Transcript EAMET Report 2010
EAMET REPORT -2010 RLMO-ORLANDO (1)INTRODUCTION
EAMET comprises the metrology institutions from the five countries forming the East African Community (EAC) i.e. Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Burundi.
Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda have fully operational legal metrology institutions though Uganda operates as a combined metrology institution under the Bureau of standards.
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Rwanda and Burundi are still in their infancy stages of development of metrology infrastructure. They are receiving technical assistance from Kenya and PTB.
Save for Burundi, the other institutions have fairly equipped laboratories at their head offices.
Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda have regional offices. Tanzania has 25 regional offices with a workforce of 157 officers. Kenya has 21 regional offices with a workforce of 57 officers.
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These institutions hold an annual one week meeting every year under the auspices of the Metrology Sub- Committee (EAMET) of the East African Standards Committee. In these meetings, both industrial and Legal metrology matters are dealt with under the relevant technical committees namely; TC1-Metre Convention and CIPM MRA Matters, TC2-Metrology Education and Training TC3-Metrology Facilities and Infrastructure TC4-Metrology Legislation TC5-Small and Medium Enterprise Support
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ACTIVITIES IN THE YEAR (A) Meetings
During the year under review the following meetings were held ;
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(i) EAMET
EAMET held its meetings in May 2010 in Arusha, Tanzania with the issues for discussion being; (a) the forwarding of the concluded Metrology bill for consideration for enactment by the East African Parliament as an Act, (b)Harmonization of the legal metrology regulations in the Community to operationalize the Community’s Common Market Protocol (c )Establishment of the status of Quality infrastructure and measurement capabilities of the member institutions ,
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The member states finalized the region’s metrology guidelines document which is expected to be made the East African Metrology Act to guide the operations of metrology activities in the region. This document was modeled on the OIML D1 ( Elements of law in Metrology) document.
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The member states have already embarked on the harmonization process of the region’s member states metrology regulations so as to operationalize the region’s common market protocol that came into effect in July 2010. This process is incorporating the OIML R79 and R87 recommendations,
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The harmonized regulations are to form the East African Metrology regulations under the East African Metrology Act,
(ii) REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL
The region hosted the 44th CIML meeting through one of its member states i.e KENYA in October 2009, The region was represented in the SADCMEL meeting in Swaziland The region is also represented at this year’s AFRIMETS meeting in Cairo, Egypt which is running concurrently with this meeting.
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(B) TRAINING
EAMET benefited from a PTB sponsored training “ Introduction to Industrial and Legal Metrology“ conducted in UK by the UK’s National Measurement Office in conjunction with the National Physical Laboratory. Each member state had one participant attending.
EAMET increased its pool of ISO/IEC17025 Assessors by 14 persons through training with the assistance from PTB, with 3 of the assessors being from Legal Metrology in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. This is a good build-up towards accreditation of legal metrology laboratories in the region.
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EAMET member states were offered assistance by PTB in training Legal Metrology personnel on ISO/IEC17020. The countries are at different stages of utilization of this assistance, Kenya managed to train 39 officers on the fund.
Tanzania conducted training in flow measurements
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(3) IMPROVEMENT IN METROLOGY
Kenya has made the following improvements; Has concluded the review of its Legal metrology law in line with OIML-D1, R79 and R87 has acquired three mobile provers, has completed the construction of a reference calibration plant at the head office, Has completed the rehabilitation and modernization of the reference weighbridge,
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Has partially completed the refurbishment of the National laboratory, Has expanded office space to create room for lecture rooms for trainees, Has concluded review of curriculum for Weights and Measures Assistants and is now in the process of reviewing the one for Inspectors, Is in the process of procuring mass comparators for the National laboratory to improve efficiency and measurement capabilities.
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All these were made possible due to increased funding on development from Government after the sensitization of the top Government officials in the run up to and during the hosting of the 44th CIML meeting in Kenya
Tanzania is in the process of reviewing their
law to capture all activities relating to trade, health, safety and environment.
Uganda is in the pilot stage of enforcing
regulations on electricity meters.
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(4) PRESSING ISSUES (i) Regional Harmonization
The region is in dire need of financial support to conclude the harmonization process of regulations in the remaining areas of weighing and measuring instruments in order to fully operationalize the EAC common market protocol which came into operation in July 2010.
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(ii)Training
The region still needs to build a bigger pool of Assessors in legal metrology and also to train more laboratory staff on the ISO17025 standard.
ISO 17020 is critical to proper operation of the legal metrology institutions thus focus is to train all the staff in that area. This requires facilitation for a Training of Trainers on ISO17020. This will encourage in-house training which promises sustainability.
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(iii) Equipment
Most of the Legal metrology laboratories in the region are averagely equipped and there is need for support in equipment. Some institutions are barely felt outside their laboratories due to lack of verification equipment
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(iv) General
Emergence and impact of privatization, globalization and National policy on private sector participation renders effective control on the areas of legal metrology of utmost importance. For instance, remarkable new applications to control in the areas of utility services are in place, while in fact we have not yet ventured in the area. Effective control means a lot of resources compared to the capacity we are striving to build.
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(5) CURRENT SCOPE OF WORK
Currently Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda operate on specific legal metrology Acts relating to trade only, Rwanda is in the process of developing a law on metrology whereas Burundi operate under the Standards Act of the Bureau.
The region is currently working on various draft regulations for utility meters i.e Electricity, water, tyre pressure, in preparation to expand their scope of work.
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(6) OIML MEMBERSHIP
In this region, Kenya and Tanzania are full members of the OIML whereas Rwanda is an associate member. Uganda has now shown interest in becoming an OIML member and may be starting the application process soon.
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(7) UP-COMING EVENTS
The region is privileged to host the first ever Pan African Metrology School through KENYA. The training will take place in January 2011and preparations for the training are already underway. This program is being undertaken by AFRIMETS in conjunction with UNIDO, Weights and Measures-Kenya and Kenya Bureau of Standards.