Did You Know? offers a quick look at the broad scope of activities underway within the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Federation of members and partners, highlighting recent accomplishments and new resources related to standardization.
SAE Publishes Results of Self-Driving Cars Survey
SAE International, an ANSI member and accredited standards developer, has released the results of its SAE Demo Days Survey, revealing the public's opinion on self-driving cars.
The survey polled people who have ridden in a self-driving car. Overwhelmingly, respondents showed interest in these vehicles: 82% were enthusiastic prior to riding in the self-driving car, and nearly 10% reported even higher enthusiasm after their ride. Seventy-six percent felt it was similar or superior to a human-driven experience, and 37% think it will be safer. However, the vast majority - 92% -- would prefer to share control between the human and the car.
Learn more in the SAE news item.
ASSP Videos Explain Important Risk Assessment Concepts
The American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP), an ANSI member and accredited standards developer, offers stakeholders eight free videos developed by their Risk Assessment Committee that address key topics related to risk assessment.
The short videos from 5 to just over 20 minutes cover alternatives to risk treatment, performing a risk evaluation, and understanding risk assessment tools and resources. They provide proactive, preventative approaches that help organizations act in advance of injury, illness, or loss based on identified risks.
Access the free risk assessment videos here.
ASME Student Member Study Examines How Automated Faucets Influence Human Behavior
A new study supervised and written by members of ANSI member and accredited standards developer ASME, and presented at a recent ASME conference, revealed that automated faucets could have a positive impact on human behavior in significantly reducing water usage.
Participants were asked to wash three sets of dishes. The initial set was typical dish washing by hand without an autonomous sink. In the second round, participants were told that their sink's faucet would exhibit smart behavior, only using the amount and temperature of water necessary to complete the task. In reality, the sink was being manually controlled by one of the study authors behind the sink, and used 26% less water than the first round. In the final cycle, participants washed dishes manually again, as they did in the first round - and ultimately used 10% less water after seeing how much less water the "smart faucet" provided in the second round.
"Our study showed that automated products if designed to work with all types of users can have significant immediate and potentially longer-lasting effects on resource usage," said William Jou, lead author and ASME student member. "This could be an important step to curbing resource usage in our rapidly advancing society."
Learn more and watch a video about the project through the ASME Digital Collection on ASME's website.
IEC Technology Report Outlines Cyber Security Best Practices for the Energy Sector
The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) has published a new report on strategies for protecting the electric grid against cyberattacks. The report compiles the work of the IEC Systems Committee on Smart Energy.
"Cyber security and resilience guidelines for the smart energy operational environment"suggests a holistic approach to cybersecurity, incorporating technology and processes along with understanding and cooperation from the people performing operational duties. Five critical concepts are also introduced in the report: resilience; security by design; the importance of understanding the difference between information technology and operational technology; risk assessment, risk mitigation, and the continuous update of processes; and the role of international standards.
Read more and access the report in the IEC news item.
Approval of TAG Accreditation
ANSI's Executive Standards Council (ExSC) has formally approved the accreditation of the U.S. Technical Advisory Group to ISO TC 45/SC 1, Rubber and plastics hoses and hose assemblies,and the appointment of the Association of Rubber Product Manufacturers (ARPM) as TAG Administrator, effective November 19, 2019. The TAG will operate under the Model Operating Procedures for U.S. Technical Advisory Groups to ANSI for ISO Activities as contained in Annex A of the ANSI International Procedures. For additional information, please contact Letha Keslar, managing director at ARPM (317.863.4072; [email protected]).
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