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LINKING PEOPLE, JOINING NATIONS
International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), had already stressed in their World
Standards Day message that ‘…survival itself is at stake’. In stressing the importance of
their words the two Presidents signalled what the future was likely to be with respect to
standards and their involvement in changing minds and opinions. ‘Let us not forget that it
is technology which in the long run will give our children and their offspring a world fit to
live in … this technology is the heart of the world standardisation effort.’
7
IIW, inescapably,
was destined to be part of that effort also.
This theme was later to be reflected in the expected challenges of the 1990s when
trying to bring about environmentally sustainable growth in an economical and equitable
way. It was something that IIW had to be cognisant of, more so since other authorities, such
as the Union of International Technical Associations (UITA), were also applying pressure
by suggesting the adoption of a more environmentally friendly approach to their policies.
8
IIW was to take on such issues and garner a more serious attitude to social responsibility in
the new millennium.
In considerationof this, the relationshipwith ISOandother international
organisations was of extreme significance, particularly since IIWhad become
an international standardising body approved by ISO to develop standards
in the field of welding and related processes in 1986. There were ominous
signs that this relationship was starting to wear thin in the early 1990s due
to the fact that IIW did not fully appreciate the significance and value of
the approval it had received from ISO, or adhere fully to ISO practices and
documentation.
9
Additionally, it had no effective working system in place to
assist the standardisation process. The warning messages received from ISO
on IIW’s performance appeared to have gone unheeded at this time despite the
possibility of IIW losing its status with ISO.
10
There was much to do therefore,
in the 1990s, to improve the relationship with ISO and other standards
authorities such as the European Committee for Standardization (CEN).
Actions to improve these relationships were of great urgency and signified more than
anything the dichotomy that IIW now faced. It was producing work of great importance
from among its Commissions, however inertia in decision-making was impacting on its
relationships, both within and without the Institute, as an effective welding organisation. One
of the problems was the lack of standards writing knowledge within IIW and the difficulty in
complying with the exact ISO format. The IIW Scientific and Technical Secretariat provided
by the French Institut de Soudure and others within IIW worked to resolve these issues and
the Scientific and Technical Secretary, Mr Michel Bramat, was to report later that, as far as
relations between IIW, ISO and CEN were concerned, procedures to harmonise the working
programmes of these three organisations were now under development.
11