To find standards quickly and easily, you need to understand a few things about them, and your options in accessing and managing them. 

Let’s take a look at what you need to know.

What are the different types of standards?

All standards set out criteria or principles that let you make assumptions about a particular product, service or practice. However, not all standards are the same.

The identifier (name) of a standard gives you important information about it. 

When you see ‘BS’ at the start of a standard identifier, this means it is a British Standard. European standards adopted for the UK start with ‘BS EN’, while international standards adopted for the UK might include ‘ISO’ (for the International Organization for Standardization), or ‘IEC’ (for the International Electrotechnical Commission).

Next comes a number that helps identify the specific document. If it is part of a series, a number will indicate this – for example, BS 1234-1:2020 would be a British Standard, Part 1 of a multi-part series with the identifier 1234, published in 2020.

What is a PAS, PD or Flex?

You might also wish to use documents that are not standards as described above, such as Published Documents (PDs) or Publicly Available Specifications (PASs). 

A PAS is a fast-track standardization document created when a private sponsor wishes to record a particular approach to a process, service or product. The result of an expert consulting service from BSI, a PAS defines good practice for a process, service or product. It can be a powerful way to establish the integrity of an innovation or approach. PASs often form the basis for developing a future standard.

Some standards don’t need to be backed by the same degree of public consultation and consensus. In many cases they are provisional, and subject to further development on the basis of experience gained during the first year or two of their use. These include standard-type documents that don’t have the same status as British Standards and come under the catch-all category of Published Documents (PD).

BSI also publishes Flex standards, which are iterative documents that can be produced quickly to record best practice in a fast-moving area. BSI Flex standards are reviewed and amended frequently, helping to ensure that they keep pace with change.

You can learn more about PAS and Flex standard development here. 

Using BSI Knowledge

If your organization uses multiple standards across different departments, a BSI Knowledge subscription might be the best way to access standards. It acts as a standards management system, providing access for multiple users across multiple sites.

A subscription allows you to access pre-built modules, or build your own personalized collection which helps to reduce cost. As standards are automatically updated, you can also be sure you’re always using the most up to date guidance.

Using the Standards Development Portal

Standards are produced with input from experts on technical committees, who see the document through various stages of development to ensure that the final version represents a consensus view. As the UK National Standards Body (NSB), BSI has an important role in facilitating the development of new standards.

You can see standards that are under development on the Standards Development Portal, with details of proposed and draft standards. You can contribute to the development of standards within the portal – for example, by suggesting changes to content proposals, commenting on drafts and proposing amendments.

Contributing to the development of standards can be rewarding and informative, helping you to learn about change in your industry and use your expertise to ensure that new standards are of the best possible quality. You might even choose to become a committee member yourself.

How to buy individual standards

Individual standards can be bought online from BSI Knowledge. If you know the identifier of the standard you want, you can search for it and be taken directly to it. You can also browse by popularity, goal (for example, reducing cost), sector or subject (for example, data protection).

It is also possible to search BSI Knowledge using a keyword, then refine the search by using filters to select particular sectors, categories, publishers or the status of the standard (for example, current or withdrawn). It is important to know the status of each standard as these are regularly reviewed and updated. Withdrawn standards can be useful – for example, if you need to know which standard applied when a system was designed or a building was completed.

You can order standards in either hard copy (print) or soft copy (PDF) format, and a discount is applied for BSI members. Hard copies are posted to you; soft copies are available for immediate download for 8 days following purchase.

Once you become familiar with the different options for identifying and accessing standards, it is quick and easy to find them. Why not explore your options and find out what suits you best?

Any further questions on standards?

By knowing how to navigate the bibliographic information of a standard on BSI Knowledge successfully, you can unlock even more value for money from BSI standards.

If you have further standards questions, there is help at hand for BSI Members as part of their subscription. Members can call on the skills and resources of the professional researchers of the BSI Member Enquiry Service. Just email knowledgecentre@bsigroup.com.

Discover more about BSI Membership

Become a BSI member and you’ll be joining 11,000+ organizations committed to making positive change through standards. You’ll get extra support in implementing standards via a team of research professionals and stay up to date with relevant changes to standards with a monthly spreadsheet. Your personalized Membership certificate and digital Membership badge will help your organization stand out from the competition too. And every member enjoys a 50% saving on British Standards and BSI Knowledge subscriptions, and up to 50% on other standards and subscriptions. Find out more about BSI Membership here.