Do standards have any authority unless adopted by a governing body?

Standards typically do not hold any authoritative power unless they are adopted by a governing body or incorporated into law or regulations. While standards may provide valuable guidelines and best practices for various industries, their enforceability depends on formal endorsement by regulatory agencies or incorporation into contracts. Without this adoption, they remain recommendations rather than obligatory requirements.

This framework highlights the significance of regulatory bodies in establishing standards as legally binding. For instance, in industries related to safety, operational guidelines might be developed by organizations such as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which can enforce compliance. In contrast, standards that exist solely in a voluntary capacity might not have the same level of authority and could be ignored without legal repercussions.

Thus, the statement aligns with the understanding of how standards function within regulatory landscapes and their relationship to statutory authority.