Setting the Standards

In lieu of a king’s foot, a complex, sophisticated system smoothens the mechanical aspects of contemporary life. According to experts, we expect our computers to have interoperable parts that the monitor will work with the modem and the printer as well as the processor, and that we will not have to rewrite parts so that they will work together. ANSI is the US member body in ISO and hosts the US National Committee of the IEC. ASME and other US standards-developing groups lay claim to being de facto international organizations because many of their US-developed standards are used around the world to supplement government regulation and procurement actions. The ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code is used widely, while the National Fire Protection Association’s Life Safety Code forms the basis for building codes in the United States and Canada. The technology transfer act requires that agencies report when they do not use available private sector standards, and instructs federal agencies to participate in the development of private sector standards that are relevant to their missions.