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Regulations

The terms "regulations", "norms", "standards" and "laws" all refer to various types of mandatory and non-binding rules that can relate to bulk material sampling and many other activities. Although these terms are sometimes used interchangeably, they actually have different meanings:

  1. Laws: These are legally binding and are usually issued by a governmental or international authority. Laws must be complied with, and violations can result in penalties, fines, or even criminal penalties.
  2. Regulations: These tend to be more detailed than laws and set out specific requirements or procedures that must be followed. Regulations are often issued by government agencies or regulatory bodies and are usually based on laws.
  3. Standards: These define technical or qualitative requirements for products, services or processes. Standards can be issued by standardization organizations at the national or international level. Compliance with standards is often voluntary, but can be made mandatory in certain industries or for certain products.
  4. Standards: In Europe and other parts of the world, "standard" is often synonymous with "standard". In some contexts, however, it may also refer specifically to voluntary technical standards developed by recognised standardisation bodies.

When sampling bulk materials, all relevant laws, regulations and standards must be complied with. This can include regulations for health and safety, environmental protection, quality assurance and many other areas. The specific rules that apply depend on the type of bulk material, the type of sampling, and the jurisdiction in which the sampling is carried out.