Standards Snapshots highlight roles of diverse standards.
Press Release Summary:
NFPA 150, Standard on Fire and Life Safety in Animal Housing Facilities 2009 Edition, provides additional minimum requirements for protection of animals and humans in animal housing facilities. Regarding Geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD/T), ASME Y14.5-2009 includes changes that address concept of feature design, datum references and degrees of freedom, surface boundaries and axis methods of interpretation, profile tolerances and symbology, and modifiers' tools.
Original Press Release:
Voluntary Standards Cover the Spectrum: from Animal Housing Facility Safety to Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing
In an effort to communicate the vital role that standards play in daily life, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) will publish, on an ongoing basis, a series of snapshots of the diverse standards initiatives undertaken in the global and national standards arena, many of which are performed by ANSI members and ANSI-accredited standards developers. Two of the latest selections follow:
Animal Housing Facility Safety
The conditions of kennels, shelters, barns, veterinary facilities, zoos, stables, laboratories, and racetracks are equally important for the safety of animals and their human handlers. A recently revised American National Standard (ANS) from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), an ANSI organizational member and accredited standards developer, aims to protect humans, animals, and property in case of fire or similar emergencies.
NFPA 150, Standard on Fire and Life Safety in Animal Housing Facilities 2009 Edition, recognizes that animals are sentient beings with a value greater than that of simple property; that animals lack the ability of self-preservation when housed in buildings and other structures; and that current building, fire, and life safety codes do not address the safety of animals. This new version of NFPA 150 builds on the 2007 edition by clarifying minimum requirements for the design, construction, fire protection, classification, and maintenance of animal housing facilities so that they are in accordance with adopted building, fire, and life safety codes. The revised standard is not intended to replace or rewrite basic requirements for human occupants, but instead provides additional minimum requirements for the protection of both animals and humans in animal housing facilities.
NFPA is an international non-profit organization that works to reduce the burden of fire and other hazards by advocating for consensus codes and standards, and providing research, training, and education. NFPA is the world's leading advocate of fire prevention and authority on public safety, with a membership of more than 75,000 individuals from nearly 100 nations.
Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing
Geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T) is a symbolic language used by mechanical engineers to efficiently and accurately convey geometry requirements for features on parts and assemblies. Used in automotive, aerospace, electronic, and other manufacturing industries, GD&T communicates design intent in order to assure that the allowable part and assembly geometry defined on technical drawings (blueprints) leads to parts that have the desired form, fit, function, and interchangeability when manufactured. By providing uniformity in drawing specifications and interpretation, GD&T reduces guesswork throughout the manufacturing process and helps to save time, improve quality, and lower costs.
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) recently published ASME Y14.5-2009, Dimensioning and Tolerancing, a revised ANS that provides useful clarifications to the 1994 edition. ASME Y14.5-2009 includes changes that address the concept of feature design, datum references and degrees of freedom, surface boundaries and axis methods of interpretation, profile tolerances and symbology, and modifiers' tools. The document's content has been restructured for better readability, helping designers to fully and reliably express the desired functions of machine parts.
ASME, an ANSI organizational member and accredited standards developer, is a not-for-profit professional organization promoting the art, science, and practice of mechanical and multidisciplinary engineering and allied sciences. ASME develops codes and standards that enhance public safety, and enables learning and technical exchange opportunities benefiting the global engineering and technology community.
