Weights & Measures
The Weights and Measures Act establishes standards of measurement. It provides for weighing and measuring in business and regulates public weighing and measuring equipment. It makes provisions in relation to transactions in certain goods and creates duties relative to packaged goods.
The Department of Commerce is to provide and maintain standards of the measures set out in the legislation. The Northern Ireland standards are to equate to the UK standards provided under UK legislation. The local measures are to be verified for conformity every five or ten years (weights and measures respectively).
The Department is to provide, for use by inspectors, the local Northern Ireland working standards of measures, appropriate testing, and sampling equipment as it considers proper for the discharge of their functions. The working standards are to be verified every six months by reference to the Northern Ireland local standards or other appropriate standards. Testing equipment shall be re-verified every five years, at least.
Any weighing or measuring equipment, which is made available for use by the public, whether on payment or otherwise, is treated as used for the purpose of trade. Such equipment is presumed to be in the possession of the occupier of premises where it is found.
No person shall use for trade any measurement which is not provided for and approved under the legislation. A person shall not use for trade any linear, square, cube, or capacity measure which is not included or any weight which is not included.
Breach of the obligation is an offence, and any weight or measure used in the person’s possession may be forfeited.
The legislation does not preclude the use for trade of any supplementary indication. The supplementary indication referred to as an imperial indication must accompany the metric indication, which must be more prominent. This refers to units of measurement, including length, area, volume, capacity, mass, or weight.
The Department may make regulations requiring and authorising a person who uses a metric unit for trade to afford information giving the equivalent imperial measurement and specifying the manner in which it is to be done. It may make regulations requiring or authorising the display of conversion tables and materials for converting metric to imperial units. It may prescribe the form and manner of information to be given or displayed, the appropriate conversion factors, the persons to whom and circumstances in which the regulations apply.
Linear measurements may be marked in whole or with subdivisions representing shorter lengths. Certain capacity measures may not be used for trade by means of divisions or subdivisions marked thereon as a capacity measure of lesser quantity.
The Department of Health and Social Services may make provisions in relation to the use of measurement in the context of dispensing drugs.
The Department may make regulations regarding the use for trade of weighing and measuring equipment, as may be prescribed. No person shall have any such article in their possession for the purpose of trade or use the same for trade unless it has been verified by an inspector as fit for such use. Except where otherwise permitted, it must bear a stamp which is undefaced, other than by wear and care. Contravention is an offence.
The measures and weights which are lawful for use of trade are as follows: measures in centimetres and metres at specified intervals. Square measures or any multiples of one square decimetre. Cubic measures are any multiples of 0.1 cubic metre.
Measures are specified in millilitres or litres. Capacity measures under the imperial system are specified to include one-third pint, half-pint, one pint, two pints, four pints, eight pints, and 16 pints.
In respect of the length and volume measures, there are specified intervals, which may be used. Imperial weights are specified as a range of ounce troy. Metric systems are prescribed as a range of milligrams, grams, or carat.
No person shall use the ounce troy for trade except for the purpose transactions in gold, silver, or other precious metal. No person shall use the carat, other than for transactions in precious stones or pearls. Certain capacity measures are permitted only for the sale of intoxicating liquor. Pints are permitted for beer and milk.
Units of length are the millimetre, centimetre, decimetre, metre, and kilometre. Units of area are squares, millimetre, centimetre, decimetre, and metre. Ares, decares, and hectares. And volume measures are millilitres, centilitre, decilitre, litre, hectolitre, cubic centimetre, cubic decimetre, and cubic metre. Measures of capacity are millilitre, centilitre, decilitre, litre, and hectolitre.
Measures of weight are milligram, caratgram, hectogram, kilogram, metric tonne, and tonne.
Schedule 2A sets out provisions for approval of official verifier. The approval may be suspended by notice. It may be withdrawn subject to giving notice and fair procedures.
There are requirements to be met by an approved verifier. They must have a quality system manual. They must keep records.