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GNBS records successful year in verification, product monitoring services
Kaieteur News – With a plethora of sub-standard electrical fittings and appliances flooding the market, the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS), during 2021, seized close to 50,000 pieces of such items.
In its year-in-review press statement, the organisation said 26,300 pieces of electrical fittings and equipment and 21,923 electrical appliances were placed on hold or destroyed as they did not satisfy the labelling and/or quality requirements, outlined in their respective national standards
In addition to these, the list included 1,596 pieces of furniture, 10,426 toys, 418 gas stoves, 8,084 pieces of PVC pipes, 43,665 pairs of footwear, 200 rolls of textiles and 5,040 safety helmets.
Based on its inspections, a total of 5,514 non-conforming tyres were rejected and destroyed at the time of examination, to avoid subsequent use.
For some of the items placed on hold, some importers and dealers took the necessary corrective actions and these were subsequently released by the GNBS for sale.
During the past year, 4,583 inspections were conducted for tyres, furniture, cellular phones, and electrical fittings/equipment, garments, furniture, toys and other items, the GNBS noted. This was an increase from the 3,843 inspections conducted in 2020.
Notably, the GNBS commenced the verification of breathalysers in 2021, resulting in 10 instruments being verified for the Guyana Police Force (GPF) and other private entities. In October, the Bureau also launched its Speed Guns verification service.
Apart from its verification services, the GNBS continued to monitor the 17 categories of products under its purview. The Product Compliance Department conducted inspections at ports-of-entry, warehouses, manufacturers’ premises and sale outlets to ensure products imported and locally manufactured comply with the mandatory national standards. Last year too, a total of 483 importers, 667 dealers and 17 manufacturers registered with the GNBS.
The organisation explained that it also established its Oil and Gas Department during 2021 to be able to fulfill its measurement role in the sector. Anticipating the arrival of the second FPSO, newly employed Inspectors were trained to take up roles in the new Department, as it continued to be fully involved in monitoring the verification of custody transfer metres on the first FPSO offshore.
When it comes to weighing equipment, during 2021, a total of 44,501 measuring devices were verified which included 8,515 scales compared to 5,653 in 2020, 15,292 masses compared to 11,450 in 2020, and 19,129 electricity metres, as compared to a total of 27,554 devices in 2020.
In addition, with 187 weighbridge scales used in the Rice, Sugar, Transportation and retail sectors verified in 2021, there was a significant increase when compared to the 146 weighbridges verified in 2020, the GNBS reported.
Further, 105 moisture metres used by millers to determine the moisture content of paddy supplied by farmers were verified in 2021, as compared with 59 in 2020.
For volumetric measurements, in 2021 the GNBS verified 1,989 petrol pumps at gas-stations countrywide as compared to 1,722 in 2020, 328 bulk metres at fuel terminals as compared to 270 in 2020, 67 storage tanks as compared to 30 in 2020, and 131 tanker wagons compared to 114 in 2020. These devices were verified for Rubis, GUYOIL, Sol Guyana and other private companies countrywide to ensure measurement accuracy and conformance to safety requirements.
The Bureau also recorded a significant increase in surveillance inspections, which it said are done to ensure vendors and shopkeepers are using approved measuring devices.
A total of 5,719 premises were visited countrywide as compared to 1,217 in 2020. The visits, which were conducted by Inspectors and Weights and Measures Officers, resulted in 895 scales, 74 masses, one measure and one moisture metre being seized and removed.
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