bsi consumer brochure topstandards uk en

7/29/2019 BSI Consumer Brochure TopStandards UK En

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The Top Ten Standardsthat matter to consumers BSI Consumer & Public Interest Network

raising standards worldwide


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What are standards?

Standards are published documents that

help to make products and services safe,

effective and efficient. They are written

through a formal process involving wide

consultation with relevant bodies

including consumer representatives and

come in the form of methods of test,guides, codes of practice, terminologies or

specifications.

Standards are not the same as legislation.

Their use is voluntary but they can and

often do provide the detail to underpin

legislation. Standards also often support

certification schemes, such as the well-

known Kitemark

.

Why standards matterto consumers

Standards matter to consumers because

they help to protect them, and to ensure

that consumers are given enough

information to make informed choices.

Standards raise levels of quality, safety,

reliability, interoperability and efficiency.

How consumers play theirpart in standards

Consumers are important to BSI (which is

the National Standards Body) and to the

UK Government. Both actively support

consumer and public interest involvement

in the standards making process to ensure

their views are properly taken intoaccount. This function is performed by

representatives of the Consumer & Public

Interest Network, who are supported by a

small team in the Consumer & Public

Interest Unit (CPIU) at BSI headquarters in

Chiswick, London. This brochure has been

prepared by the CPIU.

2 www.bsigroup.com/ConsumerStandards

The Top Ten Standards thatmatter to consumers


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The top ten standards thatmatter to consumers

The top ten standards selected here

illustrate the areas where standards matter

to consumers: in accessibility, in safety, in

security, in sustainability and in services.

This is a far from exhaustive list. There are

around 27,000 published standards to

choose from, and for every one of the top

ten standards chosen, there were several

others that could (and possibly should) also

be mentioned. These other examples can

be found at:

www.bsigroup.com/ConsumerStandards

For now, it is intended that the following

small selection will offer a window into

the ways in which consumers can use and

benefit from standards.

The top ten standards

Accessibility:

Accessible buildings (BS 8300) 4

Accessibility of hotels (PAS 88) 5

Safety:

Fire safety (BS 9999) 6

Safety of toys (BS EN 71) 7

Security:

Personal data protection (BS 10012) 8

Internet safety for children (PAS 74) 9

Sustainability:

Environmental labelling

(BS EN ISO 14021) 10

Service:

Customer service (BS 8477) 13

Vehicle body repair (PAS 125) 13

Adventurous activities (BS 8848) 14

We have a long history of support for the use of standards. They have a fantastic track

record of success in bringing consumer protection and confidence into a wide varietyof areas. Historically this has been particularly the case in the manufacture of products

but increasingly we can see their benefit in various service areas. In an age of

better regulation they can also provide an important alternative to statutory

approaches to regulation.

Helen McCallum, Director of Policy and Communications, Which?

www.bsigroup.com/ConsumerStandards 3


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Accessible buildings

Since 2001 BS 8300 has provided guidance

and recommendations on how the built

environment can be designed or modified

to anticipate and overcome restrictions

that have caused problems for people

with disabilities.

The standard was revised in 2009 to

incorporate key changes, such as sanitary

Changing Places rooms, accessible

baby-changing and more information

on means of escape. It is applicable to

all buildings, except individual dwellings,

which are now covered in DD 266. It also

helps organizations to fulfil their legal

duties under Part 3 of the DisabilityDiscrimination Act.

BS 8300 Design of buildings and their

approaches to meet the needs of disabled

people. Code of practice

Accessibility for allWe are continuously working for standards that fulfil the basic consumer principles,particularly in the area of accessibility and inclusivity. With that in mind, our worksupports standards that promote the availability of products and services to allconsumers, regardless of where they live, their sensory, cognitive or physicalabilities and other social, cultural and economic considerations.

Accessibility for allWe are continuously working for standards that fulfil the basic consumer principles,particularly in the area of accessibility and inclusivity. With that in mind, our worksupports standards that promote the availability of products and services to allconsumers, regardless of where they live, their sensory, cognitive or physicalabilities and other social, cultural and economic considerations.


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Room for everyone

With over 10 million disabled people in the

UK, spending around 80bn on goods and

services, there is an increasing demand for

accessible hotel accommodation.

PAS 88 provides information for large

hotel premises and chains working to

meet the requirements of the Disability

Discrimination Act. It contains principles

of good practice and covers every aspect

of a hotel stay from access to bedrooms,

bathrooms and all public facilities, to staff

training, transport provisions and interior

features and design. A shorter version is

available for consumers to check what

hotels should be offering see the BSIconsumer website for details.

PAS 88 Guidance on accessibility of

large hotel premises and hotel chains

PAS 88 has been developed to help hotel companies extend a welcome for all

guests and to meet their ongoing obligations under the Disability Discrimination

Act. It explains ways of achieving this in association with British Standards, the

Building Regulations and guidance from tourism authorities in the United Kingdom.

It should be considered a useful tool as part of this process.

Brian Seaman, Head of Consultancy, Tourism for All


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Fire safety

Fire is ruthlessly destructive of human life

and property, so a large number of fire

safety standards exist to protect consumers

and communities.

Among them, BS 9999 builds on

government guidance to provide an

advanced approach to fire safety in the

design, management and use of buildings.

Its guidance on means of escape for

disabled people has been greatly expanded

from that in previous codes, to reflect the

principles of inclusive design. The standard

covers the design of new buildings and

alterations to existing ones, giving

guidance throughout the entirelifecycle of the building.

BS 9999 Code of practice for fire safety

in the design, management and use of

buildings

Safe and wellSafety has always been at the top of our agenda, particularly with regard tochildren, people with disabilities and older people. Safety standards can save lives,so we make sure consumers are involved across the board, from poweredlawnmowers to safety glass, from the burning behaviour of bedding to childresistant packaging, and many more.


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Childs play

Protecting children will always be

important and many standards take their

safety into account. BS EN 60335, which

ensures the safety of household electrical

appliances, is a good example of a

standard that includes requirements

dealing with common hazards for children.

Children at play are protected by

BS EN 71, an 11-part standard looking

at every aspect of toy safety, from

flammability and toxicity to their

potential to trap clothing or injure a

childs body. This standard underpins

the European Toy Safety Directive.

In most instances, toys that failto meet its requirements may not

be placed on the market. A separate

standard, BS EN 62115, deals with

the safety of electrical toys.

BS EN 71 Safety of toys

The importance of keeping children safe from accidents cannot

be overstated. BS EN 71 provides the detail which underpinsthe European Toy Safety Directive and as such makes a valuable

contribution to ensuring that children playing with toys

have fewer injuries.

Mike Hayes, Head of Research and Development,Child Accident Prevention Trust


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Protecting personal data

The cost of identity fraud has been

estimated at 1.7bn a year in the UK.

The Data Protection Act (DPA) provides

consumers with legal protection, but

recent BSI research showed that almost

one in five small businesses had unwittingly

breached the DPA at least once.

In response, BS 10012 sets out a framework

for organizations to maintain and improve

their DPA compliance, providing a tool to

manage consumers personal information

responsibly, confidently and effectively.

It includes procedures for training and

awareness, risk assessment, and data

sharing and disposal.

BS 10012 Data protection. Specification

for a personal information management

system

Secure and confidentSecurity is key for consumers, who need reassurance about products and servicesin terms of personal physical security, the security of belongings and the security ofpersonal information. Consumers are involved in a growing number of standardsbeing written to address these issues.


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Safer surfing

Concern over the safety of children

using the internet has been growing.

And although there are some commercial

internet safety products available, there has

been no way to benchmark their quality and

effectiveness, especially as the majority of

parents are often less conversant with the

technology than their children.

Some unscrupulous people use the internet

to groom children for subsequent abuse.

PAS 74 was written to help safeguard

children from this. BSI has also established a

Kitemark scheme, which manufacturers or

suppliers can use to show the public that

their products meet a minimum standard of

quality, effectiveness and ease of use. These

products are not a complete answer, nor are

they a substitute for parental involvement,

but they can be an invaluable aid for parents.

PAS 74 Internet safety. Access control

systems for the protection of children online

BSI's familiar Kitemark sends out a message to Mums and

Dads. It says this product has been tested and been found to

work to a high standard a standard which puts a premium

on usability. We all hope that when parents see the logo they

will feel encouraged to buy and use the product to help keep

their kids safe. That was the whole idea behind developing it.

Standards provide reassurance.

John Carr, Executive Board Member, UK Councilfor Child Internet Safety


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Caring for the environment

Many standards help organizations to

safeguard the environment.

PAS 2050 gives organizations a consistent

way to calculate the greenhouse gas

emissions of their goods and services across

their entire lifecycle from sourcing raw

materials, to manufacture, distribution,

use and disposal.

BS EN ISO 14001 sets out the framework

for an environmental management system.

This is currently enabling more than 154,000

organizations worldwide to measure and

reduce their environmental impacts.

BS EN ISO 14021 was written to address

a growing trend for manufacturers and

service providers to attach environmental

claims, symbols and declarations to their

products and packaging such as recyclable,

reduced resource use, and designed for

disassembly. It standardizes definitions and

makes these claims verifiable, accurate and

not misleading.

BS EN ISO 14021 Environmental labels

and declarations. Self-declared

environmental claims

Building a sustainable worldStandards now exist across the environmental and social responsibility spectrum;

these can play an important role in enabling consumers to expect and demandhigher sustainability standards from those who provide products and services.

Building a sustainable worldStandards now exist across the environmental and social responsibility spectrum;these can play an important role in enabling consumers to expect and demandhigher sustainability standards from those who provide products and services.


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The Olympic Games and Paralympic Games are the worlds biggest sporting events.

Underpinning our plans is the ambition to ensure that our Games are truly sustainable

and leave a lasting legacy. BS 8901 is inspired by this ambition and will benefit the

events industry long after 2012. It provides a coherent and flexible framework which

can be applied to all kinds of events and organizations no matter what their size.

David Stubbs, Head of Sustainability, London Organising Committeeof the Olympic Games & Paralympic Games

Sustainable events

From London 2012 to the village fte,

all events have an impact on the wider

community and the environment.

BS 8901 provides guidance to enable event

organizers and suppliers to continually

improve the sustainability of their events,

by developing and implementing systems

that identify, evaluate, and address the

environmental, social and economic

issues and opportunities.


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Service pleaseService standards are becoming increasingly important as consumers seek themeans to identify in advance what the service will cover, its quality, its safety andwhat can reasonably be expected of the service provider. Consumers have played alead role in the evolution of service standards, especially for customer service.


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Meeting customersexpectations

When customer service is poor, consumers

and businesses both suffer. BS 8477 can

play an important role in improving

customer service: it identifies essential

features that organizations need to

address to meet customer expectations.A partner standard is in development

which will help organizations identify

and respond to consumer vulnerability.

BS 8477 recommends that billing is in

accordance with BS 8463, a standard aimed

at giving consumers clear, accurate bills

for traditional utilities as well as internet

service and mobile phone use. Work onan international billing standard is now

underway. Additionally, the suite of

customer service standards, BS ISO 10001, 2

and 3, covers codes of conduct, complaints

handling and external dispute resolution.

BS 8477 Code of Practice for

customer service

Vehicle repair and servicing

Recent crash test research proved that

passengers are considerably less safe

in poorly repaired vehicles than in those

that are repaired properly. To safeguard

passengers, pedestrians and other road

users, PAS 125 provides bodyshops with

the requirements to achieve safe andtechnically sound repairs. The PAS underpins

the Thatcham BSI Kitemark scheme.

Similarly, PAS 80 defines requirements

for customer service at garages, ensuring

technical and service standards are

maintained. There is also a Kitemark

for PAS 80.

PAS 125 Automotive services. Vehiclebody repair. Specification

For more on the BSI Kitemark, see:

www.Kitemark.com

Having your car repaired by a Kitemark bodyshop could help save your life. The Kitemark is

there to show the motorist that the highest standards of repair have been applied to your

vehicle. It means that the actual repair has been done safely, using the right materials and

by skilled technicians so that your car offers you the same protection as it did before your

accident. Kitemark bodyshops are serious about the safety of motorists.

Quentin Willson, motoring journalist, broadcaster and consumer champion


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Safer adventures

BS 8848 was developed because

of consumer concerns about the

risks associated with adventurous

activities, and gaps in provider

responsibilities. BSI research

showed that one in four parents

didnt know who was in chargewhen their children were away and

82 per cent thought trips should

comply with a safety standard.

Parents, travel operators, educational

groups and adventure specialists

developed BS 8848. It was written to

manage the risks of injury or illness

from adventurous activities abroad, whileallowing the fun to remain, and is aimed at

anyone involved in organizing expeditions.

BS 8848 Specification for the provision

of visits, fieldwork expeditions and

adventurous activity outside the

United Kingdom


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keep an eye on standards development

work at: www.bsigroup.com/drafts

(all draft standards are circulated

for public comment);

ask to be part of the national

committees in their area of interest

developing UK standards or feeding

into European or international work;

propose ideas for new standards for

consideration by the relevant Technical

Committees;

actively sponsor the development of

a standard collaboratively producing

a Publicly Available Specification (PAS);

join BSIs CPI Network to have

a long term and active voice in the

development of consumer standards.

For more information on these standards

development opportunities, please contact

the Consumer & Public Interest Unit at

[email protected]

Standards tackling consumer detrimentConsumer and public interest organizations often campaign for changes tolegislation to right consumer wrongs. Standardization is another approach thatis flexible, can be quicker to accomplish and (because of the rules that governthe way BSI operates) allows consumers to be fully involved in the process.

Consumer and public interest organizations can:


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The Consumer & Public Interest Network (CPIN)works to give a voice to the consumer and thepublic interest in the standards making process.

We highlight areas where society will benefitfrom the development of standards and liaisewith representatives from consumer and publicinterest organizations to strengthen thisviewpoint on key issues.

CPIN plays an important role in ensuring theinterests of UK consumers are representedin European and international standardsmaking. CPIN is made up of individuals and

representatives of consumer and public interestorganizations, who take part in the standardsmaking process. They focus on the real lifeproblems of end users, such as disabled peoplewishing to access spectator facilities, or hotelguests who need safe emergency evacuationfrom hotels.

CPIN is supported by the CPI Unit, whichworks within BSI. The CPIU can instigate work

on new standards and is also the key contactpoint for consumer organizations to feed theirinitiatives and concerns into the standardsdevelopment process.

Contact CPIU

BSI Consumer & Public Interest Unit389 Chiswick High Road

LondonW4 4ALUK

Tel: 020 8996 7754Email: [email protected]/standards

Further information:This brochure can offer only a brief introductionto standards that help consumers. Many others

exist, including a set of international Guides.These are aimed at standards developers, butare of wider interest, and give advice onconsumer issues in areas such as packaging,instructions for use, service delivery,environmental aspects, child safety andsymbols. Details of these and a longer listof consumer standards can be found at:www.bsigroup.com/ConsumerStandards

To purchase any of the standards mentionedin this publication please contact:www.bsigroup.com/shop

About the BSI Consumer & Public Interest Network (CPIN)

raising standards worldwide

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