legal metrology

It is also responsible for regulations and surveillance in the field of legal metrology.

"To promote and facilitate the exchange of knowledge and competencies within the legal metrology community worldwide".

The NMS is concerned with all aspects of scientific and legal metrology.

What is "legal metrology"

"In co-operation with other metrology bodies, to raise awareness of the contribution that a sound legal metrology infrastructure can make to a modern economy".

The OIML has identified four main activities that fulfil the purposes of legal metrology:

WELMEC is a body set up to promote European cooperation in the field of legal metrology.

"To represent the interests of the legal metrology community within international organizations and forums concerned with metrology, standardization, testing, certification and accreditation".

They also provide calibration and testing services to both local authorities and private businesses, as well as training in aspects of legal metrology to national and international clients.

The definition of "legal metrology" varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, reflecting the extent to which metrology is bound into the jurisdiction's own legal and regulatory code.

The technical work of the OIML is carried out by technical committees (TC), each committee having responsibility for a different aspect of legal metrology.

"To develop, in cooperation with our stakeholders, standards and related documents for use by legal metrology authorities and industry that when implemented will achieve the mission of the OIML".

Legal metrology "concerns activities which result from statutory requirements and concern measurement, units of measurement, measuring instruments and methods of measurement and which are performed by competent bodies."

There is always a procedure that defines the validation process where the duty meter is compared to a standard that is traceable to the legal metrology agency of the respective region.

These International Standards were prepared by IEC technical committee 29:Electroacoustics, in cooperation with the International Organization of Legal Metrology (OIML).

International Vocabulary of Terms in Legal Metrology (VLIM) which defines the terms used in legal metrology.

WELMEC members are drawn from the national authorities responsible for legal metrology in European Union (EU) and European Free Trade Association (EFTA) member states.

The National Measurement Office (NMO) offers individually tailored consultancies for UK and international organisations, providing a range of highly skilled engineers and a network of specialist collaborators covering the whole range of legal metrology.

The Republic of Ireland also uses 570 mL 1 pint glasses, where legal metrology marks are used to show that a glass has passed inspection by the National Standards Authority of Ireland, a state-run body who enforce a number of standard rulings.

WELMEC state their mission as being "to develop and maintain mutual acceptance among its members and to maintain effective cooperation to achieve a harmonised and consistent approach to the societies needs for legal metrology and for the benefit of all stakeholders including consumers and businesses."

"The mission of the OIML is to enable economies to put in place effective legal metrology infrastructures that are mutually compatible and internationally recognized, for all areas for which governments take responsibility, such as those which facilitate trade, establish mutual confidence and harmonize the level of consumer protection worldwide".

The NMO works with WELMEC (the European co-operation in legal metrology) and OIML (the International Organisation of Legal Metrology) to maintain UK consumer and business confidence in legal measurement abroad.

The International Organisation of Legal Metrology (OIML), an intergovernmental organisation, was established under an diplomatic treaty signed in Paris on 12th of October 1955 to promote the global harmonization of legal metrology procedures that underpin and facilitate international trade.