**International Organization of Legal Metrology (OIML)**

**and**

**Regional Legal Metrology Organizations**

International Legal Metrology Group

Weights and Measures Division, NIST

The International Legal Metrology Group (ILMG) in the Weights and
Measures Division (WMD) of the National Institute of Standards and
Technology (NIST) is responsible for coordinating U.S. participation in
OIML and other international legal metrology organizations. Learn more
about OIML at the ILMG website at <http://ts.nist.gov/oiml> or at the
OIML website at [http://www.oiml.org](http://www.oiml.org/) on the
Internet. Dr. Charles Ehrlich, Group Leader of the ILMG, can be
contacted at <charles.ehrlich@nist.gov> or at 301-975-4834 or by fax at
301- 975-5414.

# Table of Contents {#table-of-contents .unnumbered}

[I. Report on the 37th Meeting of the International Committee of Legal
Metrology (CIML) and Associated Meetings
4](#report-on-the-37th-meeting-of-the-international-committee-of-legal-metrology-ciml-and-associated-meetings)

[II. Report on the Activities of the OIML Technical Committees
7](#report-on-the-activities-of-the-oiml-technical-committees)

[III. 9th Annual Asia-Pacific Legal Metrology Forum (APLMF)
11](#th-annual-asia-pacific-legal-metrology-forum-aplmf)

[IV. Inter-American Metrology System (SIM) Legal Metrology Working Group
(LMWG) Meeting and Packaging and Labeling Workshop
11](#inter-american-metrology-system-sim-legal-metrology-working-group-lmwg-meeting-and-packaging-and-labeling-workshop)

[V. "Mutual Acceptance Arrangement (MAA) on OIML Type Evaluations" First
Draft Document
12](#mutual-acceptance-arrangement-maa-on-oiml-type-evaluations-first-draft-document)

## Report on the 37th Meeting of the International Committee of Legal Metrology (CIML) and Associated Meetings

*International Workshop on the Future of Legal Metrology - September
26-27, 2002*

The International Organization of Legal Metrology held a Workshop
entitled \"What will Legal Metrology be in the Year 2020\" on September
26-27, 2002, in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, France. Simultaneous English-French
translation was provided. The aim of this Workshop was to encourage a
broad exchange of views between legal metrology authorities and those
who are subject to legal metrology requirements. There were 21
presentations, with over 100 people in attendance.

The themes of the Workshop were:

\- Globalization,

\- National and Regional Activities -- Mutual Recognition,

\- New Scope and Organization of Legal Metrology,

\- Impact of New Technologies.

Key topics included the future of type approval, the impact of
electronics and software, and the importance of market surveillance. In
particular, it was predicted that traditional means of conducting type
evaluation will give way to manufacturers performing such evaluations
under accredited quality systems using self-declaration. The question
"What is the instrument?" was explored in connection with the software
issue. The role of surveys in surveillance was also discussed.

Three U.S. presentations were given: "Issues and Trends in Legal
Metrology from a U.S. Perspective" by Dr. C. Ehrlich and Mr. H.
Oppermann, "The Pattern Approval Process: the Past, the Present, the
Future as seen by U.S. Instrument Manufacturers" by Mr. D. Flocken and
Mr. D. Tonini, and "Opportunities and Future Trends in Legal Metrology
Control of Measuring Instruments" by Dr. S. Chappell. At the conclusion
of Mr. D. Flocken's talk, there was considerable interest expressed by
some of the audience about NCWM awareness of OIML activities, and about
the likelihood of the NCWM adopting OIML Recommendations in the future.
Dr. C. Ehrlich reported that the NCWM is being kept informed of OIML
activities (such as through reports like this), and discussed studies
currently being conducted in the U.S. to identify what differences exist
between OIML and NCWM requirements for specific types of measuring
instruments.

The BIML will be preparing a summary report of the Workshop.
Participants and interested parties can obtain additional information
from the OIML website at [http://www.oiml.org](http://www.oiml.org/) on
the Internet.

*OIML Presidential Council Meeting - September 30, 2002*

Dr. C. Ehrlich attended a meeting of the OIML Presidential Council
(Council). Other attendees were G. Faber (President, International
Committee of Legal Metrology, CIML), M. Kochsiek (CIML First Vice
President), L. Issaev (CIML Second Vice President), J. Bennett (new
member), A. Johnston (member), M. Tanaka (member), J. F. Magana
(Director-elect, BIML), and G.E.M. Anabe (Chair, OIML Development
Council).

Topics discussed included OIML financial matters, the upcoming election
of a new CIML President, and the status of the "Mutual Acceptance
Arrangement (MAA) for OIML Type Evaluations" (see separate section in
this report). A jointly-sponsored Seminar (PTB and NIST), as a sequel to
one held in 1998 by PTB on "The role of metrology in social and economic
development", was discussed as possibly being organized after further
analysis of potential benefits is conducted.

Draft policy papers have been developed by the BIML on "Liaisons between
the OIML and other bodies" and "Interactions between the OIML and the
Regional Legal Metrology Organizations". These are still being discussed
in the Presidential Council, but are intended for future adoption by the
CIML, hopefully next year. The first paper covers how Agreements such as
the current one between OIML and CEN/CENELEC would be negotiated in the
future.

The progress of establishing an independent task force to improve the
speed and effectiveness of the OIML Development Council was also briefly
discussed (see below).

The next meeting of the Presidential Council will be held in February
2003, at the International Bureau of Legal Metrology (BIML) in Paris.

*OIML Development Council Meeting - October 1, 2002*

The OIML Development Council acts as an advisory body to the CIML on
matters of legal metrology in developing countries. This Council has
undertaken to look into possible sources of funding (like the World Bank
and United Nations Industrial Development Organization) for legal
metrology activities (such as for training, equipment and providing
internet access/capabilities in developing countries). While funding is
an important issue, the Council continues to believe that developing a
legal metrology infrastructure in these countries is equally important.
Due to limited resources, providing funds for representation and
participation by developing countries in the work of the OIML Technical
Committees and Subcommittees (TCs/SCs) continues to be deemed not
possible at this time.

A special Task Group, consisting of representatives from the Americas
(SIM), Asia (Japan and Vietnam) and Eastern Europe (COOMET), was
assembled to stimulate the work of the Development Council. Among other
activities, this Task Group will help identify needs expressed in the
Regional Legal Metrology Organizations (RLMOs) and bring them to the
attention of the full OIML.

*CIML Meeting -- October 1-4, 2002*

Representatives from 54 of the 58 member nations participated in the
37^th^ Annual Meeting of CIML from October 1-4, 2002, in Saint
Jean-de-Luz, France. Meetings of the OIML Presidential and Development
Councils were also held and are reported on above. Dr. C. Ehrlich is the
CIML Member for the United States.

In his opening address, G. Faber raised the issue that his term as
President of CIML will be over next year and that the search for a
successor has begun. He later reported that C. Ehrlich was the only
candidate who had expressed interest to this point. The time for
announcing candidacies was extended until January 31, 2003.

The CIML reviewed the OIML Action Plan. It was noted that while progress
was good in most areas, the area of standards development to cover
software-related issues needs work. Slovenia volunteered to be the
Secretariat of OIML TC5 (Electronic Instruments and Software) that
covers this topic. New entries in the Action Plan are to provide for the
development of "horizontal documents" that would address matters of
general interest (such as software, printers, etc.), and to renegotiate
the existing agreements between OIML and CEN/CENELEC to make them more
reciprocal.

Albania has become a full Member State, whereas the Philippines has
resigned their membership. Vietnam and New Zealand are looking to become
Member States. The financial situation of OIML is stable for this year.
The recent addition of two new staff members at the BIML has brought the
staffing level back to its 2000 level.

The BIML Director gave a live demonstration of the improved OIML web
site ( [http://www.oiml.org](http://www.oiml.org/) ). This site will
continue to be upgraded and improved.

The Committee approved the following two draft International
Recommendations:[^1]

R 84 "Platinum, copper and nickel resistance thermometers (for
industrial use)" (revision)

R 134 "Automatic instruments for weighing road vehicles in motion --
Part A -- Total vehicle weighing"

The CIML endorsed the BIML proposal to approve the revision of OIML R
111 "Weights" by CIML postal vote as soon as the final Draft
Recommendation is available from the United States.

The CIML approved the following projects as proposed by:

-   TC11/SC3 on "Procedure for the control of the main parameters and
    characteristics of thermovision instruments";

-   TC17/SC2 on "Automatic refractometers \-- Method and means for
    verification"; and

-   TC17/SC7 to start the revision of R 126 on "Evidential breath
    analyzers".

Also, TC4 (Slovakia) and TC3/SC1 (U.S.) are requested to work together
to decide which technical committee should undertake a new work project
on "Verification and inspection intervals of legally controlled
measuring instruments" proposed by TC4.

The CIML established a [new Subcommittee]{.underline} TC17/SC8 on
"Instruments for quality analysis of agricultural products", allocated
the Secretariat to Australia, and approved its first work project on
"Measuring instruments used for protein determination in grain".

It was reported that the second edition of the [OIML Certificate
System]{.underline} will be published soon. This edition contains new
provisions such as definitions, requirements, test methods, and test
report formats regarding families, modules and families of modules of
measuring instruments. It was requested by the CIML that OIML TC3/SC5
(United States and BIML are co-Secretariats) start working on an
extension of the System to include "certification of individual
measuring instruments", meaning initial verification and
production-meets-type issues (component testing is already included in
the latest draft). It was emphasized again that the Certificate System
and Mutual Acceptance Arrangement (MAA) must be mutually compatible.

A report on the status of the OIML Certificate System was presented. As
of October 3, 2002, the total numbers of Certificates issued for R76
"Non-Automatic Measuring Instruments" is 447, for R60 "Metrological
Regulation for Load Cells" (1991) is 226, and for R60 (2000) is 88. OIML
R84 (above) will be applicable within the System when it is published,
and OIML R134 (above) and OIML R49-3 (Water meters for cold potable
water) will be applicable within the System when the Test Report Format
is approved by CIML postal vote and published. The BIML prepares a
notice of certificates issued each quarter in the *OIML Bulletin*,
reports annually to CIML members on the status of the System, and makes
this information available on the OIML web site. The report identifies
participating member nations with testing laboratories that are issuing
authorities.

Dr. C. Ehrlich gave an extended presentation on the status of the
"Mutual Acceptance Arrangement (MAA) for OIML Type Evaluation", and also
held a question and answer period. He explained that the MAA had now
received enough votes to move from being a Committee Draft at the TC/SC
level to being a Draft Recommendation at the full CIML level. However,
due to the continuing controversies (see report below), it was decided
that rather than presenting the Draft Document to the CIML for an
official vote, it will first be presented for comment and unofficial
vote. A meeting of all interested CIML members will be held to discuss
their comments before the official vote.

Mr. John Birch, Honorary CIML Member, has been commissioned by the
President of the CIML to carry out a study on "The Benefits of Legal
Metrology for the Economy and Society". Birch gave an update, reporting
that the study will primarily be a compilation of work done to date on
this topic, along with whatever quantitative analysis is possible. The
report is expected to be completed by the end of 2002.

Representatives from the Regional Legal Metrology Organizations (RLMO)
gave reports on activities in their regions so that repetitive efforts
could be identified for possible combination or harmonization. The
WELMEC (Europe) Chairman gave a presentation on the European Measuring
Instruments Directive (MID). Vivian Liu, Secretary of the World Trade
Organization (WTO) Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee, gave a
presentation describing regional seminars that the WTO TBT Committee is
prepared to conduct in close cooperation with the BIML to discuss trade
issues pertaining to legal metrology. She emphasized that the TBT
agreement encourages multilateral as opposed to bilateral arrangements.

An OIML distinguished service award was presented (in absentia) to Dr.
Ambler Thompson of the NIST ILMG for his dedication, enthusiasm, and
commitment to the work of OIML in areas including thermometry,
electronic measuring instruments, monitoring environmental pollutants,
reference materials, ionizing radiation, bio-electrical instruments,
electrical utility meters and instruments for measuring characteristics
of agricultural products. Dr. A. Thompson will be receiving a
certificate and a medal for this recognition.

The 2003 CIML meeting will be held in Kyoto, Japan. The 2004 CIML
meeting is scheduled to be held in Germany, along with the next
quadrennial OIML Conference.

## Report on the Activities of the OIML Technical Committees

This section provides a report on the status of work in OIML Technical
Committees (TCs) and Technical Subcommittees (SCs) of specific interest
to members of the NCWM. Also included are reports on recent activities
of those groups and schedules of future activities of Secretariats, the
U.S. National Working Groups (NWGs), and the International Working
Groups (IWGs) of committees and subcommittees.

*TC3 Metrological Control (United States of America)*

The 1^st^ draft revision of OIML D1 "Elements for a Law on Metrology"
was developed by a joint working group of the OIML, the International
Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM), and the International Laboratory
Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC). It has been distributed to the members
of TC3 and to the NCWM Laws and Regulations Committee for review. This
revision of D1 presents the various elements that should be considered
when preparing laws related to metrology. This document gives advice on
general laws covering all the aspects of metrology, and on specific laws
related to some distinct aspect of metrology, such as legal units and
traceability. It can also be used to evaluate provisions related to
metrology in more general laws such as those on consumer protection and
conformity assessment. When completed, the document will be a tool for
use in preparing laws related to metrology; individuals can select
appropriate elements and adapt them into their legislation. Please
contact Mr. K. Butcher at 301-975-4859 or at <kbutcher@nist.gov> if you
would like to obtain a copy of the 1^st^ draft revision of D1 or
participate in this project.

*TC5/SC1 Electronic Instruments (Netherlands)*

The U.S. National Working Group on OIML Technical Committee 9 (TC9)
submitted comments in August 2002 to the Netherlands on the 2^nd^
committee draft of D11 \"General Requirements for Electronic Measuring
Instruments*.*\" The Netherlands is the OIML Secretariat responsible for
this project. OIML D11 specifies the general metrological and technical
characteristics that must be met by electronic scales and metering
devices undergoing type evaluation. It provides details on how the
relevant examinations and tests are conducted and its requirements are
based on those in other international standards. Some of the influence
factors examined under this document are high and low temperature,
humidity, power voltage variation, and electrostatic discharge. OIML
Technical Committees use this document as a reference in developing new
and revised Recommendations. This document is significant because it
impacts all of the OIML Recommendations on weighing and measuring
instruments including those relating to devices for breath analyzers and
pollution test equipment. For more information on this activity, contact
Dr. A. Thompson at <ambler@nist.gov> .

*TC8/SC3 "Measuring Instruments for Liquids other than Water."
(Germany)*

OIML R117 "Measuring Instruments for Liquids other than Water" is
undergoing an extensive revision \-- incorporating new instrument
technologies and merging the document with other OIML recommendations
(R86 "Drum Meters" and R105 "Mass Flowmeters"). The Netherlands (NMi) as
the convener of the International Working Group TC8/SC3/WG2 "Revision of
R117\" is working closely with the United States and Germany to
accomplish this task. The United States is making significant
contributions on this revision as both a participating member on WG2 and
as the convener of the working group tasked with merging R117 and R105.
Please contact Mr. R. Richter at 301-975-4025 or
<ralph.richter@nist.gov> if you would like to participate on this
project.

*TC8/SC4 "Dynamic Mass Measurements (Liquids other than Water)" (United
States)*

ILMG is working on the merger of OIML R105 "Direct Mass Flow Measuring
Systems for Quantities of Liquids" (for which the United States is the
Secretariat) with OIML R117 \"Measuring Systems for Liquids other than
Water\" (for which Germany is the Secretariat). The United States is the
convener of the international working group TC8/SC4/WG1 named
"Combination R105/R117." This is a significant priority project for
OIML, and ILMG is working with the U.S. National Working Group (USNWG)
on flowmeters, Germany, and the Netherlands (convener of the work group
tasked with revising R117) on this effort. Meetings of the U.S. National
Working Group on flowmeters were held during the NCWM Annual Meeting in
July 2002. Measurement Canada has been a strong contributor to this
effort. A successful meeting was held in September 2002 at PTB in
Germany to review the work already done by the USNWG and to establish an
aggressive 2-year timetable for the two subcommittees (TC8/SC3 and SC4)
to complete this major project.

*TC8/SC5 "Water Meters" (United Kingdom)*

CIML approved a revision of R49 for "mechanical and electronic" water
meters in October 1999. Following that adoption, subsequent meetings of
TC8/SC5/WG2 were held to develop a test procedure and test report
format. The U.S. voted "yes" to OIML TC8/SC5s proposed amendment to OIML
R49-1 "Water Meters Intended for the Metering of Cold Potable Water Part
1: Metrological Requirements" to update the referenced standards for
disturbance and influence factor testing. The U.S. voted "no" on a CIML
ballot to adopt a proposed recommendation OIML R49-2 "Water Meters
Intended for the Metering of Cold Potable Water Part 2: Test Methods".
The negative ballot resulted from the addition of a series of
unnecessary tests which would increase the cost of having meters tested,
as well as a failure to follow a committee ballot to delay the CIML
submission until 2002. The CIML approved OIML R49-2 at its Annual
Meeting in Moscow, Russia in September 2001. A subsequent meeting of
TC8/SC5 held in Brussels, Belgium in October 2001 involved discussions
of the changes required in the OIML R49-1 document to make it consistent
with R49-2 and to revise OIML R49-2 as necessary. OIML TC8/SC5 balloted
the changes and approved the revisions to OIML R49-1 and OIML R49-2. The
amended R49-1 was placed on the OIML web site in April 2002 and since no
CIML Member objected it is considered approved and will be republished.
The same procedure will follow for the amended version of R49-2 approved
by TC8/SC5. If approved, the new corrected version of R49-2 will be
published at the same time as R49-1 is republished. In addition, OIML
R49-3 dated 20 August 2002 Test Report Format was submitted for ballot
to TC 8/SC5, and the United States voted to approve it.

*TC8/SC7 "Gas Metering" (Belgium and France)*

An International Working Group meeting was held in Brussels in March
2001 to discuss a 2^nd^ CD draft OIML Recommendation "Measuring Systems
for Gaseous Fuel" to include natural and compressed natural gas. The
meeting focused on discussion of comments on the 2nd CD draft
Recommendation. A second meeting of the IWG focused on a 2^nd^ CD
Recommendation "Measuring Systems for Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) for
Vehicles" and annexes covering performance tests for electronic devices
and basic test procedures. We have been informed by the Secretariat to
expect the next CD of both documents in January 2003. Please contact Mr.
W. Stiefel at 301-975-4011 or at
[stiefel@nist.gov](mailto:kbutcher@nist.gov) if you would like to obtain
a copy of the next CD or participate in this project.

*TC8/SC8 "Gas Meters" (Netherlands)*

The Secretariat has sent the members of the committee a letter with the
results of a questionnaire asking for comments to guide the initiation
of a work program to revise R6 "General provisions for gas volume
meters," R31 "Diaphragm Gas Meters", and R32 "Rotary Piston Gas Meters
and Turbine Gas Meters." A small majority of members voted to produce
one new recommendation for gas meters, independent of the physical
principle that will replace R6, R31, and R32. The Secretariat reported
that they would develop an initial draft. The new document, according to
the Secretariat, may consist of a general chapter mainly consisting of
R6 and those aspects in common with R31 and R32 and separate chapters on
household and industrial gas meters. The USNWG provided comments and
will participate in the development of the new Recommendation. Please
contact Mr. W. Stiefel at 301-975-4011 or at
[stiefel@nist.gov](mailto:kbutcher@nist.gov) if you would like to
participate in this project.

*TC 9/SC 1 "Nonautomatic Weighing Instruments" (Germany and France)*

In May of 2002, Germany and France, the co-secretariats of OIML TC9/SC1
"Non-automatic Weighing Instruments", announced that they were
initiating the first review of OIML Recommendation 76 "Non-automatic
Weighing Instruments" since 1994. This review cycle is of major
importance to U.S. interests because R76 serves as the foundation for a
majority of the laws and regulations that govern weighing instruments
around the world. This review is significant for U.S. weighing
instrument manufacturers because the international harmonization of
requirements will eliminate technical barriers to trade and reduce the
delays and the cost of getting new weighing instruments into the global
marketplace. It is also important for legal metrology officials since it
is taking place when the NCWM is considering entering into Mutual
Acceptance Arrangements for type evaluations with other countries (e.g.,
Germany). This effort supports the NCWM's long-range strategy to "work
toward the harmonization of U.S. (e.g., NIST Handbook 44
"Specifications, Tolerances, and Other Technical Requirements for
Weighing and Measuring Devices") and international standards." The
review process for R76 has begun with the Co-Secretariats requesting
comments from Member States using a questionnaire that asks for feedback
on everything from the basic principles of R76 (e.g., tolerances and
accuracy classes) to exploring the addition of new requirements. Some of
the new requirements under consideration would allow for the type
evaluation of "modules" (e.g., digital indicators and load receiving
elements). One question asks whether new tests for electronic
instruments are needed. If you would like to receive a copy of the U.S.
comments that were submitted in September 2002, or participate in this
work please contact Mr. K. Butcher at 301-975-4859 or at
*kbutcher@nist.gov* or Mr. S. Cook at 301-975-4003 or
*steven.cook@nist.gov* .

*TC9/SC2 "Automatic Weighing Instruments" (United Kingdom)*

The United States voted "no" at the recent CIML meeting on the ballot to
adopt a proposed OIML Recommendation on "Automatic Instruments for
Weighing Road Vehicles in Motion -- Part A: Total Vehicle Weight". The
draft Recommendation specifies requirements for highway weight
enforcement scales used to obtain a total vehicle weight of trucks while
they are in motion. The negative ballot was cast because the Secretariat
failed to accept several U.S. comments regarding the technical accuracy
of the terminology used in the proposed standard and because the U.S.
did not support the adoption of an incomplete OIML Recommendation. A
meeting of the International Working Group was held at the United
Kingdom's National Weights and Measures Laboratory in Teddington,
England in November 2001. At the meeting it was agreed that a Part B
should be developed as a stand-alone Recommendation to apply to both
total vehicle weighing (incorporating the requirements from Part A) and
axle load determinations. In adopting this approach, it was understood
that Part B would eventually supersede Part A, as the requirements for
total vehicle weighing will be duplicated. Upon completion of Part B, a
decision will be made as to whether Part A should be withdrawn and Part
B issued as a new Recommendation or, alternatively, whether Part B
should be issued as a revision to Part A, (i.e., as a second edition.)
In September of 2002, ILMG received a second committee draft of
Recommendation \"Automatic Instruments for Weighing Road Vehicles in
Motion\" - \"Part B - Axle Loads\" that was prepared by the OIML
Secretariat in the United Kingdom. If you would like to receive a copy
of this draft Recommendation or participate in this work please contact
Mr. K. Butcher at 301-975-4859 or at *kbutcher@nist.gov* or Mr. R.
Richter at 301-975-4025 or *ralph.richter@nist.gov*.

*TC9/SC3 "Weights" (United States)*

A draft revision of OIML Recommendation R111 "Weights...." was adopted
by the CIML in the summer of 2002. NIST staff are working closely with
Dr. Michael Glaser of PTB (Germany) and Dr. Richard Davis (BIPM) to
develop a final draft of R111 that will be sent to the International
Committee on Legal Metrology (CIML) for adoption in December 2002.
Adoption of a new edition of this Recommendation is a high priority
project for OIML as it is considered one of the most basic and important
sets of requirements that member states can adopt as the foundation for
their laws on metrology. TC9/SC3 also agreed that OIML R52 "Hexagonal
Weights" would not be withdrawn since its requirements may still be used
in some developing countries. An updated edition of R52 was also adopted
by TC9/SC3 and submitted to CIML for adoption in September 2002.

A draft revision of OIML Recommendation 33 "Conventional Value of the
Result of Weighing in Air\" was adopted by TC9/SC3 in the spring of
2002. The technical committee also voted to change R33 into an OIML
International Document. ILMG worked closely with Dr. M. Glaser and Dr.
R. Davis (BIPM) to develop a final draft of R33 that will be sent to the
CIML for adoption in January 2003.

*OIML R59 \"Moisture Meters for Cereal Grains and Oilseeds" (TC17/SC1)*

In February 2001, the 1^st^ Committee Draft Revision of OIML R59
\"Moisture Meters for Cereal Grains and Oilseeds\" was received from the
Peoples Republic of China. China is the Secretariat of OIML TC17/SC1
"Humidity" which is responsible for R59 and other Recommendations
relating to moisture measurement. The current edition of R59 was
developed in the 1980s and includes technical and metrological
requirements for both automatic and manual meters. A U.S. National
Working Group was formed to review the draft revision of R59 and
actively participate in the revision of this important Recommendation.
Comments were sent to the Secretariat in the spring of 2001. In June
2001, Dr. A. Thompson (of ILMG) and Dr. David Funk of the U.S.
Department of Agriculture's Grain Inspection and Packers and Stockyard
Administration attended a meeting of TC17/SC1 in Berlin, Germany. The
subject of the meeting was the revision of OIML R59. Comments that had
previously been submitted by ILMG to the OIML Secretariat for this
Recommendation (China) constituted the basis for the meeting and its
discussions. Dr. Thompson presented U.S. proposals to clarify the scope
and general direction that the revision process should take and
highlighted the need to recognize new technologies and tolerances for
these instruments. Another issue is the need to separate the reference
moisture method, usually defined by the responsible national authority,
from the qualification of instruments since there is no international
agreement for a global reference moisture determination test method.
These proposals were well received in particular by France, China, and
Germany. The Chairman of the meeting asked the United States to prepare
an OIML draft based on the National Conference on Weights and Measures,
National Type Evaluation Program (NTEP) for review by an International
Working Group (IWG) composed of France, Germany, Poland, China and the
United States. Dr. A. Thompson agreed to this and will consult with the
NTEP Grain Sector and forward copies of the U.S. documents to the IWG.
Please contact ILMG if you would like to participate in this working
group.

## 9th Annual Asia-Pacific Legal Metrology Forum (APLMF) 

The 9^th^ Annual Meeting and Working Group meetings of the Asia-Pacific
Legal Metrology Forum (APLMF) will be held from November 20 to 22, 2002,
at the Legend Hotel Saigon, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Dr. Charles
Ehrlich will serve as Head of the U.S. Delegation and will be
accompanied by Mr. Ross Andersen in his role as the Chairman of the
National Conference on Weights and Measures (NCWM) National Type
Evaluation Program (NTEP). Dr. C. Ehrlich and Mr. R. Andersen will
participate in the Forum's Working Group meetings on Mutual Recognition
Arrangements, Training, Rice Moisture Meters, Intercomparison
Calibration and Testing, Utility Meters, Medical Measurements and Goods
Packed by Measure. Dr. C. Ehrlich serves as Chairman of the WG on Mutual
Recognition Arrangements. Mr. Gilles Vinet (Measurement Canada) serves
as Chairman of the WG on Utility Meters. Mr. R. Andersen will present
the member-nation economy report for the United States.

The Secretariat of the APLMF has now been assumed by Japan. The
President of APLMF is now Dr. Akira Ooiwa who is Director of the
Mechanical Metrology Division at the National Metrology Institute of
Japan. The 2002 APLMF meeting will be held in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
The 2003 APLMF meeting will be held in Kyoto, Japan in conjunction with
that year's meeting of the International Committee of Legal Metrology
(CIML). The U.S. has been requested to consider hosting the 2004 APLMF
meeting; initial plans are under way.

## Inter-American Metrology System (SIM) Legal Metrology Working Group (LMWG) Meeting and Packaging and Labeling Workshop 

The Weights and Measures Division and the Global Standards and
Information Group (GSIG) worked with Mr. Cesar Luis da Silva, Chairman
of the Legal Metrology Working Group (LMWG) of SIM to present a two-day
Interamerican Workshop on Packaging and Labeling in Miami on December
9-10, 2001. More than 50 participants from the Americas and Europe
attended the workshop and shared a wide variety of information on
labeling requirements and packaging experiences.

The three offices cooperated to develop a labeling requirements survey
for the workshop. The Spanish language Survey of Labeling Requirements
was distributed to SIM member states and a wide spectrum of responses
was received. The information collected from the survey included the
various requirements of the member states for declaring the net
quantity, identity, and responsibility on packages intended for
consumers. The first draft of the survey was discussed at the meeting
and additional efforts will be made to ensure all of the information is
up to date and complete.

The survey results from nineteen countries have been posted on the SIM
web site
http://www.sim-metrologia.org.br/organization/twg/smt_twg_11news.htm

The SIM Legal Metrology Working Group held a meeting immediately
following the workshop and issued the following resolutions and
decisions:

[Packaging and Labeling]{.underline}

The LMWG agreed to:

-   encourage each OIML member country to adopt OIML Recommendations R79
    and R87 and collaborate in their revision. The LMWG encouraged OIML
    to consider procedures for small lot sizes and packages with low
    counts.

-   recommend that information required on package labels be in the
    language of the country in which the product is sold.

-   simplify the net content statement on packages (for example, only
    the measurement units that are relevant to the consuming market need
    to be translated into that country's language).

-   encourage exclusive use of the SI System for package labeling.

-   ask SIM for financial support to develop and provide training
    programs on labeling subjects (e.g., metrication, net content
    testing procedures and labeling requirements of OIML R 87 and OIML R
    79).

-   recommend that a project be undertaken to identify and suggest
    standardization of reference temperatures used to determine the net
    quantity of contents of liquids in the Americas.

-   request that SIM create a database containing each country's legal
    metrology regulations (e.g., labeling, net contents testing, contact
    information, etc.) and that it be made available on the Internet.

-   solicit, update, correct and complete the packaging and labeling
    survey responses of each country in their region so the survey can
    be posted on the SIM web site.

The LMWG also agreed to:

-   request that SIM create a list server for discussion of issues on
    the SIM website for the LMWG to exchange information, establish
    priorities for harmonization, and other purposes.

-   establish an ongoing forum for industry to bring labeling issues and
    problems to the SIM LMWG for discussion and possible resolution
    (e.g., harmonization of requirements or ensuring full disclosure).
    SIM LMWG representatives will coordinate through e-mail or personal
    contacts to develop the issues and bring the information to the
    Group for further discussion and resolution. It was also agreed that
    the sub regions of SIM implement the above resolutions on a local
    basis.

The next meeting of the SIM LMWG is scheduled for November 2002 in
Santiago, Chile. The agenda includes a discussion of the action items
from the December 2001 meeting in Miami, obtaining labeling information
from the non-responding SIM members and redrafting the objectives and
scopes for the two working groups: 1) *Laws and Regulations* and 2)
*Metrological Control of Measuring Instruments and Prepackaged
Products.*

## "Mutual Acceptance Arrangement (MAA) on OIML Type Evaluations" First Draft Document

The MAA has now received just enough votes at the TC/SC level to move
from being a Committee Draft to being a Draft Recommendation for
consideration at the full CIML level. OIML voting rules require that 2/3
of all of the participating members of a TC or SC must vote in favor of
a Committee Draft before it can move forward. All seven of the negative
votes and the single abstention at the SC level came from European
countries (Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Sweden,
Switzerland, and the United Kingdom) for differing and sometimes
conflicting reasons. At the 37^th^ CIML meeting, the United Kingdom
changed their vote from "abstain" to "yes" after they gained a better
understanding of the MAA. The concerns of the 'no" voters can be broken
into five main categories: cost, peer-review vs. accreditation
requirements, signatory responsibility, scope/terminology, and
non-allowance of supplementary requirements.

A 1^st^ Draft Recommendation of the MAA has been prepared based on the
voting results and comments received on the 9^th^ Committee Draft. Due
to the continuing controversies it was decided that rather than
presenting the Draft Recommendation to the CIML for an official vote, it
will first be presented for comment and unofficial vote. A meeting of
all interested CIML members will then be held to see if new issues arise
and to discuss their comments before the official vote. This meeting
will likely be in March or April 2003.

The MAA is of special interest to the NCWM because the Board of
Directors is currently negotiating a bilateral agreement to exchange
test data on type evaluations with Germany's PTB.

[^1]: The two categories of OIML publications are Recommendations and
    Documents that are developed by technical committees comprised of
    the Member States. **International Recommendations (R)** are model
    regulations that establish the metrological characteristics required
    of measuring instruments and specify methods and equipment for
    checking their conformity; the OIML Member States shall implement
    these Recommendations to the greatest possible extent.
    **International Documents (D)** are informative in nature and
    intended to improve the work of the metrological services.