So how can you be sure that the goods you buy, have been subjected to such stringent testing?

The CE mark is a European standard - the BSI symbol is British

Many products are covered by strict European safety laws.

These ensure sunglasses, for example, filter out enough harmful UV rays to prevent eye damage.

You can recognise whether a product is safe by looking out for the CE mark.

That means it's been tested to EU safety standards - most likely by the British Standards Institution.

Approval

The BSI has been setting safety and quality standards for more than 100 years.

Its quality kite-mark is one of the most well recognised symbols in the UK.

Teddies are tested for fire resistance

Manufacturers want the BSI's seal of approval. And they pay for the privilege.

"You could sell more products by having a kitemark," says Bob Wells, manager of the BSI's laboratories.

"You could also expect technical specifiers and buyers to be looking for that product."

But the BSI doesn't just issue standards on consumer products.

Information security

It has standards for everything - from management techniques to information security for internet banks and cash machines.

The BSI even has a standard for customer loyalty!

It has also just launched its own sizing standard. Clothes shopping will never be the same again.

Under the BSI's new standard, a women's size 12 becomes an 88-72-96.

That may seem odd, but with no single European sizing standard it could be just what the clothing industry and consumers need.

Returned

Nearly half of all the clothes that are sent back to catalogue companies are returned because they don't fit. The BSI is hoping its clothing standard will be adopted across Europe.

It's this breadth of business that has helped make the BSI a world leader.

It was granted a Royal Charter in the 1920s and although it doesn't have shareholders, it is run like any other company.

Last year its turnover was �210.8m - 16% up on the year before. Its profits, up by nearly 50%, are put back into the business.

The BSI is also a big employer. With 5,000 staff worldwide - most of them outside of the UK - it is also a leading industrial tester, assessing things like minerals and metals across the globe.

The British Standards Institution is the guardian of standards in the UK and beyond.

It's a big job. Last year alone, 1,400 new standards were published and BSI supported 3,000 technical committees and working groups which look after and develop 16,000 standards.

Standards cover the products and services that businesses provide as well as the processes involved in producing them.

Look at the tags on goods in the shops. You will often find some mysterious codes.

They may, in fact, be telling you lots about the product you are about to buy:

What standards?

You'll see the BSI kitemark on more than 2,000 products.

It shows that the product is regularly tested against the relevant standards and that the company's quality systems are assessed.

The symbol is widely recognised

It is recognised by more than 80% of the British population. It is to be found on numerous products including baby buggies, Christmas lights, lawnmowers and motorcycle helmets.

Many famous companies hold the kitemark, including Chubb, Valor, British Gas and Hygena.

BSI carries out the testing and gives certificates which prove that a manufacturer's products are legal and fit for purpose.

To find out more about the kitemark have a look at the booklet that BSI produces for businesses.

Just think...

Why does the fact that 80% of people recognise the kitemark persuade businesses that it is worth having?

Why would a business want a kitemark?

For the product

Standards for products mean that people can trust the things they buy when they see the standard label on them.

The requirements will have been drawn up by a group of people with expertise in the field.

The products will have been tested by BSI which has up-to-the-minute equipment for testing products.

Just think...

Look at the following pages from BSI's website. Work out how product standards are helping both businesses and customers.

For the business

The quality of a product depends on more than the production standards. The way the business works also affects it. There are standards for all aspects of running a business.

These include:

Quality management - how effective are the business management systems?

Information security - information is of critical importance to every business. It may be information about customers, suppliers or the market. Whatever it is, it needs to be secure.

Environmental management - businesses and their customers are increasingly aware of the environment.

Health and safety - the law protects employees on the health and safety front so businesses need to know that they are doing all that is required.

Complaints management - the way a business manages complaints from customers can mean that they return or go elsewhere.

Just think...

How would these standards affect a business that you know?

Click on the links above to find out more about each type of standard.

Why standards?

Businesses know that their customers expect the quality that they are paying for.

By achieving standards, it shows the public that a business knows what it is doing and cares about the product its selling.

BSI is selling a service to businesses because its label adds value to the product.

Just think...

Businesses don't have to apply for standards and some of them don't.

Have a look at the following pages from BSI's website and find out why many businesses think it's worthwhile.