Deutsches Institut für Normung

The German Institute for Standardization (DIN) is the most important national standards body in the Federal Republic of Germany. It was founded on December 22, 1917 under the name " Standard Committee of the German Industry". A first name was changed in 1926 to " German Standards Committee " to express that the business is no longer limited to the industry. The present name was chosen in 1975 in connection with the contract between the organization and the Federal Republic of Germany standard contract. The compiled under the direction of working committees of this Organization for Standardization standards are referred to as DIN standards.

The German Institute for Standardization is a registered charity, is privately supported and assisted in its European and international standardization activities of the Federal Republic of Germany as the sole national standards organization. It offers the so-called " stakeholders " (manufacturer, trade, industry, academia, consumers, testing institutes and authorities ) providing a forum to develop standards by consensus. The interested group of consumers is represented by the Consumer Council of DIN. The DIN is a member of the European Movement Germany.

Basic principles

The basic principles of work of the DIN are laid down in DIN 820:

• User-friendliness
• Participation of all stakeholders
• Uniformity
• Voluntary
• Internationality
• Antitrust clearance
• Consensus
• Market orientation
• Use to the public
• Public
• Orientation to the common good
• Property relatedness
• State of science and technology
• Transparency
• Consistency
• Economy

Task

The task of the DIN is for the benefit of the general public, while respecting the public interest to encourage the standardization, organize, manage and moderate. The work results serve innovation, rationalization, communication in business, science, government and the public, the assurance of performance, quality, compatibility, interchangeability, health, safety, consumer protection, occupational safety and environmental protection. At its creation, the aim is that the generally accepted rules of technology are observed and the current state of the art is taken into account.

The electro-technical issues are of DIN and the German Association for Electrical (VDE ) German Commission electronics worked together in the DKE Electrical Engineering and Information Technologies of DIN and VDE.

The DIN is working with the international and European standards bodies CEN and ISO and in the electro-technical organizations IEC and CENELEC to represent German interests and to promote international free movement of goods. It organizes the integration of international standards into the German body of standards.

The DIN standards, are distributed free of charge in paper form and as a download from the Beuth Verlag, a subsidiary of the DIN Group. The publisher also distributes standard documents and other foreign standards bodies.

In Switzerland, the Swiss Association for Standardization ( SNV ) and in Austria is making the Austrian Standards Institute ÖNORM comparable work.

Organization and functioning of

DIN is a membership organization whose members are legal persons. The General Assembly elects the Bureau, which consists of representatives of all involved stakeholders (in all sectors of the economy, consumers, academia and the government). President since 2009, Klaus Homann.

DIN is guided by a Board, which projects the chairman of the board. The Chairman of the Board is also a member of the Bureau. The permanent staff of the DIN as secretaries ensure that the basic principles of DIN are adhered to, ie for example, that no interested circle is disregarded. They organize the work in the committees ( including international ), put on the work program and the budget of the standards committees and vote both from the steering committee, composed of representatives of interested parties. The DIN provides the electronic infrastructure for standards development.

The results-oriented activities ( for example, the distribution of standard documents by Beuth -Verlag) made ​​in limited liability companies as subsidiaries and affiliated companies. They contribute to the cost recovery of the nonprofit standardization activities.

Standards committees

The technical work of standardization is carried out on working committees or committees. For a particular standardization task only a working committee or a technical committee is responsible in each case. These committees or committees represent its role in both regional and international standards organizations. As a rule, several working committees are combined into a Standards Committee at DIN.

Some standards committees bear the name " standard point" for upper / lower case within the abbreviations of standards committees is unsystematic, many, but not all abbreviations for standards committees begin with " N". The names of some standards committees are misleading, for example, represents the Standards Committee automotive engineering the entire area of the automotive field. Currently ( end May 2013) there are approximately 70 standards committees. A full list can be found on the homepage of DIN eV

List of Standards Committees (selection)

• Committee of Standards Users (ANP )
• Standards Committee Acoustics, Noise Control and Vibration Engineering ( NALS )
• Valves Standards Committee (NAA )
• Standards Committee for Automotive Technology ( NAAutomobil )
• Construction Standards Committee ( NABau )
• Standards Committee Library and Documentation ( NABD )
• Dental Standards Committee ( NADENT )
• Services Standards Committee ( NADL )
• Standards Committee of iron and steel
• Electrical Engineering Standards (NE)
• Ergonomics Standards Committee
• Standards Committee precision mechanics and optics
• Standards Committee Fire Department (FNFW )
• Standards Committee heating, cooking and warming device ( FNH )
• Standards Committee Information Technology and Applications (NIA )
• Standards Committee Municipal Services ( NKT)
• Engineering Standards Committee (NAM )
• Materials Testing Standards Committee (NMP )
• Standards Committee Personal Protective Equipment
• Standards Committee round steel chains ( NRK)
• Property Standards Committee (NSM )
• Standard Shipbuilding and Marine Technology ( NSMT )
• Standards Committee welding and allied processes
• Standards Committee of sports and leisure equipment ( NASport )
• Standards Committee tanks ( NATank )
• Standards Committee Technical Fundamentals ( NATG )
• Terminology Standards Committee (NAT)
• Standards Committee event technology, image and film

Financing

The budget of the DIN and thus the financing of standardization work is fed from three sources:

History

The preparatory work for the rationalization of arms production in January 1917 led to the realization that all of Germany had a productive unit for a customer, the armed forces, and that this basic standards, in particular for cooperation in mechanical engineering, were necessary. The reason for the establishment of the following DIN leading initiative " ( Fabo -A) Royal Artillery for manufacturing office " went out in Berlin from.

The DIN in the German Empire was founded in May 1917 as " Norma Lienau shot for mechanical engineering " with the task to unify the most important machine elements. On December 22, 1917 renaming to " Standards Committee of the German Industry" was ( NADI ). The working results of NADI were the "German industrial standards " (first as " DI standard ," but sometimes as "DIN " for short ). The first standard ( DI - 1 standard taper pins ) was released in March 1918. Since 1920, DIN is a registered charity and 1922, the most well-known for the consumer standard DIN 476 was published paper sizes (eg A4 ). In everyday German familiar is also the standard text on the road signs DIN 1451, which is colloquially abbreviated to as the DIN font.

In 1926 the DIN of " Standards Committee of German Industry " in " German Standards Committee " (DNA) has been renamed, because as early as the 1920s, the standardization had crossed the narrower field of industry in the Kingdom. For the same reason the DNA, the abbreviation "DIN " tried " The standard is " to demonstrate to replace " German Industry Standard ". However, this concept did not prevail in public.

After the Second World War, the Allied Control Council in 1946 approved the DIN the resumption of its activities. The DIN 1951 a member of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) with a claim to represent the German language area.

In May 1975 ( just before closing the standard contract, see below), the name of the organization and the results of their work changed again. Since then, the organization is called " DIN German Institute for Standardization ," and the findings are the " Deutsche Standards " or " DIN standards ".

On June 5, 1975, the DIN German Institute for Standardization signed and the Federal Republic of Germany the standard contract This was the DIN considerable public recognition given, because the Federal Republic undertook, at relevant issues and tasks that will be provided by the State to only contact him. Likewise, only recommends the Federal Republic for international standardization work only DIN. In return, the DIN made ​​his most inward current basic principles (DIN 820) binding and publicly committed himself from the state excited standardization functions not only to pick up, but to treat them preferred. As a result of the introduced with the agreement public interest arising on the DIN commissions for Safety and Environmental Protection and the Consumer Council. Contrary to popular opinion, the DIN remained an independent non-governmental organization. The Federal Republic has not received a right to give instructions to the work of DIN, but also not leave a part of their own sovereignty to the DIN.

The counterpart of the DIN standard in the GDR was the TGL, which is largely based initially on the DIN standards, later reinforced considered CMEA standards. The ost-/westdeutsche cooperation in the field of standardization eased sharply after the East German government had the DIN outlets in East Berlin, Jena and Ilmenau closed in 1961. Since the 1990 resolution were made by the Office of Standards, Metrology and Inspection of goods ( ASMW ) of the GDR is the DIN again responsible for the standardization work in Germany.

Today, the standardization work is characterized European and international level increasingly: Only 15% of all standardization projects are purely national. The DIN led in 2012 17% of all secretariats in ISO and 28% of all secretariats of CEN - working bodies.

2007 DIN noticed by controversial decisions for the uppercase ß ( Versal -ß ) and for the imported documents of Microsoft Office Open XML standard.

Standards in the legal

" The DIN standards are not legal norms, but private technical regulations with recommendations. You can play the recognized rules of technology or be left behind this. "

DIN standards are a measure of proper technical behavior and are therefore under the jurisdiction of importance. Basically DIN standards have the character of recommendations. Your application is all free, that is, they may be applied, but it does not. Mandatory standards are when taken in private contracts or in laws and regulations relating to it, where their application is determined. Because standards are clear statements, can be described by their individual contractual liability litigation avoided. The reference in the laws and regulations relieves the state and the citizens of legal regulations detail.

Even in the cases where DIN standards of Parties have not been made ​​to the content of a contract, they serve in the event of a dispute due to defects (purchase and contract law) as a decision aid. Here, there is a general presumption that the DIN standards comply with the recognized rules of technology. Such a presumption can still be shaken or disproved, such as when there is only an unfinished draft standard or by an independent valuer.

Copyright

DIN standards are creative achievements and enjoy as literary works entitled to protection by copyright law. This principle has been repeatedly confirmed by the Federal Court. DIN standards should therefore not be German Institute for Standardization, without the consent of the DIN as copyright holder and distributed or made ​​publicly available on the internet. The barriers of copyright apply also for the standards. For example, individual standard sheets may be copied for private purposes on paper ( § 53 German Copyright Act).

No Copyright for reprinted by law standards ( official works )

For officially in reference taken and reprinted in laws apply technical rules in § 5 paragraph 3 of the Copyright Act following exception:

(1 ) Laws, regulations, official decrees and notices as well as decisions and officially written principles to decisions not enjoy copyright protection.

(2 ) The same applies for other official works that have been published in the official interest for general knowledge that the provisions on amendment prohibition and byline in § 62 para 1 to 3 and § 63 para 1 and 2 in accordance with the restriction are to be applied.

The initiative against the direct application of private standards in the construction industry has tried unsuccessfully in 2003 to prevent the insertion of paragraph 3. There was criticism that the state have been declared for standards are not public domain (unless they are included in full text in an official notice ), that must be purchased.

Waldemar Hellmich circle

The Waldemar Hellmich circle is the Honorary Senate of the DIN German Institute for Standardization. On the occasion of its 40th anniversary, the DIN has established in 1957 in memory of its founder Waldemar Hellmich and to honor individuals who have made outstanding contributions in their professional activities in the field of standardization, Waldemar Hellmich circle. He should maintain the tradition of DIN and contribute through recommendations to the lively development of standardization work. The members of the circle are appointed by the Bureau of DIN. As a visible sign of belonging to Waldemar Hellmich circuit serves a lapel pin that represents the paper size. The number of members of the circle is limited to 50.