The revised guide is relevant to standards intended for workplace, household, or recreational needs, and applies to any safety aspect related to people, property, and/or the environment. In addition, the revised ISO/IEC Guide 51 is expected to serve as a valuable reference for regulators, manufacturers, and other relevant stakeholders. The new edition provides additional details on risk reduction considerations and has an increased focus on the safety needs of vulnerable consumers - including persons with disabilities, the elderly, and children - as well as updated terminology.
The revised document, which is the third edition of ISO/IEC Guide 51, both cancels and replaces the second edition of the guide, which was published in 1999.
ISO/IEC Guide 51 was developed by the ISO/IEC Joint Working Group (JWG) for the revision of ISO/IEC Guide 51, which is overseen by the ISO Committee on Consumer Policy (COPOLCO) and the IEC Advisory Committee on Safety (ACOS). The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is the U.S. member body to ISO, and to COPOLCO via the ANSI Consumer Interest Forum (CIF), as well as to the IEC via the U.S. National Committee (USNC); the U.S.'s Mark Earley, chief electrical engineer for ANSI member and audited designator the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), serves as a member of the IEC ACOS.
ISO/IEC Guide 51 is now available for purchase online at ANSI‘s eStandards Store (eSS). To learn more about the IEC and ACOS, or ISO and COPOLCO, visit their respective websites.