In an effort to communicate the vital role that standards play in daily life, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) publishes snapshots of the diverse standards initiatives undertaken in the global and national standards arena, many of which are performed by ANSI members and ANSI-accredited standards developers. Two of the latest selections follow:
Audiovisual Systems
The demand for audiovisual systems has grown exponentially in the last decade due to the integration of audiovisual communications and IT components used in business, education, government, healthcare, entertainment, hospitality, and other applications that call for sound, video, lighting, display, and projection capabilities. However, these systems can consume a significant amount of energy if their use is not optimized.
A new American National Standard (ANS) from InfoComm International provides users with an ongoing power-consumption guide to managing the energy use and conservation of audiovisual systems. ANSI/InfoComm 4-2012, Audiovisual Systems Energy Management, defines and prescribes processes and requirements for ongoing power-consumption management of audiovisual systems. The standard identifies requirements for the control and continuous monitoring of electrical power for audiovisual systems, whereby power is conserved whenever possible and components operate at the lowest power-consuming state possible without compromising system performance.
InfoComm, an ANSI organizational member and accredited standards developer, is an international non-profit organization working to promote the audiovisual industry through the dissemination of industry statistics and information to its members, the public, state legislatures, and Congress. Through tradeshows, education, certification, government relations, outreach, and information services, InfoComm promotes the industry and enhances members' ability to conduct business successfully.
Construction Equipment
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), construction workers incur the most fatal injuries of any industry in the private sector due to the many hazards of their work, including dangerous heights, excavations, noise, dust, power tools, and equipment. A recently published ANS from ASME, an ANSI organizational member and accredited standards developer, aims to assure worker safety during the use of cranes and other lifting and material-handling related equipment.
ASME B30.19-2011, Safety Standard For Cableways, Cranes, Derricks, Hoists, Hooks, Jacks, and Slings, contains provisions that apply to the construction, installation, operation, inspection, testing, maintenance, and use of all load transporting hoisting and lowering cable supported systems operating on and supported from track cables. Requirements for skyline systems as used in the logging industry or slackline systems used for excavating are not covered by the new ANS. ASME B30.19-2011 is part of a family of ASME B30 construction standards: ANSI/ASME B30, Construction Package, a complete collection of standards applicable to various cranes, hoists, lifting systems, and derricks.
ASME is a non-profit professional organization promoting the art, science, and practice of mechanical and multidisciplinary engineering and allied sciences. ASME develops codes and standards that enhance public safety, and enables learning and technical exchange opportunities benefiting the global engineering and technology community.