IMPORTANCE OF STANDARDS

Standards are everywhere. Without standards our society would not function.

A standard is a document established by consensus that provides rules, guidelines or characteristics for products, services or systems. Simple things we take for granted, from traffic signals to units of measurement, are the same from one place to another, thanks to standards.

Standards are essential in helping ensure public safety and confidence, reduce costs, improve quality and market products and services. Many products and their components are tested to ULC’s standards, with the result that consumers live and work in a safer and more reliable environment than they would have, otherwise.

ULC is accredited as a Standards Development Organization, by the Standards Council of Canada (SCC), a federal Crown corporation that oversees Canada’s National Standards System. In Canada, standards are developed through consensus by balanced committees of stakeholders, and subjected to public review, prior to publication. The SCC also reviews standards submitted by standards development organizations for approval as National Standards of Canada.

What is an ORD?

Other Recognized Documents (ORDs) are guide documents developed when a Canadian recognized standard does not cover a new product to be certified. ORDs provide safety and performance criteria at an equivalent level to existing standards for products with similar functions.

ORDs are developed by the certification organization and submitted to the regulatory councils in Canada, which are authorities having jurisdiction for the product or service to be certified. For unregulated industries, ORDs are submitted to the appropriate industry association(s) for consideration of acceptability prior to being used for certification.

The development process for an ORD is usually faster than the development of a National Standard of Canada; typically 3 to 6 months, and is used to get new technologies to market quickly and safely. Certification of the product will not go forward until all ORD-related concerns of the regulators and others are addressed.

The cost of development of an ORD is borne by the manufacturer or regulator requesting the ORD.

ORDs are then usually submitted to the responsible Standards Development Organzation committee for development as a National Standard of Canada or may be renewed as an ORD if the regulatory authorities or the industry associations are in agreement.