Frequently Asked Questions
About Commenting on IIAR Standards
Who reviews my comments?
A Project Committee reporting to the IIAR Standards Review Committee is primarily responsible for this review. We make changes to the draft via a public notice-and-comment process - the first part of which is your written comments.
The necessary form for submitting comments is available on this website. You may submit your comments on-line beginning April 4, 2008. (click here). Alternately you may mail or fax your comments to IIAR, sending a paper copy of the form. Click here for a PDF file of the form, or mail the form in on CD. Click here to download the MS Word file. Before you submit comments, please read all of the information below:
How should I comment?
Commenters are encouraged to use the on-line electronic submission process. This method assures accurate log-in on receipt. Alternately, mail in the comment(s) in electronic format [on a CD], along with the necessary completed cover form. Both these methods assure accuracy by permitting direct use of the comment in the electronic form for the review process. Notwithstanding the above, comments are also acceptable as paper copy submissions. A few cautions, though:
- If at all possible, cite the specific section your comment refers to. Some comments may genuinely be global issues affecting large portions of the draft. If the problem appears in more than one place, list document location reference in the comment. This assures that we accurately focus on your concerns.
- Please submit each comment separately.
- We will not accept marked-up copies of the paper draft, word-processing or PDF files with multiple comments, or other such "comments." If your comment is too long for the form, then you may certainly submit a Word file or continuation sheet(s). Electronic or paper supporting documentation is also welcome, provided it is not simply a markup of the draft. This helps us clarify the exact nature of each of your comments, ensuring that you get a fair hearing on each one.
- Please make your comments substantive. Stating "Section 6.5 is too vague" is not sufficient for us to take any useful action. A minimal suggestion as to how to rewrite it would be more useful. Help us help you by providing some focus in your comment.
- Only timely comments on normative material will receive full treatment during this review. See below.
Are comments accepted on the entire document?
Only highlighted sections are open for review because this is a second public review. The following information is not open for discussion:
- The Standard's title
- Unit policy
- Notice & disclaimer
- Informative & normative text explanation
- Any un-highlighted text
What is Normative and Informative Text?
Virtually all the material in the numbered sections of the standard is expressed in mandatory language [example: using "shall" and "shall not"] which, along with all Appendices marked "Normative", comprise the substantive text which imposes requirements. This is "normative" text.
Some of the material in the draft is labeled "informative." Informative material is generally considered to include:
- All Notes in the text
- All Examples in the text
- All Appendices marked Informative
- The Preface
- The Foreword
- Any sections marked Informative
The Institute does not in any way intend that informative text define the manner in which the Standard is to be used. Informative text does not impose requirements, nor should changes in it be construed as changes in the way the Standard is to be interpreted. Consider all informative material to be nonsubstantive.
Because of this, all comments on informative material are nonsubstantive. The Project Committee will consider timely informative comments as time permits, but these comments will not be permitted to delay the progress of the Standard's approval. Remaining nonsubstantive comments will be resolved as part of the next revision cycle of ANSI/IIAR 2.
What happens to comments?
We (The Project Committee) will receive your comment and evaluate its technical merit. After considering a proposed response - perhaps changing a line - a member of the Committee will contact you with the proposed response. (This may be by telephone, by mail, or by other means, depending on the nature of the comment and other factors.) You may then accept or reject the proposed response. If you reject it, you and the Committee member typically discuss the issue further.
What if I don't like your proposal?
If an impasse is reached, we conduct a Committee vote over whether to remain unresolved with you. You have a right of appeal. This may be exercised by contacting the IIAR Technical Director. Obviously, we make our best effort to avoid unresolved comments. If any unresolved comments remain at the end of the public reviews, it is necessary to report their number to the American National Standards Institute - ANSI. ANSI is the body which actually certifies ANSI/IIAR 2 as an American National Standard.
What is the deadline for comments?
All comments must be received at IIAR Headquarters no later than 5:00 PM EST on May 4, 2008.
How are late comments handled?
All comments must be received at IIAR Headquarters no later than 5:00 PM ESTon May 4, 2008. Late comments will not be considered for this draft of Public Review Draft #2 BSR/IIAR 2-1999R, but will be held for the next revision cycle. The Institute is not responsible for comments not delivered, lost, garbled, etc.
These policies permit us to manage internal resources efficiently and meet ANSI deadlines. Nevertheless, we value technical input from all commenters on the entire content of the Standard. Comments on all sections of the Standard are welcome, normative or informative, at any time. Informative comments and late comments will receive technical consideration and a response from the committee outside the formal public review process. If the Committee believes the comment has technical merit, it will be incorporated into the first public review draft of the next version of the Standard (or possibly into another more appropriate IIAR document).
What happens when the comments are resolved?
It is very likely that resolution of some comments will cause substantive changes in the Standard draft. So that the entire public can have a chance to comment on specifically those parts of the draft affected by such substantive changes, it will be necessary to publish a second (and, if necessary, third, etc.) public review draft of BSR/IIAR 2-1999R. In these drafts, only those parts which changed from the last draft will be open for comment. We will probably publish the entire Standard as a numbered Public Review Draft to place the changes in context unless they are very minor.
IIAR will convene a "consensus body" - a balanced group of voters representing a variety of interests such as engineers, refrigeration users, etc. - to decide whether the revised Standard should become an American National Standard. The Project Committee - and IIAR itself - does not make the final decision. The existence and nature of unresolved comments is disclosed to the consensus body as well. If you have an unresolved comment and the consensus body overall votes against you, there are procedures to appeal to ANSI itself; they require extraordinary measures.
Once there are no further public review comments, ballots are sent to the consensus body, along with a tally and explanation of all unresolved negative comments. If the consensus body votes YES, we pass the Standard through some ANSI procedures to become an American National Standard.
The drafting of the next revision of ANSI/IIAR 2 will begin almost immediately thereafter. Late comments and comments on informative material will provide a starting point.
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