Services		CFTM		Approvals		Electricity		Volume
Sector Review		Authorized Service  Providers		Consumer Page		Natural Gas		Mass

Gen-08 (rev. 2) Calibration or Tolerance Testing of Industry Standards

PDF Format | Table of Contents

Date: 2001-11-10
Bulletin: GEN-08-E (rev.2)
Category: General
Supersedes: GEN-08 (rev.1) & GENU-02 (1996-12-18)
Document(s): W&M Regulations, section 59

1. Purpose
The purpose of this bulletin is to outline when Measurement Canada inspectors should be calibrating or tolerance testing industry standards and when such requests should be referred to private laboratories. This bulletin is also intended to clarify when fees and charges are to be assessed for the provision of these services.

2. Scope
This bulletin does not apply to standards used in the electricity and gas measurement disciplines.

3. Background
Historically, Measurement Canada has provided calibration or tolerance testing services to a wide range of clients with little or no consideration as to the intended use of the standard. By virtue of the Weights and Measures Act, some of these services, such as the calibration and certification of mass and volume standards used by Measurement Canada personnel for inspection purposes, are exclusive to Measurement Canada. Other services, such as the calibration and tolerance testing of industry standards that are not used to inspect trade devices, can however be performed by the private sector.

This bulletin is therefore intended to provide further guidance and ensure uniform and equitable service to clients regarding the calibration and tolerance testing work taken on by Measurement Canada and the instances where fees and charges are assessed for these services.

4. Interpretation
Manufacturers and service companies are typically required to supply standards of 10 kg and greater, in the case of mass standards, and those greater than 20 litres in the case of volumetric standards, when requesting inspections. Usually, inspectors will use their own smaller standards, such as weight kits and 20 litre measures, when conducting inspections with these companies.

Therefore, in order to ensure uniform interpretation and application of section 59(1)(c) of the Weights and Measures Regulations, mass standards of less than 10 kg, portable volumetric standards of 20 litres or less and fixed volumetric standards of less than 20 litres, that are not owned by Measurement Canada, are not considered as standards used by inspectors.

5. Policy
5.1 Upon receiving a request for the calibration or tolerance testing of a standard that is not owned by Measurement Canada, the request should be classified into one of the three following categories:

1. a standard that is to be used by an inspector for the inspection of a device that is to be used in trade (see section 5.2);
2. a standard that is to be used by someone other than an inspector to verify or adjust devices that are to be used in trade (see section 5.3); and
3. any other standard used to verify or adjust devices that are not to be used in trade (see section 5.4).
   

5.2 Standards used by inspectors

5.2.1 Standards that are used by inspectors to inspect devices that are to be used in trade shall be calibrated or tolerance tested by an inspector. Examples of such standards are:

• those belonging to Measurement Canada;
• those belonging to companies that are authorized by Measurement Canada to perform certain inspections under the Weights and Measures Act;
• those belonging to device manufacturers and service companies, with an individual capacity of:
  • 10 kg or greater, in the case of mass standards;
  • greater than 20 litres, in the case of portable volumetric standards; or
  • 20 litres and greater, in the case of fixed volumetric standards; and
• industry standards available to an inspector for inspecting devices that are to be used in trade, within that establishment, with an individual capacity of:
  • 10 kg or greater, in the case of mass standards; or
  • greater than 20 litres, in the case of volumetric standards.

5.2.2 There shall be no fees or charges for this service, regardless of whether the standard is being initially certified or re-certified. Furthermore, there shall be no fees or charges for adjustments necessary to bring the standard into compliance with prescribed tolerances. The only exception to this rule would be when a request is made for the calibration or tolerance testing of a standard which is still well within its certification period. In such cases fees and charges for carrying out the request will be assessed.

5.2.3 Some companies may have a large number of standards, many of which will never be used by an inspector. In such cases it will be up to the Measurement Canada District Manager to meet with the company and agree upon: the number of standards deemed to be needed for use by an inspector, thus calibrated free of charge; and the number of standards subject to fees and charges. An appropriate means of ensuring that inspector calibrated standards are easily identifiable will also have to be agreed upon.

5.3 Standards used by someone other than an inspector to verify or adjust devices that are to be used in trade

5.3.1 Standards that are not used by inspectors but are used by someone else to verify or adjust devices that are to be used in trade can be calibrated or tolerance tested by Measurement Canada.

5.3.2 Fees and charges will be assessed for these services as required by section 59(1)(c) of the Weights and Measures Regulations.

5.4 Any other standard used to verify or adjust devices that are not to be used in trade

5.4.1 Requests for the calibration or tolerance testing of standards that are used to verify or adjust devices that are not to be used in trade shall be referred to private laboratories recognized under the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) Calibration Laboratory Assessment Service (CLAS) program. Examples of such standards are:

• weights that are used within the parameters of quality control programs;
• standards used by laboratories; and
• gauge blocks, stopwatches, graduated cylinders, test tubes, density meters, viscosity meters and other devices used as standards by industry for non-trade applications.

Please consult the NRC web site to access the Directory of the Canadian Calibration Network, as published by the Calibration Laboratory Assessment Service (CLAS) program of the National Research Council of Canada's Institute for National Measurement Standards (INMS).

5.4.2 Measurement Canada personnel should only calibrate or tolerance test such standards in exceptional circumstances such as when referral to a recognized laboratory is impracticable due to one or more of the following factors:

• the physical dimensions or mass of the standard(s);
• 
  
• the distance to a recognized laboratory; and
• 
  
• the availability of the alternate services (i.e., can the private sector laboratory perform the calibration or tolerance testing of the standard to the level of accuracy required by the client?).
  

5.4.3 The final decision to perform the calibration/tolerance testing of such standards or refer the client to a recognized laboratory rests with the Measurement Canada District Manager.

5.4.4 If, due to exceptional circumstances, a Measurement Canada inspector calibrates or tolerance tests such standards, fees and charges will be assessed as required by section 59(1)(c) of the Weights and Measures Regulations.

6. For additional information regarding this bulletin, please contact the Program Officer responsible for mass measurement.

Gilles Vinet
Vice-President
Program Development Directorate