Consensus Rules for More Than 100 Years

In this article, Bob Sims, the President of ASME, discusses how the consensus process in the development of ASME Codes and Standards has ensured that the views of all stakeholders are considered and that that no one stakeholder group can dominate the process. Bob Sims views that one of the great strengths of the ASME Codes and Standards development process is the ability to identify the need for new rules and to assemble the world’s leading experts in the field to develop the rules. ASME Codes have resulted in saving thousands of lives by improving the integrity of not only pressure equipment, but also items as diverse as elevators and cranes. ASME has an excellent and well-deserved reputation worldwide for producing high-quality codes and standards that meet the needs of manufacturers and materials suppliers, equipment users, regulators, and other stakeholders.