The South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) published a record 414 national standards in the financial year ended March 31, 2021, broadening the scope of technical specifications of products, services and management systems in the South African market.
This includes new, adopted, amended and revised standards. New standards alone amounted to 127.
This compares with the 359 national standards published in 2020 and 241 in 2019.
Information contained in the total 7 400 South African National Standards (SANS) are fundamental to the economic and industrial optimisation of the country.
SANS are developed and published through technical committees, which comprise members of the public and include industry stakeholders, academics, students, regulators and interested persons.
Technical committees are run by an elected chairperson and there is no financial or monetary gain for any member of the committee.
“The time to develop and publish each standard varies, as every new or amended standard requires public participation. Technical committees take into account every comment or concern raised in the participation process and in some cases further amendments and consultations with the public are required, before a SANS can be concluded and published,” explains SABS Standards divisional head Sadhvir Bisson.
Bisson attributes the record number of SANS published in 2021 to better functioning technical committees and committed members, increased participation from regulators and departments, and efficiencies from virtual platforms as well as within the SABS.
SANS evolved over the years to reflect technological and regulatory changes and it is imperative that all organisations become familiar with SANS, apply and comply to SANS and take the next step to ensure that compliance is verified through an independent body.