In the days of the USSR, all products must have been manufactured taking into account state standards existing at that time. What is GOST, then absolutely every resident of the country knew, and the products on store shelves with the corresponding mark a priori had high quality. Today, compliance with standards is not mandatory, but some representatives of the older generation are still out of habit looking for products with the cherished note on the shelves.
What is behind this abbreviation?
Now it’s quite difficult to find products marked “GOST” in stores. Decoding of the abbreviation is quite simple - “state standard”. Appeared in the 1920s, it spoiled a lot of nerves to Soviet producers of products. The government of those times practiced quite serious requirements for the quality of services and goods of intersectoral importance.
Previously, the basis for its use was the latest scientific and technological achievements, which were internationally tested for compliance with generally accepted standards. After the collapse of the USSR, the countries that were part of it recognized the GOSTs existing at that time as interstate and signed an agreement on their further use in the post-Soviet space.
What are the standards in the former CIS countries?
Most of these states today are members of the Eurasian Economic Union, within which there are rules on the voluntary use of interstate quality standards. Very many find this solution controversial, because if GOST, the decoding of which is simple enough, will be an optional requirement for production, the state can be swept by a wave of low-quality products.
Some enterprises involved in the creation of goods and services deliberately put an appropriate mark on their products, but they are not always true. If you know the content of the state standard applicable to the creation of the desired product, you can determine the level of quality without much difficulty.
How did this standard come about?
State standards (GOSTs) appeared in 1925 with the filing of the USSR Committee, which is responsible for the standardization of defense and labor. At that time, they regulated the creation of goods and services in absolutely all areas: from grocery to engineering. Their use was mandatory, and for the lack of compliance, the managers of the enterprise were severely punished.
In the future, the created standards were repeatedly redone, because scientific and technological progress did not stand still, and new equipment for the production of goods and services constantly appeared. By the end of the 1980s, there were more than 50 thousand GOSTs in the USSR, and their number was growing rapidly. All standards could be found in a special classifier, which was built according to a hierarchical system, each of them had its own alphanumeric image.
How is the classification carried out?
Those who often work with standards are well aware of what GOST is, and also have an idea of the All-Russian classifier, created in 2000, and used to this day. This document has been harmonized with ISO, an international classifier that monitors compliance with standards worldwide. Each of them has a unique digital code with a prefix, which is formed based on the sequence of acceptance.
For example, the standard “GOST 19.xxx” will be directly related to software documentation systems. Quite often they are confused with the 34th standard, but the latter is related to documentation for various automated structures. In the event of a mistake, the products may not be allowed for sale, which is fraught with multimillion-dollar losses that are unacceptable for the organization.
Where to use the standard?
To find out where GOSTs are applied, just look into the existing classifier (CGS). This document consists of four sections, the first of which is divided into subsections, named after the letters of the Russian alphabet. For example, in subsection “A” you can find state standards related to the mining industry and minerals, under the letter “A0” it will indicate general rules for working in this field, and under “A1” - the principles of interaction with carbon minerals.
Mandatory requirement for GOST - documentation, which should be drawn up accordingly. A classifier can help solve this problem. As of 2018, the application of standards, in addition to the mining sector, is mandatory in the following areas: oil production, metal industry, mechanical engineering, construction, electrical engineering and energy, production of silicate products and timber, chemical production, radio electronics, nuclear technology, the creation of cultural and household goods (dishes, toys, etc.) and measuring instruments, agriculture, healthcare. This also includes the food and textile industries, as well as general technical standards used in the exact sciences (mechanics, mathematics, astronomy, etc.)
How many similar standards are there now?
Today there are more than 20 thousand existing GOSTs, they are relevant for Russia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Tajikistan, Belarus and other countries of the former CIS. They control more than 15 areas of production: oil, mining, engineering, transport, energy, food, construction, textile, general engineering, etc. Particular attention is paid to standards aimed at creating nuclear technology, since the smallest mistakes in this area can lead to huge financial losses and even casualties.
Despite the constant development of new standards, far from all of them are being introduced into the work, since existing legislation does not require this from entrepreneurs. State structures try to comply with the requirements for the creation of products, but often they do this through their sleeves due to the inability to exercise total control. This situation arose in the late 1990s after the reduction of a large number of rates at factories and manufacturing enterprises.
How does the state standard differ from TU?
Those entrepreneurs who do not know what GOST is very often confuse it with the technical conditions (TU). They seriously differ from each other in that the technical specifications are the manufacturers' own development, a kind of internal quality standard, and does not apply to other organizations operating in the same direction. As a rule, they do not contradict existing GOSTs and supplement them.
According to existing legislation, technical conditions are created to regulate the production of services and goods that do not fall under the criteria of state standards. They are developed only when existing technologies need serious revision or when it is necessary to distinguish it from all others on the market.
What is the difference between GOST and technical regulations?
After the collapse of the USSR, some standards turned into technical regulations - more voluminous documentary units that similarly control the quality of the products being created and used. They can not be attributed to the current GOSTs, since they must establish the conditions for working with goods and services (storage, transportation, sale, etc.)
The state standard controls the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of the manufactured goods and services, and the regulation determines how they can be used in the future. The latter regulate interaction with dairy and fat-and-oil products, juices and tobacco products. In addition, they as detailed as possible prescribe the rules of work during the construction of buildings, carrying out explosive work, as well as interaction with elevators.
Why is it important to adhere to standards during construction?
Today, assembly departments and private entrepreneurs are quite strict in observing building standards. The main reason for this is the too high cost of errors that can lead to human casualties. When constructing buildings, it is also necessary to take into account SNiPs - a set of acts regulating urban planning operations, construction, engineering surveys and design.
In the days of the USSR, builders were obliged to take into account both state standard specifications and SNiPs, this was carefully controlled by higher organizations. In the 1990s, sets of acts began to be classified as a kind of technical regulation, and in 2010 they officially began to be sets of rules that are binding. In case of violation of existing legislation, the perpetrator may be subject to administrative (in some cases, criminal) liability.
Who invents the rules for creating products?
Until the 1990s, the formation of standards and monitoring of their compliance lay with the corresponding ministry of the USSR. If we talk about who is developing GOSTs today, the Federal Agency for Metrology and Technical Regulation should be immediately mentioned here, sometimes it is called Gosstandart. The tasks of this department also include the formation of an information fund, with the help of which everyone can get data on existing standards.
Periodically, the agency is obliged to carry out work on the accreditation of enterprises engaged in the production of goods and services, as well as various testing institutions. In the event that the organization is not able to obtain a quality certificate, its products are prohibited from releasing to existing markets. The performance of unified measurements, as well as the provision of additional services in the areas of metrology, standardization and regulation of technical parameters of equipment is also the responsibility of the State Standard of the Russian Federation.
Who monitors the application of standards?
If we talk about who controls the GOSTs and their further use, in this case, all the powers belong to Gosstandart. This department is obliged to conduct strict monitoring of goods and services that are sent to the consumer market. Only in this way can we create truly optimal conditions in which entrepreneurs and commercial organizations can work as efficiently as possible.
Specialists of the department on an ongoing basis examine the products manufactured in the country, as well as those imported into the Russian Federation from abroad. Companies engaged in the creation of goods and services are required to provide samples to the Gosstandart to identify compliance with existing quality standards, otherwise it will be illegal and prohibited for sale.
What responsibility do manufacturers bear for non-compliance with GOST?
The management of enterprises engaged in the creation of goods and services should clearly understand what GOST is and how to work with it. It is important to know exactly which products are subject to existing regulations, on the basis of this, and you can build the correct operation of the organization without violations. Federal Law No. 380 dated 12/28/2009 describes in detail products for the creation of which it is necessary to use state standards.
In case of violation of technical requirements that are mandatory for the creation of products, as well as their storage, operation, transportation or disposal, the company may be seriously liable. We are talking about an administrative fine of up to 5 thousand rubles, along with the confiscation of illiquid goods for officials. In this case, legal entities are more strict, they will have to pay a fine of up to 50 thousand rubles, low-quality products will also be confiscated in this case.
How to prepare the documentation?
To prepare your products for the passage of the commission, you need to know where to buy GOSTs in their most current version. The easiest way is to visit the departments subordinate to the Standartinform FSUE and purchase the current version of the collection of state standards. The cost of acquiring a publication can be clarified by contacting a similar store.
If you know what GOST is, and you have no problems with creating all the necessary documentation, you can not visit this institution. However, standardization is constantly changing, and it is necessary to monitor these processes in order to promptly make changes to the necessary papers. The easiest way to do this is by purchasing a subscription to the magazine, which is published monthly, it publishes the most current changes in standards.