Have you ever wondered how to tell if air is clean

 Air pollution has long been a problem in nations all around the world. The World Health Organization has observed that up to 1 in 9 of total global deaths are linked to exposure to indoor and outdoor air pollution.1 Smart cities, better waste management, clean energy and sustainable industrial practices should all lead to improvements in air quality around the world, but how do we measure the quality of the air? Standards Australia recently completed revisions of two standards addressing air quality:

   • AS 3580.9.9:2017, Methods for sampling and analysis of ambient air, Method 9.9: Determination of suspended particulate matter—PM10 low volume sampler— Gravimetric method

• AS 3580.9.10:2017, Methods for sampling and analysis of ambient air, Method 9.10: Determination of suspended particulate matter—PM2.5 low volume sampler— Gravimetric method Particulate matter PM10 and PM2.5 are pollutants that present a significant community concern worldwide. These forms of particulates are respirable and present major public health issues.

AS 3580.9.9 and AS 3580.9.10 set out methods for detecting PM10 and PM2.5 in order to assess air quality. These Australian documents were revised to make them consistent with other contemporary particulate matter standards. Technical committee EV-007, Methods for Examination of Air, was responsible for this project. Chair of the committee, Mr Frank Fleer, commented on the revisions. “EV-007 takes its responsibility in maintaining accurate and reliable standards for the measurement of these pollutants very seriously. It’s both an environmental concern and a major health issue affecting many communities worldwide. “Consequently we felt it was necessary to update these documents to reflect modern quality

Consultation commences on new draft standard for On-Site Battery Systems Standards

Australia has released for consultation a draft voluntary standard, DR AS/NZS 5139:201X Electrical installations – safety of battery systems for use with power conversion equipment. The standard, prepared jointly by Australian and New Zealand stakeholders, includes provision for:

• Installation requirements for all battery systems connected to inverter energy systems, covering all battery types;

 • Mitigating hazards associated with battery energy storage system installations; and

• Classifying batteries based on hazards, rather than chemistry type.

The release of the draft for public consultation aligns with the recommendations of the Roadmap for Energy Storage Standards released by Standards Australia in February 2017. In the Roadmap, stakeholders identified the need to develop a Standard for the safe installation of battery energy storage systems as a top priority. The location of battery systems in homes The development of the draft standard has not been without controversy. Earlier in 2017, concerns were raised in the media that the draft standard would seek to ban lithium-ion batteries in homes. Since then, experts from industry and government together with community interests have continued to work together to prepare the consultation draft.

The draft standard currently includes provisions to minimise the risk of self-sustaining fires. In considering the fire hazards associated with some of these systems, the draft contains provisions that exclude certain battery systems from being installed inside domestic homes. They may be installed externally and adjoining to domestic homes provided certain fire related safety measures are met. These provisions have been included to try to safeguard against hazards during potential failure modes of a storage system, in the absence of available product standards. In arriving at this consultation draft, it is clear that different views exist amongst stakeholders as to whether the draft provisions are set appropriately and whether the benefits of emergent technology are appropriately balanced with community safety expectations. Given the level of interest in the introduction of battery storage in homes, public comment on the draft is sought in particular on Clauses 4.5.3 and Table 3.1 of the draft.

The release of the draft standard comes less than a week after the release of the Independent Review into the Future Security of the National Electricity Market (the Finkel Report) where it was noted that consumer demand could drive the number of on-site battery storage systems installed in Australian homes to more than 1 million by 2035. Why doesn’t Australia just use International Standards? There are no international electrical installation standards for battery energy storage systems.

The draft has been developed by Australian and New Zealand stakeholders who share a common regulatory and technical standards framework. The use of on-site battery storage systems is an emerging area of development internationally, with different countries setting different requirements within their own jurisdictions. The draft document references and aligns with a number of international standards particularly as they relate to system components. Who has developed this draft? The technical committee responsible for developing this document is EL-042 Renewable Energy Power Supply Systems and Equipment. The committee includes stakeholders from industry, government, academia and other interest groups, as listed in the attachment. What is the process from here?

All comments received during the 9 week public comment period will be considered in detail and resolved by the technical committee and, if substantive changes are made to the draft, the document will be released for a further period of consultation. Once all comments are resolved, a vote will be undertaken by the technical committee as to whether the document is published, or not. The use of all Australian Standards is voluntary and governments may choose to reference Australian Standards and other documents in regulation. Access the draft and submit comments through our Public Comment portal. All comments must be received by 15 August 2017.

ISO 50001 highlighted as key tool for climate action at Clean Energy Ministerial

With energy one of the most critical challenges facing the international community, the revision of ISO 50001 on energy management systems was given a major boost at the recently concluded Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM8), a high-level global forum working to advance clean energy globally.

Energy ministers and high-level decision makers, together with technical experts and private-sector leaders, gathered in Beijing, China, for the CEM8 to discuss how to scale renewables, improve efficiency and cooperate on clean energy initiatives. A series of side events, forums and workshops were organized, including an International Workshop on Improving Green Consumption featuring the benefits of ISO 50001.

Developers responsible for ISO 50001 also met in Beijing at the annual meeting of ISO technical committee ISO/TC 301, Energy management and energy savings. One of the main outcomes of the plenary was the revision of ISO 50001, which after six years of existence is being updated to ensure it remains a useful tool for all types of businesses and organizations around the world.

Sufficient progress and consensus were achieved to enable the revision of ISO 50001 to move to a Draft International Standard, which is expected to be completed and released within three months. Publication of the new edition of ISO 50001 as an International Standard is currently planned for November/December 2018.

Deann Desai, Convenor of the working group revising the energy standard, commented on its improvements: “One of the main changes for the 2018 version is in the incorporation of the High-Level Structure which provides for improved compatibility with other management systems standards. There are other improvements in the 2018 version to help ensure that the key concepts related to energy performance are clear for small and mid-size businesses.”

Published in 2011, ISO 50001 transforms the way organizations manage their energy, offering companies a comprehensive approach to continually improve energy performance, sustainability and their bottom line. It has value both as a best-practice model and as a global benchmark for climate and clean energy action. In fact, nearly 12 000 organizations were already certified to the standard at the end of 2015 – up 77 % from the previous year.

CEM analysis shows that implementation of the ISO 50001 standard across the commercial and industrial sectors globally could drive cumulative energy savings of approximately 62 exajoules by 2030, sparing nearly USD 600 billion in energy costs and avoiding 6 500 million metric tonnes of CO₂ emissions. The projected annual emissions savings are equivalent to removing 215 million passenger vehicles from the road.

ISO/TC 301

Roland Risser, Chair of ISO/TC 301, Energy management and energy savings, explains: “ISO 50001 provides a scalable, cost-effective and continuous energy management pathway for organizations that might not have otherwise performed these improvements, and allows organizations to demonstrate and verify to international parties and partners that they are committed to continuously improve their energy performance.”

CEM8 also recognized the winners of the Award of Excellence in Energy Management, an international competition that honours companies successfully using ISO 50001. The Award is an initiative of the Energy Management Working Group (EMWG) at the Clean Energy Ministerial, which participates in the work of ISO/TC 301.

The revision of ISO 22000 on food management moves one step further

Revision is ongoing for ISO 22000 on food safety management systems, which has just reached the Draft International Standard (DIS) stage. The revised standard will incorporate a new core structure as well as recognized key elements to ensure food safety at every step of the food chain.

The ISO 22000 revision aims to consolidate the most recent issues surrounding food safety to suit the current landscape of the food sector. It is a very comprehensive process and the working group revising the standard has covered several extensive concepts. The experts met three times in 2016 and processed 1 800 comments from a variety of global stakeholders representing a broad range of positions. Now, their main task is to translate the revised concepts included in the standard and communicate these to the users in a clear and concise manner that makes ISO 22000 easier to understand and implement for organizations of all sizes, in every aspect of the food chain.

The new version of ISO 22000 will contain a number of minor alterations that have been introduced to increase the readability and clarity of the standard, as well as some substantial changes that are more structural in nature. The main highlights are as follows:

.         The new version will adopt ISO’s new High-Level Structure (HLS), which is the common framework for all management systems standards. This common structure makes it easier for businesses to integrate more than one management system into their processes at a given time.

.         The revised standard will provide a new understanding of the notion of “risk”. Risk is a vital concept for food businesses and the standard will distinguish between risk at the operational level (through the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point approach, or HACCP) and risk at the strategic level of the management system (business risk) with its ability to embrace opportunities in order to reach a business’s specific goals.

.         The standard will clarify the distinction between two Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycles. The first applies to the management system as a whole while the second, embedded within it, addresses the operations described in Clause 8, which simultaneously covers the principles of HACCP defined by the Codex Alimentarius.

The revised version of ISO 22000 is expected to be published by June 2018.

Revision is ongoing for ISO 22000 on food safety management systems, which has just reached the Draft International Standard (DIS) stage. The revised standard will incorporate a new core structure as well as recognized key elements to ensure food safety at every step of the food chain.

The ISO 22000 revision aims to consolidate the most recent issues surrounding food safety to suit the current landscape of the food sector. It is a very comprehensive process and the working group revising the standard has covered several extensive concepts. The experts met three times in 2016 and processed 1 800 comments from a variety of global stakeholders representing a broad range of positions. Now, their main task is to translate the revised concepts included in the standard and communicate these to the users in a clear and concise manner that makes ISO 22000 easier to understand and implement for organizations of all sizes, in every aspect of the food chain.

The new version of ISO 22000 will contain a number of minor alterations that have been introduced to increase the readability and clarity of the standard, as well as some substantial changes that are more structural in nature. The main highlights are as follows:

.         The new version will adopt ISO’s new High-Level Structure (HLS), which is the common framework for all management systems standards. This common structure makes it easier for businesses to integrate more than one management system into their processes at a given time.

.         The revised standard will provide a new understanding of the notion of “risk”. Risk is a vital concept for food businesses and the standard will distinguish between risk at the operational level (through the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point approach, or HACCP) and risk at the strategic level of the management system (business risk) with its ability to embrace opportunities in order to reach a business’s specific goals.

.         The standard will clarify the distinction between two Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycles. The first applies to the management system as a whole while the second, embedded within it, addresses the operations described in Clause 8, which simultaneously covers the principles of HACCP defined by the Codex Alimentarius.

The revised version of ISO 22000 is expected to be published by June 2018.

Smart cities guide for sharing data and information launched

BSI, the business standards company, has launched a new guide on establishing a framework for sharing data and information services in cities.

PAS 183:2017 Smart Cities – guide to establishing a decision-making framework for sharing data and information services – was developed at the request of the Cities Standards Institute in part to support a transparent approach to making decisions. The Cities Standard Institute is a collaboration between BSI and the Future Cities Catapult to create a standards-based community of good practice for cities and the companies they work with.

Creating specific data-sharing agreements can help decision-makers fully realize the benefits and value of data and information services in a city. Currently, data is mostly used for a specific purpose by cities, often related to a public task, with the value of data sharing yet to be fully explored and realized by cities. Data is not yet widely viewed as an essential asset which can be used to transform a city. There is also untapped potential for data to provide the basis for new commercial models in smart cities.

An effective decision-making framework for sharing data can help ensure that city decision-makers – in the public, private and third sectors – have the best overall data to shape their decision making. The consequences for missing data or the misinterpretation of data can lead to wrong actions – sometimes with debilitating consequences an organization or the wider public. 

PAS 183 defines the data framework for sharing city data to enable discussions between the specialists who build and design the physical and digital services and the decisions-makers using data to transform their city.

The guide covers types of data in smart cities; establishing a data sharing culture; a data value chain, and its roles and responsibilities; purposes for data use; assessing data states; defining access rights for data; and data formats of transportation.

Full data interoperability requires a data framework to be created across the entire spectrum of data for a city: open, closed and shared data. For some cities, there will also be a need to establish specific data sharing agreements, particularly where data is being shared by multiple organizations simultaneously.

Dan Palmer, Head of Manufacturing at BSI, said: “PAS 183 was created to make the process of sharing different sets of data as easy as possible, and set out guidelines for appropriate use of data.

“This PAS provides clarity around what types of data can be published as open data, what can be shared and what should be kept private. The sharing of as wide a range of data as possible is essential in order for both city authorities and citizens to make informed decisions about the options open to them.”

This guide is part of a wider suit of PASs, including PAS 180, 181, 182 – guides which defined the vocabulary terms for smart cities, a smart city framework, and a smart city concept model respectively.

PAS 183 does not cover national security issues; good practice for use of data by the citizen; existing inoperability agreements between cities; defining application programming interfaces (API); any data sharing rules and regulations specific to a particular jurisdiction.

The following organizations were involved in the development of PAS 183 as members of the steering group: BSI Consumer & Public Interest Network; Cities Standard Institute; Cambridge Centre for Smart Infrastructure and Construction; D4SC Ltd (Design for Social

Change); Digital Built Britain (BIM Task Group); Digital Catapult; FlyingBinary Limited; Fujitsu; Future Cities catapult; Greater London Authority; Imtech Traffic & Infra UK Ltd; iStand UK; Living PlanIT SA; Local Government Association; Centre for the Protection of National

Infrastructure; Ordnance Survey Ltd; Red Ninja; Royal Academy of Engineering; Royal Borough of Greenwich; SmartKlub Ltd; University College London; UrbanDNA.

First UK company certified by BSI and registered on OASIS to new aerospace Quality Management System standard

Produmax is the first UK company to be independently assessed by BSI (British Standards Institution) and achieve certification to prEN 9100:2016 Quality Management Systems. Requirements for Aviation, Space and Defence Organizations. Produmax is also the first organization globally to be registered on OASIS (Online Aerospace Supplier Information System) to prEN 9100.

The revised international standard, which was published in 2016, specifies the requirements for establishing, implementing, maintaining and continually improving a Quality Management System (QMS) for organizations in aviation, space and defence. It represents the latest best practice for those in the industry to manage and monitor quality across all operations. 

EN 9100 builds on the revised Quality Management Systems Standard , ISO 9001 which was updated in 2015 to include a high level structure (HLS) – featuring terms, definitions, headings and text common to all management system standards, allowing easier integration when implementing multiple management systems. Top Management also have greater involvement and responsibility in the revised version and are required to ensure that the management system is fully integrated throughout the organization. 

Jeremy Ridyard, Managing Director at Produmax commented: “Attaining this standard is vital for our business as it provides our customers with the comfort that we deliver quality products on time, and that we have the necessary processes in place to manage and reduce risks.

“Our involvement with the Sharing in Growth scheme has definitely helped to prepare us for this transition, alongside the hard work and dedication of our whole team – including BSI. We’re very proud to be the first in the UK to be registered on OASIS.”

Andrew Launn, EMEA Systems Certification Operations  & Compliance Director at BSI said:  “Produmax should be delighted that they are the first UK organization to achieve certification from BSI to the new standard which clearly demonstrates their commitment to quality and customer satisfaction.

"AS/EN 9100 is a great tool for any organization that wishes to enhance quality and customer satisfaction, continually improve operations and demonstrate Organizational Resilience. With supply chains becoming more complex, the importance of achieving, maintaining and improving quality is vital.

“We would encourage other BSI customers to make the transition as early as possible and are ready with a fully resourced team of expertly trained auditors to help make the transition as smooth as possible.”  

Some of the other key changes within AS/EN 9100 will allow organizations to:-

• Facilitate continual improvement: Regular assessment will ensure businesses continually use, monitor and improve their processes.

• Increase market opportunities so organizations can demonstrate to clients excellent levels of traceability throughout the supply chain.

• Increase efficiency that will save businesses time, money and resources.

• Ensure compliance with a system supported by regulatory authorities that helps to mitigate risk.

• Motivate, engage and involve staff with more efficient internal processes.

• Help organizations trade as it’s often a requirement of the aerospace industry that companies have implemented a QMS. It also independently demonstrates that they have in operation an effective and audited management system. 

– 5月13日(星期六), 来自20国的200余名生物技术领域专家参加会议-

□韩国产业通商资源部国家技术标准署表示，生物技术国际标准化技术委员会(ISO/TC276)全会于5月13日(星期六) 上午9时在首尔JW万豪酒店开幕。

* ISO/TC 276会议主要内容: o ISO/TC276是探讨并制定生物技术领域相关国际标准的唯一国际机构，于2013年成立，有5个工作小组（working group）。

* 经济合作与发展组织(OECD)在‘生物经济2030 (The Bioeconomy to 2030: Designing a Policy Agenda)’报告书中将生物技术看作为克服气候变化及人口老龄化等人类共同面临的难题的关键技术，强调了生物技术的重要性。

o 现在生物技术的国际标准尚处于空白状态，各国为了抢先制定相关国际标准正在暗中展开激烈的竞争。

* ISO/TC 276组织及国际标准化促进现状：附录2

□ 本次全会中，来自20国的200余名生物技术领域专家共聚一堂，商讨制定了20项标准（案）*。

* ISO/TC276 工作小组(WG)主要商讨议题 :

    其中，由韩国提出的国际标准(案)有：

①  第二工作小组提出的“哺乳类细胞株培养程序”；

②  第四工作小组提出的“生物相关细胞培”。目前，细胞株的保存与品质管理问题已经成为国际热点，韩国对此提出的解决方案受到世界各国生物技术专家的瞩目。

** 细胞株(Cell Line)在适当的培养液和空间中可以无限增殖的细胞。

除此之外 ③在这次全会中，韩国拟提出动物细胞培养过程频繁出现的“支原体感染度测定与检验”的必要标准化技术，这一标准有望带动生物技术发展到新阶段。

□韩国国家标准署表示，为抢占生物产业的世界市场，国际标准的重要性日益凸显。美国、日本等世界主要国家为争夺国际标准化的主导权展开相互竞争和战略合作，这成为了世界趋势。

* 2014年生物产业市场情况：(Global Biotechnology, MarketLine, '15.02) : 美国(America) 1,437亿$(44.5%), 欧洲(Europe) 930亿$(28.8%), 亚太(Asia-Pacific) 775亿$(24%), 韩国 81亿$(2.5%)

o我们期待本次首尔全会的召开，能成为促进韩国专家参与战略性国际标准化活动的良好契机。

Zweiter Entwurf DIN ISO 45001 Arbeitsschutzmanagementsysteme

Der zweite Entwurf der DIN ISO 45001 „Arbeitsschutzmanagementsysteme – Anforderungen mit Leitlinien zur Anwendung“ ist erschienen – die Veröffentlichung wird frühestens im März 2018 erwartet.

Die Abstimmung zum ersten Entwurf (DIS) der ISO 45001 erreichte im May 2016 nicht die erforderliche Zustimmung von über 75 %. Der Entwurf wurde daraufhin, auf Basis der über 3000 eingegangen Kommentare, grundlegend überarbeitet und steht nun als zweiter Entwurf zur Abstimmung.

Der Norm-Entwurf gliedert sich in zwei Teile. Während der Hauptteil die Anforderungen festlegt, stellt Anhang A eine Anleitung zur Verwendung des Dokuments dar. Ein Ziel bei der Erarbeitung der Norm ist eine Angleichung mit ISO 14001 „Umweltmanagementsysteme – Anforderungen mit Anleitung zur Anwendung“ zu erreichen, um Organisationen die gleichzeitige Anwendung der beiden Normen zu erleichtern. Kernpunkte der überarbeitung waren:

Der Anwendungsbereich wurde an den Anwendungsbereich von ISO 14001 angeglichen und durch den Hinweis auf die Erfüllung gesetzlicher Vorschriften ergänzt.

Einige der Unterklauseln in den Abschnitten 8 und A.8 wurden neu nummeriert und an der Nummerierung in ISO 14001 ausgerichtet.

Die Aufnahme eines neuen Abschnitts 10.1 und dem dazugehörigen Abschnitt im Anhang A.10.1 um die Norm an ISO 14001 und an ISO 9001 „Qualitätsmanagementsysteme – Anforderungen“ anzugleichen.

Weiterer informativer Text in Bezug auf Vertragspartner wurde in Abschnitt 8.1.6 aufgenommen.

Der Definition von „ausgliedern“ wurde eine zusätzliche Anmerkung hinzugefügt und der Text in Abschnitt A 8.1.4 zum Thema „Ausgliedern“ wurde überarbeitet.

Für September 2017 ist die nächste Sitzung des zuständigen internationalen Projekt-Komitees ISO/PC 283 „Occupational health and safety management systems“ geplant. Sollte dem zweiten Entwurf in der aktuellen Abstimmung zugestimmt werden, kann frühestens im Herbst 2017 mit dem Schlussentwurf (FDIS) und im März 2018 mit einer Veröffentlichung gerechnet werden.

Von deutscher Seite werden die Arbeiten vom NA 175-00-02 AA „Arbeitsschutzmanagementsysteme“ im DIN-Normenausschuss Organisationsprozesse (NAOrg) intensiv begleitet. Es ist beabsichtigt, sie als nationale Norm (DIN ISO) zu veröffentlichen.

Innovation meets sustainability for IT-enabled business processes

 Standards Australia has recently adopted the international standards for IT enabled services business process outsourcing (ITES-BPO). The series of standards is titled AS ISO/IEC 30105, Information technology-IT Enabled Services-Business Process Outsourcing (ITES-BPO) lifecycle processes.

  ITES-BPO providers need to deliver strategic, sustained business value while managing risks. The AS ISO/IEC 30105 series can improve consistency, delivery quality and predictability in the delivery of ITES-BPO services. It aims to provide clear return on investment for customers and service providers.

The five part series covers the full ITES-BPO lifecycle:

• Part 1: Process reference model (PRM)

• Part 2: Process assessment model (PAM)

• Part 3: Measurement framework (MF) and organization maturity model (OMM)

• Part 4: Terms and concepts

• Part 5: Guidelines

   The standards were originally developed by the international committee ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 40, IT Service Management and IT Governance, and then adopted by the Australian committee IT-030, ICT Governance and Management. Jan Begg, Chair of both committees, explained the background and importance of AS ISO/IEC 30105.

 “The global BPO market is reaching close to USD $200 billion, and research shows

inconsistency and unreliability in supplier services is decreasing business value.

Customers today are demanding not only lower costs, but also increasing levels of

innovation and performance.

   “These international standards are the culmination of seven years of work and the collective wisdom of industry, research, academic and expert representatives from at least eleven countries. Australian experts have been active supporters of this project given the market need and complexity of multiple supplier contracts.

“I am hopeful that organisations will see the clear focus on the delivery of business value and adopt these standards,” said Ms Begg.