The Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) said it worked continuously in 2007 to promote standardisation and quality systems countrywide and did over 2,000 inspections which ended in the destruction of 2,229 used tyres.
In a press release, the GNBS said as regard Standards Compliance, its inspectors conducted port-of-entry inspections and product by product surveillance campaigns at sale outlets based on entries referred to Customs House, and based on complaints. This resulted in 2,229 inspections and 1,356 surveillance inspections where 2,269 used tyres and 336 snow tyres were destroyed. The Bureau also seized 38 energy saver bulbs and 88 packets of cigarettes.
Further, 121 periodic inspections conducted at tyre retail outlets resulted in 487 defective tyres being destroyed. Also, 86 inspections were carried out at cellular phone outlets; non-conformities were highlighted to dealers and were subsequently addressed.
The Bureau also said 47 industrial inspections were conducted at garment, furniture, animal feed and manufacturers’ premises to determine compliance with the respective National Standards. It said too it received 59 consumer complaints; mostly for electrical appliances and cell phones. Eight-five per cent of the complaints were resolved favourably while “8 were referred to the Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce for further investigation and 1 was pending further investigation by the GNBS.”
Meanwhile, the National Standards Council approved seven standards and six proposals for the development of national standards. To date, the GNBS has produced 465 standards. It said it submitted a memorandum to Cabinet seeking to make three standards compulsory: GYS 9-4:2003, “Specification for labelling of commodities – Part 4: Labelling of footwear”, GYS 9-15: 2003, “Specification for labelling of commodities – Part 12: “Labelling of garments” and GYS 9-16:2003, “Specification for labelling of commodities – Part 16: Labelling of textiles.”
The other areas the GNBS focused on included Legal Metrology (weights and measures), Laboratory Services, Conformity Assessment, Communication, Metrication, Standards Information, Information Technology and Administration and Finance.
Additionally, on the arrival of equipment here in February, the Bureau will be calibrating moisture meters used at rice mills to determine the moisture content of paddy bought from farmers. The GNBS said this service will guide the storage of paddy at mills since the moisture meters millers use to buy paddy must be accurate as “important decisions are made” based on the results. The Bureau said by providing this service it aims to eliminate the uncertainties and controversies that normally erupt between the farmers and millers.
The GNBS said too its gold laboratory has been expanded and it is now equipped to serve the jewellery industry by testing pieces of jewellery to determine karat content. The laboratory is also capable of providing in-process testing of alloys for goldsmiths to guide their formulations in producing quality jewellery. The Bureau also said it would test items during the investigation of consumers’ complaints as well as for the jewellery certification scheme.