News and Issues
BIPM CELEBRATES WORLD METROLOGY DAY - 2008 MESSAGE
No Games without Measurement
2008 WORLD METROLOGY DAY POSTER
Metrology - Measurement in Sport
OTHER POSTERS IN THE SERIES
Metrology Bill of 2004: A TOOL FOR PROGRESS
A QUIET PASSAGE
On the afternoon of Friday 12th March, the Metrology Bill of 2004 was passed through the Lower House. This passage was quiet with both sides of the House in tacit agreement of its importance and necessity. This historic event equips the Bureau with an essential tool for achieving its mission to improve the quality of life in Trinidad and Tobago and is a major step forward in progressing the county’s development.
LEGAL METROLOGY
Metrology is the name for the science of measurement and capacity. Legal Metrology represents all those issues of measurement considered to be important enough to be defined and regulated by law. More commonly known as “weights and measures”, Legal Metrology is an activity as old as civilization itself and supplies the basis for the standardization of measurement activity. It is a fundamental building block in the infrastructure on which quality assurance and trade are established. Without this, there is lack of clear benchmarks and transparent processes which encourages dishonesty and causes wastage of materials, time and money.
In Trinidad and Tobago our existing measurement law, the Weights and Measures Ordinance is originally of 1938 vintage and was based on the 1878 UK Weights and Measures Act.
This Ordinance became outdated with the passage of time as rapid and revolutionary changes occured in society and technology, transforming business practices
Legal Metrology is very significant in many aspects of modern life. Trade and Commerce, local and international are based on the arrangements defined by Legal Metrology. Other legal issues such as forensics, environmental management and national health depend on the definition and clarity provided by measurement laws and regulations.
MEASUREMENT— BENEFITS FOR EVERYONE
Measurement is a process by which a quantity formerly unknown, can be accurately expressed. Without this expression of quantity, it would be almost impossible to exist in a modern society. Clarity in measurement benefits the whole society. For example, a housewife in a grocery may confidently buy a kilogram of salt in a supermarket knowing that it has been accurately weighed. A food product exporter can declare the sodium content of his product to his country of sale knowing that if the importer measures it accurately their result will be identical. A diabetic using the product can be sure that the content quoted on the label is reliable and can be trusted. The government can expect taxation from the product based on a transparent accurate process for quantifying the product sold over the year.
The Metrology Bill 2004 declares the national units of measurement is the International System of Units as it is in all major countries of the world including the United States. It identifies a set of National Measurement Standards to which local measurements will be traceable.
Instruments for measurements and the performance criteria for them are also contained within the regulations attached to the Bill.
The system for enforcement of the law is defined with penalties for infringements and the Bureau delegated the responsibility for its administration.
BETTER LATE THAN NEVER
The Metrology Bill originally drafted in 1976 as the culmination of the Metrication process was eventually passed in 2004. Despite the long wait, it presents an opportunity for the country to redefine the way in which it does business and to increase national efficiency and competitiveness. Its implementation presents both a huge challenge and an enormous opportunity for the Bureau. Industries from petroleum to tourism and all sectors of the society dependent on measurement can look forward to greater confidence and clarity in measurement transactions. This is definitely a case of “better late than never”.
Back to top
