The NMO News- The OIML Bulletin- The NMI news

The NMO News March 2013

This continues to show the wide range of issues that the NMO now deal with and it is important to note that the front page is again the possible changes at the NPL

http://www.bis.gov.uk/nmo/news-and-events/news/2013/Mar/National-Measurement-News-issue-13-March-2013

 

The OIML Bulletin

This  contains an editorial on World Metrology Day, for which the theme this year is “Measurements in daily life”. It also contains the the following articles:
- Quality assurance of breath alcohol measurements,
- A new guidance document on measurement uncertainty and conformity assessment,
- History of scales Part 7: The world of load cells in the technology of scales and weighing and Part 8: Load cells and measuring with strain gauges,
- Weighing scales re-checker unit: a tool to boost public awareness and encourage,
- MERCOSUR: Mercado Común del Sur, and

http://www.oiml.org/bulletin/

 

The NMI news

It is interesting to see the difference in the newsletters from different national metrology authorities

http://nieuwsbrief.netrex.eu/netrexmail/display.php?M=840002&C=96f29a4a0008d54147b88f83722d09bc&S=4730&L=1015&N=1705

Establishing a new partnership for the National Physical Laboratory.

The National Physical Laboratory (NPL) and the National Measurement Office have historically run as government agencies. The contract for the running of the NPL is not going to be renewed and there is presently a process for finding new partners for this contract.

This process is being managed by the NMO and they are ” working to develop and deliver the model for the future operation of the NPL” . Although at a very early part of the process this could mark a fundamental change in the way legal metrology services are being delivered by the NMO. We must remember that the NMO has responsibility for the National Measurement System (NMS) (http://www.bis.gov.uk/nmo/national-measurement-system) and the delivery of legal metrology services is just one part of this. In the forthcoming changes we must be fully involved in ensuring that any changes in the structures in the delivery of legal metrology services do not adversely effect our members.

The most recent briefing note on this can be found at http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/nmo/docs/nms/future-operation-of-npl/establishing-a-new-partnership-for-the-npl-briefing-note.pdf

Revised Blue Guide

The 1st draft of the revised Blue Guide has been issued.

Revised Blue Guide, draft 1

It reflects the attempt to ensure that the guide reflects the changes bought about by the development of the New Legislative Framework. To date, it appears to be a beneficial development and a much needed modernisation of the existing guide.

There is a good opportunity to broaden out the issue of “manufacturer” from the weighing sector to all other sectors covered by the Blue Guide and this is presently being pursued by CECIP. It has been noted that the guide needs further clarification on “intended misuse”  of weighing and measuring equipment and the advice it offers with regard to repairs and alterations. If you have any comments on this please let me know.

 

BRDO Consultations

The BRDO (Better Regulation Delivery Office) have issued two consultations:

The first consultation relates to the creating of a statutory obligation for regulators to have regard to growth. Although this is a commendable proposition, it is difficult to see how this may work in practice.

The second is in relation to the Regulators Compliance Code. This is a document that outlines the expectations of businesses from regulators. This is a good document which appears to be well thought out and positive. If you have any views I would be keen to hear them.
http://www.bis.gov.uk/brdo/publications/current-consultations

 

The issue of manufacturer

I have received the following document relating to questions raised in the European Parliament on the issue of manufacturers.

Definition of the term “Manufacturer”

Although I am sure that this is not the last word on this issue, it is very positive and a great indication of what can be achieved.

Consolidated Code Of Practice-Enforcement Weighing of Vehicles

It is worth remembering that this Code is still in force and any official bodies that take actions for overloaded vehicles must be mindful of the code.

Point 3.1.1 of Section 3 states that the instrument must have been tested within the preceding six months of when it was used. This is confirmed in point 2.1 of Annex 2.1 that states that any weighbridge that is used for the enforcement weighing of vehicles must be tested at 6 monthly intervals when the machine is in use.

Although this is only a code of practice and not a legal requirement, if you have customers that who have instruments that are being used for the enforcement weighing of vehicles it may be worth bringing the code to their attention.

A copy of the Code is available here - Consolidated Code of Practice- Enforcement Weighing of Vehicles.

If you have any questions regarding this please give me a call

Changes to the Directives

There have been administrative changes to both the NAWI and the MI Directive. These will have no direct bearing on the day-to-day operation of UKWF members.

Articles 14 of the MID and 9 of the NAWI Directive have been removed. These relate to the procedures that would need to be followed if a member state believes a harmonised standard does not meet the essential requirements. The procedures can now be found in another EU Regulation 1025/ 2012

Section 70 Returns

The 2011-2012 S70 returns must be made by all Trading Standards Departments to the NMO and relate to the work they have carried out under the Weights and Measures Act. It is good to see that 95% of authorities submitted results and the NMO have done some useful analysis with this data. They have discovered that weighing instruments greater than 30kg, including weighbridges and bulk fuel measuring instruments, are the areas with the greatest problems. It is also good to note that the NMO recognise that the shortage of trained officers is one of the major challenges for the future. Without good enforcement the market place becomes un-regulated and legitimate traders suffer. The other interesting point to note is that the report begins the process of trying to assign an accurate monetary figure on the consumer detriment caused by inaccurate weighing and measuring equipment. Whilst applauding this objective, we must encourage them to discover a similar value to the detriment caused to businesses by the very low levels of enforcement the report reveals. Section 70 Annual Report, 2011-2012

Government review of the balances of competencies for the EU

The government is presently undertaking a review of the internal market and the balance of powers between the EU and national governments. This is a very complicated issue and creates many strong and wide ranging views. I have attended this meeting to express the view that the harmonisation technical requirements for weighing instruments generally provides benefits to manufacturers and suppliers across the single market. Although there are many challenges with this process, I believe the benefits of using one standard for the single market is a situation that would be detrimental to loose.

It was good to see that amongst all of the different groups at the meeting there was a general agreement of the notion of harmonisation with regard to products. The area of difficulty appears to be with regard to the harmonisation of services. This is an area which has only limited bearing on the UKWF and no view has been expressed.

 

HSE Advice on portable electrical equipment testing

The most recent advice on PAT testing has recently come to my attention.

PAT Testing

This is a useful document as it makes it quite clear that it is not necessary to have all portable equipment tested annually. The table on page 5 gives an indication of the time period between checks that should be carried out on portable equipment