Quality Assurance and Trade Measures

● Promote the development and implementation of quality policies and strategies;
● Facilitate the development and implementation of mandatory standards;
● Promote accreditation of Zimbabwe testing, calibration inspection and certification facilities;
● Promote and implement Legal Metrology Programmes, policies and strategies
● Collaborate with regulators on the enforcement of mandatory standards
● Negotiate and facilitate domestication of regional and international commitments for standards and quality assurance;
● Conduct market surveillance on quality of imported and locally produced goods and services;
● Implement programmes to enhance quality of products and services; and
● Supervise the Trade Measures Board.

Trade Measures

Background

In many cases a measurement is done to get information, on the basis of which a decision is made. Wrong or inaccurate measurements can lead to wrong decisions which can have serious consequences, costing a lot of money or even lives.

Metrology– is the science and practice of measurements.

Legal Metrology– is that part of metrology which is subject to legal/regulatory control

Application of legal Metrology – Legal Metrology is applied in these broad fields of human activities:

• Commercial Transactions
• Industrial Measurements
• Measurements needed for ensuring public health and human safety
• Environmental protection

Basic Functions

The department operates under an act of parliament cited as Trade Measures Act (Chapter 14:23). The Act which provides for the application of Legal Metrology, covers the following aspects:

• Legal units of measurement, namely SI units.
• Physical presentation of units.
• Hierarchy of physical measurement standards- their maintenance and custody.
• Technical regulations on measuring instruments used in trade in regards to their metrological and technical requirements.
• Metrological control (verification) of measuring instruments used in trade and manufacturing.
• Metrological control on pre-packed consumer goods.
• Control on the manufacture, repair and sale of measuring instruments
• Levy of fees and institute prosecution of offenders.

Economic Benefits

• Consumer confidence.
• Level playing field for commercial transactions.
• Effective stock control.
• Reduced disputation and transaction cost.
• Full national benefit for commodity export.
• Full collection of Government excise and taxes based on measurements.

Management and Personnel

The department is headed by the Superintendent of Trade measures below whom are five Regional Inspectors. Inspectors and support staff.

Activities and Services

The day-to-day duties of a Trade Measures Inspector (Legal Metrologist) consist of the following:

• Verification of measuring instruments (for mass, length and volume) used in trade and industry.
• Inspection on consumer goods at factory and retail level to verify correct measurement and labelling of such goods.
• Detection of offenders and taking necessary legal action as provided in the Trade Measures Act and Regulations.

Common Offences

The following are common offences that consumers should be wary of: –

• Under filled pre-packages.
• Underweight pre-packages.
• Incorrect retail scales or other retail measuring instruments (e.g petrol pumps).
• Pre-packed goods not labelled with the quantity contents.
• Pre-packed goods labelled on Imperial units (feet, pounds, gallons etc).
• Deceptive packages.
• Consumer goods in un prescribed quantities.
• Use in trade of unapproved illegal measuring instruments.

Measuring Instruments Subject to Periodic Verification

• Weighbridge (high capacity scales)
• Industrial and retail scales
• Bulk fuel meters
• Liquid measuring instruments
• Length measuring instruments
• Vehicle tank measures
• Engineering instruments
• Weights

Regional and International Perspective

The National Measurement Standards kept by the department derive international traceability through periodic verification at the National Metrology Laboratory in South Africa or the National Physical Laboratory- UK.

The Department has close communication ties with other legal metrology bodies internationally, regionally the Department is a founder and an active member of the SADC Cooperation in Legal Metrology (SADCMEL). SADCMEL was established to effect the harmonization of technical barrier to trade and promoting intra-regional trade as well trade other Trading Blocks.