(ASTM: West Conshohocken, Pennsylvania) -- A recent annual report submitted to ASTM International (formerly the American Society for Testing and Materials) by the Jordan Institution for Standards and Metrology (JISM) indicates that a number of ASTM standards have been adopted and referenced by JISM in the development of Jordanian national standards.

The use of ASTM standards in Jordan indicates the continued success of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by JISM and ASTM in 2005. During the past year, JISM adopted a total of 14 ASTM International standards as identical standards. Another 62 ASTM standards were referenced in the development of Jordanian national standards. The standards cover various industry sectors including petroleum, plastics, cement, steel, and chemicals.

In 2009, ASTM International will conduct the technical assistance training program, “ASTM Cement and Concrete Standards: Relationship to ACI 318,” in Jordan as a part of the MOU program. To date, more than 15 individuals from Jordan participate in ASTM International technical committees.

The use of ASTM international standards through the MOU program has been beneficial to Jordan’s economic development and the export of Jordanian goods to the United States. “JISM will cooperate with the Jordan Chamber of Commerce and the American Chamber of Commerce in Jordan to promote and increase the participation of the Jordanian industrialists in the work of ASTM International,” says Yaseen Khayyat, Ph.D., director general of JISM.

Initiated in 2001, ASTM International's MOU program promotes communication between ASTM International and national standards bodies worldwide, fostering awareness of the standardization systems of all parties involved. The purpose of the program is to increase greater worldwide participation in the ASTM standards development process and facilitate the development of national standards that will aid health, safety, and environmental and economic conditions.

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