Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 26 July 2017
1318. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the system in place for calibrating and verifying the accuracy of the weight measures used on waste collection trucks; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36650/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraNSAI Legal Metrology is responsible for the implementation of the Metrology Acts 1980-1996 and related Regulations. It does this through certifying and inspecting measurement instruments and the quantities of pre-packaged products. A wide range of measuring instruments, including bin weighing systems on refuse collection trucks are subject to legal metrological control when used for trade purposes.
The Metrology Act 1996 and Legal Metrology (General) Regulations 2008, provide that only nationally approved instruments or instruments that have undergone European conformity assessment and bear the CE mark can be used for trade. The primary responsibility for design approval and conformity assessment rests with the manufacturer. The trader is obliged to ensure that only such a measuring instrument is used for trade and that it is correct and verified at all times. Re-verification must be carried out after the instrument has been repaired, re-calibrated or failed inspection. The process of re-verification involves establishing that the instrument complies with regulations, in particular, testing for accuracy against applicable measurement tolerances and the application of tamper evident seals.
In order to ensure sufficient resources are available for traders to keep their instruments in compliance, Legal Metrology have authorised private operators, subject to specific conditions, under Section 12 of the 1996 Act, to undertake verifications at the request of the instrument owner. To monitor compliance, NSAI Legal Metrology Inspectors, operating out of seven offices countrywide, carry out inspections of bin weighing systems on refuse trucks on the basis of risk-based enforcement to determine compliance.
