Limits of standardization: DIN 820-1 updated

The DIN 820 series of standards, Standardization, lays down all the essential rules under which standardization work is conducted in Germany. Following the latest revision, Part 1 now explicitly specifies what content and aspects should not be standardized.

Standards in the DIN 820 series govern standardization itself. The series is therefore of great importance for standardization as a whole. DIN 820 encompasses a number of documents governing aspects such as the presentation of standards, terminology and the procedures followed during the development of standards. The standards committee responsible for development of the standardization rules is NAGLN, Principles of Standardization.

In particular, DIN 820-1, Standardization – Part 1: Principles, is probably unrivalled by any other standard in determining the work of German standards bodies. It was revised in the routine cycle between 2020 and 2022 and republished in November 2022. The standard explains, for example, how standardization work is organized with the organizations involved and the structure of DIN standards committees, their various working committees and their responsibilities. This includes provisions concerning the make-up of the committees and for the authorization of experts delegated to them. It also specifies how the German body of standards as a whole is composed: of standards developed nationally by DIN, and standards of European and international standards organizations adopted by DIN.

Topics that should be standardized and those that should not

Clause 7 of DIN 820-1 describes how standards are developed. Following an exhaustive discussion of the effects and consequences of standards, including their relevance under civil and criminal law, a restructuring of Clause 7 was deemed warranted. In particular, Sub-clause 7.2 describing the limits of standardization is completely new. KAN expressly welcomes this development, as the content and aspects suitable for standardization and those that should be excluded from it are now specified. The KAN Secretariat was extensively involved in the revision process with regard to its relevance to occupational safety and health, and submitted proposals regarding the content to the standards committee.

As a result, Clause 7 has been substantially restructured, and the limits of standardization are now stated in a second sub-clause at the beginning of the clause. Three areas in which standardization should not be conducted are now explicitly stated:

• Legislation and political decisions by relevant institutions, whether at German regional or federal level, or that of the EU. Legislation always takes precedence over standards, as do the rules and regulations of chambers and self-governing bodies with a statutory mandate.
• Content that lies within the remit of the social partners in Germany. The basic right of collective bargaining autonomy under Article 9 (3) of the German Basic Law accords prominent regulatory competence to the social partners, which empowers them to assume certain labour and social policy functions autonomously.
• Standards must not define ethical values, but only their technical implementation, for example in relation to artificial intelligence. Standards must not address religious and ideological values at all.

Standards and standardization projects containing subject-matter such as these are not to be launched, nor is support to be given to such initiatives at the international level. Conflict with the above areas must also be ruled out in the development of standards whose scope does not explicitly include such content.

The recast of DIN 820-1 heralds a new chapter, at least for German standardization, since for the first time, standardization is now setting limits of its own within which it may operate in the future. However, since the majority of standardization work now takes place at European and international rather than national level, it would be desirable for these principles also to be established at those levels.

Freeric Meier
meier@kan.de