Samuel Asekhauno didn’t begin his career in standards. He started out as a geologist. But when you listen to how he talks about member enquiries, the leap from studying what’s underground to untangling complex standards questions starts to make sense.

“As a geologist, you’re trained to work with incomplete information,” Samuel says. “You look at data, patterns, context and you build a picture of what’s really going on.”

Similarly, enquiries to the BSI Member Enquiry Service (MES) rarely arrive fully formed.

“Members are typically not sure exactly what they’re looking for,” he explains. “Often, members have a situation or a project, and they’re trying to work out what applies, what doesn’t, or where to start.”

As a Research and Data Analyst in BSI’s Research and Intelligence team, answering enquiries from members, Samuel’s role involves piecing together partial information, navigating the standards landscape around it, and helping turn uncertainty into something clearer.

How Samuel found his way into standards

Samuel’s route into standards wasn’t a straight line, but there was a common thread. “I’ve always worked with data,” he explains. “Understanding it, manipulating it, and turning it into something meaningful.”

Standards were present, but largely in the background. “In previous companies, I knew we worked within ISO standards like ISO 9001 and environmental management systems,” Samuel says, “but I didn’t really understand standards in depth at that point.” That all changed when he joined BSI in 2019.

The types of enquiries members bring

When members contact the MES, there are two common themes. “Most member enquiries are either about identifying a particular standard,” Samuel says, “or someone working on a project who genuinely doesn’t know what standard they should be using.”

Sometimes the starting point is broad. “Someone might say, ‘I’m developing a product using this material, so are there any standards that apply?’ Because they’re members, we can carry out subject searches and provide a list of relevant standards.”

Other enquiries push closer to interpretation. “We do get a lot of questions about how to interpret or apply a specific clause within a standard,” Samuel explains. “That’s something that requires technical expertise in that particular field and it is therefore something we can’t do.”

In those situations, the focus shifts to careful signposting to appropriate trade associations or organizations represented on the relevant committee that developed the standard.

Behind the scenes, a single enquiry can involve several teams. “It might pass through committee managers, sales teams, or other internal stakeholders,” Samuel notes. “It’s rarely just replying to an email.”

When enquiries get personal, or persistent

Some enquiries stand out more than others. Like a member determined that a particular standard should be withdrawn.

“He was very persistent,” Samuel says. “The standard had been published in the 1980s, and he felt it was no longer relevant and shouldn’t still be listed as current.”

“Eventually, after many discussions with the responsible committee, it was officially withdrawn,” he says. “It definitely wasn’t a typical enquiry!”

“I once spent over 25 minutes on the phone about a boiler query, someone complaining that a particular standard wasn’t being followed.”

Those conversations often reveal common misunderstandings. “A lot of people assume standards are law,” Samuel explains. “Or they don’t realize that once a standard is withdrawn, it’s no longer maintained by the responsible committee, even if it’s still referenced somewhere.”

What keeps the work interesting

What Samuel enjoys most is the breadth of the work. “You end up with a working understanding of the whole standards ecosystem,” he says. “How standards are developed, who’s involved, how they’re used, and why they matter.”

That awareness carries into everyday life. “Now I notice standards everywhere,” he laughs. “Door hinges, gas pipes, kite marks. Once you work here, you can’t unsee it.”

A word of advice

For people encountering standards for the first time, Samuel keeps his advice grounded. “The first thing is to understand what you’re actually trying to achieve,” he says. “Once that’s clear, it’s much easier to work out where to start.”

“Standards can feel daunting,” he adds, “but they don’t have to be.” Especially not when there is an ex-geologist to do the groundwork for you.

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Members can contact the Member Enquiry Service on knowledgecentre@bsigroup.com or +44 20 8996 7004.