What is legal metrology?
Legal metrology covers all the regulations established by or referred to by public authorities to specify and to ensure the quality and credibility of measurements related to official controls, trade, health, safety and the environment.
Temperature and legal metrology
In the area of temperature, legal metrology is concerned with requirements on temperature measurements for health and safety, and on the metrological and technical characteristics of thermometers.
Some examples that are covered by regulations include:
- temperature control of food at production to minimise or eliminate risks to consumers
- air temperature control of workrooms for the comfort of operators working on food
clinical thermometers designed to measure the body temperature of humans or animals
- thermometers for measuring the air and product temperature of chilled, frozen, deep-frozen and quick-frozen food and ice cream
- liquid-in-glass thermometer used as a standard thermometer in a laboratory or used in a clinical laboratory for blood analysis
- specification for the verification of a resistance thermometer used in industry or in commerce
- thermometers designed to measure smoke temperature on exit from a chimney
Below are lists of regulations, notified bodies and organisation relevant to legal metrology.
Regulations
These are directives, rules, standards, decrees and recommendations covered by legal metrology authorities and providing information and requirements on techniques, instrumentation and applications relevant to temperature.
|
Identifier |
Subject |
Link |
Notes |
|
304 74 21 CD
Date: 2003 |
Maitrise de la chaine du froid |
AFNOR
|
Ce recueil, sur CD-ROM, présente l'ensemble des textes réglementaires auxquels doivent répondre les opérateurs de la chaine du froid, Les normes contenues dans ce recueil couvrent l'ensemble des équipements et des moyens de contrôle de la chaine pour les denrées alimentaires, Y sont également reproduites les nouvelles normes pour la mesure et le contrôle de température |
|
NF EN 13485
Date: 2002 |
Thermomètres pour le mesurage de la température de l'air et des produits pour le transport, l'entreposage et la distribution de denrés alimentaires réfrigérées, congelées, surgelées et des crèmes glacées |
AFNOR
|
|
|
ISO 1992-3:1973
Date: 1973 |
Commercial refrigerated cabinets - Methods of test - Part 3: temperature test |
ISO
|
|
|
NF EN 12830
Date: 1999 |
Temperature recorders for the transport, storage and distribution of chilled, frozen, deep-frozen/quick-frozen food and ice cream. Tests, performance, suitability |
AFNOR
|
Temperature recorders |
|
NF EN 13485
Date: 2002 |
Thermometers for measuring the air and product temperature for the transport, storage and distribution of chilled, frozen, deep-frozen/quick-frozen food and ice cream - Tests, performance, suitability |
AFNOR
|
|
|
Arrêté du 20 Décembre 1999 |
Arrêté modifiant l'arrêté du 15 juillet 1997: Construction et contrôle des thermomètres destinés à mesurer la température des denrées périssables |
Ministère de l'économie,
des finances et de l'industrie
|
J.O n° 298 du 24 décembre 1999 page 19232 Arrêtédu 20 décembre 1999 modifiant l'arrêté du 15 juillet 1997 relatif à la construction et au contrôle des thermomètres destinés à mesurer la température des denrées périssables
Thermometers for measuring the air and product temperature of chilled, frozen, deep-frozen, quick frozen food and ice cream |
|
Décrêt 2001-387 du 3 mai 2001 |
Contrôle des instruments de mesure |
Ministère de l'économie,
des finances et de l'industrie
|
J.O. du 06/05/2001 P. 7164
Abroge le décret n° 88-682 du 06/05/1988. Modifié par le décret 2003-330 du 7 avril 2003 et le décret 2003-1264 (article 31) du 23 décembre 2003.
Les thermomètres utilisés par les agents de l'Etat pour le contrôle de la température des denrées périssables ou à l'occasion d'expertises portant sur les mêmes denrées, appartiennent à une des catégories mentionnées en annexe au présent décret |
|
NF EN 12470 - partie1
Date: 2000 |
Thermomètres médicaux - thermomètres à dilatation de liquide |
AFNOR
|
Standard for health thermometers / metallic liquid-in-glass thermometers with maximum device. |
|
Statutory Instrument 1993 n°2360
Date: 1993 |
Clinical thermometers |
Office of public sector information |
These regulations which apply to the UK, implement Council Directive n°76/764/EEC, relating to clinical mercury-in-glass, maximum reading thermometers. They apply to clinical thermometers designed to measure the internal temperature of humans or animals (regulation 3). |
|
OIML R 84
Date: 2003 |
Platinum, copper, and nickel resistance thermometers (for industrial and commercial use) |
PDF document |
This recommendation specifies the metrological and technical requirements for resistance thermometers designed for use in the temperature range from –200°C to 850°C |
|
OIML 133
Date: 2002 |
Liquid in glass thermometer |
PDF document |
This recommendation specifies the metrological and technical requirements for liquid-in-glass thermometers intended for laboratory use as reference or working temperature standards |
Notified bodies
These metrology bodies provide services such as tests, verification and approval of measuring instruments specified by regulations. These are bodies notified under European Directives to issue an EC Type-Examination certificate, bodies authorised to issue OIML certificates of conformity for specific instruments or bodies appointed by the ministry in charge of controls.
National legal metrology organisations
|
Country |
link |
National organisation |
|
France |
|
The Sous-Direction de la Métrologie (SDM) is part of the Ministry of Economy, Finance and Industry. The SDM defines the general rules of legal metrology. |
|
Germany |
|
PTB is the federal authority responsible for legal metrology. PTB is not in charge of the verification of measuring instruments but cooperates closely with the verification authorities. |
|
Italy |
link
|
Legal metrology in Italy is primarily a central government responsibility. The Ufficio Centrale Metrico (UCM), Central Metrology Section, is one of twelve divisions of the Direzione Cenerale del Commercio Interno e dei Consumi Industria-li (DC) del Ministero Industria e Commercio. |
|
UK |
link
|
The National Weights and Measures Laboratory (NWML) is responsible for ensuring that all UK trade measurements are accurate, legal and fair to both buyer and seller. It provides the focus for legal metrology in the UK. |
|
Spain |
|
Centro Español de Metrología (CEM) es un organismo autónomo adscrito a la Secretaría General de Industria, Ministerio de Industria, Turismo y Comercio.
El CEM es la institución responsable de la organización metrológica en España y sus competencias, |
|
Slovenia |
|
The Metrology Institute of the Republic of Slovenia (MIRS) acts under the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport.
MIRS establishes and leads the national metrology system of the Republic of Slovenia |
International legal metrology organisations
OIML - International Organization of Legal Metrology - is an intergovernmental treaty organisation established in 1955 to promote the global harmonisation of legal metrology procedures.
WELMEC - European Cooperation in Legal metrology - the aim of WELMEC is to establish a harmonised and consistent approach to European legal metrology
COOMET - Euro-Asian cooperation of national metrological institutions - is the regional organisation establishing co-operation of the metrology institutes of countries of Central and Eastern Europe. The activities of COOMET cover physical measurement standards, legal metrology, accreditation and quality management systems, information and training.
Further government organisations or authorities relevant to temperature can be found under Contacts.
Bodies authorised to issue OIML certificates of conformity
The OIML Certificates system for Measuring Instruments allows manufacturers to obtain a Certificate confirming that a certain type of measuring instrument complies with the Recommendations of the OIML.
Issuing authority |
OIML recommendation |
|
BEV: Bubdesamt für Eicht- und Vermessungswesen (Austria)
|
-R 114 (1995)
-R 115 (1995) |
|
PTB: Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (Germany) |
-R 133 (2003)
-R 114 (1995)
-R 115 (1995) |
|
LNE: Laboratoire National de métrologie et d'Essais (France) |
-R 114 (1995)
-R 115 (1995) |
|
NMI-VSL B.V: Nederlands Meetinstituut (Netherland)
|
-R 84 (2003)
-R 133 (2002)
-R 114 (1995)
-R 115 (1995) |
|
BRML: Biroul Roman de Metrologie Legala (Romania) |
-R 114 (1995)
-R 115 (1995) |
|
VNIIMS: The Russian Research Institute of Metrological Service |
-R 133 (2002)
-R 114 (1995)
-R 115 (1995) |
Bodies appointed by national legal metrology organisations