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.
API Updates Foundational Offshore Safety and Environmental Management Standard
API, an ANSI member and accredited standards developer, has published an updated version of a key safety standard aimed at enhancing the oil and natural gas industry's commitment to worker safety, incident prevention, and environmental protection in offshore operations.
API Recommended Practice 75 (RP 75) provides guidance for establishing, implementing, maintaining, and continually improving a safety and environmental management system (SEMS) for offshore operations. API RP 75 is a performance-based document that provides a systematic methodology for companies to identify and manage operational risks, enhance the safety of workers, and protect the environment.
"Producing oil and gas safely while protecting our environment is a top priority for API and its members," said Debra Phillips, senior vice president of API's Global Industry Services. "API continuously updates its standards to reflect new technologies, techniques, and in-field learning. This latest edition of RP 75 reflects state-of-the-art systems to drive safety and environmental protection in offshore operations."
The new edition makes several changes that expand the safety and environmental management system.
For additional information, visit API's webpage.
Experian Releases Data Breach Industry Forecast for 2020
To help organizations prepare for the next year and beyond, Experian, an ANSI member, has released its seventh annual Data Breach Industry Forecast that predicts the top five threats businesses and consumers should be aware of in order to safeguard their information.
The 2020 report identifies new ways common technology is being used for criminal intent. It also identifies fresh targets - such as the cannabis industry -, which Experian predicts will be enticing for attacks.
"Hackers are continuing to become more sophisticated with the tools at their disposal to gain control of personal devices and business operating systems," said Michael Bruemmer, vice president at Experian Data Breach Resolution. "There has never been a more important time for organizations to be equipped with the knowledge and resources needed to try to prevent and respond to a data breach."
The most likely data breach predictions for 2020 identified by Experian include text-based "smishing," drones, and deep fake technology. Access Experian's 2020 Data Breach Industry Forecast.
ICC Launches Global Initiative on Building Resistance
The International Code Council (ICC), an ANSI member and accredited standards developer, has launched a new global initiative to bring together experts from the U.S., Australia, Canada, and New Zealand to improve building resilience worldwide. The collaborative forum provides a valuable opportunity for participants to discuss common struggles, and to share knowledge, research, and best practices, as they consider the role of building codes in resilience and durability in the face of increasingly severe weather events.
Ensuring building resilience is a key purpose of the International Codes (I-Codes), developed and published by the Code Council. These model codes are updated every three years, which allows regular consideration of new technologies and scientific understandings, including those that impact flood maps, wind loads, and other extreme weather events.
"Staying at the forefront of the discussion in which building science and climate science intersect is critical to developing state-of-the-art codes," said Ryan Colker, ICC vice president for innovation and executive director of the Alliance for National & Community Resilience, a subsidiary of ICC. "We are excited to continue our work with this global coalition to advance resilience in the built environment."
For more information on ICC's global initiatives, visit ICC's website and download 2025 Vision: Strategic Plan for the Future.
NCCCO Foundation Helps Employers Navigate OSHA's Rules on Crane Operator Qualifications
The NCCCO Foundation, a charitable organization formed by the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators (NCCCO), an ANSI accredited standards developer, has launched a web-based directory designed to help employers navigate OSHA's rules on crane operator qualifications.
The Who's Accredited? directory is the result of the NCCCO Foundation's research and education initiative designed to enhance safety and compliance with federal and state safety rules and regulations. The new directory is a tool for employers to help them determine whether or not a certification organization's programs are accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting body, as required by OSHA in 29 CFR 1926 Subpart CC.
The directory provides a detailed listing of each accredited certification program offered by the accredited certification organizations, as well as a direct link to the listing maintained by the two accrediting bodies that OSHA recognizes: ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB) and the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA).
"It's become clear from the questions we have been receiving from employers and others in recent months that there is confusion in the industry over which certification bodies have earned accreditation and which have not," said Graham Brent, CEO, NCCCO Foundation. That's important, he added, because not only is a certification body that has not been accredited not recognized by Federal and State authorities, neither are the certifications it issues.
Accreditation is a rigorous and often protracted process," Mr. Brent said, "which usually demands a full-court press' by the applying organization's certification team to demonstrate that their certifications comply with the exacting standards established to ensure fair and reliable assessments."
"If a certification organization is not listed in the directory, it's not accredited. It's that simple," said Mr. Brent.
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