The National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI) says the COVID-19 crisis has shown how putting systematic structures in place can help businesses to cope when unexpected shocks threaten their operations.

At the launch of its annual report for 2019, the authority urged owners to act now to future-proof their business.

Resilience

NSAI chief executive Geraldine Larkin said businesses could not afford to take an improvised, reactive approach to risk.

“Companies thinking about recovery in the months ahead should consider how standards and certification can offer a methodology which will ensure future resilience,” she said.

More than 1,500 standards were published by NSAI last year, up from just over 1,300 in 2018. The 2019 list included areas such as innovation management, universal design, and national rules for electrical installations.

Legal metrology inspections

NSAI legal metrology inspectors also carried out almost 15,000 inspections last year on instruments used in trade such as petrol pumps, taxi meters and retail weighing machines. The overall compliance rate stands at 90%, up from 88% in 2018.

The authority’s Brexit division has also been holding a series of events to inform companies about the impact of the UK’s departure for standards and certification in areas such as construction and medical devices.

Set up under the National Standards Authority of Ireland Act 1996, the NSAI helps business to apply standards and issues certification for the quality and safety of goods and services.

A standard is defined as a technical document designed to be used as a rule, guideline or definition when making a product, managing a process, delivering a service or supplying materials.