COURSE 2

Legal Metrology in detail

Module 7
Metrology and Trade -
Traceability in Metrology and
importance of assuring
compatibility in commercial
activities

Project funded by the European Union

at the request of the ACP Group
Metrology and Trade MODULE 7

Metrology and Trade - Traceability in Metrology

and importance of assuring compatibility in
commercial activities
Dr. Konstantinos Athanasiadis

Abstrct

This module will stress the importance of Legal Metrology for mutual confidence in trade, also dealing with
the importance of traceability not only in metrology but also in other commercial issues. The role of testing
and calibration laboratories in conformity assessment and certification will be discussed, considering that
both certification and conformity assessment rely on results of tests or calibration. Examples for different
areas of economy will be provided. 2

Introduction

The International Organization of Legal Metrology (French: Organization Internationale de Métrologie

Légale - OIML), is an intergovernmental organization, created in 1955 and based in Paris, and whose
general objective is to organize mutual information and cooperation among its members, to promote the
global harmonization of the legal metrology procedures and regulations that underpin and facilitate
international trade and to foster mutual confidence. The harmonization of legal metrology regulations by
developing international recommendations, which are model regulations is one of the main objectives of
OIML.
Since its establishment, the OIML has developed a number of guidelines to assist members, particularly
developing nations, to draw up appropriate legislation concerning metrology across all facets of society and
guidelines on certification and calibration requirements of new products, particularly where such
calibration has a legal impact such as in trade, health care and taxation.
To complement its harmonizing activity, the OIML has developed systems to facilitate mutual recognition
and mutual acceptance of legal metrology controls. The purpose is to setup a globally harmonized legal
metrology system. Harmonization of the regulations and elimination of technical barriers to trade ensures
that certification of measuring devices in one country is compatible with certification in another, thereby
facilitating trade in the measuring devices and in products that rely on the measuring devices. Such
products include weighting devices, taxi meters, speedometers, agricultural measuring devices such as
cereal moisture meters, health related devices such as exhaust measurements and alcohol content of
drinks. The results of these activities are reduction of the cost of selling instruments on the market and the
costs of international trade.
The intention of the organization is to cover all areas for which governments take responsibility in order to
facilitate trade, establish mutual confidence and harmonize the level of consumer protection worldwide.
The OIML is an "international standard-setting body" in the sense of the World Trade Organization's
Technical Barriers to Trade Agreement. What characterized OIML is its highly-decentralized governance.
The OIML works closely with other international organizations such as the International Bureau of Weights
Metrology and Trade MODULE 7

and Measures (BIPM) and International Organization for Standardization (ISO) to ensure compatibility
between each organization’s work. The organization has no legal authority to impose solutions on its
members, but its recommendations are often used by member states as part of their own domestic law.

1. The Importance of the Standards and Conformance Infrastructure in Trade

The Standards and Conformance infrastructure, comprising metrology, standards, accreditation, and
conformity assessment impacts on the simplest daily activities, such as the accuracy of an alarm clock, the
way seatbelts in a car operate, and the safety of food.
The same technical infrastructure also underpins the complex technologies and industrial processes that
drive economic growth.
Everyday commercial transactions and international trade could not take place without the support of an
effective Standards and Conformance infrastructure.
It provides the essential framework for industry and government to maintain domestic and foreign
condense in goods and services. It is also the key to enhancing global competitiveness, attracting
investment, and fostering and supporting innovation. 3
Why does Standards and Conformance infrastructure have such a pervasive effect on people’s lives?
Because the trade of goods and services around the world is vital for economic growth, for the wellbeing of
the population, and to maintain worldwide financial stability. Measurements are involved in most trade
transactions and in order to ensure fairness to all parties, they must be able to be considered as
"acceptable".
In addition to representing fair value for money, consumer goods must also be safe. For example:
 food must be free from hazardous content (toxins, pesticides, antibiotics, hormones, etc);
 products must be processed safely and accurately labeled; and
 the weight of goods must be determined accurately to ensure fair financial transactions.
Enormous amounts of money may be involved in a transaction based on, say, the measurement of the
volume of oil that flows through a pipeline, where a measurement error of a fraction of a percentage could
lead to a huge difference in the amount invoiced. Without the capability to perform accurate
measurements, one or other of the parties would be disadvantaged and the state may also lose out on tax
revenue.
Technical regulations and standards are adopted and legislated by governments to protect both producers
and consumers at national and international levels. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and
Development (OECD) estimates that about 80 % of global trade is affected by standards or regulations,
however if no sound measurement system is in place these regulations and standards may become a
technical barrier to trade (TBT) which may lead to increased costs, inhibit the free flow of goods, or require
repeated testing.
Even in the non-regulated areas of trade, the need for compatibility of components and systems requires
consistency and uniformity in the way we measure. Components are frequently manufactured in one
country and then assembled with parts or systems manufactured in another country. In addition, there is a
growing trend to partially manufacture a component in one country, and complete its manufacture in
another. Of course, all of this is only possible if a uniform global system of measurement is in place.
A sound measurement system is an essential element in achieving globally accepted calibration and testing
results. Essential factors for such a system are:
 traceability to the International System of Units, or SI (scientific metrology);
 regulated measurements and measuring instruments (legal metrology); and
Metrology and Trade MODULE 7

 confidence in testing and measurement results via certification, standardization, accreditation and
calibration (industrial metrology).
Due to the critical role of measurements in compliance and in conformity assessment, the International
Committee for Weights and Measures (CIPM) and the International Organization of Legal Metrology (OIML)
have respectively created a Mutual Recognition Arrangement (CIPM MRA) and a Mutual Acceptance
Arrangement (MAA) within which international consistency of measurement and testing can be
demonstrated.
The CIPM MRA ensures equivalence of the national measurement standards and calibration and
measurement certificates issued by National Metrology Institutes. The OIML MAA facilitates international
acceptance of declarations of conformity of regulated measuring instruments with OIML
Recommendations.
As a result, the aim of “measured once, accepted everywhere” can be ensured and trade regulators can
rely on accurate measurements made within the context of the CIPM MRA and the OIML MAA as evidence
of compliance with national and international regulations and standards.
The International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM) and the International Organization of Legal
Metrology (OIML) coordinate the international network of national metrology institutes and national legal 4
metrology authorities. This network provides the support required to ensure that quality measurements for
trade are available.
According to Article I of the Convention (1955) and the OIML Strategy (2011), the main role 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. (OIML, 2011c)

In line with its mandate, the OIML work currently covers four main areas:
1. trade,
2. safety,
3. health and
4. environment.
These four areas reflect the purposes for which the instruments are used. Traditionally the trade area has
been the most significant. Partly because, at the national level, regulation of instruments used for trade
was the first and predominant area of legal metrology. But it is also the area where the benefits of trade
facilitation – the original intention behind the establishment of OIML – can be seen most clearly. Just as the
creation of an effective system of regulation of trade measurement will increase consumer confidence and
thus volumes of trade at the national level, so harmonized regulation will have the same effect on cross-
border trade. In addition, harmonized regulation facilitates trade in the measurement instruments
themselves – eliminating the technical barriers that would otherwise prevent their import or use or make
them costlier to sell into other markets, as we said before.
This second effect – removing technical barriers to trade in the instruments themselves – can also be seen
in the cases of instruments whose primary purpose is protection of safety, health or the environment. In
addition, there are other benefits of harmonization, unrelated to trade, since the authorities in the member
states do not have to devote the same resources as they would if they were regulating in isolation.
Metrology and Trade MODULE 7

Figure 1: Percentage of Recommendations in the four sectors

covered by the OIML (2016)
5
The OIML has over time published approximately 140 Recommendations. Due to technical developments,
some of these have been withdrawn or superseded, which leaves 103 live Recommendations at the time of
the writing of this case study. More than half of these 103 Recommendations relate to instruments used in
trade, with possible overlaps to other areas. Figure 1 shows the share of Recommendations in each field.
As we said before, according to OECD (1999), approximately 80% of global trade is affected by national
standards and regulations. Indeed, standards and regulations on measuring devices are adopted internally
by states in order to protect producers and consumers. If these standards and regulations imposed by
states are not backed by a functioning measurement system, sooner or later they become technical
barriers to trade. The need for compatibility of systems and components is also required in non-regulated
areas of trade. As a result of globalization, components of one main system are frequently manufactured in
different countries. A functioning global system of measurements improves the production of
manufactured goods.
Being the main international organization concerned with legal metrology, the OIML has a broad,
transversal mandate which overlaps with the activities of other IOs with broad purpose, as well as
International Organizations with sector-specific purpose. It co-operates on the international level as well as
on the regional and national levels with different organizations and legal metrology authorities in order to
reach its objective of global harmonization in legal metrology. This interconnectivity on all levels, and the
co-operation with public and private stakeholders, enables the OIML to strengthen the networks of the
legal metrology community.

2.1 Measurements to facilitate international trade

As we said before, the trade of goods and services around the world is vital for:
 For economic growth,
 For the wellbeing of the population, and
 To maintain worldwide financial stability.
Measurements must be able to be considered as "acceptable" because are involved in most trade
transactions. Of course, all of this is only possible if a uniform global system of measurement is in place.
Metrology and Trade MODULE 7

Metrology (measurement standards) and traceability of measurement provide the basis for successful
trade and commerce. They drive the continuous development of science, technology and industrial
production. They are the foundation for all tests and measurements, including those associated with
disease diagnosis and health care, food safety, forensic science, environmental monitoring, occupational
health and safety, optimization of production and consumer confidence and protection.
Each economy has a fundamental reliance on its ability to demonstrate the reliability and accuracy of
measurements.
Government has a crucial role in maintaining and fostering the development of a rigorous and cohesive
metrological system that links to international measurement standards and is responsive to changing
technologies and international trade demands.
Metrology is an integral component of the technical infrastructure value chain. National measurement
standards provide the basis for a State’s other conformity assessment activities like calibration services,
trade metrology services, conformance testing with respect to technical regulations, testing, accreditation
etc., in both the regulatory and the voluntary sectors. The National Metrology Institutes (NMIs) provide the
direct link to the international measurement system, underpinning the credibility of the NMI’s
responsibilities in developing, maintaining and disseminating national measurement standards appropriate
6
to national needs, and developing and transferring these to users in new measurement technologies.
Many metrological requirements are supported by legislation or regulation. These aspects become part of
an economy’s “legal metrology system.” An economy’s ability to demonstrate compliance with
international treaty obligations, for example, relating to trade or the environment, such as greenhouse gas
reductions, depend on the robustness of its metrological infrastructure.
The close co-ordination between BIPM and the OIML is of great importance to the OIML in order to achieve
its goal of worldwide harmonization of legal metrology. Only the co-operation between scientific and legal
metrology guarantees practical successful OIML model regulations and guidelines.
The BIPM and the OIML play an integral role in what could be termed the 'World Metrology System'. The
amount of money spent on metrology is a very small portion of total national expenditure, but its impact is
tremendous, demonstrating the vital importance of metrology to us all and the world in which we live.
Without metrology our world would be very different. Metrology is of fundamental importance in industry
and trade - not only from the point of view of the consumer but also for those involved in manufacturing.
Both groups must have confidence in the accuracy and reliability of the measurements upon which they
depend.
Every small investment in metrology results in a large return to the investor, whether the investor be a
private company, a national government or an international organization. This makes investing in
metrology a sound strategy for future prosperity

2.2 Global coordination of Metrology and the CIPM MRA

The reliability of the international measurement system depends on work by each NMI to base its
measurements and measurement uncertainties on the SI, and to compare its realizations of the base units
of the SI with those of other NMIs. To establish such mutual equivalence, the NMIs will regularly participate
in measurement comparisons.
In order to extend and fully document the practice of comparisons and to provide objective evidence on
which to base declarations of equivalence, in 1999 the CIPM launched a Mutual Recognition Arrangement
(CIPM MRA) between NMIs from Member States of the Metre Convention and Associate States and
Economies of the CGPM.
Metrology and Trade MODULE 7

The CIPM MRA establishes a formal system within which NMI signatories and other designated institutes
establish the degree of equivalence of their national measurement standards via a peer-review of their
technical capabilities; as well as the mutual recognition of their calibration and measurement certificates.
This degree of equivalence is technically supported through a series of 'key' measurement comparisons
which establishes a basis for comparing and linking measurements across international boundaries.
By the CIPM MRA, "Participating institutes recognize the validity of calibration and measurement
certificates issued by other participating institutes for the quantities and ranges specified in Appendix C of
the KCDB"

By the CIPM MRA, “Participating institutes recognize the validity of calibration and measurement
certificates issued by other participating institutes for the quantities and ranges specified in Appendix C of
the KCDB”
Quote from the Scope (paragraph 2.2) of the CIPM MRA

The CIPM MRA commits metrology to provide an essential support for global trade through a mutual
recognition framework, which can help eliminate technical barriers to trade and regulatory affairs. 7
To support the CIPM MRA, the BIPM key comparison database (KCDB, which can be found at
www.kcdb.org) provides free public access to the results of key comparisons and the peer-reviewed, SI
traceable, calibration and measurement capabilities, and the degrees of equivalence of participating
laboratories in many areas of chemistry and physics.
The launch of the CIPM MRA was a major step for the Metre Convention. As a result, metrology
laboratories are now more confident of the technical basis for their calibration services, and their listing
provides NMIs with internationally recognized competence. It is already proving its value in the world of
NMI metrology and a number of international and national organizations have already committed
themselves to use it as evidence of technical equivalence at the highest levels, or for wider agreements
negotiated for international trade, commerce or regulatory affairs.
Whilst the technical coverage of the KCDB and the CIPM MRA is presently focused on physics, engineering
and chemistry, the future will see related developments in the areas of laboratory medicine and food as the
established framework can be applied to these new sectors. Already in laboratory medicine, the Joint
Committee for Traceability in Laboratory Medicine (JCTLM) is creating a similar database of reference
materials and processes. Key and other comparisons are underway to help provide the technical
underpinning for this work. In this way, sound metrology practice will be applied to new activities, which
contribute to human health and the quality of life.
BIPM and OIML therefore form the key elements of the international system of metrology, and the work of
the two bodies is complementary.
In 2008, the two organizations signed a MoU guaranteeing to inform each other about their work, mainly to
avoid duplication, but also to pool resources and expertise. The MoU also includes mutual prospection for
new members in their respective networks and puts a special focus on developing countries. Annual
meetings and joint statements (such as the Joint Declaration on Metrological Traceability) also underline
the co-ordination between the two organizations. A further outcome of the co-operation is the joint web
portal called the BIPM-OIML Resource Centre which has “the objective to provide metrologists and key
metrology decision makers worldwide with information about metrology”
Metrology and Trade MODULE 7

2.3 World Trade Organization (WTO)

Many of the OIML’s Recommendations are related to international trade. Their primary objective is to
dismantle technical barriers to trade, which consequently reduces costs and facilitates the flow of goods
and services. The co-ordination process in international trade is implemented under the umbrella of the
WTO, which introduced the Standards Code in 1979, replaced by the Technical Barriers to Trade – TBT
Agreement in 1995. The TBT Agreement “sets out a code of good practice for both governments and non-
governmental or industry bodies to prepare, adopt and apply voluntary standards” (WTO, 2014). According
to Article 2.4 of the TBT Agreement, “*w+here technical regulations are required and relevant international
standards exist or their completion is imminent, Members shall use them, or the relevant parts of them, as
a basis for their technical regulations (…)”, because they contribute to remove technical barriers to trade. In
the sense of this article, the OIML Recommendations can be considered as relevant international standards
to be used by WTO member states as a basis for domestic technical regulations.
The reliance of WTO Members on international standards opened the opportunity for international
standard-setting organizations (including ISO, IEC, and OIML) to co-operate closely with each other and
with the WTO itself. Co-operation between WTO and OIML is mainly based on information exchange. Three
8
times a year, OIML representatives attend the meetings and report to the WTO TBT Committee. Even
though the OIML has only an ad hoc observer status, without voting rights, it has been in practice invited to
every TBT Committee meeting (WTO, 2016) since 1997 (WTO, 1998).

2.4 Accreditation and Conformity Assessment - ILAC

Accreditation bodies such as the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) or the
International Accreditation Forum (IAF) play an important role in ensuring high standards in the conformity
assessment activities of testing and certification bodies. For instance, the ILAC accreditation bodies, which
have been accepted as signatories to the ILAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement (i.e. ILAC Full Members),
use an appropriate written standard to assess the technical and managerial competence of laboratories.
Legal metrology regulations can then reference such standards, which help national legal metrology bodies
to ensure compliance with international Recommendations. The co-operation between the OIML and those
accreditation bodies is therefore important in order to demonstrate the conformity with regulatory
requirements. OIML has signed MoUs with both ILAC and IAF which provide for consultation and
representation on appropriate technical committees
Accreditation is a procedure by which an independent authoritative body (accreditation body) gives formal
recognition that a (conformity assessment) body or a person is competent to carry out specific tasks.
Accreditation involves the onsite peer assessment of conformity assessment bodies for their competence
to carry out specified calibrations, tests, inspections and/or certifications of product on personnel, to
determine if they meet a required standard. These conformity assessment activities are critical to the
quality and accuracy of the many products and services upon which all economies rely for, among other
things, the health and safety of its citizens, and for trade.
The International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation – ILAC is the international organization for
accreditation bodies operating in accordance with ISO/IEC 17011 and involved in the accreditation of
conformity assessment bodies including calibration laboratories (using ISO/IEC 17025), testing laboratories
(using ISO/IEC 17025), medical testing laboratories (using ISO 15189) and inspection bodies (using ISO/IEC
17020).
Accreditation is the independent evaluation of conformity assessment bodies against recognized standards
Metrology and Trade MODULE 7

to carry out specific activities to ensure their impartiality and competence. Through the application of
national and international standards, government, procurers and consumers can have confidence in the
calibration and test results, inspection reports and certifications provided.
Accreditation bodies are established in many economies with the primary purpose of ensuring that
conformity assessment bodies are subject to oversight by an authoritative body. Accreditation bodies, that
have been peer evaluated as competent, sign regional and international arrangements to demonstrate
their competence. These accreditation bodies then assess and accredit conformity assessment bodies to
the relevant standards.
The arrangements support the provision of local or national services, such as providing safe food and clean
drinking water, providing energy, delivering health and social care or maintaining an unpolluted
environment. In addition, the arrangements enhance the acceptance of products and services across
national borders, thereby creating a framework to support international trade through the removal of
technical barriers.
The international arrangements are managed by ILAC in the fields of calibration, testing, medical testing
and inspection accreditation and IAF in the fields of management systems, products, services, personnel
and other similar programmes of conformity assessment. Both organizations, ILAC and IAF, work together
9
and coordinate their efforts to enhance the accreditation and the conformity assessment worldwide.
The regional arrangements are managed by the recognized regional co-operation bodies that work in
harmony with ILAC and IAF. The recognized regional co-operations are also represented on the ILAC and IAF
Executive Committees. ILAC works closely with the regional co-operation bodies involved in accreditation,
notably EA in Europe, APLAC in the Asia-Pacific, IAAC in the Americas, AFRAC in Africa, SADCA in Southern
Africa, and ARAC in the Arab region.
As we said before, ILAC is an International Organization - IO that promotes the mutual recognition of test
and measurement certificates issued by laboratories accredited by national accreditation bodies. ILAC
members undergo a peer evaluation process to become signatories to the ILAC Agreement. The main aim
of the Agreement is to increase the use and acceptance by industry, as well as governments of accredited
laboratories.
The co-operation between OIML and ILAC is materialized by a MoU signed in 2006 and revised in 2014. The
co-operation ranges from shared interpretation of common issues (e.g. the 2011 Joint BIPM-OIML-ILAC-ISO
Declaration on Metrological Traceability) to shared use of technical and metrological experts, and
information exchange on technical matters and overall policy.
A specific example of the co-operation efforts between the two organizations is the implementation of the
Framework for a Mutual Acceptance Arrangement on OIML Type Evaluations (OIML MAA) in 2005. This
arrangement is a system for recognition of test reports, by means of which the confidence in type
examination testing can be increased. As a result of this co-operation, the evaluation of the testing
laboratories of OIML issuing authorities can be accredited by a signatory of the ILAC Mutual Recognition
Arrangement (ILAC MRA). ILAC therefore covers the scope of testing in the field of legal metrology
according to the relevant OIML Recommendations.
The primary purpose of ILAC is to establish an international arrangement between member accreditation
bodies based on peer evaluation and mutual acceptance. ILAC is the principal international co-operation
for:

Developing and harmonizing laboratory and inspection body accreditation practices

Over 90 accreditation bodies from over 80 economies have signed the ILAC Mutual Recognition
Arrangement (ILAC MRA). The accreditation bodies that are signatories to the ILAC MRA have been peer
Metrology and Trade MODULE 7

evaluated in accordance with ISO/IEC 17011 to demonstrate their competence. Detailed information is
available from the ILAC MRA and Signatories page.

Recognizing accredited calibration laboratories, testing laboratories, medical testing laboratories and
inspection bodies internationally under the ILAC MRA

The ILAC MRA signatory accreditation bodies assess and accredit conformity assessment bodies against the
relevant international standards, including calibration laboratories using ISO/IEC 17025, testing laboratories
using ISO/IEC 17025, medical testing laboratories using ISO 15189 and inspection bodies using ISO/IEC
17020. The results from the accredited conformity assessment bodies of the ILAC MRA signatories are then
able to be recognized under the ILAC MRA.

Promoting laboratory and inspection body accreditation to industry, governments, regulators and
consumers

ILAC promotes the increased use and acceptance of accredited calibration, testing, medical testing and 10
inspection data and results internationally. Industry, governments, regulators and consumers are
encouraged to use and accept results from accredited conformity assessment bodies, including in other
economies. By accepting products across national borders, the need for them to undergo additional testing
or inspection in each country into which they are provided is removed. Governments and Regulators can
therefore take advantage of the ILAC MRA to support the provision of local or national services, such as
providing safe food and clean drinking water, providing energy, delivering health and social care or
maintaining an unpolluted environment, and further develop or enhance trade agreements.

Assisting and supporting developing accreditation systems

As part of its international approach, ILAC provides advice and assistance to organizations from developing
economies that are in the process of developing their own accreditation systems. These developing
organizations are able to participate in ILAC as Associate or Affiliate members, and access the resources of
ILAC’s more established members.

2.5. How does accreditation assist international trade and development?

The system of international mutual recognition agreements now in place has enabled accredited
laboratories and inspection bodies to achieve a form of international recognition, thus allowing calibration,
test and inspection results accompanying exported goods and services to be more readily accepted on
overseas markets.
Many economies around the world have one or more organizations responsible for the accreditation of
their nation’s facilities. Most of these accreditation bodies have adopted the international standards
ISO/IEC 17025 as the basis for the accreditation of their country’s testing and calibration laboratories, ISO
15189 for the accreditation of their medical laboratories and ISO/IEC 17020 for the accreditation of their
inspection bodies.
Adoption of these international standards has helped countries adopt a uniform approach to determining
laboratory and inspection body competence. This uniform approach allows countries with accreditation
systems based on ISO/IEC 17011 to establish agreements between themselves, based on mutual evaluation
Metrology and Trade MODULE 7

and acceptance of each other’s accreditation systems.

Such international agreements, usually referred to as mutual recognition arrangements, are crucial in
enabling calibration, test and inspection results to be accepted between these economies. In effect, each
partner in such an arrangement recognizes the other partner’s accredited laboratories and inspection
bodies as if they themselves had undertaken the accreditation of the other partner’s facilities.
The aim of the ILAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) is to develop a global network of accredited
facilities that can be relied on to provide accurate results. Over 52,000 laboratories and 8,000 inspection
bodies are accredited world-wide under the ILAC MRA. The ILAC MRA, which came into effect on 31
January 2001, provides significant technical underpinning to international trade by promoting cross-border
stakeholder confidence and the acceptance of results from accredited facilities.
This system of mutual recognition between accreditation bodies has enabled accredited facilities to achieve
a form of international recognition, and allowed results from accredited facilities accompanying exported
goods to be more readily accepted on overseas markets. This effectively reduces costs for both the
manufacturer and the importers, as it reduces or eliminates the need for products to be retested or re-
inspected in another country.
Countries without viable accreditation systems can also seek to have their laboratories and inspection
11
bodies accredited by established accreditation systems, so that their results and associated goods can be
accepted on foreign markets. These countries can also endeavor to develop their own accreditation system
based on the structure and experience of the systems in other countries.

3. Regional Metrology Organisations

Co-operation in metrology also occurs through regional metrology bodies (e.g. Europe, Africa, Asia Pacific,
the Americas). This is the case both in scientific and industrial metrology, where the BIPM recognizes a
number of “Regional Metrology Organizations (RMOs)” for the purposes of its Mutual Recognition
Arrangement (MRA); and in legal metrology, where the corresponding organizations are known as Regional
Legal Metrology Organizations (RLMOs). In some cases, (e.g. the Americas and Africa), the same
organization acts as both RMO and RLMO. RLMOs have a wide range of activities and objectives including
the development of legal metrology, the promotion of trade, comparison of metrology systems and
technical support. The operation of RMOs and RLMOs is a loosely-structured process, in which the
members engage directly in informal interactions.

3.1 Co-operation in metrology in the European Union, an example

Currently seven main regional metrology organizations:

1. Intra-African Metrology System (AFRIMETS);
2. Asia-Pacific Legal Metrology Forum (APLMF);
3. Euro-Asian Cooperation of National Metrological Institutions (COOMET);
4. Euro-Mediterranean Legal Metrology (EMLMF);
5. European Cooperation in Legal Metrology (WELMEC);
6. SADCMEL Cooperation in Legal Metrology (SADCMEL);
7. Inter-American Metrology System (SIM).
Metrology and Trade MODULE 7

The most developed model of regional co-operation can be seen in the RLMO for Europe, the European
Cooperation in Legal Metrology (WELMEC, formerly “Western European Legal Metrology Cooperation”).
Europe is, however, an unusual case as the result of the supra-national approach to regulation adopted in
Europe – EU Member States are all subject to EU legal metrology directives, e.g. on cold water meters for
non-clean water. The drafting of the EU legal metrology directives took place at the same time as the
development of the first OIML Recommendations, with practically the same experts working on both levels.
The close consultations between the two organizations were further supported by European trade
associations. The EU and the OIML likewise benefited from the co-operation between the two
organizations as well as with the private sector, through industry representatives in the Technical
Committees. The EU had the advantage of facilitating its trade through aligned standards in legal
metrology, whereas the OIML managed to prove its usefulness through technical output and further
promoted its role internationally. The regulatory developments within the European Common Market
therefore show a successful regional and international co-operation.
Against this background, the Members of WELMEC are active in co-operation in a wide range of fields
arising from the implementation of the EU Directives. However, because this role is the result of the supra-
national approach to most forms of product regulation adopted in Europe it is not always a model that
12
other RLMOs can follow.

3.2 National metrology authorities

With the partial exception of the EU, direct enforcement of legal metrology requirements is a matter for
national administrations. The way different countries structure their legal metrology activities varies
enormously. There are usually three main components to legal metrology activities at the national level:
 Rule-making, including the decision on which activities and instruments to regulate and what
specifications regulated instruments must meet. At this level, countries typically use OIML
Recommendations as model regulations, incorporating them as appropriate into national law.
Rule-making will normally be the responsibility of the relevant Government ministry, but
countries differ greatly in the extent to which a separate national institute is involved in the
process, for instance in advising on the requirements and taking part in international discussions,
such as in the OIML. Moreover, where there is a separate institute it will in some countries be the
single National Measurement Institute (NMI) which combines scientific, industrial and legal
metrology functions, and in others it may be an entirely separate institute operating at the
national level.
 Type approval controls, requiring prior authorization of an identified model or range of an
instrument before it can be used for regulated purposes. A country can undertake its own testing
and evaluation at the national level – but again there are different approaches between countries
where this is the responsibility of the NMI and those where it is undertaken by a separate legal
metrology institute.
 Enforcement at the point of use of a regulated instrument, either through verification that an
individual instrument meets certain requirements or through inspections of instruments in use.
Verifications and inspections at the point of use are usually undertaken at a local level. They are
often carried out by inspectors employed by provincial or municipal authorities. In other
countries, however, inspectors are employed by a single national service. Countries also vary a
great deal in the extent to which they rely on direct enforcement by state officials, checks carried
out by authorized third parties or indeed declarations by the manufacturers or users of regulated
Metrology and Trade MODULE 7

instruments.
Finally, countries take very different approaches to the scope of legal metrology authorities. In some cases,
they are responsible only for the regulation of instruments used for trade, while other parts of
governments are concerned with instruments used for other regulated purposes. Indeed, when the users of
such instruments are themselves public authorities, the performance of instruments may in some cases be
set through a procurement process rather than formal regulation.

3.3 Asia-Pacific Legal Metrology Forum (APLMF), an example

The following diagram from the Asia-Pacific Legal Metrology Forum (APLMF) shows how the OIML, the
BIPM (Metre Convention) and ILAC influence national legislation on legal metrology through their
respective instruments (SI, model regulations and accreditation) (Figure 2).

13

Figure 2. APLMF Guide 1 National Infrastructure for Legal Metrology

One of the main challenges for the OIML lies in its interaction with national authorities. Economic
difficulties in many countries have led to a significant decrease in the financial resources allocated to
national legal metrology services, which then again resulted in a decrease in human resources and
difficulties for regulatory co-operation between the OIML and national metrology services (APLMF, 2010).
Metrology and Trade MODULE 7

4. Concluding remarks

To sum up, the OIML is a decentralized, member-driven, intergovernmental organization, which contributes
to International Regulatory Co-operation-IRC by its voluntary Recommendations, certificate schemes,
technical guidance and support in the field of legal metrology. OIML Recommendations in metrology have
largely contributed to improve consumer protection and safety, monitor the natural environment and
reduce technical barriers to trade. However, despite a strong commitment and positive developments
concerning IRC mechanisms, several challenges in regard to administrative efficiency, cross-national co-
operation and regulatory implementation still remain. The OIML tackles these challenges in various ways,
including promotion of best practices, co-operation networks, dialogues and active stakeholder
engagement.
BIPM and OIML forms the key elements of the international system of metrology, and the work of the two
bodies is complementary
The reliance of WTO Members on international standards opened the opportunity for international
standard-setting organizations (including ISO, IEC, and OIML) to co-operate closely with each other and
with the WTO itself. 14
Metrology and Trade MODULE 7

Literature

 Editor: Dominique Placko, Metrology in Industry: The Key for Quality, French College of Metrology,
ISTE, 2006
 www.oiml.org
 Marc Loesewitz, Celine Kauffmann and Marianna Karttunen, Case study of Regulatory Cooperation
in the context of the International Organization of Legal Metrology (OIML), November 2016,
GOV/RPC(2016)12, OECD
 www.metrologyinfo.org
 Birkeland, K., “Legal Metrology at the Dawn of the 21st Century”, OIML, Paris, France, p. 49, 1998.
 www.ilac.org

15
Metrology and Trade MODULE 7

Course: Legal Metrology in Detail

Module: Metrology and Trade - Traceability in Metrology and importance of assuring compatibility in
commercial activities
Developed by AFRIMETS, CROSQ and OIML and facilitated by the ACP-EU TBT Programme
Author: Dr. Konstantinos Athanasiadis
Team Leader: Dr. Konstantinos Athanasiadis
Project funded by the European Union at the request of the ACP Group.

First edition
Copyright© 2016 ACP-EU TBT Programme

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-NoDerivatives 4.0

International License.
16
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives
Users can download the work and share it with others, but they can’t change it in any way or use it
commercially. ACP-EU TBT Programme must be clearly credited as the owner of the work. Any use of the
content for commercial purposes, or any re-use or adaptation of it including the use of extracts or the
production of translations, requires the writ -ten approval of ACP-EU TBT Programme.

AFRIMETS CROSQ OIML

Intra-Africa Metrology System CARICOM Regional Organisation Organisation INternationale de
Private Bag X34 for Standards and Quality Métrologie Légale
Lynnwood Ridge 0040 South Africa 2nd Floor Baobab Towers, 11, rue Turgot - 75009 Paris -
Tel +27 128413898 Warrens, St. Michael, Barbados France
Fax +27 128413382 +1-246-622-7670 Tel +33 1 48 78 12 82
www.afrimets.org +1-246-622-7677 Fax +33 1 42 82 17 27
[email protected]

ACP-EU TBT Programme Management Unit

Avenue de Tervuren 32, box 31
1040 Brussels - Belgium
Tel: +32-2 739 00 00
Fax: +32-2 739 00 09
e-mail: [email protected] The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect
Web: www.acp-eu-tb.org the views of the European Union nor those of the ACP secretariat.