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LINKING PEOPLE, JOINING NATIONS
procedural documents covering the rules for voting on IIW standards by the Commissions
and IIW Member Societies, as well as a long term strategy for SC-STAND, with Dr
Glenn Ziegenfuss (USA) and Dr David Shackleton (UK) both playing central roles in the
formulation of these documents. Although gaining acceptance in principle, the process, in
view of the pressing circumstances to get important IIW documents approved, was slow and
tedious and remained so as measures to resolve the many issues concerning standardisation
descended into stagnation and resignation, with no further sign of publication of IIW
standards. Describing the problem was a lot easier than trying to solve it.
A fitting example of the frustration and difficulties in getting IIW
standards approved by ISO was the review of ISO 2560:1973
Covered
electrodes for manual arc welding of mild and low alloy steel – Code of
symbols for identification
, that involved C-II chaired by Dr Damian Kotecki
(USA) from 1991 to 2002. After submitting the draft of the revised standard,
the ISO/TC 44/SC3 task group detailed a number of amendments to be made
to the draft for IIW to consider. After the amendments had been incorporated
into the draft the revised document was then approved at IIW’s General
Assembly in Stockholm in June 1995 and the draft was resubmitted a second
time to ISO for approval as ISO/DIS 2560.2.
Again there was a substantial delay in ISO voting on the draft standard which
did not begin until August 1998. Although 14 members voted in favour the vote failed to
achieve a 75% majority with eight countries, all western European in origin, voting against.
According to ISO rules, having failed twice, a complete rework, not a minor revision, would
be required before the draft standard could be resubmitted. The dismay from the Pacific
Rim countries was expressed in no uncertain terms, particularly by Japan that was opposed
to having a revolution in their standards forced upon them by ISO. A
revision of a globally relevant standard such as ISO 2560 therefore
appeared impossible.
27
Not to be daunted, Mr Shinsuke Tsutsumi, Japan’s
representative on ISO/TC 44/SC3, gave voice to a new proposal
for a ‘cohabitation’ standard to solve this domination by Europe
of international standards; that is, one path being the European
approach and the other based on Pacific Rim standards. In doing
so, despite the different classification paths, most filler metals
could be classified according to both paths, which could be
acceptable to the ISO Central Secretariat.
28
Kotecki was
to write two letters to ISO explaining that ‘two somewhat
different systems of national and/or regional standards for
classing filler metals have evolved in the world market.
Damian Kotecki