Standards and Practices - Structural Integrity of Offshore Wind Turbines - page 35

BOX 3-1
Regulations, Standards, and Guidelines
The use of various terms to describe technical guidance is com-
mon among engineering disciplines. Some terms have specific and
generally accepted definitions, and others are less precise. The fol-
lowing describes the terms used throughout this document and
the class of documents to which they refer, with some background
on how these documents are typically developed.
Regulations. Regulations are sets of requirements promul-
gated by government authorities. Although they may be inter-
national and implemented by way of treaties (for example,
International Maritime Organization regulations applicable to
international shipping), regulations are generally established
at the national and state levels. Rules and regulations devel-
oped by the various U.S. federal agencies are codified in the
Code of Federal Regulations.
Standards. A standard is a document that has been developed in
accordance with a protocol. Diverse interests are represented,
there is a process for resolving opposing opinions, and the final
version is adopted by a consensus vote of the constituencies
involved. Examples of organizations that follow a recognized
standards development process are the International Organiza-
tion for Standardization, the International Electrotechnical Com-
mission (IEC), the American National Standards Institute, the
American Wind Energy Association, and the American Petro-
leum Institute (API). Standards may be international, national,
or industry-specific in scope, and the term “standard” may not be
present in the title. In this report, “standard” refers to any docu-
ment developed according to a recognized process and subject to
a vote of constituencies to establish a consensus before becoming
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