The ITE safety standard for North America, a development and maintenance process

Abstract

This paper is intended to provide a historical perspective of the current bi-national (USA/Canada) standard for information technology equipment (ITE)-UL 1950/CSA 950 third edition (BINAT). Discussed is the development process of the BINAT, leading ultimately to a tri-national standard (USA/Canada/Mexico) or a truly North American standard. Additionally, the maintenance process for the standard is explained, including information regarding how individuals or organizations may influence the content of the standard, (the BINAT or IEC 950). Specifically covered in the paper are: a discussion of the nature of ITE industry including identification of two differing industry perspectives with respect to safety; a brief history of the safety requirements for the ITE industry; a brief overview of the current safety requirements; a discussion of the ongoing maintenance process for the standard; future activities intended to keep the safety requirements relevant and current; and finally, a call to action to continue the development process of safety requirements to keep pace with the evolving industries.