Did You Know?
8/30/2019
Did You Know? offers a quick look at the broad scope of activities underway within the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Federation of members and partners, highlighting recent accomplishments and new resources related to standardization.
UL Offers Free Machine Risk Assessment Tool
Underwriters Laboratories (UL), an ANSI member and audited designator, has a machine risk assessment tool available on their website at no cost for all interested stakeholders.
The tool provides information on risk assessments and machine safeguarding audits of industrial machinery to various standards. Users will have access to a spreadsheet that provides a starting point for industrial machines installed in the United States. UL also recently published an article on how machine safety assessments minimize risk, emphasizing how safety can be improved and risk lowered by looking not only at the machines themselves, but also how humans interact with these machines in their daily operations.
Access the free machine risk assessment tool on UL's website.
AAMA Publishes New Resources on Aluminum Costs and Attributes
The American Architectural Manufacturers Association (AAMA), an ANSI member and accredited standards developer, has developed a new webpage and infographic through its Aluminum Material Council.
These resources provide information on the costs, strength, and recyclability of aluminum, including details on the benefits it offers such as reduced shipping and installation costs, design flexibility, and sustainability. An infographic illustrates pricing for aluminum, outlining account commodity markets, transaction premiums, and material conversion, with additional notes on the effects of tariffs within the U.S. and beyond.
See AAMA's website to learn more and access these free online resources.
ASME Infographic Highlights Wind Energy
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), an ANSI member and accredited standards developer, has developed an infographic that provides information on wind farms and their potential use in the U.S.
"Offshore wind farms, common off the coasts of Europe, are heading to American shores," reads the infographic. While no offshore wind farms have been built in North American waters since the first one in 2016, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has leased 15 blocks off the coasts of eight different states. The infographic shows where these blocks are, providing information on the acres leased and potential energy outputs.
See ASME's website to view the infographic and learn more about wind farms.
ISO Updates Website for Improved Accessibility
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has updated its website to offer improved accessibility for all users. ANSI is the U.S. member body to ISO.
Some changes to the website that improve accessibility include higher contrasted text and bigger and bolder visuals that makes it easier for those with limited or partial eyesight to read. The update also features clearer headings that give users insight into where they are on the website, with an easy way to navigate up to parent-level pages.
"We've tried to create a clean and uncluttered experience that not only gives our site a contemporary look, but presents information in a more intuitive way," said Lionel Egger, lead web designer at ISO. "At the previous launch, we were really trying to ensure adaptability across all devices and to implement the organization's evolved visual identity. This time around, accessibility is the focus."
Learn more in the ISO news item.
