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Standards
Additional information
Standards
What is a standard?
A common reference
"A standard helps to define a common language between economic stakeholders
(producers, users and consumers), to clarify and harmonize practices and to define
the levels of quality, safety, compatibility, and least environmental impact of products,
services and practices.
Standards facilitate trade, both national and international, and help to better
structure the economy and facilitate the everyday life of everyone."
Afnor definition
IEC international standards
The IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) is a worldwide organisation for
standardisation comprising all national electrotechnical committees (IEC National
Committees).
The object of the IEC is to promote international cooperation on all questions
concerning standardisation in the electrical and electronic fields.
To that end, the IEC publishes International Standards.
Their preparation is entrusted to technical committees and any IEC National
Committee interested in the subject dealt with may participate in the preparatory
work.
National standards
In Europe
The IEC documents are first studied by CENELEC, which establishes:
b
b
either a European standard (EN), often identical to the IEC standard, which then
becomes the applicable national standard in all the member countries
b
b
or, in the event of differences, a harmonisation document (HD).
Other IEC member countries
Each country is autonomous and can accept the IEC standard as the national
standard, with or without modifications.
Even though they are IEC members, countries such as Japan and the United States
continue to develop their own standardisation systems.
Countries without a standardisation system
It is possible to refer to an IEC standard in the framework of a project.
CEI / IEC
Commission Electrotechnique Internationale
CENELEC
Comité Européen de Normalisation ELECtrotechnique
UTE
Union Technique de l’Électricité
VDE
Verband der Elektrotechnik, Elektronik und Informationstechnik
e.v. (German electrotechnical, electronics and computer
technology standardisation organisation)
BSI
British Standards Institution
Worldwide
Countries
Other IEC
member
countries
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