ANSI Standards Development Process
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) doesn't write standards itself. Instead, it oversees a robust voluntary consensus process to ensure that standards developed by other organizations (called ANSI-Accredited Standards Developers, or ASDs) meet specific requirements for fairness, openness, and broad acceptance. The core of the ANSI process revolves around these "Essential Requirements."
1. ANSI Accreditation of Standards Developers (ASDs)
Before a standard can become an American National Standard (ANS), the organization developing it must be accredited by ANSI as an ASD. This accreditation signifies that the organization's procedures for developing standards comply with ANSI's strict "Essential Requirements."​
​
To become an ASD, an organization submits to ANSI for review and approval by the Executive Standards Council (ExSC):
-
Proof that the organization is a legal entity
-
Explanation of Score and Rational of standard development activities
-
Operating Procedures
-
Various Administrative Documents
-
List of any Coordination Efforts
-
Explanation of Organizational Staffing
-
Certification of Procedural Requirements
-
General Certification to Comply with ASNI Specific Requirements
-
Review of any Conflicts of Interest of other published Standards
-
Submission of a non-refundable $5,000 Application Fee
​
This often involves a public review period for the procedures themselves.
​
2. Development and Approval of American National Standards (ANS)
Once an organization is an ANSI-Accredited Standards Developer, they can then submit individual standards for approval as an American National Standard (ANS). This process typically involves:
Project Initiation Notification System (PINS): When an ASD begins a new standards project or plans to revise an existing one, they submit a PINS form to ANSI. This announces the project to the public via "ANSI Standards Action," inviting early interest and participation.
​
Standards Development: The ASD, following its ANSI-accredited procedures, forms a consensus body comprising experts and stakeholders from various interest categories. This group drafts the standard.​
Key principles for Standard Development include:
-
Openness: Participation in the standards development process must be open to all directly and materially interested parties, without undue financial barriers.
-
Lack of Dominance: No single interest group, individual, or organization should dominate the process or unduly influence the outcome.
-
Balance: The consensus body developing the standard should represent a balance of diverse interest categories.
-
Due Process: There must be a fair and equitable process for developing consensus, including thorough consideration of all views and objections, and a clear appeals mechanism.
-
Notification: Timely and adequate public notice must be given for all standards development activities.
-
Consensus: The process must demonstrate that broad consensus (documented vote by the consensus body) has been achieved among materially interested parties.
-
Written Procedures: The ASD must have clearly documented procedures outlining how they develop standards, and these procedures must be publicly available.
​Once the draft is complete it must go through the following steps and processes:
-
Public Review and Comment: Drafts of the standard are made available for broad public review and comment. This is a crucial step to ensure transparency and gather diverse feedback.
-
Resolution of Comments and Votes: The ASD must meticulously consider and respond to all comments received, both from the public review and from votes by the consensus body. Any negative votes must be addressed and resolved to demonstrate consensus.
-
Appeals Process: If objections or procedural issues remain unresolved, the ASD's established appeals mechanism comes into play.
-
Final Submission to ANSI: Once the ASD determines that consensus has been achieved and all its accredited procedures have been followed, they submit documentation (often using ANSI's BSR-9 form) to ANSI. This documentation serves as evidence of compliance with due process.
-
ANSI Board of Standards Review (BSR) Approval: ANSI's Board of Standards Review (BSR) (or an ANSI Audited Designator) reviews the submission to confirm that the ASD adhered to its accredited procedures and that due process was maintained throughout the standard's development.
-
ANS Designation and Publication: If approved, the document is officially designated as an American National Standard (ANS) and is then published.
-
Maintenance: ANS are not static. They must be periodically reviewed (typically every five years) to ensure they remain current and relevant. This can lead to reaffirmation, revision, or withdrawal of the standard.
​​Why is the ANSI Process Important?
-
Credibility and Trust: The ANSI mark signifies that a standard was developed through an open, fair, and balanced process, fostering trust and acceptance in the marketplace.
-
Due Process and Fairness: The rigorous requirements ensure that all directly and materially affected parties have an opportunity to participate and have their views considered.
-
Minimizes Duplication: ANSI coordinates standards development efforts in the U.S. to prevent unnecessary overlap and ensure consistency.
-
International Recognition: ANSI is the official U.S. representative to international standardization bodies like ISO (International Organization for Standardization) and IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission), which helps align U.S. standards with global practices.
-
Market Acceptance: Government agencies often reference and or incorporate ANSI-approved standards into regulations. When a ANSI Standard is referenced in a law or adopted by a government agency it can become legally enforceable. It can also become legally enforceable if following an ANSI Standard is required by a contract or when it is used in a legal proceeding to establish a standard of care. Reference OSHA for verification.
The ANSI process provides a framework that ensures American National Standards are thorough , widely accepted, and beneficial to industry, government, and the public.
BEPP Standards Process
As an ANSI Accredited Standards Developer (ASD), the BEPP is deeply committed to transparency, a rigorous standards development process, and strict adherence to procedures. We meticulously follow and document our compliance with the Essential Requirements, as demonstrated by these examples:
-
Openness: The BEPP is continually expanding its team of individuals participating in the standards development process. If you're interested in joining, please email us at standards@ep-board.org for consideration. To date we have had over 200 professionals participate thus far and do not require or recommend any membership to participate.
-
Lack of Dominance: Our Board of Directors and consensus body maintain a balance of users, producers, and subject matter experts ensuring no one interest category has a overwhelming majority.
-
Due Process: Our consensus group meets weekly to discuss the proposed standard, ensuring regular progress. Furthermore, we have clear procedures in place for individuals to express their objections and to appeal any decisions they might dispute.
-
Notification: The BEPP adhered to ANSI's Project Notification requirement, and has a dedicated website for all announcements, volunteer calls, and other vital communications related to standard development. We also mirror this information, and often provide additional content, across our social media platforms.
-
Consensus: When it's time to vote on a proposed standard, the BEPP has clear, written procedures for the voting process, including how to address both negative and missing votes.
-
Written Procedures: Our existing BEPP procedures are ANSI-approved. We've also updated these procedures and submitted them to ANSI for their latest review and approval.
-
Public Review and Comment: When our proposed standard is ready for public comment, it will be accessible to everyone, regardless of membership status or any other limiting factor. Every comment submitted by the public will be acknowledged, thoroughly reviewed, and considered by the consensus body. The results of this review will be communicated to the individual commenter in a timely manner. Should an individual disagree with the consensus body's decision, a clear appeal procedure is in place.
Technical Committee
The Technical Committee is comprised of seasoned industry professionals responsible for developing new or revised language for Standards developed by BEPP. This Committee will also approve or reject recommendations made by the Working Group.
The BEPP Technical Committee is the consensus body and will follow the voting procedures.
Working Group
The Working Group is comprised of industry professionals who make recommendations to the Technical Committee for final consideration, revision, and approval.
Technical Committee Members may also be part of the Working Group
​When creating an industry-impacting standard, the BEPP believes in doing it right. We hold ourselves accountable to ANSI's strict requirements, because ANSI ensures the correct development of both the process and the standard itself.