You might be an engineer if: you take a cruise so you can go on a personal tour of the engine room in university, you thought that Spring Break was metal fatigue failure the sales people at the local computer store can’t answer all of your questions at an air show, you know how fast the skydivers are falling you still own a slide rule and know how to use it

It is essential that only such words should be used by the law-giver as are bound to produce the same notions in the minds of all men. Montesquieu

To the optimist, the glass is half-full To the pessimist, the glass is half-empty To the engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be

In every situation, in every trade or profession, there is a certain idea which is so much present to one’s mind, so clearly implied that it seems unnecessary to state it when speaking. Michel Breal

Interdisciplinary Practice in the Transportation of Dangerous Goods March 20, 2002

Why do we need engineers? Build, design Develop energy system

Why do we need government? Civilized rules to govern society Legislation & Enforcement

What is the connection between engineers and government? Safety Provide society with goods and services that make life better, more comfortable and safe

How is this safety achieved? Legislation Primary Subordinate

What is legislation? Written document Policies & principles Guide human behaviour Ensure societal norms

Just what are standards? Establish accepted practices & technical requirements Set out characteristics of product, service or system Ensure product, service or system is uniform, compatible & safe

How are standards incorporated into law? Reproduced directly into statute or regulation Incorporated by reference into statute or regulation

How does all this relate to me?

Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act, 1992 Politicians:Statute - 19 pages in length Bureaucrats:Regulations pages in length Engineers:Standards - 30,000 pages in length

Types of standards prescriptive - product characteristics performance - tests that simulate product performance under actual service conditions design - specific design or technical characteristics of a product management - management processes

What is the role of standards? benefit public safety, health, welfare assist and protect consumers facilitate trade and commerce within and between countries advance the national economy “consensus process”

Standards Council of Canada (SCC) federal Crown Corporation 15-member governing Council mandate: to promote efficient and effective standardisation reports to Parliament through the Minister of Industry national & international role

SCC-accredited Standards Development Organisations (SDOs) Canadian General Standards Board (CGSB) Canadian Standards Association (CSA) Underwriters Laboratories of Canada (ULC) Bureau de normalisation du Québec (BNQ)

International system of standards development International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) International Telecommunications Union (ITU)

How does Canada contribute to international standardisation? SCC coordinates Canadian contribution SCC is a member body of ISO (& IEC) Canadian Advisory Committees (CACs) for each of the ISO technical committees, subcommittees, and working groups SCC submits Canadian votes & comments represent SCC when attending meetings SCC can be the Secretariat of a ISO technical committee or subcommittee

How are international standards developed & used? An example 54 ISO standards published 48 current work items

UN Model Regulations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods

No intelligent man will be so bold as to put into language those things which his reason has contemplated … if he should be betrayed into so doing, then surely not the gods but mortals have utterly blasted his wits. Plato’s Seventh Epistle

Language has, in fact, many of the qualities possessed by human beings themselves: it tends to be emotional when pure reason is required, it is sometimes unsure of what it means, it changes form, meaning, sound. It is slippery, elusive, hard to fix, define, delimit. Anthony Burgess A Mouthful of Air

Clear Law Why is the standard necessary? To whom does the standard apply? To what does the standard apply? Where does the standard apply? When does the standard apply? How does the standard work?

Brimful (overflow) capacity - maximum volume of water in litres held by the packaging when filled through the designed filling orifice to the point of overflowing in its normal position of filling.

Determination of brimful capacity - a packaging intended to contain liquids shall be filled to not less than 98% of the brimful capacity. The brimful (overflow) capacity is determined for example by: weighing the empty packaging including closures (mass empty = m kg) and weighing the packaging full (mass m kgs brimful = W kg)

The packaging shall be filled with water until the water just overflows and then fitting the closure and any surplus mopped up. No steps shall be taken, e.g. by tilting or tapping the packaging, to enable the water to penetrate into a hollow handle or other design feature above the closure. b = W - m b is the brimful capacity in litres. W is the mass of the packaging when brimful with water in kilograms. mis the mass of the empty packaging in kilograms.