There sometimes seems to be a day for everything, from Arbor Day to World Water Day, Mother’s Day to World Chocolate Day. Some days are tied to causes, some in memory of particular events, some in recognition of important contributors to society, etc. And a number of industries recognize particular days in honor of their work.
In the field of standards, including as they impact and support compressed air practices, World Standards Day is celebrated each year. Spearheaded by IEC, ISO and ITU, World Standards Day provides industries an opportunity to pause and reflect upon the tremendous influence their collaborative efforts, research and development have on the world. Standardization allows industries across borders to be more competitive and consistent. Standardization improves safety in the workplace and for the consumer. Standardization provides the protocols, such as in the testing lab, that yield essential data on products, air quality, and other aspects so import to safe, reliable industries today and in the future.
World Standards Day is even supported by a design competition (worth up to 1500 Swiss francs) for its promotional poster. (Submissions due 10 May 2012. Learn more here.)
In the compressed air field, ISO 8573 is an important source of guidance in the absence of specific standards governing compressed air quality testing in the manufacturing process or production of goods in numerous industries, such as pharmaceutical, medical device, and food/beverage. With so many site-specific requirements, plant engineers must turn to and adapt from other guidelines established from credible sources, such as ISO.
Whether you are working with USP, ISO 8573, OSHA, FDA, cGMP or other guidelines and standards, we hope you will take a moment to think about the important role standards play on our compressed air industry.
