Legal Metrology as the mandatory checking of devices is a fundamental component of the conduct and sustenance of trade, and commerce cannot exist without it. It is essential for the manufacturers, suppliers and customers of goods and services to have mutual confidence in the accuracy, precision and reliability of the measurements made at every level.
In our everyday lives, people make many purchases that rely on confidence in a system that ensures accurate weighing and measuring of goods. Likewise, businesses need to know that they are also trading in a fair market place where no one company has an unfair competitive advantage.
In Guyana, a legislative and practical enforcement programme governed by the 1981 Weights & Measures Act is in place to ensure that consumers receive the correct quantity of products purchased. This objective is achieved by ensuring that all weighing and measuring devices used in commercial trade are verified by Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) i.e. they are examined to determine fitness for use and are tested to ensure accuracy.
The accuracy of measurements made in commerce, for example, the weight of one kg of potatoes or chicken determined by a scale in the local market is ultimately traceable to physical standards used by the GNBS, which are traceable to International Standards.
This traceability allows for accurate and reliable measurements on the local and international markets, and provides for consistency of measurements worldwide. Consumers can therefore have confidence in the accuracy of the local systems of weights and measures.
Devices verified by the GNBS include: scales, masses and measures, storage tanks flow meters, measuring rules, electricity meters and petrol pumps. Also included are devices used at shops, markets, supermarkets, rice and sugar industries, manufacturing companies, hospitals and health centers, airlines and shipping companies, post offices, petrol stations and bulk terminals.
All importers of weighing and measuring devices are also obligated to ensure that devices imported are verified by the GNBS as required by the Weights and Measures Act before offering them for sale. Vendors and Shopkeepers must ensure that the devices they are using are recommended for commercial trade.
Verification of devices has commenced for the first half of 2012 and users of same are urged to submit their devices for verification at the GNBS Head Office, Sophia and Sub-offices in New Amsterdam, Anna Regina and Lethem, the nearest Weights and Measures Office located in the Administrative Regions or any mobile stamping location that will be shortly in the electronic media.
For further information please contact the GNBS on telephone numbers: 219-0069, 219-0066, 219-0065.
