Consensus organization

It can he seen that there are several tests in current use to determine some properties. Many of the tests are still evolving and will eventually become standardized through ASTM or other consensus organizations. Also, this list does not exhaust the available test methods, and nonstandard tests abound for composites fabricated by alternative techniques (e.g., filament winding. Ref. 47). 

Moreover, it is useful to distinguish between the standards prepared by the official standards organizations and the professional standards. The former s mission is to ensure that the conditions of the consensus of the widest assemblage of interested parties are followed. The professional standards are prepared by recognized professional organizations but limit the consensus to only the participating organizations. 

In the same way that standards either can be limited to a consensus between professionals or they can be official, the standards organizations can be either professional or official. 

The accreditation of a standard is an official act (signed by the Ministry of Industry in France). To prepare standards, governments have mandated private organizations which are responsible for continuously following the rules to reach a mciximum consensus. There is only one such organization per country. They are, moreover, grouped at the European and international levels. 

All these organizations have developed numerous working procedures, with very little difference between each other. These procedures seem at first heavy and cumbersome, but following them allows a consensus to be reached. Thus, for example, free access for all to the standardization commissions work is guaranteed, and the existence of lobbies is avoided. 

Consensus standards are the key to the voluntary standards system because acceptance and use of such standards foUow direcdy from the need for them and from the involvement in their development of all those who share that need. Consensus standards must be produced by a body selected, organized, and conducted in accordance with due process procedures. AH parties or stakeholders are iavolved in the development of the standard and substantial agreement is reached according to the judgment of a properly constituted review board. Other aspects of due process involve proper issuance of notices, record keeping, baHoting, and attention to minority opinion. 

Recent consensus committees, including the Sixth Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (JNC VI) and the World Health Organization-International Society of Hypertension (WHO-ISH) Guidelines Subcommittee, have modified traditional treatment recommendations in several important ways. 

Since industrial nitration occurs, in most cases, in two-phase systems a number of workers have investigated the kinetics in both organic and acid phases (Refs 18b, 46 81). The consensus is that nitration occurs mainly in the acid phase. In what follows we will examine reaction rate effects in industrial-type nitrations for producing TNT, NG and EGDN... 

Other notaries are the Consensus on Operating Practices for the Control of Feedwater and Boiler Water Chemistry in Modem Industrial Boilers (1994 edition), published by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and BS 2486 1997 Recommendations for Treatment of Water for Steam Boilers and Water Heaters from the British Standards Institution. The 1994 Consensus (with its engineering background) and the 1997 version of BS 2486 (with its strength in operational chemistry) complement each other well. I consider that the tables and propositions contained in these two booklets jointly represent a true standard for boiler water treatment operational control. Consequently, I am pleased to be able to reproduce in this book all the tables from both publications, having received permission from the respective organizations to do so. 

The consensus in the literature is that AOS has rapid biodegradability due to its linear structure, whether assessed on the basis of functional loss or on the basis of loss of organic carbon [2,140]. 

The way in which to define the parameters of a program would ideally be the democratic one, involving everyone who is directly associated with it. In many a situation this may unfortunately be a practical impossibility due to factors such as the predominance of the sponsors interests and/or the size of the organization. Furthermore, people who have limited knowledge of mentoring options may make achieving consensus difficult. Therefore, in trying to define the parameters for your scheme (or schemes) you should ... 

ASTM, The American Society for Testing and Materials, is a scientific and technical organization that develops standards for a wide variety of materials and products. It is the world s largest source of voluntary consensus standards. 

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