National Standards Authority Of Ireland
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The National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI) is the
International Organization for Standardization The International Organization for Standardization (ISO ) is an international standard development organization composed of representatives from the national standards organizations of member countries. Membership requirements are given in Ar ...
(ISO) member body for the
Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...
. The NSAI is also a member of the
European Organisation for Technical Approvals European Organisation for Technical Assessment (EOTA) (german: Europäische Organisation für Technische Bewertung, french: Organisation européenne pour l'évaluation technique) is a European non-profit association. Its primary purpose is to draft ...
. The NSAI was established by the National Standards Authority of Ireland Act, 1996. In 1946 standards functions were the responsibility of ''Institute for Industrial Research and Standards'', in 1988 they passed to ''Eolas — The Irish Science and Technology Agency'', and in 1994 passed to
Forfás Forfás () was the national policy advisory board for enterprise, trade, science, technology and innovation in Ireland. The agency was established in January 1994 under thIndustrial Development Act, 1993and was run by a board appointed by the Mi ...
before passing to the NSAI. As Ireland's official standards body, the NSAI aims to inspire consumer confidence and protect industry interests through setting standards and issuing certification in the quality and safety of goods and services. The NSAI benchmarks these standards against international best practice and is therefore a key facilitator of
fair trade Fair trade is an arrangement designed to help producers in developing countries achieve sustainable and equitable trade relationships. The fair trade movement combines the payment of higher prices to exporters with improved social and enviro ...
both in Ireland and in global markets. The NSAI provides knowledge-based services and technical support to the Irish Government, consumers and industry, through: *Consultation on standards to assist manufacturers and suppliers in meeting safety and consumer requirements; *Independent certification of products, processes and services; *Certification specific to the construction industry, known as ‘agrément’; *Regulatory control in the area of measures, or metrology; *Maintenance and development of the national measurement standards. As well as domestic activities, the NSAI also represents Ireland in European and international standards bodies, whose aim is to harmonise standards and remove technical barriers to trade.


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* ISO member bodies Standards organisations in the Republic of Ireland {{Ireland-org-stub