Resources for identifying standards for Personal Protective Equipment

I was reading an excellent article in Netaworld Magazine, “Arc-Flash Clothing and PPE, What does NFPA 70E Have to Say?”  However, I did notice a reference to ASTM F1505 (Standard Specification for Insulated and Insulating Hand Tools) which I think was intended to be to ASTM F1506 (Standard Performance Specification for Flame Resistant and Arc Rated Textile Materials for Wearing Apparel for Use by Electrical Workers Exposed to Momentary Electric Arc and Related Thermal Hazards).

Simple errors in referencing documents are made all the time.  We’ve worked hard to provide you with tools to find the right document in spite of these kinds of mistakes.  In this case, you’ll want to know about the resources Document Center Inc. has available on our website to help people like you find the standards you need on PPE (Personal Protective Equipment).  Here’s how you can effectively use our website on this topic:

Search for Standards by Regulation:

European Union Directive 89/686/EEC, Personal Protective Equipment – PPE, has a list of harmonized (harmonised) standards that support the self-certification process for sales of products into the European market.  It’s a great place to start when looking for European Standards on this topic.

Search by Subject:

The ICS classification system has made it possible to organize standards at the International, Regional and National levels by subject matter.  For personal protective clothing, the Classification Code is 13.340.10, Protective Clothing. On this page, you’ll find standards from a number of different organizations, all having to do with Protective Clothing.

To see the various codes that cover PPE in total, go to our page for the Classification Code 13.340, Protective equipment.  There you’ll find additional links for 3.340.01 (Protective equipment in general), 13.340.20 (Head protective equipment), 13.340.30 (Respiratory protective devices), 13.340.40 (Hand and arm protection), 13.340.50 (Leg and foot protection), 13.340.60 (Protection against falling and slipping), 13.340.70 (Lifejackets, buoyancy aids and flotation devices) and 13.340.99 (Other protective equipment).

Another suggestion in this area is the link to Popular ESD Standards – A list of frequently purchased ElectroStatic Discharge Control Documents.  These are standards that relate to electrical PPE.

Search for Standards by ASTM Volume:

ASTM has organized their complete set of standards into volumes based on subject area.  Volume 10.03 specifically addresses Standards for Electrical Insulating Liquids and Gases, Electrical Protective Equipment.  It’s a great place to start to review many ASTM Standards on this topic, including ASTM F1506 and ASTM F1959/F1959M (Standard Test Method for Determining the Arc Rating of Materials for Clothing) mentioned in the NETAWorld article.

The ASTM Volume 11.03, Standards for Occupational Health and Safety; Protective Clothing, is also of interest.  It covers the balance of PPE standards for non-electrical hazards.

As you can see, there’s lots of ways that our website, www.document-center.com, can help you find and purchase the standards you need.  And if you would prefer to have a real person help you out, you can always contact us by phone (650-591-7600), fax (650-591-7617) or email (info@document-center.com).  Our goal is to make sure that you’re using the standards you need to develop and sell products that meet the requirements of today’s international marketplace.

New ISO 21500 standard available for Guidance on project management

ISO 21500:2012, “Guidance on project management,” has just been released and is now available from Document Center Inc.  This International Standard provides guidance on concepts and processes of project management that are important for, and have impact on, the performance of projects.

ISO 21500 provides guidance for project management and can be used by any type of organization, including public, private or community organizations, and for any type of project, irrespective of complexity, size or duration.

The new 44-page standard is geared for:

— senior managers and project sponsors, in order to provide them with a better understanding of the principles and practice of project management and to help them give appropriate support and guidance to their project managers, project management teams and project teams,

— project managers, project management teams and project team members, so that they have a common basis upon which to compare their project standards and practices with those of others, and

— developers of national or organizational standards, for use in developing project management standards, which are consistent at a core level with those of others.

Previous project management standards have included the ISO 10006, “Quality management systems — Guidelines for quality management in projects,” and BS 6079-1, “Project management. Principles and guidelines for the management of projects.”  All these standards are available for purchase from Document Center Inc. at our website, www.document-center.com.  Or contact us by phone (650-591-7600), fax (650-591-7617) or email (info@document-center.com) for more information.

New ANSI-Z49.1 2012 Edition just released: Safety In Welding And Cutting And Allied Processes (AWS Z49.1)

There’s a new ANSI Z49.1 2012 Edition, “Safety In Welding And Cutting And Allied Processes,” and it’s available now from Document Center Inc.  Also known as ANSI/AWS Z49.1 and AWS Z49.1, the standard covers all aspects of safety and health in the welding environment, emphasizing oxygen gas and arc welding processes with some coverage given to resistance welding.

Originally developed in 1944, it contains information on protection of personnel and the general area, ventilation, fire prevention and protection, and confined spaces.  A significant section is devoted to precautionary information, showing examples, and an extensive bibliography is included.  The document has proved useful to educators, industrial hygienists, engineers, and other personnel responsible for safety and health in welding over the years.

ANSI Z49.1:2012 has specific provisions for oxyfuel gas and arc welding and cutting, resistance welding, electron beam welding, laser beam cutting and welding, and – new in this edition – brazing and soldering.  The standard is generally applicable to other welding processes such as submerged arc welding and allied processes.

Unions, societies, trade groups, and U.S. military and enforcement agencies – including AWS, Sheet Metal Workers, OSHA, and NIOSH – contributed in the development of this revision of Z49.1.

AWS Standards are sold by Document Center Inc. through our website, www.document-center.com.  Or you can always contact us by phone (650-591-7600), fax (650-591-7617) or email (info@document-center.com).  We are able to assist you with all your standards requirements and questions.

New Quality Standard Issued – ISO 10018, Quality management — Guidelines on people involvement and competence

ISO 10018:2012, “Quality management — Guidelines on people involvement and competence,” has just been released and is available now from Document Center Inc.  The new standard provides guidance on engaging people in an organization’s quality management system, and on enhancing their involvement and competence within it. ISO 10018 is applicable to any organization, regardless of size, type, or activity.

Written to support ISO 9001, this International Standard provides guidelines for human factors which influence people involvement and competence, thus creating value and the achievement of the organization’s objectives.   It is targeted to leaders, managers, supervisors, quality practitioners, quality management representatives and human resources managers.

The overall performance of a quality management system and its processes in the end depends on people and their integration into the organization.  This involvement is important in order for an organization’s quality management system to achieve outcomes which are consistent and aligned with the company’s strategies and values. It is critical for any organization to identify, develop and evaluate the knowledge, skills, behaviour and work environment required for the effective involvement of people with the necessary competence.

The new standard is an addition to the 10000 series of guidance documents on Quality Management:

ISO 10001, Quality management — Customer satisfaction — Guidelines for codes of conduct for organizations

ISO 10002, Quality management — Customer satisfaction — Guidelines for complaints handling in organizations

ISO 10003, Quality management — Customer satisfaction — Guidelines for dispute resolution external to organizations

ISO 10004, Quality management — Customer satisfaction — Guidelines for monitoring and measuring

ISO 10015, Quality management — Guidelines for training

ISO/TR 10017, Guidance on statistical techniques for ISO 9001:2000

All current and many obsolete ISO standards are available under license agreement from Document Center Inc. at our website, 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).  Standards can be a challenging part of any conformance document collection.  We’re here to provide you with the expertise you need for your standards requirements.

New BS EN 14602 defines tests for the assessment of ecological criteria for the “Ecolabel” for footwear

The new EN 14602, “Footwear – Test methods for the assessment of ecological criteria,” has just been issued and Document Center Inc. has the official English language edition, BS EN 14602:2012 available now.  This 16-page European Standard has been designed to define certain test methods necessary to issue the footwear Ecolabel.

The EU Ecolabel helps consumers identify products and services that have a reduced environmental impact throughout their life cycle, from the extraction of raw material through to production, use and disposal. Recognized throughout Europe, EU Ecolabel is a voluntary label promoting environmental excellence.

Many of the criteria for testing footwear are defined in the core of the text. And for some criteria, this BS EN 14602 provides important clarification or gives a test method to assess the ecological criteria.

This European Standard applies to any kind of footwear except those containing electrical or electronic components. The chemical analysis of the metallic components is outside of the scope of this document.

FYI: The footwear Ecolabel has been published in the OJEC of July 28th, 2009.  Or see the Ecolabel website for more information.

The BS EN standards are all available at Document Center Inc. through our website, www.document-center.com.  Or contact us by phone (650-591-7600), fax (650-591-7617) or email (info@document-center.com).  Our staff can assist you with simple standards purchases and complex standards questions and requirements.  We look forward to working with you!

New ISO/TR 13587 2012 Edition provides guidance on statistical approaches for the evaluation and interpretation of measurement uncertainty

Since its adoption, the ISO/IEC Guide 98-3 (GUM) has sparked a revolution in uncertainty evaluation.  It’s led to an increasing recognition of the need to include uncertainty statements in measurement results, which has been accelerated by the use of ISO/IEC 17025 and the like.

Document Center now has the new ISO/TR 13587:2012, “Three statistical approaches for the assessment and interpretation of measurement uncertainty,” available to address these issues.  The Technical Report is concerned with three basic statistical approaches for the evaluation and interpretation of measurement uncertainty: the frequentist approach including bootstrap uncertainty intervals, the Bayesian approach, and fiducial inference. The common feature of these approaches is a clearly delineated probabilistic interpretation or justification for the resulting uncertainty intervals.

For each approach, the basic method is described and the fundamental underlying assumptions and the probabilistic interpretation of the resulting uncertainty are discussed. Each of the approaches is illustrated using two examples, including an example from ISO/IEC Guide 98-3 (Uncertainty of measurement — Part 3: Guide to the expression of uncertainty in measurement (GUM:1995)). In addition, this document also includes a discussion of the relationship between the methods proposed in the GUM Supplement 1 and these three statistical approaches.

Defining and understanding the appropriate roles of different statistical quantities in uncertainty evaluation, even for relatively well-understood measurement applications, is a topic of particular interest to both statisticians and metrologists.

ISO/TR 13587 presents some of those approaches to uncertainty evaluation from a statistical point of view and relates them to the methods that are currently being used in metrology or are being developed within the metrology community.

All ISO standards, technical reports, specifications and guides can be purchased from Document Center Inc. at our website, www.document-center.com.  We have been providing licensed copies of ISO standards since the 1990’s.  If you need more information, please contact us by phone (650-591-7600), fax (650-591-7617) or email (info@document-center.com).  We’re happy to assist you personally with your standards requirements and questions.

New ASTM F2828 2012 Edition – An Effectiveness Test for Wet Extraction Floor Care Product Systems

Ever wonder how companies make claims about their products?  Or have you ever been disappointed with the results from a product or service?  Or do you manufacture a product and want to prove that it beats the competition in some area?

It’s not unusual to use ASTM standards in such cases.  The tests are focused and cover areas that users and purchasers of a product can understand and apply.

One new standard for such a situation is the ASTM F2828-12, “Standard Test Method for Assessing Carpet Cleaning Effectiveness in Terms of Visual Appearance Change When Cleaned with a Wet Extraction Cleaning System,” and it’s available now from Document Center Inc. in either paper or pdf format.  This is one of the ASTM standards that was developed with the consumer in mind.

The increase in the number of floor care products in the marketplace that employ wet extraction cleaning systems led Committee F11.35 to write this test method.  It provides an indication of the cleaning system’s effectiveness at restoring the appearance of an artificially soiled carpet by wet extraction cleaning.

My husband works at Stanford University and often tells of a demonstration by a counter-surface product representative.  The rep took a sample of his product and a sample of a competitive product.  Then, waiving a number of ASTM standards (which my husband was pleased that he recognized), he proceeded to go through the tests and confirm the benefits of using his product!

So the next time you’re thinking of getting your carpet cleaned, consider ASTM F2828 and the wide reach of standards into everyday life!

All current and many obsolete ASTM standards are sold under license agreement by Document Center Inc. at our website, www.document-center.com.  Or consider contacting us by phone (650-591-7600), fax (650-591-7617) or email (info@document-center.com).  We’re here to assist you with your standards purchases and requirements.

IEC 60601-1 Consolidated Edition 3.1 is now available – Medical electrical equipment – Part 1: General requirements for basic safety and essential performance

IEC 60601-1, “Medical electrical equipment – Part 1: General requirements for basic safety and essential performance,” is now available from Document Center Inc. in the new consolidated Edition 3.1 — paper or pdf format.

This consolidated version of IEC 60601-1 consists of the third edition (2005), its amendment 1 (2012) and its corrigenda of December 2006 and 2007.  The technical content is therefore identical to the 3rd edition and its amendment.

The revision has been prepared for user convenience. A vertical line in the margin shows where the base publication has been modified by amendment 1. Additions and deletions are displayed in red, with deletions being struck through.

By the way, Committee SC62A (the author of IEC 60601-1 ED. 3.1:2012) recognizes that equipment manufacturers and testing organizations may need a transitional period following publication this type of new, amended or revised IEC publication — both to make products in accordance with the new requirements and to equip themselves for conducting new or revised tests.  Therefore, the Committee recommends that the content of this publication be adopted for mandatory implementation nationally not earlier than 3 years from the date of publication.

Document Center Inc. is an authorized distributor of all of the IEC standards.  They can be purchased on our website, www.document-center.com.  Or contact us by phone (650-591-7600), fax (650-591-7617) or email (info@document-center.com).  We are always happy to assist you with your standards requirements and questions.

New ISO/IEC TS 17021-2:2012 addresses Conformity assessment — Requirements for bodies providing audit and certification of management systems — Part 2: Competence requirements for auditing and certification of environmental management systems

There’s a new ISO/IEC TS 17021-2:2012, “Conformity assessment — Requirements for bodies providing audit and certification of management systems — Part 2: Competence requirements for auditing and certification of environmental management systems,” and it’s available from Document Center Inc. now.  The new technical specification specifies additional competence requirements for personnel involved in the audit and certification process for Environmental Management Systems (EMS) and complements the existing requirements of ISO/IEC 17021.

In particular, the new ISO/IEC TS 17021-2 clarifies the requirements for the competence of personnel involved in the certification process set out in ISO/IEC 17021:2011, Annex A.  The guiding principles in ISO/IEC 17021:2011, Clause 4, are the basis for the requirements in this Technical Specification.

Certification bodies have a responsibility to interested parties, including their clients and the customers of the organizations whose management systems are certified, to ensure that only those auditors who demonstrate the relevant competence are allowed to conduct Environmental Management System (EMS) audits.

All EMS auditors should possess the generic competencies described in ISO/IEC 17021 as well as the specific EMS knowledge described in this Technical Specification.

Certification bodies will need to identify the specific audit team competence needed for the scope of each EMS audit. The selection of an EMS audit team will depend upon various factors including the EMS technical area, the client organization, its environmental aspects and the site where these aspects occur.

ISO/IEC 17021 is a work in progress and will eventually consist of the following parts:

ISO/IEC 17021-1: Currently numbered ISO/IEC 17021:2011, the next revision will reflect the “parts numbering” and will become ISO/IEC 17021-1.

Part 2: as discussed in this blog, and

Part 3: Competence requirements for auditing and certification of quality management systems [Technical Specification] (Currently in preparation).

All ISO/IEC standard, technical reports and technical specifications are available from Document Center Inc. at our website, www.document-center.com.  If you have any other questions or requirements, please contact us by phone (650-591-7600), fax (650-591-7617) or email (info@document-center.com).  We are here to assist you with your standards purchases and management requirements.

New SAE J1455 2012 Edition, “Recommended Environmental Practices for Electronic Equipment Design in Heavy-Duty Vehicle Applications”

SAE has just released the new 2012 Edition of J1455, “Recommended Environmental Practices for Electronic Equipment Design in Heavy-Duty Vehicle Applications,” and it’s available from Document Center Inc. in both pdf and paper format.  The new 53-page revision updates this go-to standard for noise, vibration and harshness tests for equipment designed to be used in heavy-duty vehicle applications.

Often used in conjunction with MIL-STD-810, the scope of SAE J1455-2012 encompasses the range of environments which influence the performance and reliability of the electronic equipment designed for heavy duty on and off road vehicles.  Similarly it can be used for any appropriate stationary applications which use these vehicle derived components.

A few examples of such vehicles are on and off highway trucks, trailers, buses, construction equipment and agricultural equipment including implements.

All of the current SAE ground vehicle standards, as well as many obsolete revisions (some no longer available from SAE itself) are available from Document Center Inc. at our website, www.document-center.com.  If you have further questions, you can contact us by phone (650-591-7600), fax (650-591-7617) or email (info@document-center.com).  We are always happy to assist you with your standards purchases and regulatory compliance requirements.