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 Code of practice for earthing Published:15 Nov 1998 • Withdrawn: 31 Dec  2011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 IET Wiring Regulations Published: 31 Jan 2015 • Withdrawn: 29 Jun 2018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
  •  I have a library of older standards that include the Wiring Regulations 1-18.

    I have to ask why you want copies of withdrawn standards other than for historical interest?

    JP

  • Why would you want a current standard? Presumably to see if your design or idea follows it ?

    In the same way older standards help when looking at older kit, to see if it met the standard of the day,  and then there is education of the next generation of engineers, and the demonstration of  the development if ideas that sort of thing.

    So how much money do the copyright holders make from the sale of out-dated standards docs, and who would lose how much if they did not enforce that ?

    Mike.

Reply
  • Why would you want a current standard? Presumably to see if your design or idea follows it ?

    In the same way older standards help when looking at older kit, to see if it met the standard of the day,  and then there is education of the next generation of engineers, and the demonstration of  the development if ideas that sort of thing.

    So how much money do the copyright holders make from the sale of out-dated standards docs, and who would lose how much if they did not enforce that ?

    Mike.

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