Website Notices

Privacy Policy

Thank you for visiting the Manufacturing USA website. We are committed to the privacy of our visitors. We collect no personal information about you when you visit our website unless you choose to provide that information to us.

Your right under the Privacy Act: Information on the Privacy Act can be found on the following web site: https://www.foia.gov/about.html.

Links to other sites: Our web site contains links to various other federal agencies and private organizations. Once you link to another site, you are then subject to the privacy policies of the new site. It is always a good idea to read the Privacy Policy of any site you visit.  

Security Notice

Information collected and stored automatically: If you do nothing during your visit but browse through the web site, read pages, or download information, we will gather and store certain information about your visit automatically. This information does not identify you personally. We automatically collect and store information like the following concerning your visit:

  • The Internet domain (for example, "xcompany.com" if you use a private Internet access account or "yourschool.edu" if you connect from a university's domain);
  • Your IP address (an IP address is a number that is automatically assigned to your computer whenever you are surfing the web) from which you access our web site;
  • The type of browser and operating system used to access our site;
  • The date and time you access our site;
  • The pages you visit; and
  • If you linked to our web site from another web site, the address of that web site.

We use this information to help us make our site more useful to visitors, to learn about the number of visitors to our site, and the types of technology our visitors use. We do not track or record information about individuals and their visits.

Information protection: For site security purposes and to ensure that this service remains available to all users, this Government computer system employs software programs to monitor network traffic to identify unauthorized attempts to upload or change information, or otherwise cause damage. If such monitoring reveals evidence of possible abuse or criminal activity, such evidence may be provided to appropriate law enforcement officials. Unauthorized attempts to upload or change information on this server are strictly prohibited and may be punishable under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986 and the National Information Infrastructure Protection Act or other law.

Information that you voluntarily provide: We do not collect personally identifiable information unless you choose to provide it to us. If you provide us with personally identifiable information, for example, by sending an e-mail or by filling out a form and submitting it through our web site, we use that information to respond to your message and to help us provide you with the information and services that you request. All uses of that information are described on the web page containing the form.

Submitting voluntary information constitutes your consent to the use of the information for the stated purpose. When you click the "Submit" button on any of the web forms found on our sites, you are indicating your voluntary consent to use of the information you submit for the purpose stated.

For example, email subscriptions and updates.  NIST maintains several lists of subscribers who have asked to receive periodic email updates. Any recipient of a NIST subscription email may unsubscribe from future messages via a link at the bottom of each email message, or by contacting the sender directly (if subscription service was not used). We do not sell, rent, exchange, or otherwise disclose our list subscribers to persons or organizations outside of NIST.  

Our email analytics provider, Granicus (formerly GovDelivery), also offers the capability to view some data, such as whether a mass email was opened, at an individual level for 30 days after an email was sent; as a matter of policy and practice this data is only viewed on an aggregate basis.   Specific to customer mailing lists, data is retained according to NARA's General Records Schedule 6.5/020.   To sign up for updates or to access your subscriber preferences in Granicus (formerly GovDelivery), please visit https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/USNIST/subscriber/new. 

How information is used: The information we collect is used for a variety of purposes (e.g., to register you for a conference, to respond to requests for information, and to fill orders). We make every effort to disclose clearly how information is used at the point where it is collected so you can determine whether you wish to provide the information.

Retention of Information: We destroy the information we collect when the purpose for which it was provided has been fulfilled unless we are required to keep it longer by statute or official policy. Electronically submitted information is maintained and destroyed according to the principles of the Federal Records Act and the regulations and records schedules approved by the National Archives and Records Administration, and in some cases information submitted to us may become an agency record and therefore might be subject to a Freedom of Information Act request.

Also, NIST is not responsible for the privacy practices employed by non-NIST sites that may link to the NIST web site or non-NIST sites hosted on NIST computers (e.g. web sites of professional organizations.

Interaction with Children: This web site offers some educational content to children under 13. No personally identifiable information is collected from these visitors unless voluntarily submitted as a request for information or services. The information supplied is used to respond to the user's inquiries or to provide services requested by the user.

Accessibility Statement

The National Institute of Standards and Technology is committed to making its web sites accessible to all NIST customers and staff in accordance with provisions of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998.

If you have difficulty obtaining information from any NIST website (to include Manufacturing USA), please contact inquiries [at] nist.gov (inquiries[at]nist[dot]gov) to get the material in another format. You should provide the URL of the website referencing that information.

If you have any 508-related questions, comments, or suggestions for improvement, please contact the NIST Office of the Chief Information Officer by email atnistcio [at] nist.gov (atnistcio[at]nist[dot]gov).

FOIA

The Freedom of Information Act, enacted in 1966, provides that any person has a right, enforceable in court, of access to federal agency records, except to the extent that such records are protected from disclosure by one of nine exemptions or by one of three special law enforcement records exclusions.

General information regarding the FOIA can be found at http://www.foia.gov. Requests must be made to the particular agency whose documents are the subject of your request. The principal FOIA contacts at other federal agencies can be found at http://www.foia.gov. 

Disclaimer

Any mention of commercial products within NIST web pages is for information only; it does not imply recommendation or endorsement by NIST.

Use of NIST Information: These World Wide Web pages are provided as a public service by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). With the exception of material marked as copyrighted, information presented on these pages is considered public information and may be distributed or copied. Use of appropriate byline/photo/image credits is requested.

Software Disclaimer

NIST-developed software is provided by NIST as a public service. You may use, copy and distribute copies of the software in any medium, provided that you keep intact this entire notice. You may improve, modify and create derivative works of the software or any portion of the software, and you may copy and distribute such modifications or works. Modified works should carry a notice stating that you changed the software and should note the date and nature of any such change. Please explicitly acknowledge the National Institute of Standards and Technology as the source of the software.

You are solely responsible for determining the appropriateness of using and distributing the software and you assume all risks associated with its use, including but not limited to the risks and costs of program errors, compliance with applicable laws, damage to or loss of data, programs or equipment, and the unavailability or interruption of operation. This software is not intended to be used in any situation where a failure could cause risk of injury or damage to property. The software developed by NIST employees is not subject to copyright protection within the United States.

EWD Connect Disclaimer

Non-Endorsement/No Warranty: EWD Connect is provided as a public service of the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Users of the tool are not permitted to use the name of NIST in any advertisement, promotion, news release or other type of statement, written or verbal, in any way that implies a NIST endorsement, certification or approval of any company, product or service. NIST cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information provided by Users of the tool. The information provided on the list, or through use of the tool, is provided “AS-IS” with NO WARRANTIES of any type. By enabling the list, the Office of Advanced Manufacturing is not endorsing, sponsoring, or otherwise evaluating the qualifications of the entities that are self-identifying for placement on the list. The OAM will not pay for the provision of any information, nor will it compensate or preference any entity for the development of such information. Participation in the list is voluntary.

No Fear Act Policy

By law, NIST employees are required to receive notification of the following information. For further information, contact Mirta-Marie Keys, Director, NIST Equal Employment Opportunity and Accessibility Office, (301) 975-2038 Voice or the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Read the training.

The Notification of Federal Employees Anti-Discrimination and Retaliation Act, (No FEAR Act), (Public Law No. 107-174) became effective on October 1, 2003. The intent of the Act is to help ensure that federal agencies:

  • work more expeditiously toward the resolution of complaints at the lowest possible level;
  • publish on their Web sites statistical data relating to equal employment opportunity filed against them, under 29 C.F.R Part 1614; and
  • exercise greater accountability for violations of anti-discrimination and whistleblower protection laws.

The No FEAR Act requires Federal agencies, including the Department of Commerce and its bureaus, to:

  • notify employees and applicants for employment about their rights under the anti-discrimination and whistleblower protection laws;
  • ensure that managers have adequate training in the management of a diverse workforce, early and alternative conflict resolution, and essential communications skills;
  • provide staff members with training that addresses their rights and protections under the Act;
  • initiate timely and appropriate discipline against employees, including managers and supervisors, who engage in misconduct relating to discrimination or reprisal;
  • conduct studies on trends and causes of complaints of discrimination;
  • require agencies that lose or settle discrimination or whistleblower cases to pay judgments out of their budgets. Those payments are currently paid out of a general federal judgment fund.

NIST Equal Employment Opportunity and Accessibility Office (EEOAO) Compliance: Pursuant to the No FEAR Act, the NIST EEOAO has posted data pertaining to complaints of employment discrimination initiated by NIST employees, former employees, and applicants for employment under 29 C.F.R. In addition a link has been established to the Department of Commerce (DOC) Office of Civil Rights where data on formal NIST complaints have been posted: http://www.osec.doc.gov/ocr/nofear/nofear.htm. 

Complaints of alleged discrimination or reprisal: Individuals who believe they have been subjected to prohibited discrimination or retaliation because of their participation in a protected EEO activity should contact a NIST EEO Counselor, or the NIST EEOAO within 45 calendar days of the date that they believe discrimination took place, or within 45 calendar days of the date they learned or should have learned of the alleged act of discrimination. Contact information for EEO Counseling is posted throughout both NIST campuses and on the NIST EEOAO web page. 

Whistleblowing and Prohibited Personnel Practices: Additional information on Prohibited Personnel Practices can be obtained by contacting the U.S. Office of Special Counsel at www.osc.gov or 1-800-872-9855 or Federal Relay Service at 1-800-872-9855. 

Environmental Policy Statement

It is NIST policy to carry out all activities in a manner that minimizes environmental impacts, conserves natural resources and provides effective stewardship of the environment. To that end, NIST is committed to making environmental management an integral core value and vital part of the NIST culture by:

  • Integrating environmental considerations into work practices at all levels;Informing employees and associates of applicable environmental regulations and NIST requirements;
  • Providing the resources necessary for employees and associates to conduct their work in accordance with applicable environmental regulations and NIST requirements;
  • Developing environmental goals and targets relevant to NIST operations and taking actions to achieve those goals and targets;
  • Promoting pollution prevention, waste minimization, and conservation;Promoting the effective use of innovative environmental technologies and practices;
  • Fostering a work environment in which employees and associates are encouraged to report and raise environmental issues without fear of retaliation;
  • Continually improving the effectiveness and efficiency of environmental management through assessments and performance and cost metrics; and
  • Complying with applicable laws, regulations and other promulgated environmental requirements.

In addition, every individual at NIST is expected to:

  • Conduct their assigned duties in a manner that complies with applicable environmental regulations and NIST requirements;
  • Continually strive to improve environmental performance in their work area;
  • Be aware of the potential environmental consequences of their actions at all times and take care to minimize any adverse consequences;
  • Promptly report or otherwise address conditions that could result in a spill or release of hazardous or regulated material to the environment;
  • Promptly report environmental incidents, i.e., events in which a spill or release of hazardous or regulated material to the environment occurred or could have occurred;
  • Participate in the conduct of incident investigations;
  • Effectively disseminate information and lessons learned from any incidents; and
  • Correct deficiencies and take actions to prevent incidents from occurring.

Cookie Disclaimer

To better serve our visitors, we use technology to track new and returning visitors actions while on the website. These small files are commonly referred to as "cookies." Our cookies do not contain any personally-identifiable information. Our web measurement applications compare the behavior of new and returning visitors in the aggregate to help us identify work flows and trends and also resolve common problems on our site.

Cookies are small files that web servers place on a user's hard drive. They can serve several functions:

  • They allow the web site to identify you as a previous visitor each time you access a site;
  • They track what information you view at a site (important to NIST to ensure visitors find what they are looking for);
  • In the more advanced cases they track your movements through many Web sites but not the whole web;
  • Businesses use them for customer convenience to allow them to produce a list of items to buy and pay for them all at one time and to garner information about what individuals are buying at their sites;
  • Advertisers use them to determine the effectiveness of their marketing and offer insights into consumer preferences and tastes by collecting data from many web sites; and
  • They can be used to help a web site tailor screens for each customer's preference.

We will retain data the technology makes available only as long as required by law, or specific program need as specified by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) General Records Schedule 3.1/020. 

If you are concerned about the potential use of the information gathered from your computer by cookies, you can set your browser to prompt you before it accepts a cookie. You can remove or block the use of web measurement and customization technologies by changing the setting of your browser to block cookies as described at http://www.usa.gov/optout_instructions.shtml.

Currently, we are also using session cookies as part of a web customer satisfaction survey we are conducting in collaboration with ForeSee Results. The sole purpose of the session cookies is to cause the survey to be displayed to a small percentage of our website visitors as they leave the Manufactuirng USA website. Manufactuirng USA does not retain any information collected by these session cookies. Session cookies are automatically deleted at the end of a session, that is, when you close your browser. Additional privacy information related to the survey is available from a link on the survey itself.

Information Quality Standards

Based on the review it has conducted, NIST believes that it does not currently produce or sponsor the distribution of influential scientific information (including highly influential scientific assessments) within the definitions promulgated by OMB. As a result, at this time NIST has no agenda of forthcoming influential scientific disseminations to post on its website in accordance with OMB Information Quality Bulletin for Peer Review. For more information, please visit https://www.nist.gov/nist-information-quality-standards. 

Scientific Integrity Summary

In accordance with the Memorandum of December 17, 2010, from the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, NIST is currently working to update its relevant policies, including through revision of NIST Administrative Manual (NIST Manual), to more broadly address issues of Scientific Integrity. Relevant policies currently in effect are summarized at https://www.nist.gov/summary-report-scientific-integrity.