The Standards Development Department (SDD) is responsible for the development and maintenance of national standards and the formulation of national positions on regional and international standardization issues.. The Department manages and coordinates the work of various technical committees, comprised of representatives of relevant stakeholder groups and technical experts, that contribute to the overall development of national standards.
Standards are developed in a wide variety of fields by Technical Committees comprised of experts in each field. The Standards Development Department of SLBS is responsible for planning and coordinating the development of national standards in addition to participating in international standards activities.The specific activities of the department includes:
- Research activities and foresight planning for identification of greatest priorities for standardization
- Formulation of draft standards and identification of suitable regional and international standards for adoption as national standards
- Review and maintenance of national standard
- Periodic consultations with producers, service providers, Government Agencies, the private sector, consumer representatives, special interest groups and the general public to promote the concept and importance of standardization in national development
- Participation in regional and international standardization
The standards development work programme of SLBS focuses on the development, adoption and promotion of standards that will enhance product or service competitiveness and ultimately the economic development of St. Lucia. These standards may be developed from scratch but such an approach is often costly and time consuming. Also there is always the very real possibility that the lengthy developmental process will culminate in no more than a re-invention of the wheel.
The SDD programme is designed to achieve this objective. The execution of duties are guided by the principles outlined in the ISO Code of Ethics, WTO good standardization practices, relevant ISO/IEC directives and the procedures and work instructions of the SLBS. These principles include:
- a) openness
- b) all inclusive participation by all stakeholders, including the public
- c) timely and adequate notification of activities related to regional or international standardization
- d) balance of interests in technical committees [producers; distributors; consumers; government; academia;special interest groups, etc.
- e) respect for differing views and objections
- f) achieving consensus
- g) preparation and maintenance of records
- h) appeals and dispute resolution mechanism
In view of this, the Standards Development Department encourages technical committees to adopt regional or international standards that will bring greater benefits to St. Lucia on a wider scale. Technical Committees operate on a consensus principle and the public is also given the opportunity to examine and comment on all draft standards before they are adopted as National Standards.
Current technical committees operating at the St. Lucia Bureau of Standards include:
SLBS TC 1 National CODEX and Food Safety
SLBS TC 2 Agricultural Products and Practices
SLBS TC 3 Chemicals and Chemical Products
SLBS TC 4 Construction and Engineering
SLBS TC 5 Environmental Management
SLBS TC 6 Tourism
SLBS TC 7 Advertising
SLBS TC 8 Metrology
SLBS TC 9 Telecommunications
SLBS TC 10 Mechanical Engineering Products and Practices
SLBS TC 11 Blood Bank and Transfusion Services
SLBS TC 12 Furniture
SLBS TC 13 Electrical Products and Electronics
SLBS TC 14 General Consumer Products
SLBS TC 15 Beauty and Wellness
SLBS TC 16 Early Childhood Development
SLBS TC 17 Social Responsibility
The Saint Lucia Bureau of Standards [SLBS] is a member of standards setting organizations such as ISO, IEC, COPANT, CODEX & CROSQ. THe Standards Development aspects that are accrued due to membership of these organisations are coordinated by the SDD. This enables the SLBS [and by extension St. Lucia] to participate in and contribute to the development and application of regional and international standards and other related deliverables. SLBS contributes to this process through:
- a) active participation in the work programmes of selected technical committees, sub-committees, or working groups established by these organizations
- b) commenting and voting on committee draft standards, draft regional/international standards, final draft regional/international standards and other standards related documents, issues, etc
- c) establishing national mirror technical committees, ad hoc advisory groups, etc. to monitor the technical work of these regional/international organizations
- d) participating in surveys on the application and impacts of regional/international standards and other related deliverables