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Achieving Preparedness through Standards Implementation:
Challenges and Opportunities for Small Businesses
ANSI-HSSP Background:
The American National Standards Institute’s Homeland Security Standards Panel
(ANSI-HSSP) has as its mission to identify needs and facilitate the development
and enhancement of homeland security standards, serve as the private/public
sector partnership for standards issues, support the work of the DHS Science
and Technology Directorate’s Office of Standards, provide a forum for
information sharing on homeland security standards and conformity assessment
issues, and facilitate dialogue and networking on key issues for homeland
security stakeholders.
Workshop Scope/Objectives:
Recent tragic events in Japan have called into sharp focus the continued need
for broadly applicable private-sector preparedness measures. Strong and
effective preparedness standards and conformance programs help to assure
individual health and safety and work to maintain the links in the supply chain
that drive global commerce. The ability of individual small businesses to
maintain operations in the face of unexpected circumstances is critical.
This one-day workshop offers a unique opportunity for small business owners and
their representatives to share the challenges and opportunities they face in
achieving preparedness through the implementation of voluntary consensus
standards. During the workshop small businesses will have a chance to speak
openly and directly with the parties that are shaping private-sector
preparedness initiatives including standards developing organizations (SDOs),
federal agencies, academia, and more. This open forum format will allow
appropriate representatives to hear from the small business community while
reporting on relevant activities to support a culture of preparedness in the
private sector. In addition, appropriate representatives will discuss what
measures are being put in place to help small businesses use the standards that
currently exist in the Private Sector Voluntary Certification Program (PS-Prep)
and how PS-Prep is making standards and/or programs both relevant and
accessible to small businesses; especially by partnering with support programs
such as the Institute for Business and Home Safety’s (IBHS) Open for Business
and American Red Cross’s Ready Rating.
Using the developing PS-Prep Program as the basis for discussion, small business
participants examined the following questions:
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Do small businesses feel that they are sufficiently informed about standards
and conformance? Do they understand how to participate in the standards
development process?
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From the small business perspective, are there any special considerations in
applying standards and conformity assessment?
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How are small businesses already using standards and conformance to boost their
own plans for preparedness? Are there any case studies or lessons learned from
the small business community?
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What actions can SDOs and government agencies take to help small businesses
understand and implement preparedness programs like PS-Prep?
And in an effort to share information with small business, representatives from
government agencies and SDOs addressed the following issues:
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Generally speaking, what are standards, how are they created, and how are they
used?
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What is the value of preparedness standards to small businesses in particular?
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How can the implementation of standards be measured and why? (What is
conformity assessment?)
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How does PS-Prep apply standards and conformity assessment?
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Does PS-Prep adequately take small business considerations into account?
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How will PS-Prep likely be applied in the supply chain and why?
Workshop Deliverables:
The ANSI-HSSP will conduct extensive outreach to small business owners and their
representatives to seek their active participation and input on the challenges
and opportunities they face in achieving preparedness through the
implementation of voluntary consensus standards. Specifically, the workshop
will focus on publishing a final report including the following topics:
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Insight from small businesses on how to boost their community’s participation
in standards development. Without the involvement of these important
stakeholders, SDOs and government agencies cannot be certain that the
preparedness processes they are setting up will work for everyone.
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Specific recommendations on how to demonstrate the value of standards and
conformance to small businesses, especially with regard to current and future
supply chain requirements.
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Insights for medium to larger businesses into the role that standards and
assessment can play in their supply chains, in particular in the use of the
PS-Prep Program to assess the resilience of critical small business suppliers.
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Guidance from small businesses to SDOs on any special considerations in the
utilization and conformity assessment of standards by their community.
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Guidance from small businesses to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on
its ongoing development of the PS-Prep Program, especially with regard to the
small business initiative.
Potential Session Topics:
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Standards and Assessments: Key concepts
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What are standards?
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What is their value to businesses and small businesses in particular?
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How can the application of standards be measured and why? (What is conformity
assessment?)
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How can standards help with preparedness? What standards and conformance
measures are already in place?
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The Small Business Challenge
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What are special considerations in applying standards and conformity assessment
in small businesses?
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What lessons learned or case studies can the small business community share to
help inform preparedness measures?
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What considerations does PS-Prep make for small businesses?
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Applying Standards & Assessment in the Supply Chain
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How have standards and conformity assessment been applied in the past to supply
chains?
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How will PS-Prep likely be applied in the supply chain and why?
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Summary & Conclusions
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What insights have been identified as well as further actions necessary to
reflect small business considerations in application of preparedness standards
and conformity assessment?
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What insights and further actions have been identified with regard to PS-Prep
as well as other programs such as IBHS’s Open for Business and American Red
Cross’s Ready Rating including their application to small businesses and supply
chains?
Workshop Co-Chairs:
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Tracy Hannah, Deputy Director,
Private Sector Office,
U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
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Bill Raisch, Director,
International Center for Enterprise Preparedness (InterCEP),
New York University
Executive Conference
Center (Liberty Center)
Liberty Conference Room A&B
4075 Wilson Blvd, Suite 350
Arlington, VA 22203
 For information on sponsorship
please
click here.
The ANSI-HSSP thanks the following sponsor:
Questions or requests for additional information can be directed to:
Karen Hughes
Director, Homeland Security Standards
American National Standards Institute
25 West 43rd Street, Fourth Floor
New York, NY 10036
Tel: 1.212.642.4992
Fax: 1.212.840.2298
E-mail: khughes@ansi.org
Jessica Carl
Program Administrator, Homeland Security Standards Panel
American National Standards Institute
25 West 43rd Street, Fourth Floor
New York, NY 10036
Tel: 1.212.642.4903
Fax: 1.212.840.2298
E-mail: jcarl@ansi.org
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