Uganda National Bureau of Standards Metrology

Uganda National Bureau of Standards Metrology

What is Metrology?

Metrology is the science of measurement. Measurements and metrology are of specific significance in standardization, quality management, accreditation and metrology system especially for the provision of conformity assessment services. Metrology is fundamental to almost all inspection, testing and certification services both in the voluntary and regulatory sectors.

Types of Metrology

Scientific metrology

This branch of metrology deals with problems common to all metrological questions irrespective of the quantity measured. It includes: general theoretical and practical problems related to units of measurement; the problems of errors in measurement; and the problems of metrological properties of measuring instruments.

Industrial metrology

Industry refers to metrological activities in industry such as measurement in production and quality control. Typical issues covered are calibration procedures and calibration intervals, control of measurement processes, and the management of measuring equipment.

Legal metrology

Legal metrology relates to mandatory technical requirements. A legal metrology service implements those requirements that would guarantee correct measurements in areas of public interest such as trade, health, the environment and safety.

The UNBS Legal Metrology Department enforces the Weights and Measures Act Cap 103 with related amendments and subsidiary legislations. The Department has five regional offices that are responsible for the verification of instruments used in trade throughout the country. The offices are situated in Kampala, Jinja, Mbarara, Mbale and Lira. In addition to the five regional offices, the Prepackage Control division ensures that the labelling and quantity of the prepackaged goods conform to the Sale and Labelling of goods regulation and the Volume and Flow division ensures the verification of fuel road tankers, depot meters, dip sticks, fuel dispensers and pressure gauges. UNBS has had discussions with Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERA) and soon will start the verification of electricity meters. Still in reference to utility meters, discussions will start soon with National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) to ensure fair trade in regard to the water meters that are used for domestic and commercial services.

Instruments verified by Legal Metrology Department include weights, weighing and measuring equipment that are used in trade:

• Counter Machines;
• Spring Balance;
• Platform Scales;
• Weights (Class M2 and M3);
• Measures of Length;
• Capacity Measures
• Automatic weighers;
• Fuel dispensers
• Depot meters
• Aviation meters
• Dipsticks
• Weigh-Bridges;
• Self-Indicating Machine
• Pressure gauges.

For establishing the authenticity of test results obtained either from laboratories of manufacturers or from other private or public laboratories, it is, inter alia, necessary that the instruments/equipment used by these laboratories for performing measurements/tests be calibrated.

The primary reason for calibration is to know the accuracy of measurements. Instruments may get damaged during handling and it is also possible that the readings given by the instrument may drift with the use of the instrument or because of its age. If a faulty instrument carries out measurements, then conformity of the product to the specification itself becomes questionable. Instruments should therefore be calibrated at the time of purchase and thereafter at regular intervals depending upon their use. There are also some instruments, which need to be calibrated every time before use.

Dimensional laboratory

Volume and flow laboratory

Density and viscosity laboratory

For more information, please contact:

Manager National Metrology Laboratory
Tel: +256 414 505 995

Mobile: +256 772459606
Fax: +256 414 286 123

Email: yasin.lemeriga@unbs.go.ug

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