DRAFT UGANDA STANDARD  
  DUS 1857  
First Edition  
2020-03-05 
 
 
 Reference number  
DUS 1857 : 2020 
© UNBS 2020  
  
Criteria for issuance of licences and certificate of competence 
to persons and firms involved in repair of weighing and 
measuring instruments  
 DUS 1857 : 2020 
ii © UNBS 2020 – All rights reserved  
 Compliance with this standard does not, of itself confer immunity from legal obligations  
A Uganda Standard does  not purport to include all necessary provisions of a contract. Users are 
responsible for its correct application  
© UNBS 2018  
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilised in any 
form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and microfilm, without prior written 
permission from UNBS.  
Requests for permission to reproduce this document should be addressed to  
The Executive Director  
Uganda National Bureau of Standards  
P.O. Box  6329  
Kampala  
Uganda  
Tel: +256 41 4 333 2 50/1/2/3  
Fax: +256 41 4 286 123  
E-mail: info@unbs.go.ug  
Web: www.unbs.go.ug  DUS 1857 :2020 
© UNBS 2018 – All rights reserved  iii 
 Contents  Page 
Foreword  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................  iv 
1 Scope  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ......................  1 
2 Normative references  ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................  1 
3 Terms and definitions  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........................  1 
4 Technical competence  requirements of individuals  ................................ ................................ ..........  1 
4.1 Competence in installation, repair and maintenance of measuring equipment for issuance 
of repair licenses to individuals.  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..........  1 
5 Competence requirements for workshops  ................................ ................................ .........................  2 
6 Classification of licences  ................................ ................................ ................................ .....................  2 
Annex  A (normative)  Workshop inspection checklist  ................................ ................................ .................  10 
 DUS 1857 : 2020 
iv © UNBS 2020 – All rights reserved  
 Foreword  
Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) is a parastatal under the Ministry of Trade , Industry and 
Cooperatives established under Cap 327 , of the Laws of Uganda , as amended .  UNBS is mandated to co -
ordinate the elaboration of standards and is  
(a) a member of International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) and  
(b) a contact point for the WHO /FAO Codex Alimentarius Commission on Food Standards, and  
(c) the National Enquiry Point on TBT  Agreement  of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).  
The work of preparing Uganda Standards is carried out through Technical Committees. A Technical 
Committee is estab lished to deliberate on standards in a given field or area and consists of key stakeholders 
including government, academia, consumer groups, private sector and other interested parties.  
Draft Uganda Standards adopted by the Technical Committee are widely circulated to stakeholders and the 
general public for comments. The committee reviews the comments before recommending the draft standards 
for approval and declaration as Uganda Standards by the National Standards Council.  
The committee responsible for thi s document is Technical Committee UNBS/TC 4, Mechanic al Engineering 
and Metallurgy.  DUS 1857 :2020 
© UNBS 2018 – All rights reserved  v 
 Introduction  
For quality assurance of repair work, competence evaluation of the technicians that perform the repair of 
Weights and Measures  instruments  and the firms that premise the technicians is vital. There is a national law, 
The Weights and Measures (Repair of weighing and measuring instruments) rules, 2007; which deals with the 
authorization and control of all actors involved in repair, conversion or overhaul of measu ring equipment.  
Rules 2, 3 and 4 provide a framework for competence evaluation for persons engaged in repair while Rule 20 
provides the basis for evaluation of firms engaged in manufacture , sale and repair. The rules neither lay out 
the specific competenc es for technicians and their firms, nor prescribe criteria for issuance of workshop 
license. Based on  that framework, the re is need to develop acceptable metrics and criteria  to enable fulfillment 
of the mandate. There is a process for registering technici ans and repair workshops. However, the current 
arrangements have been insufficient in stimulating improvements in quality of service rendered by the 
authorized providers. It has also not encouraged entry into repair of certain classes especially F which is  
growing very fast.  
The inadequacy of these metrics results in mediocrity, unprofessional tendencies and outright lack of internal 
governance within licensed workshops. There is frequent exploitation by some mechanics leading to unrest 
and real or assumed subjectivity. This scenario not only makes it difficult to supervise technicians, but also 
poses risk to impartiality of the inspectors engaged in assessment.  
Therefore, an attempt is hereby made to propose a competence -based model for evaluation of repair ers and 
their firms. It is envisaged that this model will professionalize the repair trade. The salient features of the 
model are:  
1. A three star rated structure for workshop licenses. The levels encourage departure from frequent 
inspection of workshops to self-regulation  through quality management systems with monitoring 
progressively reducing as repair firms embrace Quality Management Systems.  
2. A forth unrated level is provided to accommodate the existing workshops. This level may be for 
admission in the fi rst year of implementation only and may be progressively phased out in 3 years.  
3. A requirement for workshops to have a Legal Metrology Operator who is issued a Certificate of 
Competence as expressly provided by Rules 1, 2, 3 and 4.  
4. A body of knowledge (BoK)  covering general and class specific aspects repair. For repair/calibration 
technicians, Metrology technician BoK plus Fundamentals of Legal Metrology BoK is required while 
the Legal Metrology Operator also needs extra training in that BoK. These BoKs are examinable.  
 DRAFT UGANDA STANDARD  DUS 1857:20 20 
 
© UNBS 2020 – All rights reserved  1 
 Criteria for issuance of licences and  certificate of competence  
to persons and firms involved in repair of weighing and 
measuring instruments  
1 Scope   
This draft Uganda standard prescribes the criteria for issuance of repair and workshop lice nces to technicians 
and workshops respectively and certificate of competence to both technicians and workshops involved in 
weighing and measuring instruments.  
2 Normative references   
There are no normative references in this document.  
3 Terms and definitio ns  
No terms and definitio ns are listed in this document.  
ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:  
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at http://www.iso.org/obp  
4 Technical competenc e requirements  of individuals  
4.1 Competence in installation, repair and maintenance of measuring equipment for 
issuance of repair licenses to individuals . 
4.1.1  The following are r equirements for issuance of licence  to persons intending to repair  weighing and 
measuring instruments : 
a) Attended the relevant class in fundamentals of legal metrology administered by a National standards 
body  or equivalent accredited organization.  
b) Should have a certificate of competence  issued by National standards body  or equivalent  accredited 
organization.  
c) Paid the required licence fees 
4.1.2  The following are minimum requirements for issuance of licence s to Weights and Measures Repair 
firms ; 
a) shall h ave under employment repairers with valid repair license s. 
b) shall be headed by a person w ith at least an Advanced Certificate  or equivalent  in Mechanical, 
Electrical, Electronics, Computer Engineering, or any other related field.   
2 © UNBS 2020 – All rights reserved  
 c) shall operate in facilities  as given in Annex A ; 
4.1.3 In addition to the requirements in 4.1.1 , non-nationals shal l also have a  valid relevant work permit . 
4.1.4 Certificate of competence shall be reviewed every five years. Renewal shall be subject to:  
a) filled consistent returns as given in Annex B to the Head legal metrology , and  
b) filing Continuous Professional Develo pment log for the 24 months (endorsed by the Section/Regional 
head).  
5 Competence requirements for workshops  
The options given in Table 1 for demonstrating competence in installation, repair, maintenance and  
manufacture  of measuring equipment for registrat ion of repair/calibration firms shall be considered.  
6 Classification of licences  
Licenses shall be classified in accordance with Weights and Measures (Repair of weighing and measuring 
instruments) rules, 2007 . 
  
© UNBS 2020 – All rights reserved  6 
 Table 1 — Papers/examinations to be underta ken by technicians  
Class  Description of 
equipment in 
this class  Metrology Technicians’ 
Examination and body of 
Knowledge  Fundamentals of Legal Metrology 
Examination and Body of Knowledge  Legal Metrology Operator  
Examination and Body of Knowledge  
A Counte r 
machines and 
spring balances  MTE  201 (1&2); Constructional 
design, operation and maintenance 
of mechanical counter scales and 
Spring Balances.  FLME 101 General metrology 
examination  
Section A; General Metrology  
Measurement units:  
Describe and define basi c SI units, 
derived units and multipliers;  
Calculate derived units  
Measurement influences:  
Effects of air buoyancy, draught, gravity, 
etc on measured values  
Identify and correct for error sources that 
can affect measurement results, including 
drift, bias,  operator error, environment, 
etc. 
Section B; Metrological Compliance  
Regulations, mandates, and guidelines  
Application of the Weights and Measures 
Repair rules, and guidelines.  
Identify regulated sectors and reasons for 
government interventions.  LMOE 101  General metrology examination  
Section A; Measurement and Calibration Systems  
Measurement and calibration systems:  
Describe measurement characteristics such as variability, 
sensitivity, repeatability, reproducibility, linearity, stability etc.  
Analyze var ious aspects of measurement data, including: 
format, readability, resolution, suitability for use, confidence, 
etc. 
Describe measurement characteristics such as variability, 
sensitivity, repeatability  
Section B; Metrological Compliance and Quality 
Manageme nt 
Regulations, mandates, and guidelines  
Define and distinguish between government regulations, 
traceability and other legally mandated metrology 
requirements, guidelines, OIML recommendations, etc.  
Identify which rules or conventions take precedence in 
various situations.  
Quality systems and standards  
Define and distinguish between various components of a 
quality system, including management and customer focus, 
employee training and development, continuous process 
improvement, etc.  
Identify roles and resp onsibilities of repair staff members, 
including workshop manager, technical manager, quality 
representative, technician, etc.  
Identify various methods used to develop, improve, and 
review quality systems, including mission and goals, planning 
and deploymen t, cross -functional teams, etc.   
© UNBS 2020 – All rights reserved  7 
 Communication and conflict management  
Describe the communication process  
Identify communication barriers.  
B Mechanical 
Platform scales  MTE -202 (1&2); Constructional 
design, operation and maintenance 
of mechanical Platform scales.   
C Weighbridges  MTE -203 (1&2); Constructional 
design, operation, maintenance and 
commissioning Weighbridges.  
D Fuel 
dispensers.  MTE -204(1&2); Constructional 
design, operation, maintenance and 
commissioning Fuel dispensers.  
E Bulk Flow 
Meters MTE -205 (1&2); Constructional 
design, operation, maintenance and 
commissioning Bulk Flow Meters.  
F Precision and 
Electronic 
weighing scales  MTE -206 (1&2); Constructional 
design, operation and maintenance 
of Precision and Electronic weighing 
scales . 
G Bulk Measures  MTE -207 (1&2); Servicing and 
commissioning mobile and static 
tanks.  
H Automatic 
weighing and 
egg grading 
machines  MTE -208 (1&2); Constructional 
design, operation, maintenance and 
commissioning Automatic weighing 
and egg grading ma chines   
8 © UNBS 2020 – All rights reserved  
 I Electricity 
Meters  MTE -209 (1&2); Constructional 
design, operation, maintenance and 
installation of Electricity Meters  
 
Table 2 — Rating of workshops  
Star Rating  Description  Requirements for repair firms  Requirements for manufacturing 
firms  Monitoring 
method  
3-Star Accredited Workshop  o Accreditation to ISO/IEC 17025 or its 
equivalent.  
o Appropriate valid trading license.  
o Pass s afety evaluation by the  labor office.  
o Pass a UNBS Workshop Inspection.  
o A minimum of 8 licensed Repair. (At least 2 
for each class applied including at least one 
technical workshop head ). o Accreditation to international 
standards.  
o Appropriate valid trading 
license.  
o Safety evaluation report from 
the labor office.  
o UNBS Workshop Inspection 
Report.  
o At least 8 licensed Technicia ns 
Including at least one Legal 
Metrology Operator.  Annually 
technical 
audits  
2-Star Accredited Workshop  o Accreditation to ISO/IEC 17025 or its 
equivalent.  
o Appropriate valid trading license.  
o Pass a s afety evaluation by the labor office.  
o Pass a UNBS Worksho p Inspection.  
o At least 2 licensed technicians  in clause 4  
including technical head of the workshop . o Accreditation to international 
standards.  
o Appropriate valid trading 
license.  
o Safety evaluation report from 
the labor office.  
o UNBS Workshop Inspection 
Report . 
o At least 2 licensed Technicians 
including a Legal Metrology 
Operator.  Annually 
technical 
audits  
1-Star Ordinary 
Workshop/Calibration 
firm for General 
Purpose.  o Appropriate valid trading license.  
o Safety evaluation report from the labor 
office.  
o Pass a UNBS  Workshop Inspection.  o Appropriate valid trading 
license.  
o Safety evaluation report from 
the labor office.  Quarterly 
inspection   
© UNBS 2020 – All rights reserved  9 
 o A minimum of 8 licensed Repair 
technicians (At least 2 for each class 
applied including at least a technical head ). o UNBS Workshop Inspection 
Report.  
o At least 2 licensed Technicians 
including a Legal Metrology 
Operator.  
Unrated  Ordinary Workshop  o Appropriate valid trading license.  
o Pass a UNBS Workshop Inspection.  
o At least 1 licensed Repair Technicians.  
1. For Scale repairing firms: Eithe r class A 
or B; plus class F licenses required.  
2. For calibration firms: Any one class of 
license of D, E or G type.  o Appropriate valid trading 
license.  
o UNBS Workshop Inspection 
Report.  
o At least 1 licensed Technician.  Monthly 
inspections   
© UNBS 2020 – All rights reserved  10 
 Annex  A 
(normative)  
 
Workshop i nspection checklist  
Aspect  Description  Score  Comment  
General  
Space  
Note: No further 
consideration shall be 
made for total space less 
than 27m2 Housed in three rooms for repair workshop, Office ;   
 Repair area (Workshop) measuring at least 3 m 
length by 3 m width by 2.7 m height.    
Office measuring at least 3 m length by 3 m width 
by 2.7 m height.    
Total space not less than 27 m2   
Sign post  Sign post at the premises shall display the 
registered name of the firm; Contacts; Workshop 
License serial number.    
Services  There shall be no other activity other than repairs 
of weighing and measuring equipment.    
A list of services and price conspicuously 
displayed.    
Environment  The workshop shall be well lit.    
The workshop shall be well ventilated.    
The workshop shall be clean and tidy.    
Security  It should have metallic doors and properly burglar 
proofed.    
Accessibility  The workshop should be easy to locate and 
accessible to both cl ients and inspectors.    
Legal Requirements  
Entity  
(A workshop shall not be 
declared to have passed 
the above inspection until 
the following original 
documents have been 
submitted and verified 
accordingly)  Certificate of registration    
Memorandum and ar ticles of association.    
Organization structure    
   
Repair licenses for the workshop manager and all 
other mechanics.    
Terms and conditions of service for all licensed 
mechanics.  
Note: Each mechanic shall have endorsed the 
service terms.    
Comm itment to supervise listed trainees.  
Note:  Each trainee shall acknowledge these commitments.     
© UNBS 2020 – All rights reserved  11 
 Trade License  Valid Trading License from the relevant Authority.    
Tax compliance  Tax registration    
Valid Tax returns    
Proof of occupancy  Either prove own ership of the premises on which 
the workshop is situated or provide a tenancy 
agreement valid for at least twelve months ahead.    
Office  
Office Equipment and 
furniture  Desk/table for Manager    
Desk for Receptionist    
At least two office chairs    
Visitor’s bench    
Filing cabinet / shelves    
A computer    
Transactional Books  
(Comprehensive 
Information systems may 
be considered provided 
the format shall be 
declared and has 
sufficient controls to 
prevent fraud).  Invoice books shall be different fro m receipt books. 
Shall be headed by the registered name.    
Receipt book shall be different from Invoice books. 
Shall be headed by the registered name    
Record book in which all weighing equipment 
brought to a particular workshop are recorded. The 
recor d book should have the following particulars;  
a) the name and full address of the owner  
b) identity or description of the equipment,  
c) the date it was brought,  
d) nature of repair required,  
e) estimated cost of repair,  
f) the date it is to be collected,  
g) the date of testin g or stamping by the 
inspector,  
h) the date it is to be handed over to the 
owner  
i) date claimed    
Store  
 Security for weighing /measuring an instrument 
therein must be guaranteed    
Should have shelves    
Workshop1)  
12 © UNBS 2020 – All rights reserved  
 Safety Equipment  Should have Personal Pr otective working gear that 
includes;  
a) Overcoats/Overalls (Should not be White).  
Safety shoes  
b) Helmets  
c) Safety Gloves  
d) Safety goggles  
e) Nose masks    
Fire extinguisher    
First aid box; as a minimum this should have 
plaster, bandage gauze surgical spirit, antis eptic 
for dressing cuts/wound, hydrogen peroxide 
solution, potassium iodide, surgical blades.    
Tools  
(Each Mechanic shall 
have a toolbox separate 
from the one provided for 
the Workshop. Each tool 
box shall consist the 
listed equipment as a 
minimum)  Sets of screw drivers (both star and flat)    
Set of setting punches    
Hacksaw    
Assorted rasp, bustard and smooth files of flat, 
round, triangular and square profiles    
Hammers (ball peen and flat peen)    
Mallet (wooden/plastic/rubber hammer)    
Set of chisels    
Scribers    
Centre punches    
Vernier calipers    
Steel rules    
Measuring Square    
Set of spanners (fix and ring)    
Wire brushes    
Grip pliers    
Pliers    
Nozzle pliers    
Set of Allen keys    
Circlip remover( tongs)    
Multi-meter    
Soldering Iron    
Wire striper and cutter    
Crimping tool    
Wire wrapping tool     
© UNBS 2020 – All rights reserved  13 
 Test weights  
(All mass pieces must 
have a valid calibration 
certificate)  For Class A and B: A test board in good working 
condition and At least 200 kg of te st weights in 
denominations of 5kg, 10kg, 20kg or 50kg;    
For class C: At least 10000 kg of test weights in 
denominations of 200kg, 500kg or 1000kg;    
Fractional Weights  
(All mass pieces must 
have a valid calibration 
certificate)  Set of allowance box (1  g to 5 g) for class A and B; 
or   
Mass pieces (200 g, 500 g, 1kg,or  2kg of 
combined weight 20kg) for class C;    
Weights Testing balance  A beam or digital scale to test  traders’ weights    
Proving cans  For Fuel dispensers: 5 litre, 10 litre and 20 lit re. 
For Tanks: 100 litre, 200 litre and either 500 litre or 
1000 litre.  
For bulk meters: 3000 litre or higher.    
Master Meters  At least flow rate 1000 litres per minute.    
Other equipment  Workshop bench (metallic or hard wood); the top 
shall be even and level.    
Vice (fitted)    
Anvil or weight adjusting block    
Grinding stones (electrical or hand)    
Drilling machine (electrical or hand)    
Blow torch or gas glazing equipment    
Wrenches (appropriate to scope of License)    
spares parts relevant  to scales for which license is 
sought    
1) It shall suffice to have formal Commitment from a third party to avail the test weights for Weighbridges, proving 
cans for tanks and meter calibration, or Master meter for meter calibration as and when required pro vided the 
capacity of such third party is assessed and confirmed. In this case the Workshop shall arrange onsite inspection 
of the equipment.  
 DUS 1857:20 20 
© UNBS 2020 – All rights reserved  15 
 Certification marking  
Products that conform to Uganda standards may be marked with Uganda National Bureau of St andards 
(UNBS) Certification Mark shown in the figure below.  
The use of the UNBS Certification Mark is governed by the Standards Act, and the Regulations made 
thereunder. This mark can be used only by those licensed under the certification mark scheme ope rated by 
the Uganda National Bureau of Standards and in conjunction with the relevant Uganda Standard. The 
presence of this mark on a product or in relation to a product is an assurance that the goods comply with the 
requirements of that standard under a s ystem of supervision, control and testing in accordance with the 
certification mark scheme of the Uganda National Bureau of Standards. UNBS marked products are 
continually checked by UNBS for conformity to that standard.  
Further particulars of the terms a nd conditions of licensing may be obtained from the Director, Uganda 
National Bureau of Standards.  
 
 DUS 1857:20 20   
 
ICS 43.180  
Price based on nn pages  
© UNBS  2020– All rights reserved