Editorial
Faster. But not at all costs!
The European Union aims to become more competitive – and standardisation should follow suit. New standardisation document formats, such as the European Agile Specification, hold the prospect of greater speed and flexibility. These efforts in the interests of speeding up processes may appear justified. We should not forget, however, the reasons for European standardisation’s success to date. Without broad participation in standardisation processes, and without public enquiries and a consensus among all stakeholders, standardisation loses its legitimacy, and thus also its capacity to have a positive influence on occupational safety and health. Standards development is viewed, with some justification, as a slow and bureaucratic process. The basic principles that make it so, such as comprehensive involvement of all affected parties, are however the very things that ensure broad acceptance of the outcomes and provide legal certainty.
Areas relevant to safety are precisely those in which sound, practical principles are needed – and not quick fudges. The political focus upon competitiveness should not lead to proven principles being watered down. Faster processes are needed, but abandonment of these principles should not be the price.
If Europe intends to be ready for the future, innovative developments and dependability must go hand in hand during standardisation work. This means that reforms must be implemented without shaking the foundations. This is essential if standardisation is to continue to contribute to occupational safety and health in the future.