THE Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) will now move to finalise consultations on the Amended GNBS Act of 1997 and the Metrology Bill as stakeholder gathered Wednesday at the National Library for the final time to share their inputs.The gathering was addressed by GNBS Marketing and Communications Director Lloyd David, National Standards Council Chairperson Allison Butters-Grant, GNBS Executive Director Candelle Walcott Bostwick and Attorney Teni Housty.
Bostwick said in a diverse, global and competitive environment, the bureau has recognised the need for Guyana to have a recognised national quality assurance structure which is harmonised with regional and international structures.
“We need to benefit at the national level so that we can be competitive… the role of the national quality infrastructure is a country’s institutional framework that establishes and implements practices of standardisation, conformity assessment services, metrology and accreditations. It includes public and private institutions and a regulatory framework,” she said.
Emphasising that all weight and measuring devices should be verified twice per year, Bostwick said all sectors are being targeted to ensure that consumers fully benefit from services offered.
“This bill had to be update because it will give the GNBS the authority to perform its civic duty,” she noted.
According to Council Chair Butters-Grant, the approval of the Metrology Bill will strengthen the operations of the GNBS to facilitate the implementation of a recognised National Quality Infrastructure to facilitate trade and improve the quality of good and services on the local market.
Participants at the consultation provide their comments and inputs and these are included in the draft bill as necessary.
In addition, the general public and key stakeholders, including manufacturers, service providers and regulators were encouraged to review the document and submit their comments to the GNBS.
Attorney Housty explained that one of the main objectives of the newly-proposed legislation is to ensure that measuring devices such as scales, weights and measures used in trade are verified and accurate.
This is necessary to give consumers confidence and satisfaction in the quantity of service they receive.
He said parts of the new bill include and address the sale of goods, weighing and measuring for trade, administration as well as offences and penalties.
GNBS Communications Director Lloyd David noted that the proposed bill was birthed in 2010 through funding under the Support for Competitiveness Programme (SCP) to develop a National Standardisation Strategy, which included the establishment of the National Quality Infrastructure (NQI) in Guyana.
One of the pillars of an effective NQI is metrology – the science of measurement.
Hence, the revision of the 1981 Weights and Measures Act which the new bill will replace began with aim to address deficiencies in the Principal Act.
In 2012, the GNBS along with a legal consultant extensively promoted the content of the draft bill in Guyana.
Subsequently, the proposed Metrology Bill was also reviewed by the CARICOM Regional Organisation for Standards and Quality (CROSQ) to ensure it is aligned with recently revised metrology legislations in the various CARICOM member states, and where necessary, adjustments were made.