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ISO International Organization for Standardization
 If
there were no standards, we would soon notice. Standards make
an enormous contribution to most aspects of our lives - although
very often, that contribution is invisible. It is when there is
an absence of standards that their importance is brought home.
For example, as purchasers or users of products, we soon notice
when they turn out to be of poor quality, do not fit, are incompatible
with equipment we already have, are unreliable or dangerous. When
products meet our expectations, we tend to take this for granted.
We are usually unaware of the role played by standards in raising
levels of quality, safety, reliability, efficiency and interchangeability
- as well as in providing such benefits at an economical cost.
ISO (International Organization for Standardization) is the world's
largest developer of standards. Although ISO's principal activity
is the development of technical standards, ISO standards also
have important economic and social repercussions. ISO standards
make a positive difference, not just to engineers and manufacturers
for whom they solve basic problems in production and distribution,
but to society as a whole.
The International Standards which ISO develops are very useful. They
are useful to industrial and business organizations of all types,
to governments and other regulatory bodies, to trade officials,
to conformity assessment professionals, to suppliers and customers
of products and services in both public and private sectors, and,
ultimately, to people in general in their roles as consumers and
end users. ISO standards contribute to making the development, manufacturing and
supply of products and services more efficient, safer and cleaner.
They make trade between countries easier and fairer. They provide
governments with a technical base for health, safety and environmental
legislation. They aid in transferring technology to developing
countries. ISO standards also serve to safeguard consumers, and
users in general, of products and services - as well as to make
their lives simpler.
When things go well - for example, when systems, machinery and devices work well and safely - then often it is because they conform to standards. And the organization responsible for many thousands of the standards which benefit society worldwide is ISO.
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