American Risk Management Standards

The American system and documentation of standards is written more as a strategy and a long term plan that looks to the global future than just a focus on risk management today. The United States Standards Strategy (USSS) is a revision of the National Standards Strategy for the United States (NSS). The first NSS reaffirmed that the United States (U.S.) is committed to a sector-based approach to voluntary standardisation activities, both domestically and globally.

 It established a standardisation framework that was built upon the traditional strengths of the U.S. system, such as consensus, openness and transparency. It also provides additional emphasis to speed, relevance, and meeting the needs of public interest constituencies (USSS 2010, p. 8). The article asks Governments (at all levels in their consideration of policies and legislation), to recognize the societal benefits of standards development organisations and their role in public health and safety. Public Law 104-113, which is the National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act (NTTAA) remains the cornerstone at the federal level for promoting the use of voluntary consensus standards for both regulation and procurement within the US (NTTAA 1995, p.1).