Let’s walk you through it: how BSI’s Expert Commentaries help you make the most of a revised standard

Standards are useful in so many ways, but it can be challenging to grasp all the detail and significance, especially when a revised edition is published. There might be times when you wish you had an expert by your side, helping to guide you through it.

We might not be able to provide you with a real-life expert to talk through each and every change, but we can do the next best thing. Supporting content like an Expert Commentary offers authoritative commentary and explanation that helps you to understand what’s changed and why.

What are Expert Commentaries?

An Expert Commentary is designed to support users of an existing standard when it is withdrawn and replaced by a new version. Expert Commentaries are included in BSI Solution Packs. They explain, clause-by-clause, how a revised standard differs from the withdrawn standard.

Expert Commentaries are particularly useful for busy professionals; they make it faster and easier to get up to speed about details of technical changes and why they are relevant. A clear explanation of what has changed, and what the implication is, saves you from cross-referencing and interpreting the standard yourself.

For example, the third edition of an Information Security Controls standard BS EN ISO/IEC 27002:2022 has just been issued, replacing the 2017 second edition. The corresponding Expert Commentary will provide existing users of the standard with the context behind the change (technological progress towards a fully internet-connected world) before breaking down the changes, clause by clause.

What can you expect to find in an Expert Commentary?

An Expert Commentary is around 5-6 pages long. It will typically include:

• An overview explaining how the revised standard relates to earlier editions, for example whether the structure has altered
• Commentary on each section of the standard setting out guidance on changes and why they have been made
• A section on the wider context of the standard explaining how it fits with other industry standards or within its regulatory environment
• A further reading section listing publications with further relevant information
• Details about the author and technical reviewer

Who are the expert authors?

The expert authors are usually drawn from BSI Committees – the groups responsible for creating new standards and rewriting existing ones.

These experts have strong backgrounds in industry, real life experience of the standard, and a detailed understanding of how it is applied in industry. It is this industry background that enables experts to see the application of the standard through the eyes of the end user – you.

BSI Expert Commentaries: where to find them

One place you’ll find Expert Commentaries is in BSI Solutions Packs. These recently launched packs help users to solve business-critical problems by bundling up a standard or standards together with supporting material, providing guidance and context. This offers great value compared to the price of using external consultants.

Take a look at examples of Expert Commentaries in Solution Packs, and elsewhere, here:

• BS EN 280-1. Mobile Elevating Work Platform Solution Pack
• BS EN IEC 61000-6-3:2021. Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) – Generic standards. Emission standard for equipment in residential environments
• BS EN 55032:2015+A1:2020. Electromagnetic compatibility of multimedia equipment. Emission requirements
• BS 1722-2:2020. Fences – Specification for strained wire and wire mesh netting fences
• BS EN 55011:2016+A2:2021. Industrial, scientific and medical equipment. Radio-frequency disturbance characteristics. Limits and methods of measurements
• BS 7273-4+A1. Code of practice for the operation of fire protection measures – Actuation of release mechanisms for doors

Ultimately, Expert Commentaries will save you time, keep you up to date and give you valuable insights that help you to get the most out of standards. And that’s got to be good for your business.