The Elimination of Outdated Standards Also Applies to the Instrumentation Industry

The draft revision of the Standardization Law was submitted to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress for its third review on the 31st. The third draft clarifies the review cycle for standards and requires standard-setting departments to promptly eliminate outdated standards and effectively address the problem of aging and lagging standards.

The third draft adds a provision: the review cycle for standards should generally not exceed five years. After review, standards that are no longer suitable for economic and social development and technological progress should be revised or abolished in a timely manner.

It is understood that some members of the Standing Committee suggested that standards determine quality, and only high standards can ensure high quality. Therefore, the general provisions should explicitly require improving the scientific nature and quality of standards. The third draft adds a provision: the formulation of standards should be based on scientific and technological research results and social practice experience, involving in-depth investigation and demonstration, and widely soliciting opinions to ensure the scientific nature and standardization of standards and improve their quality.

In addition, some members of the Standing Committee and the public suggested that corresponding responsibilities should be stipulated for the State Council's standardization administrative department's failure to perform its duties in accordance with the provisions of this law. The third draft of the bill adds a provision: If the State Council's standardization administrative department fails to initiate, number, review, or register relevant standards in accordance with the provisions of this law, or if the standards it formulates do not comply with the relevant provisions of this law, it shall promptly rectify the situation; responsible leaders and directly responsible personnel may be disciplined according to law.

Standards that are not adapted to the needs of economic and social development and technological progress should be revised or abolished in a timely manner, and this also applies to the instrumentation industry. In this process, instrumentation companies can actively participate in the revision and improvement of standards, contributing ideas for their own development and industrial expansion.