Standards Societies
Standards and Certification
Throughout this website I reference the
American Boat
and Yacht Council standards (ABYC), Underwriters
Laboratories (UL), The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), The
National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), The International Standards
Organization (ISO), and others. All but ISO are overseen by the
American National Standards Institute (ANSI). Even though this site is
primarily about United
States Coast Guard regulations, any person entering the
marine business, building, designing or repairing boats, or equipment
for boats should be aware
of these organizations.
For many years these organizations have been
setting standards for not only boats, but for our homes, automobiles,
aircraft, and household appliances. Instead of government regulation many
industries felt it was better to voluntarily determine and use
industry established standards for safety. If they did not, Congress
would step in and pass laws regulating them. All of them use members of
the industry and public who volunteer to staff committees. Members
are not paid and generally pay their own expenses, although some may be
reimbursed by their employer. Each committee deals
with a specific subject. Usually the people on these committees are the
top experts on the subject. Standards are proposed, voted on by
committee members, reviewed by a board of technical advisors selected by
the members, and then
published for review and comment by all the members of the particular
society. Necessary changes are made, if any, and then voted on.
Eventually the standard is published and made available to anyone who
wishes to have a copy. They are not free. Usually there is a fee that
covers the costs of publishing the standard. Members are usually
given a discount. Now, with the internet, most of these are available on-line.
Many of these societies also offer education and
certification opportunities. After taking a course, and an exam, a
technician can be certified by the society to have met a specific
standard of knowledge in their technical expertise. For those who wish
to, and think they have the knowledge, the course can be waived and the
exam taken.
ABYC: Established in the 50's as the Yacht Safety
Bureau , the ABYC standards are used by most of the marine industry in
the USA, Canada and many other countries, and were heavily referenced by
the International Standards Organization (ISO) when developing their own
standards for recreational boats. ABYC is a member of ISO and
represents the US on recreational boat standards. Some ABYC standards
are referenced in the United States Code (USC) and The Code Of Federal
Regulations (CFR), and in effect have the force of law. The most recent
example is ABYC Standard A-33, Emergency Engine Cutoff Switches (Kill
Switches), which was referenced in Title 43 USC 4312 and is now required
on motorboats with propulsion developing more than 115 lb. (about 3 HP)
of thrust.
ABYC also offers classes in various standards
leading to industry certification in the subject. An example is
Certification of Marine Electricians. They also offer courses that do
not involve certification.
ABYC standards are used by the National Marine
Manufacturers Association (NMMA) to certify the boats manufactured by
their members. Their members produce approximately 80% of the
boats made in the USA. Staff from these manufacturers attend annual
seminars to learn the standards and how to comply with them.
Underwriters Laboratory (UL): Underwriters
Laboratory. Although based in the US, UL is a global
organization and has been around for over 120 years. Look at the
appliances in your home or the power tools in your shop. Almost every
one of them will have a UL label. This means that UL has actually
tested this product (not the individual tool you hold) against specific
standards. If it passes, it gets the label. UL has a marine
division for marine products such as life jackets, flame arrestors,
starter motors, blowers, etc. and they will have a UL Marine label.
Almost all electrical products used on boats will have been tested by
UL. UL 1426 is the universally accepted standard for marine wire. The
manufacturers of the products pay UL to test their product. Some of the
UL Marine standards such UL 1500, the standard for ignition protection,
are now being administered by ABYC.
SAE: Established in 1905, the Society Of
Automotive Engineers is actually
an international organization recognized by almost all countries as the
experts in setting automotive standards. But they do not limit
themselves to cars and trucks. They have marine standards,
primarily for fuel and electrical systems on boats.
NFPA:
Established in 1915, NFPA is involved with safety and preventing fires, and
primarily deals with shore side issues. However, they have marine
standards for electrical, fuel and ventilation systems, fire
extinguishers, flame arrestors, electrical systems at marinas, and other
issues where fire safety is involved. The hallmark of the NFPA is the
National Electrical Code. The NEC is the US
standard for all electrical systems. It is not a Federal law, but it has
been adopted by most states and municipalities as the standard for safe
electrical practices. NFPA publishes many other safety standards, in
particular
NFPA 302 Fire Protection Standard for Pleasure and Commercial Motor
Craft which deals primarily with fuel, electrical and
ventilation.
NMEA: The National Marine Electronics Association:
They establish and publish standards for networked marine electronic
equipment and it's installation on recreational boats. They work with
government agencies that regulate this industry to influence legislation
and regulations. Their most significant achievement is the standard
known as
NMEA 2000 Standard for Serial-Data Networking of Marine Electronic Devices
Solar
America Board For Codes and Standards (Solar ABCS)
A collaborative effort
funded by the U.S. Department of Energy that dedicates experts to
transforming solar markets by improving building codes, utility
interconnection procedures, and product standards, reliability, and
safety, and is part of its overall strategy to reduce barriers to the
adoption of solar technologies and to stimulate market growth.
ISO: The
International
Standards Organization (Actually the International Organization for
Standardization) is the international body for setting standards for
everything from soup to nuts. They have a division that deals
specifically with recreational boats. There are many committees involved
with this. The US is a member. ABYC was designated by the US Coast Guard
as the US representative on the recreational boat committees. When
necessary a Coast Guard member will sit on the committees as well.
Outside of the US, most countries accept ISO as their national
standards. European Union (EU) standards are all based on ISO. The
Recreational Craft Directive, the EU standard for recreational boats, is
taken directly from ISO.
ANSI: American National Standards Institute:
A quasi government organization that oversees all standards societies in
the US, and foreign societies that do business in the US. ABYC,
UL, NFPA, SAE are all recognized members of ANSI.
Standards Testing Laboratories
Underwriters Laboratory Inc. (UL). Tests and certifies
products to it's own and to Federal standards.
Immana Laboratory:
An independent privately owned facility that tests and certifies marine
products.
Southwest Research Institute (SwRI): A laboratory that does
research and testing for many things. They have been heavily involved
with research and testing for the EPA and USCG, for environmental
standards.
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reserved. Revised 03/11/2019
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