ASME Codes and Standards

Development Committee Procedures

With Supplemental Requirements For Committees

Under the Jurisdiction of the

Board on Standardization & Testing

Rev. 1 - August 2004

Rev. 2 May 12, 2005
Rev. 3 September 2006
Rev. 4 November 2007
Rev. 5 November 2008
Rev. 6 December 2009
Rev. 7 December 2010
Rev. 8 November 2012
ASME Codes & Standards Development Section T of C
Committee Procedures with S&T Supplemental Rev. 8 Date: November 2012

ASME CODES AND STANDARDS

DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE PROCEDURES WITH
SUPPLEMENTAL REQUIRMENTS FOR COMMITTEES UNDER THE
JURISDICTION OF THE BOARD ON STANDARDIZATION & TESTING

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page # Date

TABLE OF CONTENTS ..................................................... i 11/12

A INTRODUCTION ........................................................... iii 12/10

1 GENERAL ...................................................................... 1 12/09

2 ORGANIZATION ............................................................ 3 12/09

3 THE STANDARDS COMMITTEE ................................... 4 11/12

4 STANDARDS COMMITTEE OFFICERS AND ............. 10 12/09

THEIR DUTIES

5 SUBORDINATE GROUPS ............................................ 13 11/12

6 DUTIES OF THE STANDARDS COMMITTEE .............. 15 11/12

7 STANDARDS COMMITTEE ACTIONS ......................... 19 11/12

8 PUBLIC REVIEW .......................................................... 27 12/10

9 APPROVAL ................................................................... 28 12/09

10 INTERPRETATIONS ..................................................... 30 11/12

11 APPEALS ...................................................................... 35 11/12

12 RECORDS .................................................................... 37 5/05

13 AMENDMENTS ............................................................. 37 12/10

APPENDIX I CHARTERS................................................. 38 11/12

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ASME Codes & Standards Development Section T of C
Committee Procedures with S&T Supplemental Rev. 8 Date: November 2012

APPENDIX II GUIDANCE ON VOTE ............................. 42 11/12

RESOLUTION AND RESUBMITTAL OF
PROPOSAL FOR STANDARDS AND
EDITORIAL ACTION
APPENDIX III SUBORDINATE GROUPS ......................... 45 11/12

APPENDIX IV DRAFT PREPARATION, DATING OF....... 49 11/12

REFERENCED STANDARDS, AND
INCORPORATION OF COPYRIGHTED
MATERIAL

APPENDIX V AWARDS ................................................... 51 12/10

APPENDIX VI LIST OF ASME STANDARDS .................. 54 11/12

COMMITTEES UNDER THE STANDARD-
IZATION AND TESTING DEPARTMENT
THAT RENDER INTERPRETATIONS

APPENDIX VII PROVIDING COMMITTEE ......................... 55 11/12

COMMENTS OR A COMMITTEE
POSITION ON AN EXTERNAL DOCUMENT
SUBMITTED FOR REVIEW

APPENDIX VIII CASES ....................................................... 56 11/12

APPENDIX IX DRAFT STANDARDS FOR TRIAL ............ 57 11/09

USE

APPENDIX X PROCEDURE FOR DEVELOPMENT ........ 58 12/10

OF ASME TECHNICAL REPORTS

APPENDIX XI INDUSTRY REVIEW .................................. 60 11/12

These Procedures supplement the Procedures for ASME Codes and Standards Development
Committees dated August 2010, Revision 14, which were originally approved by the ANSI
Executive Standards Council, on August 10, 2010 (Editorially revised – approved by ANSI
Executive Standards Council December 7, 2010).

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ASME Codes & Standards Development Section A
Committee Procedures with S&T Supplemental Rev. 7 Date: December 2010

A INTRODUCTION
This introduction is an integral part of these procedures and contains requirements that must be
followed.

A.1 General
These procedures contain requirements and guidance for use by ASME standards committees to
organize, staff and administer their activities associated with the development and maintenance of
ASME Codes and Standards.
ASME By-Laws assign overall supervision of Codes and Standards activities of the Society to the
Council on Standards and Certification. Responsibility for supervision of Codes and Standards
activities within specific functional areas is assigned to supervisory boards functioning under the
overall direction of the Council on Standards and Certification.
Supervisory boards manage the development of Codes and Standards under their jurisdiction
through the establishment and supervision of standards committees. The scope of the boards’
supervisory responsibilities with respect to standards development and maintenance includes:
Approving and discharging committee personnel.
Assessing the need for codes, standards and related accreditation activities within their
assigned area of responsibility.
Ensuring that standards committees under its jurisdiction operate within the committees’
approved charters and these procedures.
Ensuring that committees within the charter of the board are providing due process.

Providing a forum for hearing appeals of standards committees’ actions or inactions.

Approving for ASME all codes and standards, and accreditation and certification criteria
developed by committees under their jurisdiction based on assurance that the code, standard,
or criteria was developed under procedures meeting the criteria for American National
Standards.
When deemed necessary to preserve the integrity of the standards development process and/or to
protect the interests of ASME, the supervisory board may take administrative action necessary to
fulfill its oversight obligations. Actions may include membership actions resulting from an
appeal decision and delay, suspension, or discontinuance of a standards committee action,
including revisions to standards. Such actions are subject to due process provisions established
by the Council on Standards and Certification.
The Council on Standards and Certification, under the direction of the Board of Governors,
supervises the codes and standards activities of the Society. Either directly or through its
appropriate supervisory board, such supervision includes:
(a) approval of, and revision to, the charter of a standards committee;
(b) withdrawal of a standard developed by a standards committee; and
(c) disbandment of a standards committee.

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ASME Codes & Standards Development Section A
Committee Procedures with S&T Supplemental Rev. 7 Date: December 2010

If action is taken to withdraw a standard that is also an American National Standard, ANSI shall
be so notified.
A separate document entitled “Guide for Procedures for ASME Codes and Standards
Development Committees” is provided as guidance on selected topics addressed by these
procedures.

A.2 Background
These procedures are the product of an extensive redesign effort undertaken during 1997-1998 to
develop an improved and timely process for developing and maintaining codes and standards.
They are based on, and incorporate the historically proven practices successfully employed by
ASME standards committees to meet the high quality standards set by the Society as well as the
requirements established by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) for approval as
American National Standards. These procedures are intended to help standards committees
produce consensus documents in an efficient and timely way, while maintaining due process and
protecting the ASME intellectual property rights.

A.3 Requirements
Adherence to the requirements of this procedure is essential to ensure consistency and the full
benefits of the standards development processes. The approach is to adopt the procedure as
written and develop a supplement to describe the basic details such as the committee charter. The
supplement shall reference these procedures and shall include the following additional
information as applicable:
Charter;
Limits on number of members;
Member interest categories;
Procedures for determining subordinate group membership;
Procedures for determining project team membership; and
Standards for which interpretations shall be provided.
The supplement becomes the standards committee procedures, subject to approval by the
cognizant supervisory board. Departures from the requirements in these procedures shall be
subject to approval by the Council on Standards and Certification as well as by the cognizant
supervisory board. A separate document entitled “Supplement to Procedures for ASME Codes
and Standards Development Committees” is provided to assist in the development of the
Supplement.
Written instructions may be developed by the standards committee in order to provide additional
guidance as needed to facilitate committee operations. Such instructions shall not conflict with
the procedures and require only standards committee approval.
Standards Committees are obligated to be in compliance with Codes and Standards Policies and
Board on Standardization & Testing policies, which are posted on all Committee web pages.

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ASME Codes & Standards Development Section 1 & S1
Committee Procedures with S&T Supplemental Rev. 6 Date: December 2009

1 GENERAL
1.1 Charter. The codes or standards development committee, hereafter called standards
committee, of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) shall operate within their
approved charter. The codes or standards developed by the standards committee may include
requirements for safety, health, design, production, construction, measurement, maintenance,
performance or operation of equipment or qualification of personnel.

1.2 American National Standards. Except when otherwise recommended by the consensus
committee and approved by the cognizant supervisory board, the codes and standards developed
by standards committees are intended to be submitted to the American National Standards
Institute to become American National Standards.

1.3 Definitions
Consensus [see ANSI Essential Requirements: Due process requirements for American National
Standards] means substantial agreement has been reached by directly and materially affected
interest categories. This signifies the concurrence of more than a simple majority, but not
necessarily unanimity. Consensus requires that all views and objections be considered, and that
an effort be made toward their resolution.
Consensus committee means the group composed of individual members of the standards
committee that has responsibility for voting on final approval of standards actions.
Consensus committee members means individual members of the standards committee.
Continuous maintenance means the maintenance of a standard by consideration of
recommended changes to any part of it according to a documented schedule for consideration and
action by the standards committee.
Contributing members are the standards committee members described in para. 3.4.
Delegates are the standards committee participants described in para. 3.3.
Individual members are the standards committee participants described in para. 3.2.
Periodic maintenance means the maintenance of a standard by review of the entire document
and action to revise or reaffirm it on a schedule not to exceed five years from the date of approval
by the cognizant supervisory board or by ANSI in the case of American National Standards.
Standards Action means a proposed new standard, a proposed revision to an existing standard,
proposal to reaffirm an existing standard, proposal to withdraw an existing standard, or a
proposed national adoption of an ISO or IEC standard.
Standards committee means the consensus committee plus delegates and contributing
members.

Standards committee participants are the individual members, delegates, and contributing
members.

S1.4 These Procedures provide supplement requirements to the Procedures for ASME Codes
and Standards Development Committee.
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ASME Codes & Standards Development Section 1 & S1
Committee Procedures with S&T Supplemental Rev. 6 Date: December 2009

(a) The supplement requirements have been numbered to coincide with the corresponding
section of the Procedures for ASME Codes and Standards Development Committee with
an “S” added before the number to indicate it is a part of this Supplement and they have
been printed in Red. The paragraphs have been numbered to either add to an existing
paragraph in the Procedures for ASME Codes and Standards Development Committee or
to the end of the existing section.
(b) Referenced paragraphs with no “S” in front of it indicate a reference to the Procedures
for ASME Codes and Standards Development Committee. Referenced paragraphs with
an “S” in front of it indicate a reference in this Supplement.
S1.5 These supplemental requirements apply to codes and standards development committees
and special committees that report to the Board on Standardization & Testing.
S1.6 A standards committee may establish Guidelines to these Supplemental requirements
provided such procedures are not in conflict with these Supplemental Procedures or the
Procedures for ASME Codes and Standards Development Committees.

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ASME Codes & Standards Development Section 2 & S2
Committee Procedures with S&T Supplemental Rev. 6 Date: December 2009

2 ORGANIZATION
2.1 A standards committee, which consists of individual members, delegates, and contributing
members, is responsible to an ASME codes and standards supervisory board, as assigned by the
ASME Council on Standards & Certification. The consensus committee is that portion of the
standards committee consisting only of individual members.

2.2 A standards committee may establish at its discretion subordinate groups to assist it in the
discharge of its duties.

2.3 If an executive committee is established, its function shall be only of an advisory nature to
the standards committee.
S2.3.1 Executive Committee. If established, the executive committee’s purpose is to make
recommendations and advise the standards committee on administrative and current operational
as well as future planning matters. An executive committee, when established, usually consists of
the standards committee officers, principal subcommittee chairs and selected members-at-large.

S2.4 Special Committees. If established, Special Committees report to the Board, their
function shall be to harmonize and prepare recommendations. Special Committees are not
standards writing committees.

S2.5 Subordinate Groups. When subordinate groups are established the proposal shall
include a statement defining the scope of work.
One of the duties of the standards committee is to limit the size of subordinate groups to numbers
that will best serve operational needs and still be representative of all interests.

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ASME Codes & Standards Development Section 3 & S3
Committee Procedures with S&T Supplemental Rev. 8 Date: November 2012

3 THE STANDARDS COMMITTEE

3.1 General. The standards committee shall consist of a specified number of individual
members (hereafter referred to as members) as well as delegates, and contributing members.
S3.1.1 Size Limit. The membership of the consensus1 committee shall consist of not more
than 35 individual members. The supporting subcommittees, technical committees, working
groups, project teams, etc. may in the aggregate be larger.
3.2 Members. Members are technically qualified individuals with a concern and willingness to
participate in work within the charter of the standards committee. The consensus committee
recommends them to the cognizant board for appointment for a term not exceeding five years.
Selection shall include consideration of the business interest of the employer, if any, who
supports the member’s standards committee participation, as well as the type of experience or
expertise the individual brings to the standards committee, to maintain a proper balance (see para.
3.2.5). In their standards committee activities these members participate, including voting, as
individuals rather than as representatives of their employer or of any other organization.
Members are eligible for reappointment. Reappointments approved by the consensus committee
need not be submitted for board approval. A reappointment that results in a continued state of
unbalanced consensus committee membership shall be brought to the attention of the cognizant
supervisory board for consideration. All member appointment and reappointment terms shall
expire June 30 of the appropriate year. New consensus committee members should have served
on a subordinate group, if they exist.
A completed ASME Codes & Standards Personnel Form (PF-1) and a resume or brief biography
is needed to demonstrate the candidate’s qualifications.
3.2.1 Representation of an absent member may be by a representative or by an alternate.
(a) Representative. A representative is proposed by the absent member to act on the
member’s behalf at a meeting and is accepted by the chair. Such service by a representative
automatically terminates at the conclusion of the meeting at which the individual is representing
the absent member. Representatives may only vote on actions other than standards actions.
(b) Alternate. An alternate is a person who attends meetings or intends to vote in place of
the member on standards or administrative actions. Alternates are proposed by the absent
member, are subject to acceptance by the consensus committee and approval by the cognizant
board. An alternate shall be from the same interest classification as the member represented (see
para. 3.2.5), or shall have an interest classification that maintains the required balance. An
alternate has all the privileges of a member during the period of his/her service in this capacity.
Such service by an alternate automatically terminates on request of the member, or when the
member is no longer on the standards committee. The term of appointment of the alternate shall
expire on the same date as the members.
3.2.2 The consensus committee may, at its discretion and with the approval of the appropriate
supervisory board, add to or subtract from the list of members.

1
See the definition of consensus committee and standards committee in paragraph 1.3
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ASME Codes & Standards Development Section 3 & S3
Committee Procedures with S&T Supplemental Rev. 8 Date: November 2012

3.2.3 Duties of Members. The duty of each member is to give thorough consideration to
each subject brought before the standards committee for action, to vote on approval or
disapproval of each proposal, to contribute his/her expertise in the preparation of standards, to
advise on personnel for membership on the standards committee and subordinate groups, and to
assist generally in carrying out the functions of the standards committee. Such duties may be
carried out by attendance at meetings, by correspondence, and by telephone, teleconference, or
other electronic means. Each member must have support available to pay for any travel expenses
and time used for committee business. Members failing to carry out their duties shall be subject
to having their appointment terminated. Individuals whose appointments have been terminated
may appeal this action.
3.2.4 Members and their alternates/representatives of standards committees, subordinate
groups, and project teams shall comply with Society Policies P-15.7, Ethics; P-15.8, Conflicts of
Interest; P-14.6, Society Name, Seal, Emblem, Initials, Titles, Identification, and Certificates; and
P-15.9, Policy Against Discrimination.
3.2.5 Classification of Members. In order to establish balanced representation for
developing evidence of consensus on standards, consensus committee members shall be classified
in accordance with the business interests of their primary source of support for committee
participation. Alternates shall not be counted in determining the balance of the consensus
committee. The classification system and the classifications assigned to members shall be
proposed by the consensus committee, shall be subject to approval by the cognizant board, and
shall be included in the supplement to the procedures. The member selects an interest class,
which stands unless challenged. Disputes on member classification can be resolved using the
appeal process described in the Procedures. Not more than one-third of the membership of
consensus committees dealing with safety codes and standards shall come from any single
category without the recorded approval of the other classifications and the approval of the
cognizant board.
No single category shall have a majority on consensus committees dealing with product standards
except with the recorded approval of the other classifications and the approval of the cognizant
board.
If a member’s classification changes because of a change in employment or another reason, action
shall be taken by the consensus committee to:
(a) reaffirm the member to complete the present term, or
(b) reappoint the member for a full term, or
(c) terminate the membership
The effects of the member’s changed classification on the balance of interest for the consensus
committee shall be considered. When a change in the classification of a member causes the
membership to be out of balance, the consensus committee is obligated to attempt to resolve the
imbalance.

S3.2.6 Categories of Interest. Each standards committee voting member shall be classified
in one of the following categories of interest:
AB Designer An organization performing design and design related services

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ASME Codes & Standards Development Section 3 & S3
Committee Procedures with S&T Supplemental Rev. 8 Date: November 2012

AD Distributor Those independently concerned with the marketing of the product

between producer and consumer
AF General Interest Educators, individuals from a technical society or other society and
public interest persons
AI Laboratory A national laboratory or an organization whose primary function is
to perform research and development, or an organization furnishing
testing and examination services
AO Owner An organization owning or operating a facility where items are
installed or used.
AS Producer/ Those directly concerned with the production of the product
Manufacturer involved
AT Regulatory/ Government employee using the standard but not producing a
Government product
AU Consultant Consultants using the standard to provide a service
AW User Those who use the product involved but are not involved with its
production or distribution
3.3 Delegates. Delegates are individuals representing a group of experts outside of the U.S. and
Canada, and is intended to allow participation on ASME committees. Each group represented
shall have a clearly defined interest in participating on ASME committees. A group is intended to
be interpreted broadly to mean jurisdiction(s), company(ies), professional society(ies), trade
organization(s), or user group(s). The method for selecting a prospective delegate shall be at the
discretion of each group. The appointment of a delegate may be limited in scope relative to the
charter of the standards committee, as determined by the consensus committee.
3.3.1 Application for Delegates. Each group shall recommend an individual to represent
them. The group shall also provide an explanation of their interest in participating.
3.3.2 Appointment of Delegates. The consensus committee recommends the appointment of
delegates to the cognizant board for appointment for a term not exceeding five years. Delegates
are eligible for reappointment. Reappointments approved by the consensus committee need not
be submitted for board approval.
3.3.3 Alternates. An alternate is a person intended to vote in place of the delegate on
standards actions. Alternates are proposed by the group, are subject to acceptance by the
consensus committee and approval by the cognizant board. An alternate has all the privileges of a
delegate during the period of his/her service in this capacity. Such service by an alternate
automatically terminates on request of the group, or when the delegate is no longer on the
standards committee.
3.3.4 Duties of Delegates. The duty of each delegate is to take active part voting on first
consideration votes for standards actions, and contributing the expertise of their group in
preparation of new actions. Such duties may be carried out by attendance at meetings when
possible (attendance at meetings is encouraged but not required), by correspondence, and by
telephone, teleconference, or other electronic means. Delegates failing to carry out their duties
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ASME Codes & Standards Development Section 3 & S3
Committee Procedures with S&T Supplemental Rev. 8 Date: November 2012

shall be subject to having their appointment terminated. Delegates whose appointments have been
terminated may appeal this action. Delegates are not eligible to vote on personnel, administrative
actions, or editorial actions that are processed in accordance with para. 7.4.
3.3.5 Policies. Delegates and their alternates shall comply with Society Policies P-15.7,
Ethics; P-15.8, Conflicts of Interest; P-14.6, Society Name, Seal, Emblem, Initials, Titles,
Identification, and Certificates; and P-15.9, Policy Against Discrimination.
3.3.6 Classification of Delegates. Delegates shall be classified in accordance to the
predominant interest of the member’s group, for information only. The classification will not be
used in determining whether the committee has balanced representation.

3.4 Contributing Members. A contributing member is an individual non-voting member whose

contribution to a committee is through review and comment on proposals (see para. 7.2.1).
Contributing members shall possess the technical qualifications described for individual voting
members in para. 3.2. Contributing Members are usually:
a) a standards committee member who wishes to participate, but may be unable to fully
participate for the foreseeable future and is from a category of interest that is lacking on the
committee or the committee feels their expertise would be missed.
b) an active subtier committee member or new member that the committee wishes to give
experience.
3.4.1 Appointment of Contributing Members. The consensus committee recommends the
appointment of contributing members to the cognizant board for appointment for a term not
exceeding five years and expiring June 30 of the appropriate year. Contributing members are
eligible for reappointment. Reappointments approved by the consensus committee need not be
submitted for board approval.
3.4.2 Duties of Contributing Members. Except for weighted votes (see para. 4.2.3) and
votes on personnel items, contributing members will be provided the opportunity to participate
via review and comment on all proposals submitted for consensus committee vote. The
participation by the contributing member shall be agreed by the contributing member and the
standards committee chair. Attendance at committee meetings is optional. Participation may be
accomplished through attendance at meetings when possible, by correspondence, and by
telephone, teleconference, or other means. Contributing members failing to carry out their duties
shall be subject to having their appointment terminated. Contributing members whose
appointments have been terminated may appeal this action.
3.4.3 Policies. Contributing members shall comply with Society Policies P-15.7, Ethics; P-
15.8, Conflicts of Interest; P-14.6, Society Name, Seal, Emblem, Initials, Titles, Identification,
and Certificates; and P-15.9, Policy Against Discrimination.
3.4.4 Classification of Contributing Members. Because this is a non-voting member
position, contributing members need not be assigned an interest classification as described in
para. 3.2.5.

S3.5 Multiple Memberships from a Single Organization

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ASME Codes & Standards Development Section 3 & S3
Committee Procedures with S&T Supplemental Rev. 8 Date: November 2012

(a) There shall be no more than one voting member from a single organization [see (e) below]
except that the consensus committee may nominate more than one voting member due to
one or more of the following circumstances:
(1) The nominees represent different expertise considered necessary to the consensus
committee.
(2) One of the nominees (or two of the nominees if three are being nominated) is an
officer of a subordinate group or the consensus committee.
(b) The justification for multiple memberships shall be submitted to the Board at the time the
nominees are considered for appointment or reappointment [see (d) below]. When
circumstances arise in which there would be three members from a single organization,
the justification shall be considered at a meeting of the Board. The size of the consensus
committee should also be taken into consideration.
(c) There shall not be more than three voting members from a single organization.
(d) If there are two members from a single organization on the standards committee due to the
acquisition of one company by another, the merger of two companies, or by a member
moving from one organization to another (without changing interest category), this
procedure need not be applied until the expiration date of one of the members' term. If
this situation results in three or more members from one company on a standards
committee, it shall be brought to the attention of the Board for consideration at the next
Board meeting.
(e) For the purpose of this section (S3.5), an organization is defined as a company,
government agency, union, etc. In the case where two companies are part of the same
corporation or one company is owned by another, a decision as to whether they constitute
a single organization will be made by the Board on a case-by-case basis. The
independence of the two companies shall be used as the criteria for making the decision.
In the case of government bodies, two agencies would not be considered the same
organization if they promulgated separate regulations or separate procurement standards/
specifications.

S3.6 Honorary Member

S3.6.1 Honorary Member status is reserved for:
1) an active standards committee member who wishes to participate, but may be unable to fully
participate for the foreseeable future. Under these conditions, a member may volunteer or be
nominated for honorary membership. The member shall have served on the standards
committee for a minimum of five years to be eligible.
2) a standards committee member who in the past was an active member but recently has not
been able to fully participate and the committee feels their expertise would be missed.
Under these conditions, a member may volunteer or be nominated for honorary
membership. The member shall have served on the standards committee for a minimum of
five years to be eligible.
3) a former standards committee member who has made significant contributions to the
activities of the committee may be nominated for honorary membership. The member shall
have served on the committee for a minimum of ten years with at least five of the ten years
as a member of the standards committee.
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ASME Codes & Standards Development Section 3 & S3
Committee Procedures with S&T Supplemental Rev. 8 Date: November 2012

S3.6.2 Once nominated by the committee Chair, the proposal is sent to the entire consensus
committee for consideration. A 90% affirmative vote of the consensus committee is required for
election to honorary membership. Subsequent approval by the Board is required.
S3.6.3 Honorary membership is effective immediately and the Honorary Member shall be
appointed for a term not exceeding five years and expiring June 30 of the appropriate year. An
Honorary Member is eligible for reappointment and subject to approval by the standards
committee. No Board approval is required for the reappointment of an Honorary Member.
Preferably, the Honorary Member should not serve more than three terms. There is no limit to the
number of Honorary Members.
S3.6.4 While Honorary Members do not have voting rights they are able to submit
comments. They will be included on all standards committee electronic mailings (including
minutes, agendas and ballots) and will receive notification concerning all standards committee
meetings. Honorary Members may be asked to perform special, finite projects consistent with
their expertise.

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ASME Codes & Standards Development Section 4 & S4
Committee Procedures with S&T Supplemental Rev. 6 Date: December 2009

4 STANDARDS COMMITTEE OFFICERS AND THEIR DUTIES

4.1 The officers of the standards committee shall be as follows:
(a) Chair
(b) One or more Vice Chair
(c) Secretary

4.2 Chair and Vice Chair

4.2.1 Only consensus committee members with more than one year of current service on the
committee are eligible to be appointed Chair or Vice Chair of the standards committee. Each term
of office shall not exceed three years, and no more than two consecutive three-year terms in each
office may be served. This limit can be exceeded for special circumstances if approved by at least
2/3 of the cognizant supervisory board members. An example of a special circumstance is that
there is no other qualified candidate who is willing to serve. At the time of appointment, the
expiration date for their membership term shall be adjusted to match the term of office.
(a) Each term of office of the standards committee Chair and Vice Chair shall expire June
30 of the appropriate year.
(b) The term of office of the Vice Chair shall coincide with the term of the Chair.
4.2.2 The Chair and Vice Chair shall preferably be ASME members.
4.2.3 The nomination of the Standards Committee Chair and Vice Chair shall be conducted
using the Weighted Vote (3, 2, 1) method, as follows:
a) The Secretary shall submit to members of the consensus committee a list of the names of
the consensus committee who are qualified by service and are willing to serve in the office.
Individual members may be excluded from this list if they so request.
b) Each consensus committee member will be given a secret ballot and requested to mark,
in order, their preference for the office by the numerals 3, 2, 1 (i.e., 3 for first choice, 2 for
second choice, and 1 for third choice). Ballots from at least 2/3 of the consensus committee
members must be returned for the nomination process to be valid. The balloting process
should be carried out using C&S Connect.
c) The two persons whose names receive the highest number of points are the nominees. If
there is a tie for first place, these two names will be the nominees. If there is a tie for second
place, there will be a runoff using the process in (b) above to determine the second nominee.
d) After confirming the nominees will serve, if elected, the Secretary shall submit the names
of the nominees on a ballot to all members of the consensus committee for voting. If one of
the nominees is not willing to serve, then the member with the next highest number of
points becomes a nominee.
4.2.4 The Chair and Vice Chair shall be elected by a majority of the consensus committee
subject to confirmation of the cognizant board.
4.2.5 The cognizant board may appoint the initial Chair and Vice Chair for new standards
committees.
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ASME Codes & Standards Development Section 4 & S4
Committee Procedures with S&T Supplemental Rev. 6 Date: December 2009

4.3 Secretary. The Secretary, who is a member of the standards committee without vote, shall
be designated from the Codes and Standards Directorate.

4.4 Duties of the Officers

4.4.1 The Chair shall be the executive officer of the standards committee, preside at
meetings, and perform duties customarily associated with such office.
4.4.2 The Chair shall review the performance of standards committee participants at least
once each year, and take actions to correct poor performance, including the possibility of
proposing terminations. See paras. 3.2.3, 3.3.4 and 7.1. Terminations must be approved by both
the consensus committee and the cognizant board. Individuals whose appointments have been
terminated may appeal this action.
4.4.3 The Vice Chair, in the absence of the Chair, shall fulfill the duties of the Chair’s office
and shall perform other duties as may be assigned by the Chair.
4.4.4 The Secretary shall prepare and distribute agendas and minutes of all meetings of the
standards committee to standards committee participants. He/she shall receive and maintain all
documents relative to the standards committee and its subordinate groups, distribute and receive
proposals for standards actions, record votes, correspond with interfacing organizations or
individuals in the name of the standards committee, and perform other duties as requested by the
Chair.
S4.4.4 Standards Committee Secretary Duties
(a) Agenda. An agenda shall be distributed to the standards committee at least three weeks
prior to the meeting.
(b) Minutes. Minutes shall be kept of all standards committee meetings and shall list the
names of all standards committee members present, those absent, any alternates, and visitors. The
Minutes are to report what occurred during the meeting and are to be distributed to all standards
committee members. Minutes should be distributed no later than 30 days after the meeting.
If a quorum is not attained during a meeting, it shall be noted in the minutes of the meeting.
Following a meeting where there is an absence of a quorum, it is recommended that an absentee
ballot (real-time ballot) be issued on the Minutes of the meeting and any voted action, to those
members not in attendance and not represented by an alternate.
(c) Conduct of a Hearing. The Secretary of the standards committee shall prepare an agenda
(procedures) for the conduct of the hearing, and document the hearing.

4.4.5 In the absence of the Chair and Vice Chair at a meeting of the standards committee, the
Secretary shall take the chair for the purpose of nomination and selection of a Chair pro tem, who
shall then preside at that meeting.
4.4.6 The officers shall ensure that these procedures as well as ASME and Codes and
Standards policies (CSP’s) are followed.

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4.4.7 The cognizant board may remove an ineffective Chair or Vice Chair and appoint a
successor. The individual removed from office may appeal the action of the board to the Council
on Standards & Certification.

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ASME Codes & Standards Development Section 5 & S5
Committee Procedures with S&T Supplemental Rev. 8 Date: November 2012

5 SUBORDINATE GROUPS
5.1 Establishment of Subordinate Groups. When subordinate groups are required, they shall
be established by a majority vote of the consensus committee. Subordinate groups are advisory to
the standards committee. When such groups engage in drafting proposed standards or parts of
standards, individuals having substantial knowledge of the subject of the proposed standard shall
be included. Individual subordinate group members need not be standards committee
participants. Although subordinate groups do not ordinarily constitute a consensus-making
group, they should have representatives from the various interests whenever possible.
Subordinate Groups should also consider limits on the number of members from a Single
Organization. They should use para. S3.5 as a guideline See para. 3.2.4 for requirements
concerning compliance with Society Policies. Subordinate groups may also have delegates and
contributing members.
5.1.1 The consensus committee may approve membership of the subordinate groups reporting
to it (i.e., appointments, reappointments and terminations), or the standards committee Chair may
appoint the membership. Resignations from subordinate groups are reported to the standards
committee for information only.
S5.1.2 See Appendix III for more on Subordinate Groups.

5.2 Subordinate Group Officers.

5.2.1 Standing subordinate groups that report directly to the standards committee shall have a
Chair. Subordinate groups may also have Vice Chairs. The Chair and Vice Chair shall serve no
more than two consecutive three-year terms in each office. This limit can be exceeded for special
circumstances if approved by at least 2/3 of the consensus committee members. An example of a
special circumstance is that there is no other qualified candidate who is willing to serve.
The Chair and Vice Chair of standards development subordinate groups that report directly to the
standards committee shall be nominated and elected using the method specified in para. 4.2.3, by
holding an election via C&S Connect or at a meeting. The Chair and Vice Chair shall be elected
by a majority vote of the subordinate group, subject to confirmation of the consensus committee.
In the case of new standards development subordinate groups that report directly to the standards
committee, the Chair and Vice Chair may be appointed by the standards committee Chair.
The standards committee may remove an ineffective (e.g., failure to act, none responsive,
stagnation of group activities) Chair or Vice Chair of a subordinate group that reports directly to
the standards committee, and appoint a successor. The individual removed from office may
appeal the action to the board.
5.2.2 Chairs of all other subordinate groups that do not report directly to the standards
committee shall be appointed to specific terms not to exceed five years. Such appointments may
be by the Chair of the standards committee or by the Chair of the group to which this subordinate
groups directly reports. Renewal of these appointments shall be confirmed by the standards
committee or subordinate group that made the original appointment by 2/3 vote. No more than
two terms may be served.

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5.3 Project Teams. Each standards action shall have an assigned project team to manage and
prepare proposals for consensus committee approval. A project team shall consist of a project
administrative manager (normally an ASME staff member), a project technical manager
(normally a technically knowledgeable committee member) and, as necessary, additional
standards committee and subordinate group members. Other technically knowledgeable members
of the public, including those responsible for requesting the action, may be included. Project
teams may be assigned one or more standards actions.
5.3.1 The selection process for project team members shall be subject to approval by the
consensus committee and controlled by the committee officers. See para. 3.2.4. Selection of
project teams is not governed by the requirements of para. 5.1.

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ASME Codes & Standards Development Section 6 & S6
Committee Procedures with S&T Supplemental Rev. 8 Date: November 2012

6 DUTIES OF THE STANDARDS COMMITTEE

6.1 Standards. The standards committee shall:
6.1.1 Develop standards within its charter. At the initiation of a project to develop a new
standard or to revise an existing standard that is maintained under periodic maintenance,
notification shall be submitted to ANSI using the Project Initiation Notification System (PINS)
form, or its equivalent. If comments are received within 30 days from ANSI’s announcement of
the PINS and the comments assert that the proposed standard duplicates or conflicts with an
existing American National Standard or a candidate American National Standard announced
previously by ANSI, the comments shall be addressed in accordance with para. 2.5 of the ANSI
Essential Requirements. Such notification is not required for revisions of a standard that is
maintained under continuous maintenance.
S6.1.1.1 Scope of a New Standard /Technical Report / Guide or Revision of a Scope.
The consensus committee shall review and approve the scope of new standards and technical
reports within its charter at the initiation of the project. The scope of a new standard, technical
report or guide shall be processed as a standards action in accordance with Section 7. A
significant revision to the scope of an existing standard shall be processed as a standards action in
accordance with Section 7.
6.1.2 Maintain standards within its charter. Standards shall be revised as necessary. Each
standard shall be reaffirmed, revised, or withdrawn within five years after its approval [for
identical national adoptions of ISO or IEC standards; refer to para. 7.3]. Unless notification of a
project initiation (see para. 6.1.1) or request for public review announcement (see para. 8.1) has
already been submitted to ANSI for a standard that is maintained under periodic maintenance, the
Secretary shall submit to ANSI a request for an extension of time to reaffirm or revise a standard
within thirty days following five years after the approval date of the standard. ANSI approval of
an American National Standard automatically expires on the tenth anniversary date of its
approval.
A request for extension for a standard maintained under continuous maintenance may be
submitted to ANSI within five years after its latest approval date, but the standard shall then be
maintained under periodic maintenance.
When performing the required five-year review of a standard, the following shall be
considered:
a) revise the standard because it is still relevant, but changes are needed
b) reaffirm the standard because it is still relevant, and no changes are needed
c) withdraw the standard because it is no longer relevant
6.1.3 Achieve a consensus for the action proposed on a standard.
6.1.4 Ensure that duplication of standards is minimized.
6.1.5 Make good faith efforts to resolve potential conflicts between existing American
National Standards and candidate American National Standards.
6.1.6 Provide for interpretations of standards within its charter, if applicable.
6.1.7 Report status of standards within its charter at least annually to the cognizant board.
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6.1.8 Oversee the assignment of project teams for the development of proposed standards
actions.

6.2 Meetings. The standards committee shall:

6.2.1 Hold meetings or electronic conferences as determined by the standards committee or
the Chair on behalf of the standards committee. Teleconference meetings are encouraged to
minimize travel and reduce the time it takes to complete actions.
6.2.2 Provide for meetings open to the public. Members of the public may express their
views on items being discussed but shall not have voting privileges. However, a portion of a
meeting may be in executive session, when considering subjects such as personnel, accreditation,
certification, registration, litigation and other administrative matters.
6.2.3 At meetings, a quorum shall consist of at least 50% of the consensus committee
membership eligible to vote. In the absence of a quorum, the minutes of the meeting and any
voted action shall be subject to approval by a recorded vote of the membership.
6.2.4 Taping of meetings and teleconferences is prohibited by any member of a committee,
guests, or attendees. Only the secretary, who is a member of ASME’s staff, may be permitted to
tape a meeting under certain guidelines.
6.2.5 On questions of parliamentary procedure not covered in these operating rules, “Robert’s
Rules of Order” shall be used.

6.3 Members. The consensus committee shall:

6.3.1 Recommend members from the necessary areas of interest.
6.3.2 Approve membership of the subordinate groups reporting to it, as required by the
committee’s procedures.
S6.3.3 Nominate and/or approve individuals for honors, medals and other appropriate awards.

S6.4 Technical Reports

For the development and maintenance of Technical Reports see Appendix X.

S6.5 Guide / Guideline

S6.5.1 An ASME standards committee may develop a Guide / Guideline within its charter,
when appropriate. A Guide provides recognized and generally accepted good engineering
practices intended to help practitioners in the performance of their responsibilities. A guide
provides suggestions or choices of solutions to engineering problems, rather than directives that
are provided by a standard. A guide can be a stand-alone document or included in a code or
standard, provided it is separated from the requirements Section, e.g., placed in a non-mandatory
appendix. When a guide is a stand-alone document it is not a consensus document.
S6.5.2 Guide / Guideline shall be processed as a standards action in accordance with Section
7 of the Procedures for ASME Codes and Standards Development Committees, with the
exceptions in stated in Section X2.0.
S6.5.3 For the maintenance of ASME Guide / Guideline Section X3.0 shall be used.
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S6.6 Draft Standards For Trial Use (aka pre-standard)

S6.6.1 A Draft Standard for Trial Use is similar to a standard but the subject matter covered
is normally still under development (i.e., emerging technology) and there is an identified urgent
need to have the Draft Standards For Trial Use in place prior to the normal standardization
process. A Draft Standard for Trial Use is not a consensus document.
S6.6.2 For the development of Draft Standards for Trial use see Appendix IX.

S6.7 Cases
The standards committee shall:
S6.7.1 Develop Cases within its charter when appropriate. Cases are approved by ASME,
but are not subsequently submitted for ANSI approval. Procedurally, Cases are handled like
standards actions, except for the following:
The Project Initiation System Notification process is not required. See para. 6.1.1.
Announcement for public review in ANSI Standards Action is not required. See para.
8.1.
The Case is not submitted for ANSI approval as described in para. 9.2.
The process shall include posting the proposed Case on the appropriate standards committee
web page for a thirty-day public review and comment period (usually following subcommittee
approval or concurrent with the standard committee ballot).
Cases are approved for use immediately following Board approval. Cases are usually made
available on the applicable Committee Web Page on C&S Connect.
S6.7.2 Maintaining Cases. The standards committee shall review each Case within its
charter at least once every five years to determine whether the Case should be:
a) annulled because it is no longer needed or has been incorporated into the standard,
b) reaffirmed because it is still needed, but no changes are needed; or
c) revised because it is still needed, but changes are needed.
Cases will be annulled automatically at their expiration date unless extended or previously
annulled by voted action of the standards committee.

S6.8 Revision to a Standards Committee Charter

Approval of a proposed revision to a standards committee’s charter shall be processed as a
standards action in accordance with Section 7. Board and Council approval are required.

S6.9 Adoption of an ASME Document by ISO or ISO Document by ASME

Board and Council on Standards and Certification approval is required prior to:
(a) submitting ASME copyrighted standards or draft ASME standards to ISO for approval
consideration by ISO, and,

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(b) submittal of an ISO copyrighted standard or draft ISO standards to an ASME

committee for approval consideration as an ASME standard (see Section 7.3).
S6.10 Related International and Regional Standards Activities
Where applicable, committees shall provide for representation of U.S. interest in related
international [e.g., International Organization for Standardization (ISO)] and regional standards
activities [e.g., Pacific Area Standards Congress (PASC)].

S6.11 Hearings
The standards committee shall provide hearings as needed.

S6.12 Communications
S6.12.1 External. Official external correspondence of the Committee pertaining to ASME
standards or the activities of the Committee shall be issued over the signature of the ASME
Secretary.
S6.12.2 Committee Correspondence Stationery. Written communications concerning any
ASME Codes & Standards issues shall be placed on Committee Correspondence stationery if the
writer is acting as a Council, Board, standards committee or subordinate group participant.
Stationery of the members’ employer shall be used if the writer is acting on behalf of their
employer, rather than as an ASME Codes & Standards participant, such as in the presentation of
an inquiry. A supply of Committee Correspondence stationery will be provided by the ASME
Secretary to members of the Committee upon request.

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ASME Codes & Standards Development Section 7 & S7
Committee Procedures with S&T Supplemental Rev. 8 Date: November 2012

7 STANDARDS COMMITTEE ACTIONS

Standards committee actions are of four types:
a) Approval of a proposed new standard, a proposed revision to an existing standard, a
proposal to reaffirm an existing standard, or a proposal to withdraw an existing standard
(See para. 7.2).
b) Approval of national adoptions of ISO or IEC standards (See para. 7.3).
c) Approval of editorial actions (See para. 7.4).
d) Approval of personnel and administrative items or actions relating to policy or ASME
position (See para. 7.6).

7.1 Voting Obligations.

Standards committee participants eligible to vote or their designated alternate shall be obligated
to vote on each committee action and are encouraged to vote as early as possible. Consistent
failure to vote, or abstention from voting, shall be just cause for termination in accordance with
para. 7.6.

7.2 Approval of Standards Actions.

7.2.1 Review and Comment
(a) At appropriate stages of the development process, the project team should provide access
to draft proposals for review and comment to technically affected parties, such as: the relevant
standards committee, subordinate groups, other standards committees, board members and
members of the public who have expressed interest. An Industry Review may also be performed
(see Appendix XI).
(b) All standards actions shall be forwarded to the cognizant board for review and comment
(typically concurrent with the standards committee voted action).
(c) Committee officers or the project team Manager shall determine whether comments
received are substantive. Comments received that are not related to the proposal under
consideration shall be considered non-substantive and may be considered as a submittal of a new
proposal. The submitter shall be so notified.
(d) Substantive comments related to the proposal under consideration shall be submitted to
the project team for consideration.
(e) The project team shall develop responses to substantive comments, prepare a summary of
comments and responses, and make the summary available. If substantive changes are made to
the proposal, the proposal shall be resubmitted for review and comment either concurrent with, or
followed by, a recorded vote. If the review and comment is conducted prior to a recorded vote
and the proposal has no changes or only non-substantive changes as a result of the comments, the
proposal shall be submitted to the standards committee for vote.

7.2.2 Authorization of Recorded Votes. A recorded vote may be authorized by any of the
following:
a) Project team responsible for the standards action
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b) Standards committee officer

c) Cognizant board
d) A majority vote of those standards committee participants present in a standards
committee meeting and eligible to vote
e) Petition of five standards committee participants.

7.2.3 First Consideration Vote

(a) Votes for standards actions shall be recorded in C&S Connect. All standards committee
participants eligible to vote shall have an opportunity to vote. When recorded votes are taken at
meetings, the standards committee participants who are absent shall be given the opportunity to
vote.
(b) The Secretary shall submit the proposal to the standards committee along with:
1) an explanation of why the action is being proposed;
2) substantive comments recorded in C&S Connect during the development process and
project team responses to the comments; and
3) the closing date for the voting period.
(c) The vote form shall contain four forms of response: approved, disapproved, abstain,
and not voting.
S(c) Explanation of Forms of Response:
Approved - vote indicates that you accept the proposal as written. Comments may be
submitted with these votes however; these comments may be used by the Secretary for
guidance in preparing the final publication, be used by the project team Manager of the
action for consideration for possible future revision, or may be considered by the committee
prior to moving the proposal forward.
Disapproved with Reason - vote indicates that you do not accept the proposal as written
and a reason for your disapproval shall be stated. For standards actions it is preferred that
the vote include an alternative action that will resolve their disapproved vote.
Disapproved votes that are not accompanied by comments related to the proposal under
consideration shall not be further considered and will be recorded as “Disapproved without
Comment.”
Not Voting with Reason – A response of not voting signifies neither approval nor
disapproval and shall be executed only when the standards committee participant believes
that he/she has a conflict of interest or potential conflict of interest and, in accordance with
Society Policy, is removing himself/herself from the voting process.
A response of “not voting” reduces the total committee voting membership for that
particular action. This vote essentially removes you from the Committee for the purpose of
determining the percentage of approved votes on that particular action.
Abstain with Reason - vote indicates that you do not wish to either approve or disapprove
the proposal because you either would like to have further Committee discussions prior to

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taking a position, you lack technical expertise, lack of adequate time to consider the
proposal, or you are an employee of a governmental agency which prevents you from
voting. An "abstain" vote does not affect the total committee voting membership (i.e., the
vote is counted for the purpose of determining the percentage of approved votes).
(d) Standards committee participants casting disapproved or abstain votes or not voting
responses shall provide written explanation. Disapproved votes should include an alternative
action that will resolve their disapproved vote.
(e) Voting periods shall not be shorter than two weeks unless agreed to by the consensus
committee. Voting periods shall be closed upon receipt of all responses but not later than the
established closing date unless the consensus committee or an officer extends the voting period.
S(e)1 Voting Period. The voting (C&S Connect ballot) period for standards actions is
typically four weeks. A voting period of six weeks may be used based upon factors such as the
size and complexity of the proposal, and the current committee workload.
S(e)2 Reminder. When approximately two-thirds of the voting period has elapsed, a
reminder shall be sent to those members who have not voted.
S(e)3 Not Returned Ballots. Members who have not voted by the close of the voting period
shall be recorded as Not Returned. There is no reduction in the total standards committee voting
membership for members recorded as not returned.
(f) An alternate’s vote shall be counted in the tally only if the corresponding standards
committee participant’s vote is not submitted. In the event both the member and alternate vote,
the alternate’s comment shall be considered in the same manner as a Review and Comment (see
para. 7.2.1).
(g) Members may change their vote at any time up until the closure of the vote.
(h) Votes received by the Secretary after the recorded vote has been closed shall not be
counted. A late vote that contains comments shall be forwarded as comments to the project team
Manager of the standards action for consideration of a possible future revision.
(i) At the close of the vote, the Secretary shall submit a complete voting tally including the
text of all disapprovals and comments to the standards committee and the project team.
(j) The project team shall address all comments and attempt to resolve all disapproved votes
accompanied by comments related to the proposal under consideration. The project team
responses shall be made available to the standards committee and shall include a recommendation
of one of the following:
(1) proceed with no changes
(2) submission for recirculation vote (with or without editorial or technical
revisions) (see para. 7.2.4)
(3) submission of revised proposal for first consideration vote (see para. 7.2.3)
(4) withdrawal of proposal
(k) Proposals that receive at least two thirds affirmative vote of the consensus committee
membership, excluding any “Not Voting” and “Disapproved without Comment” responses that
receive no disapprovals of the standards committee membership, and that require no changes shall
proceed to ANSI Public Review (see para. 8) and supervisory board approval (see para. 7.2.6).
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One disapproval received within the voting period on a first consideration vote shall be sufficient
to keep the item from proceeding.
If one or more disapproved vote is received from a subcommittee or project team member during
a concurrent vote with the standards committee, it shall be sufficient to keep the item from
proceeding. An attempt at resolution shall be made in accordance with Procedures.
(l) Disapproved votes accompanied by comments unrelated to the proposal under
consideration, or without comments, shall not be further considered, are not required to be
submitted for recirculation and shall be reported as “Disapproved without Comment”. The
member who submitted the vote is not required to be notified of their right to appeal.
Comments that are not related to the proposal under consideration shall be documented and
considered in the same manner as submittal of a new proposal. The submitter of the comments
shall be so notified.
(m) Disapproved votes may be changed by the member after the vote has been closed. With
the exception of para. 7.2.3(l), the Secretary shall not change the vote unless the voter has
provided the Secretary with instruction to do so. If the change of vote was not submitted in
writing by the voter or documented in the minutes of the relevant standards committee meeting,
written confirmation of such a vote change shall be provided to the voter by the Secretary.
(n) Editorial changes made to a standards action as a result of a disapproved vote and other
comments received shall be handled in accordance with para. 7.4.
(o) Technical changes made to a proposed standards action as a result of a disapproved vote
and other comments received shall be submitted for either a recirculation vote or a first
consideration vote, at the discretion of the standards committee officers.

7.2.4 Recirculation Vote

(a) A recirculation vote shall be issued only after completion of a first consideration vote and
shall be conducted for one of the following reasons:
(1) to review unresolved disapproved votes and/or substantive supervisory board
comments
(2) to review unresolved objections received as a result of ANSI Public Review (see
para. 8)
(3) to review editorial revision(s) in response to comment(s)
(4) to review technical revision(s) in response to comment(s)
(b) The recirculation shall include a summary of disapproved votes, public review objections,
and/or substantive supervisory board comments and the project team responses, as well as any
proposed revisions.
(c) During a recirculation vote, members of the consensus committee shall be afforded the
opportunity to change their vote cast during the first consideration vote. Members of the
consensus committee who did not cast a vote during first consideration may participate on
subsequent ballots. The recirculation vote shall be distributed to the same committees as the first
consideration vote. Exceptions to this rule would be if the committee previously took action on
the proposal that is being recirculated, which included reviewing the remaining disapprovals (e.g.,
the cognizant subcommittee reviewed and accepted changes during a meeting or teleconference).
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(d) Voting periods shall not be shorter than two weeks unless agreed to by the consensus
committee. The voting period for recirculation votes is typically two to four weeks. Voting
periods shall be closed upon receipt of all responses but not later than the established closing date
unless the consensus committee or an officer extends the voting period.
(e) Disapproved votes shall be limited to:
1) support of first consideration disapproved votes, unresolved Public Review objections
and/or substantive supervisory board comments
2) disagreement with any changes introduced to the proposal
In those cases in which a disapproval on a recirculation vote is not based on the above, the Chair
may rule that the disapproval be recorded as a “Disapproved without Comment” and no further
consideration is required for that vote. The accompanying comments shall be forwarded to the
project manager of the action for consideration in a future revision.
(f) Recirculation proposals that receive at least two thirds affirmative vote of the consensus
committee membership, excluding any “Not Voting” and “Disapproved without Comment”
responses, shall proceed to ANSI Public Review (see para. 8) and supervisory board approval
(see para. 7.2.6).
(g) Standards committee participants who submitted the unresolved disapproved votes shall
be notified in writing (including electronic communications) of their right to appeal standards
committee actions.

S7.2.4 Recirculation Votes During a Meeting

If it is determined that a substantive, non substantive or editorial change to a proposal is
appropriate to resolve a disapproval or comment (or is needed following approval of the item),
the revised proposal may be considered by the consensus committee during a meeting. All
remaining standards committee disapprovals shall be reviewed during the meeting. For
substantive changes voted on during a meeting an absentee ballot (real-time ballot) shall be issued
to those members not in attendance or represented by an approved alternate. Approval shall be in
accordance with the same criteria as for a recirculation vote.
Approval of non substantive or editorial changes to a proposal during a meeting requires at
least two-thirds affirmative vote of the members present (see 7.4).

7.2.5 Withdrawing or Holding an Approved Standards Action

A standards action that has been approved by the consensus committee may be put on hold or
withdrawn by the consensus committee. Withdrawing or holding an item requires:
(1) Consideration of action to hold or withdraw an approved standards action shall have
been initiated by the consensus committee prior to submittal of the approved action for
ANSI approval (see para. 9.2);
(2) Approval by 2/3 of the total consensus committee membership, excluding any “Not
Voting” and “Disapproved without Comment” responses, either at a meeting or via C&S
Connect vote.

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(3) If the approved standards action had already been submitted for supervisory board
approval (see para. 7.2.6), action to hold or withdraw that standards action also requires
approval of the supervisory board, in accordance with its procedures.

7.2.6 Supervisory Board Approval

After a standards action has been approved by the consensus committee, the Secretary shall
submit the standards action to the Secretary of the cognizant board for approval in accordance
with their procedures, along with:
1) a tally of the consensus committee voting;
2) a summary of unresolved disapproved votes and board comments, and project team
responses
Any comments resulting from ANSI Public Review (see para. 8) shall be provided to the
supervisory board, along with the corresponding responses and final consensus committee voting
tally.
Standards actions without any unresolved consensus committee disapproved votes, substantive
supervisory board comments, or public review objections may be administratively approved, at
the option of the individual board, by delegating the board’s responsibility for procedural review.
Such review and declaration of administrative approval may be accomplished by responsible
ASME staff or by a board-appointed review group, with no formal recorded vote of the board
required. Such administrative approvals shall be provided in list form to the responsible board in
their meeting agenda for information.

7.3 Approval of National Adoptions of ISO or IEC Standards as American National

Standards
7.3.1 ASME standards committees may consider national adoptions of ISO or IEC standards
in the absence of a corresponding ASME standard or where the ISO or IEC standard is the
relevant sector’s preferred standard to meet safety and marketplace needs. If an ASME standard
with the same scope does exist, it would normally be withdrawn subsequent to the national
adoption of the ISO or IEC standard, or revised to supplement the nationally adopted ISO or IEC
standard.
7.3.2 Recommendations to proceed with approval of national adoptions of ISO or IEC
standards require approval of the responsible supervisory board and Council on Standards and
Certification.
7.3.3 Refer to the ANSI Procedures for the National Adoption of ISO and IEC Standards as
American National Standards for requirements for proposed national adoptions of ISO and IEC
standards. Only identical or modified versions of ISO or IEC standards may be considered for
national adoption.
7.3.4 Standards committee approval of national adoptions shall be in accordance with para.
7.2 or, for identical adoptions, in accordance with the expedited procedures provided in the ANSI
Procedures for the National Adoption of ISO and IEC Standards as American National Standards.

7.4 Approval of Editorial Actions. Editorial actions are those which propose changes to the
code or standard that are not substantive. The voting period for editorial changes is typically two
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weeks. Editorial actions shall be approved using the method described for standards actions in
para. 7.2, or by the following method at meetings in which a quorum is present.

(a) The Secretary shall present the proposed revision to the consensus committee along
with an explanation of why the action is being proposed.
(b) Members shall either Approve (accepting the change as non-substantive) or
Disapprove (in either disagreement with the change or asserting that the change is
substantive).
(c) Editorial action shall be approved when at least 2/3 of the consensus committee
members present approve the action.
(d) Editorial actions that do not receive 2/3 approval shall be submitted for approval using
the method described for standards actions in para. 7.2.

7.5 Drafts Submitted for Review under the ANSI Canvass Method
ASME committees shall not vote or provide positions on drafts submitted by other standards
developers under the ANSI Canvass Method. However, interested individuals may submit their
own personal comments on such drafts during the ANSI public review period.

7.6 Approval of Personnel and Administrative Items.

(a) Personnel and administrative items or actions relating to policy or ASME position shall
be approved by one of the following methods:
1) a majority recorded vote of the consensus committee or
2) a majority of consensus committee members at committee meetings provided a
quorum is present.
(b) This criterion also applies to honors and awards unless a more restrictive requirement
applies to the particular honor or award.
(c) Approval of motions during a meeting shall be by at least a majority vote of the members
voting; however, the Chair may rule that a motion has not passed even if a majority vote
has been cast. The reason for such ruling shall be the closeness of the vote, abstention of
some members, or a combination of these reasons.

S7.6 Consideration of Personnel and Administrative Items – Submitted for Letter Ballot
Section S7.6 supplements Section 7.6 and provides additional requirements for Administrative items
that are balloted.
If a personnel or administrative proposal is submitted for ballot to the standards committee, the
following requirements apply:
S7.6.1 For personnel items initially submitted by ballot:
(a) if no disapprovals are received the item shall proceed,
(b) if a disapproval is received, one of the following methods shall be used:

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ASME Codes & Standards Development Section 7 & S7
Committee Procedures with S&T Supplemental Rev. 8 Date: November 2012

(1) the disapproval shall be included with the closure letter (e-mail) and will note that all
members have the opportunity to change their vote within two weeks following the
date of the closure letter. If any votes are changed within the two week period, the
Secretary will distribute a revised closure letter. The item shall proceed when a
majority of the standards committee members vote approved.
(2) with the Chair’s concurrence, the personnel item would be held to be discussed during
an executive session of the standards committee. The item shall proceed when a
majority of the standards committee members’ present vote approved and a quorum is
present.
(3) with the Chair’s concurrence, the personnel item may be sent for a second
consideration ballot. The item shall proceed when a majority of the standards
committee members vote approved.
S7.6.2 For administrative items other than personnel submitted by ballot: if a disapproved with
reason vote is received, the disapproved vote shall be circulated to members of the standards committee for
consideration. An attempted to resolve the disapprovals shall be made. The item or revised item shall
proceed when a majority of the standards committee members vote approved during a second consideration
ballot or at a standards committee meeting provided a quorum is present.

S7.7 Required Administrative Action When a Single Category Has a Majority of a Standards
Committee
The second paragraph of 3.2.5 requires a recorded vote and approval of the other classifications when a
single category of interest has a majority of a consensus committee. One method to accomplish the
required vote is to add a statement to the vote on the membership action (i.e., appointment,
reappointment, termination, or change of interest) that caused or continues a single category to have a
majority of a standards committee. In other words, there should be a second part to the motion/vote that
states, “By approving this membership action the members accept the fact that a single category of
interest will have a majority of the consensus committee”. If a resignation of a consensus committee
member causes a single category to have a majority of the consensus committee, then the members in the
other classifications of the consensus committee shall vote to accept the committee having a majority in a
single category of interest or they may use the method below.
Another method to accomplish the required vote would be to contact the members in the other
classifications to accept the committee having a majority in a single category. This would occur
following approval of each standards action, while the consensus committee is not balanced. Members
would only need to respond if they object to the situation. A two week response period is normally used.
The fact that a single category of interest has a majority of a consensus committee shall be noted in the
memo to the Board when considering the action.

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ASME Codes & Standards Development Section 8
Committee Procedures with S&T Supplemental Rev. 7 Date: December 2010

8 PUBLIC REVIEW

8.1 All proposed, revised, reaffirmed or withdrawn standards shall be announced on the ASME
Web site for public review. A notification shall be included in Mechanical Engineering that, at
a minimum, directs interested parties to the ASME Web site for the public review
announcements, and provides instructions on obtaining copies of public review proposals. If the
proposal is intended to be submitted to ANSI for approval, it shall also be announced in ANSI
Standards Action. At the request of an Officer of the standards committee, this may be conducted
concurrently with standards committee voting or following standards committee voting. Public
review submission at the same time as the standards committee vote is generally used when no
substantive changes are expected to the proposal(s) being considered.
8.2 The standards committee may supplement the public review by having a proposed standards
action sent to group(s) or individual(s) known to have an interest in the scope and purpose of the
proposed standards action.
8.3 The standards committee may supplement the public review with public hearings addressing
the scope and provisions of standards.
8.4 The project team shall attempt to resolve all negative comments received through public
review that are related to the proposal under consideration. Following consideration of each such
comment, the commenter shall be advised in writing (including electronic communications) of the
consideration of the comments, the action taken, or reasons why the comments could not be
resolved and notification in writing (including electronic communications) of their right to appeal
the standards committee’s actions. All unresolved public review objections that are related to the
proposal under consideration, along with project team responses, shall be distributed to members
of the consensus committee who will have the opportunity to reaffirm or change their vote on the
proposal. [Refer to the ANSI Procedures for the National Adoption of ISO and IEC Standards as
American National Standards for alternative public review procedures for proposed identical
national adoption of ISO or IEC standards.]

Comments that are not related to the proposal under consideration shall be documented and
considered in the same manner as submittal of a new proposal. The submitter of the comments
shall be so notified.

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ASME Codes & Standards Development Section 9
Committee Procedures with S&T Supplemental Rev. 6 Date: December 2009

9 APPROVAL

9.1 Supervisory Board. The cognizant board shall take the appropriate action to attest that these
procedures have been followed and that the requirements set forth in these procedures have been
met. Refer to para. 7.2.6.
9.2 American National Standards Institute
9.2.1 If a proposal is intended to be submitted for ANSI approval, the requirements of paras.
9.2.2 and 9.2.3 shall be followed.

9.2.2 When the cognizant board has completed action per para. 9.1 regarding the proposed
standard, revision, reaffirmation, or withdrawal, the proposal shall be submitted to the American
National Standards Institute indicating that the ANSI criteria for approval have been met.
Requests for ANSI approval shall be submitted within one year from the close of the ANSI public
review comment period unless ANSI has been notified in writing of good cause for a different
schedule for submittal.
The ANSI criteria for approval are as follows:

(a) The standard was developed in accordance with the procedures upon which the
developer was granted accreditation, with particular attention given to whether due process was
followed, consensus was achieved, and an effort was made to resolve any objections to the
standard;

(b) Any appeal to the standards developer with respect to the standard was completed;

(c) Notice of the development process for the standard was provided to ANSI in
accordance with PINS or its equivalent;

(d) Any identified conflict with another American National Standard was addressed in
accordance with the ANSI Essential Requirements;

(e) Other known national standards were examined with regard to harmonization and
duplication of content;

(f) ANSI’s patent policy is met, if applicable;

(g) ANSI’s policy on commercial terms and conditions is met, if applicable.

9.2.3 The information to be submitted by the Secretary to the American National Standards
Institute shall be as specified in Clause 4.2.1.1 of the ANSI Essential Requirements: Due process
requirements for American National Standards, and shall include:

(a) Title and designation of the proposed American National Standard;

(b) Indication of the type of action requested (that is, approval of a new American
National Standard; reaffirmation, revision, or withdrawal of an existing American National
Standard; or national adoption of ISO or IEC standard);
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Committee Procedures with S&T Supplemental Rev. 6 Date: December 2009

(c) A declaration that applicable procedures were followed;

(d) A roster of the consensus committee at the time of voting, an indication of the vote of
each member including abstentions and unreturned votes, the interest category of each member,
and a summary of voting in each interest category.

(e) Identification of all unresolved negative views and objections, with names of the
objector(s), and a report of attempts toward resolution;

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ASME Codes & Standards Development Section 10 & S10
Committee Procedures with S&T Supplemental Rev. 7 Date: December 2010

10 INTERPRETATIONS

10.1 General. Interpretations are formal written responses to written (e.g., letter, fax or e-mail)
inquiries which are transmitted to the inquirer on ASME interpretation letterhead.

Informal responses to inquiries may be offered by ASME staff and volunteers. Such individual
responses should be accompanied by a statement making it clear that they are the opinion of the
individual, not interpretations. These responses may be either verbal or written. If written, the
responses shall not be on ASME interpretation letterhead.

10.2 Requirements for Interpretations

(a) Interpretations shall be written in an “inquiry” and “reply” format.
(b) The inquiry or the reply shall include the name and specific edition(s) of the
standard(s) being interpreted.
(c) Existing interpretations shall be revised when there is an identified need for a
correction or clarification. There shall be a statement advising that ASME may reconsider its
interpretation when additional information is made available.
(d) Interpretations shall not revise existing requirements or establish new requirements.
(e) Interpretations shall not include explanations describing why the standard is written
the way it is, except they may include any rationale that was approved through the consensus
process as a part of the standards action.
(f) Interpretations shall not approve, certify, rate or endorse any item, construction,
proprietary device or activity.
(g) Interpretations shall be transmitted to the inquirer on ASME interpretation letterhead
signed by the staff person responsible for administrative activities of the standards committee or
cognizant subcommittee.
(h) Those interpretations not included in a special interpretation publication service shall
be published on the ASME Web site and/or in the Codes and Standards section of Mechanical
Engineering magazine.

10.3 Approval Committee. Interpretations may be approved by either of two committees.

(a) Consensus Committee or Cognizant Subcommittee. Interpretations may be

approved by a vote of the consensus committee or cognizant subcommittee. No member interest
category shall have a majority on the cognizant subcommittee.
(b) Special Inquiry Committee. Interpretations may be approved by the unanimous vote
of a special inquiry committee. If a special inquiry committee meeting is held it shall be open to
the public. Members of the special inquiry committee shall be members of the consensus
committee or subordinate group responsible for the standard. No member interest category shall
have a majority on the special inquiry committee. The special inquiry committee shall have at
least five members, one of which shall be the ASME staff secretary responsible for the standard.

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ASME Codes & Standards Development Section 10 & S10
Committee Procedures with S&T Supplemental Rev. 7 Date: December 2010

Special inquiry committee members shall be appointed by the Chair of the standards committee or
cognizant subcommittee.
One member of the special inquiry committee shall be designated as Chair. The Chair shall be
appointed by the Chair of the standards committee.
I. For committees with subcommittees the following shall be used to select the special
inquiry committee members:
The Chair and Vice Chair of the subcommittee directly associated with development of the
standard involved in the inquiry shall be members of the special inquiry committee. The third
and fourth members shall be selected from the subcommittee or consensus committee through
consultation between the subcommittee Chair and Staff Secretary of the concerned committee. If
the Chair or Vice Chair of the subcommittee can not serve on the special inquiry committee (e.g.,
because of a potential conflict of interest, or there is no Vice Chair), the remaining officer of the
subcommittee and the Secretary shall select an alternate for the particular inquiry.
For committees with subcommittees and working groups, the Chair of the appropriate working
group shall also be a member of the special inquiry committee.
II. For Committees with no subordinate groups, the following shall be used to select the
special inquiry committee members:
The Chair and Vice Chair of the standards committee shall be members of the special inquiry
committee. The third and fourth members shall be selected from the membership of the
committee through consultation between the Chair and the Secretary. If the Chair or Vice Chair
of the committee can not serve on the special inquiry committee (e.g., because of a potential
conflict of interest) the remaining officer of the committee and the Secretary shall select
additional members as needed from the committee.

10.4 Approval Voting Process - Consensus Committee or Cognizant Subcommittee (referred

to as “committee” hereafter in this subsection for simplicity)
(a) Votes may be obtained by letter, fax, recorded votes at meetings, or electronic means.
(b) The Secretary shall submit the proposal to the committee members along with:
a proposed inquiry and reply, and
a copy of the original inquiry.
(c) The vote form shall contain three forms of response: no objection, objection, and not
voting.
(d) When the vote is taken at a meeting, no objection by at least two thirds of members
present and eligible to vote but not less than fifty percent of the total committee membership is
required to approve the interpretation. If a proposed interpretation is acted on during a meeting
the results of the vote shall be recorded in the committee meeting minutes.
(e) When a vote is taken other than at a meeting
1) All voting members of the committee shall have an opportunity to vote.

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Committee Procedures with S&T Supplemental Rev. 7 Date: December 2010

2) Voting periods shall be closed upon receipt of all responses but not later than four
weeks after the date of issue unless the committee or a committee officer extends
the voting period.
3) Members casting objections shall provide written justification and shall describe an
alternative action that will resolve their objection.
S3) If one or more “objections" are received during a ballot of the Technical Inquiry,
the Staff Secretary or other committee member, when appropriate, shall reword the proposed
question and/or response.
4) Votes received by the Secretary after the voting period will not be considered
unless an extension of the period has been established by the committee or committee officer. At
the close of the voting period, the Secretary shall submit a complete voting tally to the committee.
All objections and comments shall be carefully considered by the committee Chair and their
resolution attempted. Responses to substantive comments and objections shall be documented and
made available to committee members.
5) Technical changes made in a proposed interpretation as a result of objections and
comments received shall be submitted to the committee with a two-week period given in which
the members shall have the opportunity to express opposition to the changes. If after
consideration, objections cannot be resolved, they shall be reported to the committee with copies
of the reason for the objections and the responses. Each member who wishes to change his/her
original vote shall so indicate within a specified time frame. A recirculation ballot may be issued.
The members who submitted the unresolved objections shall be notified of their right to appeal.
6) No objection by at least two thirds of members voting is required to approve the
interpretation, provided at least half of the members vote.
S7) instead of sending a recirculation ballot to the subcommittee or consensus
committee, the proposal may be deferred to an upcoming committee meeting.
S8) If the subcommittee is unable to approve the proposed interpretation, the inquiry
shall be referred to the consensus committee to determine appropriate action.

10.5 Approval Voting Process - Special Inquiry Committee

(a) All members of the special inquiry committee shall vote.
(b) Votes may be obtained by letter, fax, recorded votes at meetings, or electronic means.
(c) The Secretary shall submit the proposal to the special inquiry committee along with:
a proposed inquiry and reply, and
a copy of the original inquiry.
(d) The vote form shall contain two forms of response: no objection and objection.
(e) Members casting objections shall provide written justification and shall describe an
alternative action that will resolve their objection.
S(e) If one or more “objections" are received during a ballot of the Technical Inquiry, the
Staff Secretary or other committee member, when appropriate, shall reword the proposed question
and/or response.
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Committee Procedures with S&T Supplemental Rev. 7 Date: December 2010

(f) Voting periods may be closed upon receipt of all responses or two weeks after the date
of issue unless the committee or committee officer extends the voting period.
(g) The Secretary shall submit a complete voting tally to the special inquiry committee.
All objections and comments shall be carefully considered by the special inquiry committee Chair
and their resolution attempted. Responses to substantive comments and objections shall be
documented and made available to special inquiry committee members.
(h) Technical changes made in a proposed interpretation as a result of objections and
comments received shall be submitted to the special inquiry committee with a two-week period
given in which the members shall have the opportunity to express opposition to the changes. If
after consideration, objections cannot be resolved, the interpretation shall be submitted to the
consensus committee or the cognizant subcommittee for consideration. See para. 10.4.
(i) Interpretations are approved when all members vote no objection.

10.6 Information Copies. Information copies of all transmittals shall be sent to the Chair and
Vice Chair of the standards committee.

S10.7 Intent Interpretations

S10.7.1 Technical inquiries that cannot be answered on the basis of the existing wording of
the pertinent code or standard may be answerable by an "intent" interpretation. Intent
interpretations are permitted only to resolve conflicting wording, clarify ambiguous wording, or
resolve incorrect wording of a code or standard.
S10.7.2 When an intent interpretation is considered, a corresponding proposed revision to the
pertinent code or standard shall be prepared to support the interpretation. In the situation where
the consensus committee has previously approved a revision to the code or standard that supports
the intent of the interpretation, such a revision shall be provided to the consensus committee as
background information.
S10.7.3 For committees with subordinate groups, intent interpretations shall first be
considered and approved (when possible) by the appropriate subordinate group.
S10.7.4 Approval of both the intent interpretation and the proposed revision, by the
consensus committee, shall be subject to the voting procedures of Section 7 as a standards action.
S10.7.5 When possible, the intent interpretation shall be provided to the Board to support the
proposed revision.
S10.7.6 The Secretary shall not transmit the intent interpretation to the inquirer until after the
supporting revision has been approved by the consensus committee and reviewed by the Board.

S10.8 Reconsideration of an Interpretation

S10.8.1 The inquirer or a person aggrieved by an issued interpretation may request
reconsideration of the response to a technical inquiry if additional information is made available
to the committee which the aggrieved person or inquirer believes might affect the interpretation.
If the concerned special inquiry committee, subcommittee, or consensus committee decide that a
reconsideration is appropriate, the Staff Secretary shall reopen the inquiry file. The procedures
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ASME Codes & Standards Development Section 10 & S10
Committee Procedures with S&T Supplemental Rev. 7 Date: December 2010

given in 10.3 shall be used for reconsideration of a technical inquiry. The procedures given in
S10.7 shall be used for reconsideration of an intent interpretation.
S10.8.2 Approval of a revision to an issued interpretation shall be by the same or higher
committee, which approved the original interpretation. In other words, a special inquiry
committee or subcommittee cannot revise an interpretation approved by the consensus committee.
The special inquiry committee or subcommittee may recommend a revision, but the consensus
committee would have the final vote.
S10.8.3 When the consensus committee approves a revision to an issued intent interpretation,
the consensus committee shall decide whether an additional change to the appropriate standard is
also necessary.
S10.8.4 When a revised interpretation is approved and subsequently issued, the original
interpretation, if posted, shall be removed from the Web and the revised interpretation posted.

S10.9 Appeal of an Interpretation

Persons aggrieved by an issued interpretation may appeal to the consensus committee. If the
interpretation was accepted by the special inquiry committee method, the appeal shall be referred
to the consensus committee. The procedures for an appeal are given in Section 11.

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ASME Codes & Standards Development Section 11
Committee Procedures with S&T Supplemental Rev. 8 Date: November 2012

11 APPEALS

11.1 Any action or inaction of a standards and/or consensus committee may be appealed by any
individual, company, or organization.

11.2 Appeals shall be considered according to the following:

11.2.1 Appeals shall first be directed to the standards committee.
11.2.2 Appeals which cannot be resolved at the level of the standards committee which
originated the subject in dispute, may be referred to the cognizant supervisory board.
11.2.3 If the supervisory board’s decision remains objectionable to any party concerned with
the action, a request for an appeal, based upon matters relating to procedural due process, may be
submitted to the Council on Standards and Certifications’ Board on Hearings and Appeals, which
may decide at its discretion whether or not to consider a further appeal.

11.3 Procedures for appeal to the standards committee shall be as follows:

11.3.1 Written notice (certified mail preferred) of intent to appeal shall be filed with the
Secretary of the standards committee within 20 working days after the date of notification of the
action, followed within 10 additional working days by the detailed objection or appeal statement.
The item in question will then not proceed pending a hearing on the appeal. Notice of intent to
appeal an inaction may be submitted to the Secretary of the standards committee at any time and
shall be followed within 10 days by the detailed objection or appeal statement.
11.3.2 The Secretary shall notify the standards committee of the request for appeal. A
response to the appeal statement shall be developed by a proponent of the action or inaction in
question. The response shall be made available to all concerned parties at least 15 working days
prior to the date of any scheduled hearing.
11.3.3 The consensus committee, after determining that a hearing is in order, shall arrange to
hear the appeal at its earliest practicable scheduled meeting after the date of request for appeal, or
at the discretion of the standards committee Chair, at a meeting of a hearing panel, consisting of
members of the consensus committee appointed by the Chair, on a date mutually agreeable to all
parties. The hearing panel shall consist of a minimum of five members.
11.3.4 The appellant, the consensus committee members and others concerned shall be
notified of the hearing at least twenty working days in advance of the date set for hearing the
appeal. At the time of notification, the Secretary shall provide the parties with a copy of the
consensus committee roster or a list of the members of the proposed hearing panel, as applicable,
in order to allow any concerned party the opportunity to object should they perceive the existence
of a conflict of interest. Any such objections should be submitted to the Secretary no more than
10 working days after receipt of the roster, and shall then be distributed by the Secretary to the
individual(s) being challenged in advance of the hearing, who shall then have the opportunity to
respond prior to the hearing. Any objection should be addressed prior to the hearing in a manner
consistent with Society Policy P-15.8, Conflicts of Interest.
11.3.5 Appeal hearings generally should be held in open session (other than the executive
session portion). However, upon written request of either of the parties or the Committee
Officers, it shall be limited to the following participants:
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Committee Procedures with S&T Supplemental Rev. 8 Date: November 2012

(a) members of the consensus committee hearing the appeal and eligible to vote;
(b) appellant(s);
(c) respondents(s);
(d) pertinent ASME Staff; and
(e) ASME legal counsel
Any such written request shall be submitted to the Secretary no more than 10 working days after
receiving the notification of the appeals hearing date.
11.3.6 Deliberations shall take place during executive session only. Attendees for the
executive session portion of the hearing shall be limited to the following:
(a) members of the consensus committee hearing the appeal and eligible to vote;
(b) pertinent ASME Staff; and
(c) ASME legal counsel
11.3.7 For appeals relating to personnel or other administrative items, the appeal shall be
upheld or denied on the basis of a majority recorded vote of those hearing the appeal; for appeals
relating to technical issues, the appeal shall be upheld or denied by a two thirds affirmative vote
of those hearing the appeal. The Secretary of the standards committee shall notify the appellant,
the Chair of the standards committee and others concerned, of the committee’s decision within
seven days of the date of the hearing.
11.4 For any subsequent appeal to the cognizant supervisory board, written notice by certified
mail or equivalent communication of intent to appeal must be filed with the Secretary of the board
within 10 working days after the date of mailing of the originating standards committee’s
response to the appeal. Thereafter, the procedures of the cognizant supervisory board shall apply.
11.5 To request a further appeal following conclusion of the supervisory board appeal, written
notice of intent to appeal must be filed by certified mail or equivalent communication with the
Secretary of the Board on Hearings and Appeals within 10 working days after receipt of the
notification of the results of the supervisory board appeal. Thereafter, the procedures of the
Board on Hearings and Appeals shall apply.
11.6 In addition, any individual, company, or organization aggrieved by any action or inaction of
a supervisory board may request reconsideration and an appeal hearing before that board. If the
supervisory board’s decision remains objectionable to any party concerned with the action, a
request for an appeal, based solely upon matters relating to procedural due process, may be
submitted to the Board on Hearings and Appeals, which may decide at its discretion whether or
not to consider the appeal. Any individual, company, or organization aggrieved by any action or
inaction of the Council on Standards and Certification may request reconsideration by the
Council. The Board on Hearings and Appeals is the final level of appeal relating to Codes and
Standards matters within ASME.
11.7 The appeals procedures of the supervisory boards and the procedures of the Board on
Hearings and Appeals are available from ASME upon request.

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ASME Codes & Standards Development Section 12 & 13
Committee Procedures with S&T Supplemental Rev. 7 Date: December 2010

12 RECORDS

Records shall be retained in accordance with Codes and Standards Policy CSP-38, Document
Retention.

13 AMENDMENTS
Amendments to these procedures require the approval of the Council on Standards and
Certification.

Any amendments to the ASME Codes and Standards Development Committee procedures will be
submitted to ANSI for acceptance in accordance with their criteria for acceptance of revisions to
the accredited procedures.

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ASME Codes & Standards Development Section I
Committee Procedures with S&T Supplemental Rev. 8 Date: November 2012

APPENDIX I
CHARTERS
BOARD ON STANDARDIZATION AND TESTING
Charter: Management and supervision of the dimensional, design, application, drafting,
performance test codes, and miscellaneous standards activities of the Society, as designated by
the Council on Standards & Certification. The standards developed by groups managed by the
Board are intended to be submitted to the American National Standards Institute to become
American National Standards.

A112 COMMITTEE ON PLUMBING MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT

Charter: The recommendation of suitable standards, or the development of standards where none
exist, for performance requirements, composition, dimensions, and/or mechanical and physical
properties of materials, fixtures, devices, and equipment used or installed in plumbing or
mechanical systems.

B1 COMMITTEE ON SCREW THREADS

Charter: Standardization of screw threads, taps, and gages, including terminology, symbols,
forms, designations, standard and special series, the dimensional limits for these series, thread
gages and gaging, principles for determining dimensional limits of threads and thread gages, and
acceptability requirements. Not included are certain specialized screw threads such as those for
fire hose couplings.

B5 COMMITTEE ON MACHINE TOOLS - COMPONENTS, ELEMENTS,

PERFORMANCE, AND EQUIPMENT
Charter: The standardization of machine tools, cutting tools and of the elements of machine tool
construction and operation relating primarily to their use on manufacturing operations, including
work and tool holding elements, driving mechanisms that constitute an inherent part of the
machine tool, components and associated appurtenances; nomenclature, designations, sizes,
capacities, and tests for accuracy of machine tools and of work and tool holding parts or elements;
movements and adjustments of machine tool elements; and parts and elements for adjusting,
guiding, and aligning work or tools, including slots and tapes, but excluding perishable tools,
punches, dies and screw taps.

B18 COMMITTEE ON STANDARDIZATION OF BOLTS, NUTS, RIVETS, SCREWS,

WASHERS, AND SIMILAR FASTENERS
Charter: Standardization of dimensional, physical, and performance requirements for the
specification and manufacture of bolts, nuts, rivets, screws, washers, and similar fasteners.

B29 COMMITTEE ON CHAINS, ATTACHMENTS, AND SPROCKETS FOR POWER

TRANSMISSION AND CONVEYING
Charter: Standardization of chains, attachments, and sprockets for power transmission and
conveying.

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ASME Codes & Standards Development Section I
Committee Procedures with S&T Supplemental Rev. 8 Date: November 2012

B32 COMMITTEE ON METAL AND METAL ALLOY WROUGHT MILL PRODUCT

NOMINAL SIZE
Charter: The standardization of metal and metal alloy wrought mill product nominal sizes and
establishment of a standard series or a number of standard series of nominal sizes.

B40 COMMITTEE ON STANDARDS FOR PRESSURE AND TEMPERATURE

INSTRUMENTS AND ACCESSORIES
Charter: The preparation and promulgation of standards for pressure and temperature instruments
and accessories.

B46 COMMITTEE ON CLASSIFICATION AND DESIGNATION OF SURFACE

QUALITIES
Charter: Classification and designation of surfaces according to quality of surface.

B47 COMMITTEE ON GAGE BLANKS

Charter: To simplify gage design through the adoption of standard blanks and components for
various common types of dimensional control gages, and to append with further related data.

B73 COMMITTEE ON CHEMICAL STANDARD PUMPS

Charter: The development of standards for horizontal, end suction and vertical in-line centrifugal
pumps for chemical process and vertical wet pit volute pumps.

B89 COMMITTEE ON DIMENSIONAL METROLOGY

Charter: The calibration performance evaluation, uncertainty evaluation, and specification of
dimensional measuring instruments and gauges and the methods of their use for measuring
various geometrical characteristics such as lengths, plane surfaces, angles, circles, cylinders,
cones, spheres and tori, as well as profiles.

B107 COMMITTEE ON HAND TOOLS AND ACCESSORIES

Charter: Establish standards for hand tools and accessories: These standards provide performance
and safety requirements. These requirements encompass the elements of design, use,
performance, tolerances, and configurations of; including but not limited to, wrenches, pliers and
snips, screwdrivers, striking and struck tools and torque instruments. The standards will include
consideration of various classes and types of hand tools, and accessories. They will also include
any tests that are needed to determine conformance with the performance and safety
requirements.

EA COMMITTEE ON INDUSTRIAL SYSTEM ENERGY ASSESSMENT

Charter: Development of standards for conducting energy improvement assessments of the
following industrial systems: steam systems, compressed air systems, process heating systems,
and pumping systems.

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H213 COMMITTEE ON HARMONIZATION OF DIMENSIONAL AND

GEOMETRICAL PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS AND VERIFICATION
Charter: Harmonize dimensional and geometrical product specifications and verification
activities:
to develop consensus positions for the US member body to ISO/TC 213 and encourage US
participation in its working units;
to review and recommend US standards activities within existing technical cognizant
committees including B46, B89, Y14, etc. which shall be responsible for their standards
development program.

HST COMMITTEE ON HOISTS - OVERHEAD

Charter: Performance standards for overhead hoists; in particular, air and electric wire rope and
chain hoists, and hand chain and manually lever operated chain hoists. The standards will
include, where applicable, terminology, hoist and trolley service classifications, and mechanical
and electrical data.

MFC COMMITTEE ON MEASUREMENT OF FLUID FLOW IN CLOSED CONDUITS

Charter: Standardization of rules and methods for the measurement of fluid flow in closed
conduits, including terminology and definitions; rules for construction, installation, and
conditions under which measurements are to be made; rules for collection, evaluation, and
interpretation of measurements data, including errors.

PTC COMMITTEE ON PERFORMANCE TEST CODES

Charter: The Performance Test Code Standards Committee develops codes, supplements, and
other types of documents, which provide rules and procedures for the planning, preparation,
execution, and reporting of results for performance tests and evaluations.

RAM COMMITTEE ON RELIABILITY, AVAILABILITY, AND MAINTAINABILITY

OF POWER PLANTS
Charter: Provides the practices and procedures of assessing the reliability, availability, and
maintainability of equipment and systems applicable to plants in the power (other than nuclear)
industry.

STS COMMITTEE ON STEEL STACKS

Charter: Standardization as it relates primarily to the design and construction of steel stacks, with
or without lining and supports, and to the application of lining or cladding to such stacks, where
required, and recommendation for their inspection and maintenance.

V&V Verification and Validation in Computational Modeling and Simulation

Charter: Coordinate, promote, and foster the development of standards that provide procedures
for assessing and quantifying the accuracy and credibility of computational modeling and
simulation.

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WEG COMMITTEE ON WATER EFFICIENCY GUIDELINES FOR POWER AND

OTHER INDUSTRIAL FACILILITIES
Charter: Develop guidance documents to promote the efficient use of water in applications within
power and other industrial facilities and to aid in evaluation of technical options. Topics include,
but are not limited to, cooling systems, the use of fresh and non-fresh water resources, and
innovative water reuse and water recovery technologies.

Y14 COMMITTEE ON ENGINEERING DRAWING AND RELATED

DOCUMENTATION PRACTICES
Charter: The development and maintenance of national standards for defining and documenting a
product throughout its life cycle and related certification activities. This shall be accomplished
by: (1) Recognizing the continuing need for existing standards regardless of the source medium
(e.g., paper, film, and digital) or method of preparation (e.g., manual or computer generated).(2)
Providing standardization where a variety of practices exist within industry and government.(3)
Providing standards for new concepts and technologies; and (4) Supporting and coordinating
development and harmonizing of standards with responsible standardization bodies, including
ANSI, ISO, and government agencies.

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ASME Codes & Standards Development Section II
Committee Procedures with S&T Supplemental Rev. 8 Date: November 2012

APPENDIX II
GUIDANCE ON VOTE RESOLUTION AND RESUBMITTAL OF
PROPOSAL FOR STANDARDS AND EDITORIAL ACTION
II 1.0 FIRST CONSIDERATION VOTE OF STANDARDS ACTIONS
For a first consideration vote on standards actions see 7.2.3. All disapproval votes shall be
referred to the standards committee, pertinent subcommittee (also referred to as technical
committee), or project team for consideration. The Chair of the standards committee, the
pertinent subcommittee, or project team shall determine whether consideration of unresolved
disapproval votes and comments should be by correspondence or at a meeting/telephone
conference of the standards committee, pertinent subcommittee, or project team.
II 2.0 VOTE RESOLUTION
II 2.1 Disapproved Vote Consideration. All disapproved votes accompanied by comments
shall be considered and their resolution attempted. The results of this effort shall be made known
to those whose disapprovals were considered.
II 2.2 Options on How to Proceed. When a standards action has been prevented from
proceeding by one or more disapproval votes, the appropriate committee shall analyze the
disapproval votes and determine how to proceed. The committee may decide to either:
(a) make substantive2 revisions to the action in response to disapprovals and comments
received,
(b) make non substantive or editorial revisions to the action in response to disapprovals and
comments received,
(c) respond to unresolved disapprovals and vote to reaffirm the original action after
consideration of disapprovals, or
(d) make some revisions and respond to the remaining unresolved disapprovals [a
combination of (a), and/or (b) and (c) above].
II 3.0 RESUBMITTAL OF CHANGES
II 3.1 Resubmittal of Substantive Changes. If the committee determines that a substantive2
(technical) change to a proposal is appropriate to resolve a disapproval or comment, the revised
proposal shall be resubmitted to the consensus committee by one of the following methods:
(a) a recirculation vote (see II 4.0)
(b) a reconsideration during a meeting (see II 4.1)
(c) a first consideration vote (see II 1.0)
The resubmittal may be performed concurrently with the subcommittee or project team review.
For a disapproved standards action that has not been acted on for over one year and new
substantive changes are being prepared, it is recommended the proposal be submitted for another
first consideration vote instead of a recirculation vote. Factors to be considered are: time since

2
A substantive change in a proposed American National Standard is one that directly and materially affects the use
of the standard. Examples of substantive changes are shown below:
i) “shall to “should” or “should” to “shall;”
ii) addition, deletion or revision of requirements, regardless of the number of changes.
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the last vote, amount and significants' of new changes made in this draft and number of
committee members appointed since the last vote.
II 3.2 Resubmittal of Non Substantive Changes. A non substantive change is one that is
intended to expand upon, or delete redundant material from, the original text in order to clarify its
meaning but not to alter the intent in any way; or changes to assure technical consistency. If it is
determined that a non substantive change to a proposal is appropriate to resolve a disapproval or
comment, the revised proposal shall be resubmitted to the standards committee by one of the
following methods:
(a) a recirculation vote (see II 4.0)
(b) a reconsideration during a meeting (see II 4.1)
II 3.3 Resubmittal of Editorial Changes. An editorial change is one that is intended to
clarify ambiguous or complicated passages. If the committee determines that editorial changes to
a proposal are appropriate to resolve a disapproval or comment (or is needed after approval of the
item), the revised proposal shall be submitted to the consensus committee [either for a two week
recirculation vote or during a meeting (see II 4.0 and II 4.1)].

II 4.0 RECIRULATION VOTE. When appropriate, the Secretary shall submit the proposal
to the consensus committee for a recirculation vote. For a recirculation vote on a standards
action see 7.2.4.
Proposals for a recirculation vote shall indicate the changes made since the last ballot. This
may be accomplished in several ways including:
(a) providing a list of where the changes have been made
(b) by some type of indicator (e.g., line in the margin, use of bold, italic or strike out)
(c) a mark-up of the previous draft with the changes hand written in.
A clean retype of the proposal may accompany the revised proposal.
For a recirculation vote:
(a) each consensus committee member who wishes to change his/her original vote after
reviewing the noted changes and/or remaining disapproval shall so indicate. No reply is needed
from those members not changing their original vote.
(b) when a consensus committee member has resigned since the first consideration vote and
before the recirculation was issued they are not counted in the recirculation tally.
(c) when a consensus committee member has been added since the first consideration ballot
and will receive the recirculation vote, their vote is limited to the provisions stated for
recirculation votes [see 7.2.4(e)].
II 4.1 Reconsideration During a Meeting. For a reconsideration of a proposal during a
meeting see S7.2.4.

II 5.0 ALL DISAPPROVED VOTES WITHDRAWN. If all disapproved votes are

withdrawn and a change to the proposal is not required the item shall proceed. When all
disapproved votes are withdrawn and a change to the proposal is required in order to resolve a
disapproval, the methods in II 3.0 shall be used.

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II 6.0 UNRESOLVED DISAPPROVED VOTES. If all disapproved votes are not resolved
or withdrawn, the item shall be submitted for either:
(a) a recirculation vote (see II 4.0)
(b) a reconsideration during a meeting (see II 4.1).
.

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ASME Codes & Standards Development Section III
Committee Procedures with S&T Supplement Rev. 8 Date: November 2012

APPENDIX III
SUBORDINATE GROUPS
III 1.0 SUBORDINATE GROUP - GENERAL
For establishment of subordinate groups and election of subordinate group officers see Section
5.1. For subordinate group officer term limits see Section 5.2.1.
III 1.1 Appointment Term. Subordinate group members shall be appointed for a term not
exceeding five years and expiring June 30 of the appropriate year. Members are eligible for
reappointment.
Subordinate group officers shall be appointed for a term not exceeding three years and expiring
June 30 of the appropriate year. When a member is appointed as an officer, the expiration date
for his/her membership term shall coincide with his/her term of office.

III 1.2 Subordinate Group Officers. The Chair shall be the executive officer of the
subordinate group, preside at meetings, and perform duties customarily associated with such
office. The Vice Chair, in the absence of the Chair, shall fulfill the duties of the Chair and shall
perform other duties as assigned by the Chair. In the absence of the Chair and Vice Chair at a
meeting, the Secretary (when not ASME Staff) shall fulfill the duties of the Chair and perform
other duties as assigned by the Chair. In the absence of the Chair and Vice Chair at a meeting,
the Secretary (when ASME Staff) shall take the chair for the purpose of nomination and selection
of a Chair pro tem, who shall then preside at that meeting.
The Secretary shall record and distribute agendas and minutes of all meetings of the subordinate
group to members of the subordinate group and officers of the “parent3” committee.
III 1.3 Alternates and Representatives. Representation of an absent member may be by a
representative or by an alternate.
(a) Representative. A representative is a person selected by a member of the subordinate
group to attend the meetings and act on the member’s behalf at a meeting and is accepted by the
chair. Such selection by individual members should be by written notification to a subordinate
group officer. Such service by a representative automatically terminates at the conclusion of the
meeting at which the individual is representing the absent member.
(b) Alternate. An alternate is a person who attends meetings or intends to vote in place of
the member on standards and administrative actions. Alternates are proposed by the absent
member, are subject to approval by the consensus committee. An alternate has all the privileges
of a member during the period of his/her service in this capacity. Such service by an alternate
automatically terminates on request of the member, or when the member is no longer on the
committee. The term of appointment of the alternate shall expire on the same date as the
members.
III 1.4 Contributing Members

3
The “parent” committee is the Committee that they report to (e.g., for Subcommittees or Technical Committees it
would be the standards committee).
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Subordinate groups may have Contributing Members. Contributing Members are active
committee members who wish to participate, but may be unable to fully participate for the
foreseeable future. Preferably, the member should have served on the committee or lower tier
Committee for two years. Once nominated by the committee Chair, the proposal is sent to the
committee for consideration. A 50% affirmative vote of the voting membership is required for
election to Contributing Member (with a quorum being present). Approval by the consensus
committee is required.
Contributing Members shall be appointed for a term not exceeding five years and expiring June
30 of the appropriate year. Contributing Members are eligible for reappointment if and subject to
approval by the consensus committee.
Contributing Members do not have voting rights but are able to submit comments. They should be
included on all committee mailings (including minutes, agendas and ballots) and will receive
notification concerning committee meetings.
III 1.5 Meetings. The subordinate group shall hold meetings or electronic conferences as
determined by the subordinate group or the Chair on behalf of the committee. In this
consideration, the subordinate group or the Chair on behalf of the committee, shall consider the
complexity and urgency of their assigned tasks.
Teleconference meetings are encouraged to minimize travel and reduce the time it takes to
complete actions. The subordinate group shall provide for meetings that are open to the public.
Members of the public may express their views on items being discussed but shall not have
voting privileges. However, a portion of a meeting may be in executive session when considering
subjects such as personnel, conformity assessment, litigation and other administrative matters.
III 1.6 Quorum. At meetings, a quorum shall consist of at least 50% of the total committee
members eligible to vote. Actions taken at a meeting where a quorum is not present are not
official until approved by more than fifty percent of the total committee membership by ballot or
at a subsequent meeting. If a quorum is not attained during a meeting, it shall be noted in the
Minutes of the meeting.
III 1.7 Annual Review. Annually, the chair shall review the record of activity of each of his
committee members with regard to contribution to the work of the committee, attention to
correspondence, and attendance at meetings. After such a review, an officer of the committee
shall initiate contact if deemed necessary. After being contacted, should the member’s
performance not improve to the agreed-upon level, the parent committee shall vote to remove the
member from the subject committee. A vote by the consensus committee is also required. The
individual removed from the committee may appeal the action to the consensus committee.

III 2.0 SUBORDINATE GROUP ACTIONS

III 2.1 Subordinate group actions may be conducted by ballot or at meetings. When
consideration/discussion indicates general agreement on any proposal, the Chair shall call for a
formal vote, and that vote shall be recorded. If the vote is taken during a meeting it shall be
recorded in the Minutes.
Subordinate group actions are of two types:
(a) Approval of standards actions
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(b) Approval of administrative actions

III 3.0 SUBCOMMITTEES

III 3.1 Subcommittee Standards Actions
III 3.1.1 During subcommittee (also referred to as technical committee or division) meetings,
a standards action requires the following vote in order to proceed to the standards committee:
(a) an affirmative vote of 2/3 of the subcommittee members voting/present but not less
than 50% of the total subcommittee membership, and
(b) a quorum is present.
If 2/3 affirmative vote of the members present is not received, the action does not proceed and the
subcommittee shall determine what further action is appropriate. If 2/3 affirmative vote of the
members present is received but less than 50% of the total subcommittee membership a
Subcommittee ballot following the meeting is recommended.
During the development process, when a significant change/decision (e.g., one that affects many
sections of a standard or multiple standards) is voted during a meeting, and the Subcommittee has
less than 2/3 of the members present, it is recommended the proposal be balloted by the
Subcommittee following the meeting.
III 3.1.2 Ballots may be authorized by an officer of the subcommittee, by majority vote of
members present, or by the standards committee. When balloting a standards action, the
following vote is required to pass the action:
(a) an affirmative vote of 2/3 of the subcommittee members voting, and
(b) an affirmative vote of at least 50% of the total subcommittee membership. The form
of ballots shall be as stated in 7.2.3(c) and S7.2.3(c).
III 3.1.3 All subcommittee disapprovals and comments shall be considered. Unresolved
subcommittee disapprovals and documentation of their attempted resolution shall be reported to
the standards committee when they consider the proposal.
III 3.2 Subcommittee Administrative Actions
Administrative matters shall be considered passed when approved by a majority of those present
at a subcommittee meeting provided a quorum is present, or by a majority of those voting by
ballot. Ballots may be authorized by an officer of the subcommittee, by majority vote of members
present, or by the standards committee.

III 4.0 WORKING GROUPS (also Referred to as Project Teams)

III 4.1 During working group meetings, both standards actions and administrative matters
proceed to the next level when an affirmative vote is cast by a majority of members present
provided a quorum is present. Although approval of a motion may be by majority vote of the
members voting at the meeting, the Chair may rule that the motion has not passed on the basis of
the closeness of the vote, the absence of members or abstaining votes of members present, or a
combination of these reasons. However, when a majority vote by the total working group
membership is cast for the motion, that motion shall in all cases be considered as passed.
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III 4.2 Ballots may be authorized by an officer of the working group, by majority vote of
members present, or by the subcommittee. The form of ballots shall be as stated in 7.2.3(c) and
S7.2.3c). When balloting a standards action or administrative matter, a majority affirmative vote
shall pass the action and the item proceeds to the next level.

III 5.0 TASK GROUPS

Task Group (also referred to as Project Team) is a generic term for a committee established to
perform a specific task of a non-continuing nature as defined by the “parent3” (establishing)
committee.
III 5.1 Membership of a Task Group shall be limited in size by the chair of the “parent”
committee establishing the Task Group based on consideration of the specific task assigned.
III 5.2 The Chair of the Task Group is selected by the Chair of the “parent” committee from
members of the “parent” committee.
III 5.3 The Chair or Technical Manager may declare that a proposal is sufficiently refined and
ready to proceed to the next level.
III 5.4 Upon completion of the assignment and acceptance by the “parent” committee, the Task
Group shall be dissolved and its members discharged.

3
The “parent” committee is the Committee that they report to. For a Task Group it would be the establishing
committee.
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ASME Codes & Standards Development Section IV
Committee Procedures with S&T Supplemental Rev. 8 Date: November 2012

APPENDIX IV
DRAFT PREPARATION, DATING OF
REFERENCED STANDARDS, AND INCORPORATION OF
COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL

IV 1.0 DRAFTS OF STANDARDS OR DRAFT REVISIONS TO STANDARD

IV 1.1 All drafts of standards or draft revision to standards shall be prepared in accordance with
the following requirements [see CSP-9(b) for additional requirements].
(1) A title shall be provided.
(2) A notation “Draft” shall be included.
(3) The date of the draft, identified by either month, year or month, day, year shall be
included.
(4) Drafts or revisions thereof may be individually numbered or they shall be identified by
date only. Designations such as "Initial", "Intermediate", and "Final" shall not be used.
If the draft is intended to revise a previously approved Standard, the following statement
shall appear under the Standard Designation:
Proposed revision of (full Standard Designation)
(5) The Standards Identification Designation shall be provided but shall not include
ANSI, ASME, or a year date to avoid a false indication of ANSI or ASME approval.
(6) A statement which will not be a part of the cover format shall be included to read as
follows:
TENTATIVE
SUBJECT TO REVISION OR WITHDRAWAL
Specific Authorization Required for Reproduction or Quotation
ASME Standards and Certification
(7) The foreword is not considered an integral part of the standard; however it shall be
included in the draft to provide an opportunity for review for accuracy of content, etc.
(8) The running heads on each page of the draft shall not include such notations as ANSI,
American National Standards Institute, ASME, American Society of Mechanical
Engineers, any acronyms, or the name of the organization that may have prepared the
draft, in order to avoid a false indication of approval.

IV 2.0 DATING OF REFERENCED STANDARDS [from CSP-9(h)]

When a standards committee wishes to reference another code or standard it has the responsibility to
decide whether or not to include a specific date of issue of the referenced document.
IV 2.1 Referencing Another ASME Code or Standard: When referencing another ASME
code or standard, the standards committee shall elect to either reference a specific date of issue of
the code or standard, or append the words “latest edition” to the title.

IV 2.2 Referencing Documents Developed by Other Organizations: When referencing

documents developed by other organizations the following applies:

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(i) If a revision of the referenced document can affect provisions for safety or invoke undesired
technical provisions in the referencing standard, the referencing standards committee shall
cite the date of the acceptable referenced standard. Standards committees are strongly
encouraged to keep abreast of referenced standards revisions and to promptly update the dates
for acceptable referenced documents. When standards committees identify situations in
referenced documents revisions that prevent them from referencing the latest revisions, such
situations shall be promptly brought to the attention of their supervisory board.
(ii) If a revision of the referenced document cannot affect the provisions for safety or result in
undesirable technical provisions in its referencing standard, then the referencing standards
committee may omit the date of the referenced standard. Where the date is not cited, the
words "latest edition" should be appended to the title.

IV 2.3 Availability of Referencing Documents [from CSP-9(i)]: When the standards

committee elects to reference specific documents in codes and standards it develops, those
referenced documents must be readily available to the public at a reasonable cost.

IV 3.0 INCORPORATION OF MATERIAL FROM A COPYRIGHTED PUBLICATION

If in developing an ASME standard, a standards committee or its subordinate group proposes to
incorporate material from a copyrighted publication of another organization, they shall request the
ASME Staff to obtain written permission from the publisher to reprint the material. ASME Staff
shall be notified of this request no later than the time of submittal to the standards committee for
consideration of the text containing the incorporated material.

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ASME Codes & Standards Development Section V
Committee Procedures with S&T Supplemental Rev. 7 Date: December 2010

APPENDIX V
AWARDS
V 1.0 AWARDS
Committees are encouraged to recognize the contributions of their members through the
recommendation for honors and awards.

V 1.1 Certificates of Appreciation. Certificates of Appreciation are Society awards issued in

accordance with Society Policy P-1.2 to selected individuals for outstanding leadership and/or
significant service in the development of codes and standards. The consensus committee may
make recommendations to the Board for the issuance of Certificates of Appreciation to
individuals who have given meritorious service to the committee. The following guidelines,
although not mandatory, should be used in making these recommendations:
(a) The usual time for the committee to consider the recommendation of a Certificate should
be either ten years after the date of an individual’s first formal appointment to a
committee activity, or at the time of the individual’s resignation from committee
activities.
(b) Factors to be considered in the decision of whether or not a recommendation should be
made are length, continuity and diligence of service. Except for an unusually
meritorious contribution, a Certificate should not be recommended at the time of the
resignation of any person whose total service to the committee has been less than one
term (5 years).
(c) An individual may receive more than one Certificate of Appreciation for different
activities. However, no more than one Certificate for general service should be
recommended for any individual. A Certificate for general service may be
recommended for an individual who has already received a Certificate for a specific
service, but only if it is believed that the specific service mentioned on the existing
Certificate does not cover a significant portion of his actual contribution.
(d) The wording of a Certificate for general service should refer in a general way to service
to the activities of the committee, rather than to service on specific subordinate group(s).
(e) At the option of the awardee, a letter from the Board Chair or Standards Committee
Chair to the individual’s management expressing appreciation for sponsoring the
individual should be sent.

V 1.2 Certificates of Achievement. Certificates of Achievement are Council on Standards

and Certification awards. They are available annually to each standards committee to recognize
significant personal achievement in the development and promulgation of codes or standards
under the committee’s jurisdiction. The consensus committee may make a recommendation to
the Board for the issuance of a Certificate of Achievement to an individual for significant
personal achievement in the development and promulgation of codes or standards under the
committee’s jurisdiction. The candidate’s nomination requires approval by 90% of the
membership of the consensus committee and is then subject to approval by the Board for action
on behalf of the Council on Standards and Certification.

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(a) An individual may receive more than one Certificate of Achievement.

(b) At the option of the awardee, a letter from the Board Chair or Standards Committee
Chair to the individual’s management expressing appreciation for sponsoring the
individual should be sent.
V 1.3 Certificates of Acclamation. Certificates of Acclamation are Council on Standards and
Certification awards available annually to each standards committee for recognition of excellence
in the development of a specific work product (e.g. new document, major revision) and are
presented to an individual or a small group of individuals most responsible for the work product.
The standards committee Chair may make nominations to the Board for the issuance of
Certificates of Acclamation.
(a) This award is to recognize excellence in development of a new or revised code or
standard; it is not intended to be a general service award. The form of the award
consists of a Certificate.
(b) The standards committee Chair may solicit recommendations from the committee
membership, including subordinate group Chairs.
(c) The nomination shall consist of the name(s) of individuals most responsible for the
development of a specific committee work product (e.g. new document, major revision).
(d) An individual may receive more than one Certificate of Acclamation, if so deserving.
(e) Approval by the Board acting on behalf of the Council on Standards and Certification is
required. The Board exercises control to maintain the integrity of the award.
(f) At the option of the awardee, a letter from the Board Chair or Standards Committee
Chair to the individual’s management expressing appreciation for sponsoring the
individual should be sent.
V 1. 4 Dedicated Service Award. Annually, each Vice President in Codes and Standards is
allowed to present this ASME award to an individual from a committee under each Board’s
jurisdiction, with a minimum service to the Society of ten years.
(a) The purpose of the ASME Dedicated Service Award is to honor unusually dedicated
voluntary service to the Society marked by outstanding performance, demonstrated
effective leadership, prolonged and committed service, devotion, enthusiasm, and
faithfulness.
(b) Any individual or committee may nominate candidates for the Dedicated Service
Award. Nomination and eligibility information may be found at:
http://www.asme.org/Governance/Honors/SocietyAwards.
(c) The candidate must have at least ten years of service on a standards committee. No
person shall receive more than one ASME Dedicated Service Award. Individuals
responsible for selecting a candidate for the Dedicated Service Award are not eligible to
receive an award during this time.
(d) The award consists of a plaque with medallion, a lapel pin, and certificate.
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(e) At the option of the awardee, a letter from the Board Chair to the individual’s
management expressing appreciation for sponsoring the individual should be sent.

V 1.5 Patrick J. Higgins Medal. Annually, the Board on Standardization & Testing is
allowed to present this ASME award to an individual from a committee under the Board’s
jurisdiction.
(a) The purpose of the Patrick Higgins Medal is to honor unusually dedicated voluntary
service to the development, and promotion of an ASME Standardization and Testing
Standard, Code or Conformity Assessment Program.
(b) Any individual or committee may nominate candidates for the Medal. Nomination and
eligibility information may be found at:
http://www.asme.org/Governance/Honors/SocietyAwards.
The Medal shall be administered by the Patrick J. Higgins Medal Committee, appointed
by the Committee on Honors upon the recommendation of the Board on Standardization
and Testing.
(c) No person shall receive more than one Patrick J. Higgins Medal. Individuals
responsible for selecting a candidate for the Medal are not eligible to receive an award
during this time.
(d) The award consists of a plaque with medallion, a certificate and $1000 honorarium.
(e) At the option of the awardee, a letter from the Board Chair to the individual’s
management expressing appreciation for sponsoring the individual should be sent.

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APPENDIX VI
LIST OF ASME STANDARDS COMMITTEES
UNDER THE STANDARDIZATION AND TESTING DEPARTMENT
THAT RENDER INTERPRETATIONS

Last updated November 2012

Committee Decision Concerning Interpretation Effective Date
A112 Does Interpretations 1/24/2002
B1 Does Not 10/30/2003
B5 Does Not 11/4/1997
B18 Does Interpretations 9/27/1989
B29 Does Interpretations 2/19/1998
B32 Does Not 1999
B40 Does Not 1999
B46 Does Interpretations 10/6/1997
B47 Does Not 12/10/1997
B73 Does Not 10/28/1998
B89 Does Interpretations 10/9/1997
B107 Does Interpretations 3/19/1998
EA Does Interpretations 2009
H213 Not Applicable (does not publish standards)
HST Does Interpretations 9/24/2012
MFC Does Interpretations 5/29/1998
PTC Does Interpretations NA
RAM Does Interpretations 2010
STS Does Interpretations 3/25/1998
V&V Does Interpretations 6/2008
Y14 Does Not 5/7/1998

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ASME Codes & Standards Development Section VII
Committee Procedures with S&T Supplemental Rev. 8 Date: November 2012

APPENDIX VII
PROVIDING COMMITTEE COMMENTS OR A COMMITTEE
POSITION ON AN EXTERNAL DOCUMENT
SUBMITTED FOR REVIEW
VII 1.0 PROVIDING COMMITTEE COMMENTS OR A COMMITTEE POSITION ON
AN EXTERNAL DOCUMENT SUBMITTED FOR REVIEW
This Appendix Supplements the Guide on Providing Positions and/or Comments on Documents
Submitted for Review (Rev 1, 4/04). In the context of this Appendix an external document
submitted for review includes standards developed by another organization/society (e.g.,
International Plumbing Code, Uniform Plumbing Code) and a proposed rulemaking.
(a) All proposed committee positions shall be plainly marked “DRAFT,” until the final
approved version is presented for signature
(b) ASME policy does not permit approval of an external document submitted to ASME for
review. Therefore, the no objection, objection, abstain, and not voting shall be used as the
forms of response for this review when voting.
(c) When providing committee comments (not a committee position) the criterion for
objection of the document is 1/2 of the voting members voting objection, with at least 1/2
of the committee members voting. Voting members in this case excludes the not returned
and not voting members.
(d) Criterion for the acceptance of a committee position is by 2/3 of the voting members
voting no objection, with at least 1/2 of the committee members voting. Voting members
in this case excludes the not returned and not voting members.
(e) When appropriate, the Secretary will submit the standards committee accepted position
along with the voting tally and comments to the Secretary of the Board for action.
(f) Information copies of the cover letter and committee position shall be sent to the standards
committee, the committee that reviewed the document and the Vice President
Standardization and Testing. Copies shall also be provided to the Board members if they
voted on the position.
(g) Information copies of the cover letter and committee comments shall be sent to the
standards committee and the committee that reviewed the document.

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ASME Codes & Standards Development Section VIII
Committee Procedures with S&T Supplemental Rev. 8 Date: November 2012

APPENDIX VIII
CASES
VIII 1.0 GENERAL
Cases represent alternatives or additions to existing rules. Cases are usually drafted when there is
an identified urgent need to have a change, alternative requirement or new requirement available
to the public. Cases are written as a question and reply and are usually intended to be
incorporated into the code or standard at a later date. When used, requirements prescribed in
Cases are mandatory in the same sense as the text of the code or standard. However, users are
cautioned that not all Jurisdictions or owners automatically accept Cases.

VIII 1.1 The most common applications for Cases are:

a) to permit early implementation of an approved revision based on an urgent need;
b) providing alternative rules when justified
b) to gain experience with alternative or additional rules prior to incorporation directly into
the code or standard
c) providing rules not covered by existing rules
d) to permit the use of a new material for construction
e) to clarifying the intent of specific requirements
VIII 1.2 It is the objective of the Committee to keep the number of active Cases to a minimum
and to annul them when their provisions are published in the code or standard.
VIII 1.3 Cases are effective for use upon their approval date. They are listed with an expiration
date five (5) years later than the date of approval or revision unless an earlier expiration date is
specified in the Case.

VIII 2.0 FORMAT OF A CASE

Cases shall use the following format:
(a) Cases shall be sequential number
(b) Cases shall clearly indicate the limits of scope in the Title, Inquiry and Reply
(c) Forenotes shall include only the Approval Date
(d) Each reply will start with the words, "It is the opinion of the Committee that...."
(e) A Case shall not contain reference to another Case.

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ASME Codes & Standards Development Section IX
Committee Procedures with S&T Supplemental Rev. 6 Date: December 2009

APPENDIX IX
DRAFT STANDARDS
FOR TRIAL USE
IX 1.0 INTRODUCTION
An ASME standards committee may develop Draft Standards for Trial Use within its charter,
when appropriate, in accordance with the following procedures.

IX 2.0 APPROVAL CRITERIA

Upon recommendation by majority approval of the consensus committee membership, and
approval by a majority of the membership of the responsible supervisory board, draft standards
intended for subsequent submittal to ANSI for approval as American National Standards may be
issued by ASME for trial use and comment for a period of up to three years. The availability of
such draft standards shall be announced on the ASME Codes and Standards web site and other
appropriate media.

IX 3.0 CHALLENGE THE DECISION TO REGISTER

Materially affected interests who wish to challenge the decision to issue a draft standard for trial
use may do so, following the appeals procedures of para. 11. Draft standards for trial use issued
by ASME shall be in compliance with the ASME Policy on Referencing Patented Items and
Trademarks in Codes and Standards.

IX 4.0 STATEMENT ON THE FRONT COVER

The following statement, or equivalent, shall be included on the front cover of the draft standard
for trial use, which may be identified as a Draft Standard for Trial Use:
“Publication of this draft standard for trial use and comment has been approved
by ASME. Distribution of this draft standard for comment shall not continue
beyond (x) months from the date of publication, with x to be determined by the
consensus committee, based on the schedule for each specific project. It is
expected that following this (x) month period, this draft standard, revised as
necessary, will be submitted to the American National Standards Institute for
approval as an American National Standard. A public review in accordance with
established ANSI procedures is required at the end of the trial use period and
before a draft standard for trial use may be submitted to ANSI for approval as an
American National Standard. This draft standard is not an American National
Standard. Suggestions for revision should be directed to the Managing Director,
Technical, Codes and Standards, ASME.”

IX 5.0 COMMENTS FROM ANNOUNCEMENT OF DRAFT STANDARD

Comments received as a result of the announcement of the draft standard for trial use will be
considered by the responsible committee for subsequent development as an American National
Standard. Those who submitted comments will be advised of the disposition of their comments.

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ASME Codes & Standards Development Section X
Committee Procedures with S&T Supplemental Rev. 7 Date: December 2010

APPENDIX X
PROCEDURE FOR DEVELOPMENT OF
ASME TECHNICAL REPORTS
X 1.0 INTRODUCTION
An ASME standards committee may develop Technical Reports within its charter, when
appropriate, in accordance with the following procedures. Such Technical Reports may be
submitted for registration with the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).
Material contained in a Technical Report is informational in nature and may include, for example,
reports of technical research, tutorials, factual data, information on the “state of the art” in a
particular area, or methods for application of a related standard. Technical Reports shall not
contain any information implying that it is a standard.

X 2.0 APPROVAL PROCESS FOR ASME TECHNICAL REPORTS

X 2.1 A proposed Technical Report shall be processed as a standards action in accordance
with Section 7 of the Procedures for ASME Codes and Standards Development Committees, with
the following exceptions:
(a) ANSI Public Review is not required. [Standards Development Procedures references:
paras. 7.2.3(k) and 7.2.4(f)]. (In addition, submittal of Project Initiation Notification
(PINS) to ANSI and submittal of the Technical Report for ANSI approval is not required.)
(b) A recirculation vote is required only for review of revisions made to the proposal
previously voted on as a result of comments received. [Standards Development
Procedures reference: para. 7.2.4(a)].
(c) The criteria for approval of a Technical Report shall be approval by at least 2/3 of the
committee members voting (excluding any “Not Voting” and “Disapproved without
Comment” responses), provided that at least 50% of the committee membership submit a
vote. [Standards Development Procedures reference: para. 7.2.4(f)].
(d) Supervisory board approval of Technical Reports is not required if unanimous approval of
the committee is achieved, and there are no unresolved ASME public review objections.
[Standards Development Procedures references: paras. 7.2.3(k), 7.2.4(f), and 7.2.6]
X 2.2 The availability of the proposed Technical Report for a thirty day comment period shall
be announced on the ASME Codes and Standards web site, either concurrent with committee
vote, or following committee approval.

X 3.0 MAINTENANCE OF ASME TECHNICAL REPORTS

X 3.1 The standards committee shall review each Technical Report within its charter at least
once every five years to determine whether the Technical Report should be:
(a) rewritten as a standard;
(b) revised because it is still relevant, but changes are needed
(c) reaffirmed because it is still relevant, and no changes are needed;
(d) withdrawn because it is no longer relevant.

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ASME Codes & Standards Development Section X
Committee Procedures with S&T Supplemental Rev. 7 Date: December 2010

X 4.0 REGISTRATION OF ASME TECHNICAL REPORTS WITH ANSI

When Technical Reports are submitted for registration with ANSI, the following apply:
X 4.1 The Foreword should include a rationale for the publication of the Technical Report, and
shall include the following text: "Publication of this Technical Report that has been registered
with ANSI has been approved by ASME. This document is registered as a Technical Report
according to the Procedures for the Registration of Technical Reports with ANSI. This document
is not an American National Standard and the material contained herein is not normative in
nature. Comments on the content of this document should be sent to the Managing Director,
Technical, Codes and Standards, ASME.”
X 4.2 The Technical Report shall be in compliance with the ASME Policy on Referencing
Patented Items and Trademarks in Codes and Standards.
X 4.3 Prior to registration with ANSI, a 30 day announcement of the intent to register the
Technical Report shall be placed in ANSI Standards Action. Immediately following the close of
the announcement period for the intent to register, the Technical Report shall be registered with
ANSI.
X 4.4 A Technical Report that has not been reaffirmed, revised, or withdrawn by the tenth
anniversary of its registration will be administratively withdrawn by ANSI.
X 4.5 Materially affected interests shall be afforded the opportunity to challenge the decision
to register a Technical Report with ANSI. The only basis for which such a challenge may be filed
is failure to follow these procedures or ANSI’s Procedures for the Registration of Technical
Reports with ANSI. Such challenges shall be addressed in accordance with Section 11 of the
Procedures for ASME Codes and Standards Development Committees, with the following
exceptions:
(a) The appeal shall be upheld or denied on the basis of a majority recorded vote of those
hearing the appeal.
(b) There will be no suspension of the registration of the document with ANSI as a Technical
Report during the appeals process.

59
ASME Codes & Standards Development Section XI
Committee Procedures with S&T Supplemental Rev. 8 Date: November 2012

APPENDIX XI
INDUSTRY REVIEW
XI 1.0 INTRODUCTION
A Committee may elect to send a draft standard or technical report for an Industry Review.

XI 2.0 PROCESS
XI 2.1 The draft may be sent to a list of qualified persons outside of the Committee members
and/or to other appropriate ASME committee members for a technical review. One method to
compile the list is to request that each member provide the name of several qualified persons. The
committee members should make a conscious effort to obtain a balanced industry representation
on the list of qualified persons.
XI 2.2 The ASME Staff Secretary typically transmits or gives these individuals access to the
draft.
XI 2.3 The Committee may send the draft for Industry Review at an appropriate time, which is
typically when the draft document is approximately 90% complete, or concurrent with the
standards committee ballot.
XI 2.4 The normal period of Industry Review is 30 days but it can be extended (e.g., 45 days)
upon request and agreement of an officer of the committee.

XI 2.5 Comments received shall be acknowledged and submitted to the committee Chair with a
copy to the writing committee for their consideration. Any revisions to the draft and/or other
disposition of the Industry Review comments shall be reported to the commenter.

60