Normative Documents

1. Normative document: Document that provides rules, guidelines or characteristics for activities or their results. The term normative document is a generic term that covers such documents as standards, technical specifications, codes of practice and regulations. [ISO GUIDE 2]

2. Standard: Document, established by consensus and approved by a recognized body, that provides, for common and repeated use, rules, guidelines or characteristics for activities or their results, aimed at the achievement of the optimum degree of order in a given context. [ISO GUIDE 2].

3. Code of practice: Document that recommends practices or procedures for the design, manufacture, installation, maintenance or utilization of equipment, structures or products. A code of practice may be a standard a part of a standard or independent of a standard. [ISO GUIDE 2].

4. Specification: The document that prescribes the requirements with which the product or service has to conform. A specification should refer to or include drawings, patterns or other relevant documents and should also indicate the means and the criteria whereby conformity can be checked [BS EN ISO 8405: 1995].

5. NDT Procedure: A written description of all essential parameters and precautions to be observed when applying an NDT technique to a specific test, following an established standard, code or specification [PCN/GEN]

6. NDT Instruction: A written description of the precise steps to be followed in testing to an established standard, code, specification or NDT procedure [PCN/GEN].