Reorganization of legal metrology

As of 1 January 2015, all those measuring instruments which are to be used within the scope of the Measures and Verification Act must have successfully undergone conformity assessment in order to be allowed to be placed on the market. In general, a conformity assessment body examines whether the essential requirements made on the measuring instrument have been met.

After they have been placed on the market, measuring instruments may be used until a certain verification period has expired. To be able to use the measuring instruments for a further verification period, the measuring instruments must be verified after the initial verification period has expired. Verification is carried out by the authorities which are in charge of this task under federal state law.

Rules and technical specifications for measuring instruments which are regulated at the national level as well as rules and findings on conformity assessment procedures are determined by the so-called “Regelermittlungsausschuss” (“Rule Determination Committee”) which was introduced within the scope of the Measures and Verification Act. In addition, this committee also determines rules and findings for the use of measuring instruments or measurement values.

The “Rule Determination Committee” is composed of expert institutions and associations. These include PTB, the respective authorities of the federal states, conformity assessment bodies, state-accredited inspecting authorities, trade associations and consumer associations. PTB presides over the “Rule Determination Committee” and houses its executive office.

In future, the Committee for Conformity Assessment Bodies, which was also introduced within the scope of the Measures and Verification Act, will make an important contribution to uniform working procedures of conformity assessment bodies.

Conformity assessment bodies, according to the law, must participate in this committee, which is presided over by PTB.

For the use of new or renewed measuring instruments, it will be required in future that these are reported to the authority which is in charge of this task under federal state law six weeks after putting them into operation, at the latest.

According to the Measures and Verification Act, PTB’s legal tasks also include (besides advising the federal state authorities which are in charge of implementing the act) the undertaking of scientific research and the support of standardization in this field.

In addition, PTB also ensures the metrological traceability of the standard devices and of the test facilities of the conformity assessment bodies, of the respective authorities and of the state-accredited inspecting authorities.

Monitoring of the measuring instruments that have been placed on the market (market surveillance) is the task of those authorities which are in charge of it under federal state law. By means of suitable random samples, the market surveillance authorities carry out checks in order to find out whether measuring instruments comply with the legal requirements, and they take the necessary measures if they have reasonable suspicion that this is not the case.

Within the scope of application monitoring, the authorities in charge verify whether the measuring instruments and the measurement values comply with the requirements which are specified in the Measures and Verification Act for their use.