UK Weighing Federation

UK Weighing Federation
Technical Officer’s Update
York
22nd April 2010
Topics
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Section 70 Reports 2008/09
The Weighbridge Project
Medical Weighing
Buying/Selling Precious Metals
Re-verification
In House Calibration of Weights
Market Surveillance
Section 70 Reports
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W M Act 1985; Section 70:
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(1) Each local weights and measures authority , shall in
respect of each financial year of the authority, make to the
Secretary of State by such date as he may direct a report
on the operation during that year of the arrangements
made to give effect in that authorities area :
(a) to the purposes of this Act
(b) ……..
(2) Any report under subsection (1) shall be in such form
and contain such particulars of such matters as the
Secretary of State may direct.
Section 70 Reports
Deadline Date
Number Reporting (%)
1st July 2009
25 (12%)
30th September 2009
52 (25%)
12th November 2009
33 (16%)
Did Not Report!
46 (22%)
Section 70 Reports
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LBRO Study shows:
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Average Time to complete Report: 4.1 Hours.
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Average Cost to produce Report: £93.00
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Number of Data Items: 57
Section 70 Reports
%age
Inspected
2007/08
Category
%age
Inspected
2008/09
18
NAWI
0 – 30kg
22
20
NAWI
30kg-5000kg
35
51
NAWI
Over 5000kg
64
58
Automatic
Weighing Insts
13
Section 70 Reports
Category
Not
Inspected
Inspected:
No further
Action
Inspected
28 day
notice
Inspected: Inspected:
Rejected / Prosection
Disqualified
NAWI <
30kg
78%
(75%)
20%
(23%)
2%
(2%)
NAWI
>30kg
<5000kg
65%
(72%)
23.5%
(24%)
5.6%
(3%)
5.9%
(1%)
NAWI
>5000kg
36%
(36%)
48.8%
(51%)
9.3%
(8.5%)
5.9%
(4.5%)
Automatic
Weighing
Insts
77%
(25%)
10%
(73%)
8%
(1.1%)
4.1%
(0.6%)
Section 70 Reports
Business
Type
Retail
Not
Inspected
82.4%
Visited &
Compliant
15.6%
NonCompliant
2%
Wholesale
63.8%
31.1%
5.1%
Importers
65.5%
29.5%
5%
Packers
49%
45.7%
5.3%
Section 70 Reports
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Recommendations:
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Establish list of all Chief Inspectors
Some authorities to report how they ascertain
their data
Encourage authorities to participate in
weighbridge project
“Promote” Section 70 reports to all authorities
Issue guidance on how to collect data
Target reductions in rate of non-compliance
The Weighbridge Project
Weighbridges Not Inspected
36%
Weighbridges Inspected, no further action
required
54%
Weighbridges for which 28 day notice issued
6%
Weighbridges Rejected / Disqualified
4%
Weighbridges inspected leading to
Prosecution / Formal Caution
Estimated Number of Weighbridges in Great
Britain
0.1%
10,107
The Weighbridge Project
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Section 70 report :
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“The refreshed (2009) risk matrix indicates
that weighbridges are very likely to fail with a
very high impact.”
The Weighbridge Project
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April – October 2010; Weighbridges at landfill
and transfer stations as well as beltweighers and
other equipment used at recycling centres to be
tested and results collated
April – October 2011; exercise to be repeated on
same equipment.
“If results support it some form of guidance on
the use and maintenance of weighbridges will be
produced.”
The Weighbridge Project
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An opportunity to co-operate and develop
relationships with TSOs.
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Invite TSO to sites when carrying out
calibration testing.
If customer agrees supply test results to TSOs
when calibration testing without TSO present.
Advise TSOs when weighbridges are verified
or re-verified.
Medical Weighing
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LACORS Medical Weighing Project 2008/09:
Final Recommendations:
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Each trust to procure weighing equipment centrally
Each trust to instigate a programme for testing their
weighing equipment
Basic training in use of weighing equipment to be
given to all necessary staff
Inaccurate equipment to be removed from service
pending replacement or repair
All scales used for medical applications to be Class III
or better
All scales used for medical applications should only
display in metric units
Medical Weighing
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Department of Health Response:
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Principle accepted
Equipment to be tested annually. If thought to be
inaccurate in interim take out of use and retest
When new equipment purchased training to be given
by the installer and cascaded to relevant staff
Recommendation to remove inaccurate equipment
supported
All new scales to be Class III or better
Metric only accepted, if switchable equipment is used
the switching facility must be disabled
Medical Weighing
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Timetable for Action:
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Action to be underway by 31 March 2010
Action to be completed by 30 July 2010
Replacement Priority:
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Unapproved domestic type bathroom scales
Dual reading scales (unless converted to
metric only)
All dial type and Class IIII scales
Buying/Selling Precious Metals
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Equipment must be Type Approved and
Verified
Equipment must be Class II or Class I
If used in “direct” transaction must not
have a supplementary indicating device
Cannot be used for weighing below the
Min value.
Re-Verification
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Increase in number of UKWF Members
seeking to be re-verifiers.
Application must be made to Secretary Of
State using form INT/06 available from
NMO web-site
Must define instruments to be re-verified
Must have documented system in place
Must show support from OEM
Weight Calibration
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In-house calibration increasing.
Concerns by TSOs that weights not being
calibrated correctly:
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Incorrect Standards being used.
Incorrect tolerances being applied.
No record of errors.
Market Surveillance
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All Member States should have submitted Market
Surveillance Programme to European
Commission by 1st January.
More Countries introducing some form of Market
Surveillance
USA introduced VCAP certification for Load Cells
in 2009; extending to other equipment from mid
2010
CECIP market surveillance exercise showed high
levels of non-compliance.