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Standards

Standards: A standard is "a formula that describes the best way of doing something. It could be about making a product, managing a process, delivering a service or supplying materials – standards cover a huge range of activities." (ISO)

Required: standards tutorial

Note: the recommended browser for these tutorials is Chrome.

Intro to Standards

How to research standards

If you are doing a general search for standards that might apply to your project:

(a) Consult with experts and stakeholders who may be aware of relevant standards, e.g. faculty supervisor, research colleagues, or clients.

(b) Search the FDA Consensus Standards by keyword(s).

(c) Browse the FDA Consensus Standards by selecting the appropriate area in the "Specialty Task Group Area" dropdown menu.

(d) Prompt an AI tool for suggestions (but! keep in mind AI tools will return only a subset of possible matches and may return hallucinated information).

Once you have identified a standard that may be relevant, gather more information about the standard and how it is used:

(a) Look up the standard on the website of the standards development organization (e.g., ISO, IEEE, etc.). The SDO website should show an abstract and scope note.

(b) Search for academic or professional publications that describe the standard. Academic databases include PubMed and Google Scholar.

If you determine that a standard is relevant and you need a copy of the full text:

(a) Check the standards listing under Available now.

(b) If the standard you need is not listed there, skip to the Request a copy of a standard box to place an order.

ISO/IEEE 11073-10404 (2020)
This is an example of a standard for a medical device: ISO/IEEE 11073-10404 (2020) Device specialization— Pulse oximeter

FDA Consensus Standards

FDA Consensus Standards
This site is a database of "consensus" (ie. voluntary) standards endorsed by the FDA Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH), which has responsibility for the premarket approval of all medical devices. The FDA does not issue its own standards - some consensus standards are issued by ISO, some by IEEE, some from by other organizations.

TIP: run searches with the "Keywords" field; also review standards in the relevant "Specialty Task Group Area".

Search SDO websites

These are some (though not all) of the standards development organizations (SDOs) that maintain standards pertaining to biomedical engineering.

ASTM International
ASTM issues standards pertaining to a wide range of materials, products, systems and test procedures.
IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency)
The IAEA's standards include standards for medical exposure to radiation.
IEC (International ElectroTechnical Commission)
An international SDO that publishes standards for various electrical, electronic and related technologies.
IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers)
UVM affiliates have direct access to the full text of all current IEEE standards. (Draft standards are not available.)
ISO (International Organization for Standardization)
The ISO maintains more than 20,000 standards pertaining to a wide range of technologies. Use the search feature to run keyword searches, then select the option to limit results to "Standards".
OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration)
OSHA is a federal regulatory agency. It issues and enforces standards for workplace health and safety.

Available now

The standards and standards collections listed below are freely available from the UVM Libraries or from the SDO.

ANSI Incorporated by Reference (IBR)
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) provides read-only access to many standards that have been incorporated by reference in the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). There are no print or download options. Standards include ISO, IEC, and others.
IBR standards hosted by SDOs
Several SDOs provide read-only access to standards that have been incorporated by reference (IBR) into US law. They include AHRI, AISC, ASHRAE, AWWA, ICC, NFPA, and UL.

IEEE Xplore Digital Library This link opens in a new window
UVM affiliates have access to all published IEEE standards through IEEE Xplore. (Access does not include draft standards.)

A Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets (7th ed) by American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
Call Number: Howe Library (3rd Floor) TE175 .A55 2018
ASCE 7-22: Minimum Design Loads and Associated Criteria for Buildings and Other Structures

ASME Y14.5 and IEC 60529
ASME Y14.5 Dimensioning and Tolerancing and IEC 60529 Degrees of protection provided by enclosures (IP Code) are available via the i2i website. See the directions in the linked file.

ASSIST QuickSearch for MIL-STD
Most military standards (MIL-STD) and specifications (MIL-SPEC) are freely available to the public.

Belt Conveyors for Bulk Materials (7th ed.) by Conveyor Equipment Manufacturers Association
Call Number: Howe (3rd floor) QUARTO TJ1390 .C66 2014
International Building Code 2024
Chapter 35 lists (by issuing organization) all standards referenced in the IBC.

Request a copy of a standard

Order a standard
Use this form to submit requests for standards.

Some questions

How do you know you've applied all the relevant standards? What is the procedure if you can't find a standard that relates to your project?
How ethical is it that standards must be purchased? Doesn't that place limitations on who can innovate?
What are the consequences of missing a standard?
How are the "experts" that agree on the standards chosen?
Do standards have patterns of bias to them? Are they created to work best for a certain race, gender, or ability?
If we don’t know how to comply with a standard (we don’t know how to find/use a material needed for a sterilization standard), who can we go to?
What if a company wants to make something that they think will outperform whatever the standard is? For example, using the Baltimore fire hydrant issue, what if the couplers were standardized and a company came along and said "I can make a better one, but it doesn't fit the standard."
After graduating, how would you go about gaining access to these standards?

Librarian

Graham Sherriff

(he/him)

Email Me

Contact:

graham.sherriff@uvm.edu or MS Teams chat

Liaison to:
College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences, US Patent and Trademark Office

Subjects: Computer Science, Data Science, Engineering, Materials Science, Mathematics, Physics, Statistics