A Friday Debate

Should older or earlier versions of BSI standards be made freely available on the internet?

Consider for example
BS 7430:2011+A1:2015. Code of practice for protective earthing of electrical installations being the current version


BS 7430:1998. Code of practice for earthing Published:15 Nov 1998 • Withdrawn: 31 Dec  2011


Or maybe

BS 7671:2018+A2:2022. Requirements for Electrical Installations. IET Wiring Regulations being the current version

BS 7671:2008+A3:2015. Requirements for Electrical Installations. IET Wiring Regulations Published: 31 Jan 2015 • Withdrawn: 29 Jun 2018


These could be published in a PDF format with a watermark on every page stating that this is not the current or latest version and for the current version can be found on the BSI web site.  This then allows people to look at the information from older versions and allow them to use it for research or for study purposes.  If you take BS7671 as an example has over 60 Normative References to other BS standards like BS 5839 which in effect is a whole suite of standards.  Sometimes people are unsure if that publication will satisfy their requirements.  

As a scenario BS7671 makes reference to BS7430 and BS7430 makes reference to BS7671

As always please be polite and respectful in this purely academic debate.  The concept of this idea is to help educate future generations of engineers by allowing them to access historical information from past achievements and standards.

Come on everybody lets help inspire the future.

Parents
  • Wouldn't it encourage some people to use the older standard rather than pay for the newer version?

  • Maybe, equally it might encourage folk to refer to an extinct  standard, rather than not refer to one at all and to just wing it.

    Mike.

Reply
  • Maybe, equally it might encourage folk to refer to an extinct  standard, rather than not refer to one at all and to just wing it.

    Mike.

Children
  • I agree with you there Mike.  Some people are not refering to standards at all.  Some people say its the cost, some people say nothing because they don't actually care.

    As an example

    Take an online seller who offers next day or next week delivery. 

    They know that it is to be UK but they don't meet the BS requirement. 

    To prove the point search for a UK plug top or a 4 way trailling extention lead and see whats on offer