Opportunities for International Liaison: Acoustical Standards in the New Millennium

The global economy of the new millennium presents both challenges and opportunities to manufacturers, consultants, researchers, and regulatory bodies when dealing with noise and vibration issues. Safety, interoperability, uniformity of data exchange, and quality assurance are no longer bound by national borders. Selected standards for acoustics, noise and vibration are examined from the perspective of international liaison opportunities. Examples of national adoption, international adoption, harmonization, and parallel standards that differ are discussed. The benefits and drawbacks of each liaison approach are examined as they apply in each case. An overview of the relationship between national and international standards bodies is also presented.