Your Standards, Your Say is a free, easy to use, web-based tool designed to encourage participation from all those who have an interest in a subject area. Comments are moderated onto the system and are then made visible to registered users, giving everyone the opportunity to see what other participants contribute.
Previously, once a national standard was at a stage where it was mature enough for public consultation and comment and proposed changes, a copy could be purchased from NSAI. The commenter then collated their comments in isolation and without the benefit of seeing whether or not that comment has already been made, using a standard format. Those comments were then submitted to the relevant NSAI committee where they were collated, ready for submission to the committee for review. The new process allows visibility of all comments to all users and automates the collation process.
Why has NSAI opened Your Standards, Your Say?
The system has been produced to enable access to Enquiry Drafts to a wider community of stakeholders; to facilitate collaborative working and to enable NSAI to manage comments on drafts standards originating from the Republic of Ireland. As a result, Ireland will get more robust and relevant standards through wider participation, raising the quality of national standards, and highlighting standardization activity. It also allows NSAI to engage with the market, and learn more about the subject, the potential customer and users of the standard to make them more relevant.
Who can make comments via Your Standards, Your Say?
Any registered user can comment on drafts currently out for public comment. All you need to do is register and you’ll be ready to participate.
How can I find out what drafts are available?
All nationally created drafts will be available through this Portal. Nationally created drafts start with I.S., S.R. or SWiFT followed by the number, for example I.S. 123.
Why can I see other users’ comments?
Making other comments visible means you can see straightaway whether a particular point has already been made. It allows you to respond to comments you disagree with or to avoid repetition of comments already made.
For some draft documents comments will not be visible to all users as comments will be moderated in batch at the end of the comment period.
What will happen to my comments?
For draft NSAI publications all comments received are sent to the responsible National committee or drafting group for review and, where appropriate, incorporation into the document.
For draft international (ISO or IEC) and European (EN) standards all comments received are sent to the responsible NSAI advisary panel for review (if one exists) and, where appropriate, incorporation into the Irish national position submitted to ISO, IEC, CEN or CENELEC. Where no NSAI advisary panel exists NSAI will forward any comments received directly to the international or European committee. If you are visiting this website from outside Ireland and you wish your comments to be considered by your local National Standards Body then you can find their contact details on the ISO, IEC, CEN or CENELEC websites.
Will I be contacted by NSAI?
If you leave a comment about a draft you will be able to see the status of your comments by visiting your My Profile page. Occasionally you may be contacted by NSAI for further clarification on a comment you have left.
By registering on Your Standards, Your Say you are giving NSAI permission to contact you about relevant products and services. See our Privacy policy for more details.
What if I want my comments to be private?
No personal information is made public on the website. Comments of a private or sensitive nature can be sent, by email, to NationalEnquiry@nsai.ie. Comments are displayed as follows:
Comments
22 Feb 2010 (2)
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Definition is ambiguous and needs clarifying.
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Amend to read ‘…so that the mains connector to which no connection…’
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The use of the UV photometer as an alternative cannot be supported as serious problems have been encountered in its use in Ireland.—
Delete reference to UV photometer.
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How do I make a valid comment?
You should make a comment that addresses the validity, purpose, usability or clarity of the particular clause of the draft or one that relates to the standard in general. It is important that users do not comment on a draft without submitting a proposed change. Such input may not pass moderation and is unlikely to be taken into consideration when the comments are reviewed by the committee.
Example 1
Comment on this section: Definition is ambiguous and need clarifying.
Proposed change: Amend to read ‘…so that the mains connector to which no connection…’
Example 2
Comment on this section: The use of the UV photometer as an alternative cannot be supported as serious problems have been encountered in its use in Ireland.
Proposed change: Delete reference to UV photometer.
Spellchecking
It is possible to enable spellchecking in your browser if you are using Firefox as follows: * Go to Tools -> Options -> Advanced -> Browsing and enable "Check my spelling as I type" * Right-click in a text input field. Then select 'Add dictionaries'. Select an appropriate dictionary, and install. * Spellchecking can then be enabled/disabled using right click -> check spelling.
Internet Explorer does not have a built in spellchecker, but there are several addons available which can enable spellchecking in IE, for example, ieSpell or IE7Pro.
Why hasn’t my comment appeared yet?
Comments do not automatically appear on the site. Each comment and proposed change is subject to moderation by NSAI before being posted.
How do I know that my views have been considered?
Once the period for comment has ended, the entire set of comments are reviewed and incorporated as appropriate within the standard. This review is conducted by a representative group of experts and NSAI using the NSAI formal procedure to review, accept or reject comments. See "What will happen to my comments?" above where no panel exists. It is not possible to provide you with individual feedback on your input, however all comments are considered by a committee. The final published version of the standard is the definitive incorporation of received input.
Do I have to pay to comment?
No. It is free to register and comment on any draft within Your Standards, Your Say. NSAI has designed this tool to encourage participation from all those wishing to comment. A hardcopy of the draft this can be purchased from our Distributor, SAI Global (+353 1 857 6730). Email: info@standards.ie.
Who do I contact if I need help?
If you cannot find the answer to your question within this page please contact NationalEnquiry@nsai.ie