.  These definitions, terms and procedures provide a platform for  presenting the energy use in buildings in a consistent and uniform way.

This new standard is the way projects like the Bullit Building in Seattle can assess success with data collection, metering, statistics, audit and analysis.  It is part of the continuing effort by ISO Committees  TC 163, Thermal performance and energy use in the built environment and TC 205, Building environment design, to provide a path to reliable energy performance assessment and certification.

All ISO standards are available from Document Center’s webstore, www.document-center.com.  Or contact us by phone (650-591-7600), fax (650-591-7617) or email (info@document-center.com).  Our goal is to assist you not only with the standards currently in your collection, but to provide you with the latest information on new releases in your industry.

New Standards released for Nuclear Power Plant Safety – BS EN 61513 and BS EN 61772

BS EN 61513, “Nuclear power plants – Instrumentation and control important to safety – General requirements for systems,” and BS EN 61772, “Nuclear power plants – Control rooms – Application of visual display units (VDUs),” have just been released.  The two new 2013 Editions are available from Document Center Inc. now.  Both standards are used to support safety in nuclear power plants.

BS EN 61513:2013 is the European Union’s adoption of IEC 61513 2011 Edition.  It covers the safety requirements for instrumentation and control systems.  These systems rely on either hard-wired or computer-based equipment, or by using a combination of both.

The main technical changes with regard to the previous edition are as follows:

  • harmonization with the latest revisions of IAEA documents,
  • alignment with the latest editions of IEC 60880, IEC 61226, IEC 62138, IEC 62340 and IEC 60987,
  • updates based on improved software engineering techniques, and
  • integration of requirements for staff training.

BS EN 61772:2013 is the European adoption of IEC 61772 2009 Edition.  The standard presents design requirements for the application of Visual Display Units (VDUs) in main control rooms of nuclear power plants.

The main changes in this new edition are:

  • expanding the standard to cover the use of large screen displays,
  • improved recommendations on the use of color,
  • better coverage of back-fit or upgrade applications, and
  • presentation of examples of good practice.

All IEC, BS and BS EN standards, including the two new items above, are available for purchase using Document Center’s webstore, www.document-center.com.  Or feel free to contact us by phone (650-591-7600), fax (650-591-7617) or email (info@document-center.com).  We’re here to support you with standards sales and support services so that you are confident that your organization is using the best practices available.

New Environmental Standards ISO 14065:2013 and ISO/TR 14069:2013 on Greenhouse Gases

There’s a new 2nd Edition of ISO 14065, “Greenhouse gases – Requirements for greenhouse gas validation and verification bodies for use in accreditation or other forms of recognition,”  and a new release (Today!) ISO/TR 14069, “Greenhouse gases – Quantification and reporting of greenhouse gas emissions for organizations – Guidance for the application of ISO 14064-1.”  Both are available now in both paper and pdf format from Document Center Inc.

The standards compliment the ISO 14064 series of greenhouse gas (GHG) accounting and verification standards.   ISO 14064 series specify requirements for organizations or persons to quantify and verify GHG emissions.  Then ISO 14065 provides the accreditation requirements to validate them.  ISO/TR 14069 covers the application of ISO 14064-1 to greenhouse gas inventories at the organization level, for the quantification and reporting of direct emissions, energy indirect emissions and other indirect emissions.

The standards are said to be “GHG program neutral.”  This means that if any GHG program requirements are in place, they are in addition to the requirements of ISO 14065.

The new 2nd Edition for ISO 14065 is a minor revision of ISO 14065:2007.  Any changes are not specified in the text of the standard, so the user will have to review the document to determine the updates.

The new standard ISO/TR 14069:2013 describes the steps for:

  1. establishing organizational boundaries, in accordance with either a control approach (financial or operational) or an equity share approach,
  2. establishing operational boundaries, by identifying direct emissions and energy indirect emissions to be quantified and reported, as well as any other indirect emissions the organization chooses to quantify and report; for each category of emission, guidance is provided on specific boundaries and methodologies for the quantification of GHG emissions and removals, and
  3. GHG reporting: guidance is provided to promote transparency regarding the boundaries, the methodologies used for the quantification of direct and indirect GHG emissions and removals, and the uncertainty of the results.

The Greenhouse Gas Standards are comprised of the following documents:

  • ISO 14064-1:2006, Greenhouse gases — Part 1: Specification with guidance at the organization level for quantification and reporting of greenhouse gas emissions and removals
  • ISO 14064-2:2006, Greenhouse gases — Part 2: Specification with guidance at the project level for quantification, monitoring and reporting of greenhouse gas emission reductions or removal enhancements
  • ISO 14064-3:2006, Greenhouse gases — Part 3: Specification with guidance for the validation and verification of greenhouse gas assertions
  • ISO 14065:2013, Greenhouse gases — Requirements for greenhouse gas validation and verification bodies for use in accreditation or other forms of recognition
  • ISO 14066:2011, Greenhouse gases — Competence requirements for greenhouse gas validation teams and verification teams
  • ISO/TR 14069:2013, Greenhouse gases — Quantification and reporting of greenhouse gas emissions for organizations — Guidance for the application of ISO 14064-1

FYI:  There is a draft document ISO/DIS 14067, “Carbon footprint of products — Requirements and guidelines for quantification and communication,” also in the works.  The target date for publication is in about a year.

All ISO standards may be purchased from Document Center Inc. at our webstore, www.document-center.com.  ISO standards are sold under license agreement and territorial restrictions may apply.  Should you have any questions or prefer to order directly, please contact us by phone (650-591-7600), fax (650-591-7617) or email (info@document-center.com).  Our staff is here to work with you to assure your organization meets your compliance requirements.

New JESD 22 A107 Revision C for Salt Atmosphere Tests

JEDEC has just released the new JESD 22 A107C, “Salt Atmosphere,” test for solid state devices and it’s available now from Document Center Inc. in either paper or pdf format.  The standard is intended to determine the resistance of devices to corrosion that occurs when electronic components are used in naval or other sea-related applications.

Salt atmosphere is a destructive, accelerated stress that simulates the effects of severe seacoast atmosphere on all exposed surfaces. Such stressing and post-stress testing determine the resistance of solid-state devices to corrosion and may be performed on commercial and industrial product in molded or hermetic packages.

What’s really interesting in this revision is that it bucks the trend away from Mil Specifications and Standards that has been taking place since Mil Spec Reform was instituted in the 1990’s.  In this case, the text of JESD 22 A107 has been modified to reference MIL-STD-750/1 and MIL-STD-883 for all tests.

Document Center provides you with easy ordering and on-going notification services when you purchase your standards at our webstore, www.document-center.com.  We have an extensive collection of standards, which includes all current and many obsolete editions of JEDEC standards, and Military Specifications and Standards.  There are approximately 500,000 unique titles and over 800,000 specific revisions included in our offerings.  If you have further questions or need personal assistance, contact us by phone (650-591-7600), fax (650-591-7617) or email (info@document-center.com).  We’d be happy to help you.

New ISO/IEC 7816-4 2013 Edition for Identification Cards

The new ISO/IEC 7816-4 Edition 3.0, “Identification cards – Integrated circuit cards – Part 4: Organization, security and commands for interchange,” has just been released and you can purchase your copy of this new 2013 release from Document Center Inc. in either paper or pdf format.  The standard applies to cards accessed by one or more of the following methods: contacts, close coupling and radio frequency.

The ISO/IEC 7816 series of standards provide the specifications for integrated circuit cards and for the use of such cards for interchange. These cards are identification cards intended for the exchange of data between the outside world and the integrated circuit in the card. As a result of an information exchange, the card can both deliver information (computation result, stored data), and/or modify its content (data storage, event memorization).

The new ISO/IEC 7816-4 3rd Edition covers the following:

  • contents of command-response pairs exchanged at the interface,
  • means of retrieval of data elements and data objects in the card,
  • structures and contents of historical bytes to describe operating characteristics of the card,
  • structures for applications and data in the card, as seen at the interface when processing commands,
  • access methods to files and data in the card,
  • a security architecture defining access rights to files and data in the card,
  • means and mechanisms for identifying and addressing applications in the card,
  • methods for secure messaging, and
  • access methods to the algorithms processed by the card. (FYI: It does not describe these algorithms.)

Here is a complete list of the standards in the series:

  1. ISO/IEC 7816-1 Edition 2.0, Identification cards — Integrated circuit cards — Part 1: Cards with contacts — Physical characteristics
  2. ISO/IEC 7816-2 Edition 2.0, Identification cards — Integrated circuit cards — Part 2: Cards with contacts — Dimensions and location of the contacts
  3. ISO/IEC 7816-3 Edition 3.0, Identification cards — Integrated circuit cards — Part 3: Cards with contacts — Electrical interface and transmission protocols
  4. ISO/IEC 7816-4 Edition 3.0, Identification cards – Integrated circuit cards – Part 4: Organization, security and commands for interchange
  5. ISO/IEC 7816-5 Edition 2.0, Identification cards — Integrated circuit cards — Part 5: Registration of application providers
  6.  ISO/IEC 7816-6 Edition 2.0, Identification cards — Integrated circuit cards — Part 6: Interindustry data elements for interchange
  7. ISO/IEC 7816-7 Edition 1.0, Identification cards — Integrated circuit(s) cards with contacts — Part 7: Interindustry commands for Structured Card Query Language (SCQL)
  8. ISO/IEC 7816-8 Edition 2.0, Identification cards — Integrated circuit cards — Part 8: Commands for security operations
  9. ISO/IEC 7816-9 Edition 2.0, Identification cards — Integrated circuit cards — Part 9: Commands for card management
  10. ISO/IEC 7816-10 Edition 1.0, Identification cards — Integrated circuit(s) cards with contacts — Part 10: Electronic signals and answer to reset for synchronous cards
  11. ISO/IEC 7816-11 Edition 1.0, Identification cards — Integrated circuit cards — Part 11: Personal verification through biometric methods
  12. ISO/IEC 7816-12 Edition 1.0, Identification cards – Integrated circuit cards — Part 12: Cards with contacts — USB electrical interface and operating procedures
  13. ISO/IEC 7816-13 Edition 1.0, Identification cards — Integrated circuit cards — Part 13: Commands for application management in a multi-application environment
  14. ISO/IEC 7816-15 Edition 1.0, Identification cards — Integrated circuit cards — Part 15: Cryptographic information application

FYI: Parts 1, 2, 3, 10 and 12 are specific to cards with galvanic contacts (three of them specify electrical interfaces).  Correction sheets are in the works for Parts 12 and 13.

ISO, IEC and ISO/IEC standards can be purchased at the Document Center Inc. webstore, www.document-center.com.  Some territorial restrictions may apply.  If you have any questions, please contact us by phone (650-591-7600), fax (650-591-7617) or email (info@document-center.com).  We’re here to assist you with all your standards questions and requirements.

New ASTM A380/A380M 2013 Edition for Cleaning, Descaling, and Passivation of Stainless Steel

ASTM A380/A380M 2013 Edition, “Standard Practice for Cleaning, Descaling, and Passivation of Stainless Steel Parts, Equipment, and Systems,” has just been released and is available now from Document Center Inc. in either paper or pdf format.  The practice covers the standard recommendations and precautions for cleaning, descaling, and passivating of new stainless steel parts, assemblies, equipment, and installed systems.

The widely used ASTM Standard Practice defines and describes way to clean, descale and passivate stainless steel.  The tests for confirming the tests are successful can be found in ASTM A967 (ASTM A967/A967M-13), or various other standards listed in the document.

The committee in charge of the standard has identified changes to the new 2013 Edition from the previous (now obsolete) ASTM A380/A380M 2006 Edition.  These changes are located in Section 1.5, 6.4 and the Note 3 of Section 7.2.5.4, and also include the addition of a new section 1.6 and modification of Section 6.2.2 to reference Section 6.4.  If you’d like more detail on these changes, a Redline Edition is available from Document Center that shows them all.

If you require your stainless steel parts to be passivated, or use passivation in the process of manufacturing stainless steel parts for others, you’ll want this new revision.  The standard takes into account the wide spectrum of cleanliness to be specified, including the high levels need for applications in the food-handling, pharmaceutical, aerospace and the nuclear industries.  You’ll use this document to insure that you and your customers/vendors are in agreement on your requirements.

All current and many obsolete revisions of ASTM Standards can be purchased on the Document Center website at www.document-center.com.  You can order in either paper or pdf format.  If you need personal assistance, just contact us by phone (650-591-7600), fax (650-591-7617) or email (info@document-center.com).  Our staff has the expertise to provide you with the service that the use of compliance documents like the ASTM standards require.