What are Standards?

Uganda Standards are nationally agreed upon by a Technical Committee (TC), that consists of technical experts who include Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), Manufacturers, Academia, Research Institutions, Sector Associations, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), Consumer Organisations, etc.  The parties agree on the standard based on consensus which is built on science, technology, and best practices including regulatory and society needs.

Uganda Standards could specify product specifications, manufacturing processes, vocabularies, codes of practice, sampling methodology, test methods, etc. Standards cover a huge range of activities.

These may include the following;

• Food, Agriculture and Forestry Standards which specify food safety requirements to prevent contamination.
• Chemical and Consumer products standards which specify a wide range of quality requirements and specifications for a wide rage –of products that include cosmetics, medical products, chemical products, textiles, leather products, etc.
• Engineering and Construction Standards products which specify a wide range of quality requirements and specifications for products that include building materials, steel products, cement products, machinery, electrical appliances and cables, steel and plastics pipes, hoses, Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), Wood and Timber Products, etc.
• Services and Business Management Standards which recommend best practices in areas of Management Systems, Conformity Assessment, Environmental Requirements, Occupational Health and Safety, Risk Management, Compliance Management, Information Security, etc.

The International Standards Organisation (ISO) Guide 2, defines a standard as a document established by consensus and approved by a recognised body that provides for common and repeated use, rules, guidelines or characteristics for activities or their results, aimed at the achievement of the optimum degree of order in a given context.

The purpose of a standard to create order or a common understanding of a process, a service or a product.

Benefits of using standards

• All parties benefit from standardization through increased product safety and quality as well as lower transaction costs and prices.
• Using standards can offer a set of powerful business and marketing tools for organizations of all sizes.
• You can use them to fine-tune your performance and manage the risks you face while operating in more efficient and sustainable ways;
• Standards help you to demonstrate the quality of what you do to your customers; and help you to determine how to embed best practices into your organization.
• Standards help you to meet regulatory requirements.

To date UNBS has published more than 4,800 Uganda Standards. We also have a stock of other regional and international standards that include East African Standards, ISO Standards, IEC Standards, ARSO Standards, ASTM Standards, SMIIC Standards, etc. 

You can purchase standards from our online Standards store at https://webstore.unbs.go.ug ; or from our Information Resource Centre at the UNBS Headquarters; or send an email to info@unbs.go.ug           

For more information, please contact:

Mr. Othieno Andrew

Manager, Standards Department

Email: andrew.othieno@unbs.go.ug