The Standardization Administration of the People's Republic of China (SAC) has submitted a proposal for a new ISO standard for laboratory design. As the U.S. member body to ISO, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) invites all interested stakeholders to submit comments by June 28, 2019.
The proposal offers the following scope statement:
Standardization in the field of laboratory design including site selection and design planning, the functional division of experimental areas, the determination of scientific and technological processes, layouts and design of furniture, and the scientific design of the facility taking into account environmental conditions and impact.
Excluded in the proposal:
IEC/TC 64 (Electrical installations and protection against electric shock);
IEC/TC 81 (Lightning protection);
IEC/TC 66 (Safety of measuring, control and laboratory equipment);
IEC/TC 85 (Measuring equipment for electrical and electromagnetic quantities).
Once the new TC is established, liaisons with other relevant ISO technical committees will be established, including ISO/TC 48 (laboratory equipment), ISO/TC 212 (Clinical laboratory testing and in vitro diagnostic test systems) and CASCO as well as relevant IEC technical committees (IEC/TC 45 - Nuclear instrumentation, IEC/TC 62 - Electrical equipment in medical practice, IEC/TC 65 - Industrial-process measurement, control and automation, IEC/TC 76 - Optical radiation safety and laser equipment and IEC/TC 104 - Environmental conditions, classification and methods of test.
Note: the TC will support the contribution of the laboratory design industry to UN Sustainable Development Goals and enable countries to address a wide range of global issues including eradication of hunger and poverty, health, climate change and economic development.
All comments should be sent to Steven Cornish, ANSI senior director for international policy ([email protected]) by Friday, June 28, 2019.
Based on the input received from U.S. stakeholders, a recommended ANSI position and any comments will be developed and presented to the AIC for approval before the ISO voting deadline of August 13, 2019.
Click here to read the SAC proposal.
ANSI recently published an explanatory information document outlining the process used to develop U.S. positions on issues and activities under consideration by ISO and IEC. Click here to download the document.