How National Standards are Developed

St. Lucia National Standards are developed in accordance with the WTO’s Code of Good Practice for the Preparation, Adoption and Application of Standards. The following outlines the process undertaken:

The preparation of standards is undertaken upon the Standards Council’s authorization. Recommendations are made to the Council based on requests from national organizations, the general public, existing technical committees, or Bureau staff.

If the project is approved, it is referred to the appropriate technical committees, or the project is allotted to Bureau staff. In the absence of an appropriate technical committee, if deemed necessary, a new technical committee is formed. A technical committee comprises of experts and stakeholders in the relevant field and a Bureau staff member serves as secretary.

The draft document is then made available for general public comment. All interested parties, by means of a notice in the press, are invited to comment within a 60-day period. In addition, copies are forwarded to those known to be interested in the subject.

The technical committee considers all the comments reviewed, and amends the draft accordingly. The final draft is then recommended to Council. On council’s approval notice of the standard is published in the gazette and local newspapers, and copies are placed for sale. 

If compliance with the standard is deemed necessary for the health and safety of consumers, Council may recommend to the Minister to declare the standard compulsory. If necessary the Minister may seek to obtain the formal concurrence of any other Minister who may be responsible for any area which the standard may affect. The compulsory standard is then sent to the Attorney General’s Office for vetting and final review to ensure compliance with current legislation.

A national standard is normally reviewed and updated every five years in an effort to reflect the latest developments in safety and technology, as well as current realities in the marketplace and consumer demands. Amendments to, and revisions of standards normally require the same procedure as is applied to the preparation of the original standard. 

Your Role in Standards Development

The St. Lucia Bureau of Standards Bureau encourages the participation of you the consumer, the businessman or woman and professional organization in its standards development process. Persons are therefore invited to initiate the development of standards for products and services that affect them, by writing to the Bureau, expressing the need for standards in the area of interest.

You are also urged to take advantage of the opportunities given to involve persons in the drafting of standards as these documents affect every aspect of your daily life. For further information please contact us.