Publicatie van de Maand: April 2001

Tekst overgenomen met toestemming van:
ISO-BULLETIN, april 2001 (COMMENT)

Geschreven door: Paul Makin
Chairman of ISO/TC 199, Safety of machinery



The use of standards as educational tools.

Most of us involved in writing the standards consider that this process is in itself beneficial because of the consolidation of global knowledge and the benefits that arise from working together. 

So far so good: but why is the sale of standards not accelerating at the same pace as the world economy, and why do so many surveys show that standards are not being used in the activities where they could be helpful, and sometime key, to solving problems within their field? This is particularly relevant in the field of small and medium enterprises - in other words the very organizations where standards can be most beneficial. 

I am obviously aware that the situation cannot be improved overnight. However, there is one area where action can be taken that will inevitably lead to a long-lasting, permanent increase in the understanding and use of standards. 

This is to promote the use of standards as an integral part of the educational process. Consider the current situation. Books are still the basis of every educational course - whatever the level or type of course. Every discipline has a core of books - written by experts eminent in that topic - that are an essential part of the learning process. Consider the situation if we were able to gather together all of the best experts in a topic and get them to write the definitive book on the subject. This book would be a best-seller and its sales, high. 

But of course the cost would be out of the reach of any one publisher, and it is unlikely that such eminent experts would subsume their individual status. But surely that is exactly what we do when we assemble in the Working Group and write a standard. The published standard contains the distilled wisdom of the world's best experts. 

Therefore, we have a unique product which logically would be extremely useful in educational establishments devoted to technical subjects in the world. But the real situation is that most educational establishments - particularly those teaching vocational and advanced subjects - do not use them and, worse still, most do not realize their potential. This is as much a problem in the developed countries - which should not have any excuse - as the developing countries. 

The standards community needs to recognize this problem, and actively promote these standards as educational tools at every pressure point of the education process. We must tap into the existing programmes within United Nations agencies as well as national educational structures. We should stress to the WTO that a well-educated workforce - that includes making the best use of our standards - is an essential component of world trade. 

Naturally, I am aware that to make the system work we need to consider the requirement for cash to promote the use of the standards, and of the fundamental problem of copyright. But surely the advantages of using standards as textbooks in relevant educational establishments makes it worth overcoming these problems? 

I hope that I have stimulated everyone to take action this day. But just in case I have made you depressed, let me leave you with an example of what can be done. A team of French lecturers and safety experts took EN 292, Safety of machinery - now ISO/IEC DIS 12100 - as the basis for a computer- based programme that teaches students the way to design a machine taking account of all risks. This package is called LOGINORME and has been widely distributed throughout the French educational system. It is now being tested - under the aegis of ISSA (International Social Security Association) - in Germany, Portugal and Spain, and a recently prepared English version will now make it possible to extend the scope of its application. Can we use this good example as a stimulus for further action?