ASTM International's board of directors voted to approve the Safety Equipment Institute (SEI) as a subsidiary of ASTM International, an action that will bolster the strengths of the two organizations - both members of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).
The decision broadens the certification capabilities of ASTM International while also strengthening SEI, which offers ANSI-accredited certification programs for safety and protective equipment. SEI will remain a separate entity, with its employees coming under the ASTM International umbrella on July 1, according to ASTM's announcement.
"Bringing SEI into the ASTM family is a clear win-win," said James Thomas, president, ASTM International in a release. "This will blend the strengths of two well-positioned organizations that share a common goal of improving public health, product safety, and consumer confidence."
Patricia Gleason, who will retain the title of SEI president and receive the new title of vice president of certification for ASTM International, said, "This exciting step will bring benefits to SEI and to all of our stakeholders, including end users of certified products, clients, government agencies, associations, and more. We look forward to building on our two organizations' track record of cooperation."
ASTM's existing certification activities will transfer to SEI, which holds ANSI accreditations to the ISO/IEC 17065 standard for product certification.
SEI bases its programs on technical standards from a variety of standards development organizations. For example, SEI's certification program for equestrian headgear is built on one of more than 12,000 standards ASTM has developed through its 30,000 members in more than 90 industries, including consumer products. SEI certification also covers products used by firefighters and emergency responders, eye and face protection for industrial workers products, and more.
ASTM International is a nonprofit organization that develops and publishes approximately 12,000 technical standards, covering the procedures for testing and classification of materials of every sort. ASTM standards are used worldwide.