Standards, who needs them, who creates them and how are they created

For the professional engineer, standards can be a blessing and bane all in one, sometimes being seen as a useful guide to what is expected whilst at others seen as a block to innovation. 1.1I have been in the lift industry since 1963 and spent half this time working in the field of stands development, firstly with Otis Ltd and then as Technical Director of the Lift and Escalator Industry Association. I was heavily involved with the development of many of the standards you will have heard of, such as, BSEN81 parts 1, 2, 3, 28, 58, 70, 71, 72, 73, 76, BS7255, EN13015, BS5655, BS5656, BS5588, ISO4190 - 1, 2, 3, 7, ISO14798 and many others. The process for creating standards is well defined but varies slightly with the type of standard or document being created. 1.2 British Standards are under the control of the British Standards Institution (BSI) and they have their own set of complex rules that have to be followed. The creation of European standards has another set of rules as does the creation of ISO standards. Before we worry about writing a standard someone must determine if a standard is required. What subject is to be addressed and who should create it?