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The entire point of this post is that there's a difference between the law and the standard. The law is publicly published, of course. What Malamud did was publish the standard.

And, this distinction is important: You have to follow the law, but how you do so is up to you. Implementing the standard is just one way of doing that. So the standard is not, in fact, part of the law, just a shortcut to compliance in some cases.




You have to follow the law, but how you do so is up to you. Implementing the standard is just one way of doing that.

That sounds like doublespeak to me. What other way is there to follow the law besides implementing the standard referenced by the law?


Example: The law says that the pacifier must be made in such a way that it cannot be swallowed.

Your options are: 1. Develop your own way of ensuring that the pacifier cannot be swallowed and prove that it's effective 2. Buy the standard, follow it and prove that you are following it.

Option (2) is generally cheaper. Hence the market for these standards.


Ask those who work in fields that don't have a harmonized standard at their disposal.




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