By Navita Yadav, Scientist D, Joint Director, HRBO, BIS
Every October 14, the world comes together to celebrate World Standards Day. This global observance underscores the critical role that standards play in our daily lives, from the products we use to the infrastructure we rely on.
This year’s World Standards Day theme, aligned with the multi-year campaign “Shared vision for a better world” and SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure, highlights the critical role of standards in shaping a more sustainable future.
Standards are a set of rules or guidelines that establish a common language and framework for products, services, and processes. They ensure consistency, compatibility, and safety, ultimately improving quality of life.
Bureau of Indian Standards is the National Standard Body of India established under the BIS Act 2016 for the harmonious development of the activities of standardization, marking and quality certification of goods and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.BIS has been providing traceability and tangibility benefits to the national economy in a number of ways – providing safe reliable quality goods; minimizing health hazards to consumers; promoting exports and imports substitute; control over proliferation of varieties etc. through standardization, certification and testing.
Standards, often overlooked but crucial components of our daily lives, play a vital role in ensuring safety, quality, and efficiency across various industries. By setting requirements for product design, manufacturing, and use, standards help prevent accidents and injuries, safeguarding consumers and workers alike.
Moreover, standards guarantee that products and services meet specific quality criteria, ensuring customer satisfaction. This means that when we purchase a product or avail of a service, we can trust that it will meet our expectations and perform as intended.
Beyond safety and quality, standards also contribute significantly to efficiency. By streamlining processes, reducing costs, and improving productivity, standards help businesses operate more effectively and competitively. This benefits not only businesses but also consumers who can enjoy lower prices and faster delivery times.
Perhaps one of the most significant advantages of standards is their ability to ensure compatibility between products and systems. This means that different products and systems can work together seamlessly, eliminating the need for costly and time-consuming adjustments. For example, standards ensure that electronic devices can be used with different chargers and that software programs can be compatible with various operating systems.
Finally, standards play a crucial role in facilitating international trade. By providing a common language for businesses to communicate and transact, standards help to break down barriers and promote global economic cooperation. This benefits both businesses and consumers, as it allows for a wider range of products and services to be available at competitive prices.
The writer is Scientist-D, Joint Director, HRBO, BIS