NBSIR 77-1385

lyS

Report to AID on an NBS/AID

Workshop on Standardization

and Measurement Services

Edited by:

H. Steffen Peiser

Charles C. Raley

Cathy A. Schroyer

Office of International Relations

National Bureau of Standards

Washington, D.C. 20234

Held October 16-30, 1976

Issued December 1977

The Workshop was conducted as a part of the program under the

US/NBS Agency for International Development PASA TA (CE) 6-71

Prepared for Agency for International Development

Department of State

Washington, D.C. 20523

NBSIR 77-1385

REPORT TO AID ON AN NBS/AID

WORKSHOP ON STANDARDIZATION

AND MEASUREMENT SERVICES

Edited by.

H. Steffen Peiser

Charles C. Raley

Cathy A. Schroyer

Office of International Relations

National Bureau of Standards

Washington, D C. 20234

Held October 16-30, 1976

Issued December 1977

The Workshop was conducted as a part of the program under the

US/NBS Agency for International Development PASA TA (CE) 6-71

Prepared for Agency for International Development

Department of State

Washington, D.C. 20523

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, Juanita M. Kreps, Secretary

Dr. Sidney Harman, Under Secretary

Jordan J. Baruch, Assistant Secretary for Science and Technology

NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS. Ernest Ambler, Acting Director

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

INTRODUCTION, Hr. H. Steffen Peiser, Chief, Office of

International Relations, National Bureau of Standards,

Washington, D.C., United States 1

WORKSHOP PARTICIPANTS AND BIOGRAPHICAL DATA 3

PHOTOGRAPH 8

PHOTOGRAPH IDENTIFICATION 9

ACENDA OF WORKSHOP , "NBS—A RESOURCE FOR DEVELOPMENT" 11

WELCOME TO NBS/AID WORKSHOP, Dr. E. Ambler, Acting Director,

National Bureau of Standards, Washington, D.C., United

States 17

MINERAL RESOURCES IN A NEW LIGHT, Dr. Joel E. Arem, F.G.A.,

Multifacet, Inc. 19

A BRIEF TALK ON NORMS AND STANDARDS PROGRAMS IN AFGHANISTAN,

Mr. Mohammad Kabir Naziri, Director of Standardization for

Industrial and Agricultural Materials, Norms and Standards

Department, Ministry of Mines and Industries, Kabul,

Afghanistan 23

STANDARDIZATION AND MEASUREMENT SERVICES IN BANGLADESH,

Mr. Mohd. Abul Bashar Khan, Deputy Director, Bangladesh

Standards Institution, Dacca, Bangladesh 29

QUALITY CONTROL IN BOLIVIAN INDUSTRY, Mr. Jose Paredes,

Chief, Quality Control Department, Directorate General

of Standards and Technology, Ministry of Industry,

Commerce, and Tourism, La Paz, Bolivia 33

THE NATIONAL PROGRAM OF METROLOGY IN ECUADOR,

Mr. Hernan Sotomayor, Chief, Weights and Measures

Department, Instituto Ecuatoriano de Normalization,

Quito, Ecuador 39

PROBLEMS AND EXPERIENCES IN STANDARDIZING LOCAL SCIENTIFIC

AND TECHNOLOGICAL TERMINOLOGIES AND IN TRANSLATING

NATIONAL STANDARDS IN ENGLISH INTO AMHARIC—ONE OF THE

MAJOR LANGUAGES IN ETHIOPIA, Mr. Daniachew Worku, Head,

Translation, Publication, and Documentation Division,

Ethiopian Standards Institution, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia ... 43

i
QUALITY CERTIFICATION IN GHANA, Dr. L. Twum-Danso, Principal

Scientific Officer and Head, Materials and Engineering

Department, Ghana Standards Board, Accra, Ghana 49

STANDARDIZATION IN GUYANA, Dr. Rex B. Woo-Ming, Government

Analyst, Ministry of Health, Georgetown, Guyana 55

STANDARDIZATION AND MEASUREMENT SERVICES IN INDIA,

Dr. A. R. Verma, Director, National Physical Laboratory,

New Delhi, India 61

INDONESIAN APPROACH TO ESTABLISHING A NATIONAL NETWORK FOR

CALIBRATION, Mr. Herudi Kartowisastro, Director of

National Institute for Instrumentation, Indonesian

Institute of Science, Bandung, Indonesia 67

IRAN'S EXPERIENCE IN STANDARDIZATION ACTIVITIES,

Dr. Davoud Davoudzadeh, Director, Division of Coordination

in Formulation and Implementation of National Standards,

Institute of Standards and Industrial Research of Iran,

Tehran, Iran 71

STANDARDIZATION IN JORDAN, Mr. M. E. Khasawneh, Head, Standards Division; Acting Director, Directorate of Standards,

Ministry of Industry and Trade, Amman, Jordan 75

STANDARDIZATION AND METROLOGY IN KENYA, Mr. Raila Odinga,

Group Standards Manager, Engineering Section, Kenya Bureau

of Standards, Nairobi, Kenya 81

MODERNIZATION OF NATIONAL MEASUREMENT SYSTEM IN KOREA,

Progress Review of Korea Standards Research Institute,

Dr. Wun Jung, Vice President for Metrology, Korea Standards Research Institute, Seoul, Korea 85

OVERVIEW OF STANDARDIZATION IN NIGERIA, Mr. F. P. A. Obi,

Assistant Director, Nigerian Standards Organization,

Federal Ministry of Industries, Lagos, Nigeria 89

UNITS OF WEIGHTS, SCALES, AND MEASUREMENTS IN THE YEMEN ARAB

REPUBLIC, Mr. Jawdat Nazer, Economic Expert, Ministry of

Supply, Sana, Yemen 95

EVALUATION SESSION, Mr. Edward M. Glass, Technical

Assistance Expert 99

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ADDRESSED BY PARTICIPANTS

OF THE NBS/AID WORKSHOP, OCTOBER 1976 103

ii
INTRODUCTION

On behalf of the National Bureau of Standards and the Agency for

International Development, I present once again the Report of one of

the annual Workshops on "Standardization and Measurement Services."

Distinguished technical leaders from less industrialized regions of

the world visit us for two weeks to examine such services provided

by the private and public sectors in the United States. It is

neither desired nor appropriate to imitate elsewhere the U.S.

systems of standards and of metrology, but an awareness has been

found useful of how various groups in the United States have

responded, or are attempting to respond, to ever changing needs and

growing demands for standards and control by measurement. From the

NBS viewpoint, it is a challenge to choose typical, well-balanced

examples from the U.S. scene when one views the enormous choice

available and the very short time our visitors can be with us.

For the most part, I have varied the organizations visited from year

to year. Few, other than NBS, the American National Standards

Institute, and the American Society for Testing and Materials have

been visited by more than one of the six annual workshops that have

taken place. It is remarkable that during these itineraries we have

been so openly and generously received by virtually all U.S.

organizations from which we requested visits and that noted

specialists have joined us on many an evening to tell of their

professional lives.

I can never properly thank the organizations and individuals who

spend so many hours preparing for meetings with the MBS/AID Workshop

groups. This year, however, I want to acknowledge especially the

unforgettable leadership for development given by the late Edward M.

Glass, who chaired and later reported on the Evaluation Session of

this Workshop. This event preceded by all too few months his most

sudden and unexpected early passing from his exemplary life, the

last years of which he spent in unselfish devotion to the

development of economically disadvantaged regions of our earth. His

time was sought by UN and national agencies and I feel profoundly

grateful to him for having supported our Workshop with a closing

session which he made into a truly brilliant event. His own report

(see page 99) is probably the last written document he left to us who must continue this work if the world is to see a brighter and

happier future in peace through industrial development. The reader

of this report may also wish to turn to page 103 for the comments

and suggestions made by the participants in writing.

As for the rest of the report, it only gives an outline of the

programs. Certain papers, however, are presented in full as they

1
were given to the Workshop. As in previous years, they include some evening discourses by eminent U.S. authorities and contributions by our visitors from less developed countries. The latter are encouraged to pick as topics one of their countries' programs or specific problems in standardization and measurement services; these

articles are arranged alphabetically by the countries of the

authors.

A special word of thanks is due to our colleagues at NBS who

enthusiastically support the annual workshops and give generous

personal guidance to these events. We also thank AID for

sponsorship and program direction provided this year by Mr. William

D. Roseborough in the Office of Science and Technology of the

Technical Assistance Bureau of AID in Washington.

H. Steffen Peiser

Chief

Office of International Relations

2
WORKSHOP PARTICIPANTS AND BIOGRAPHICAL DATA

Mr. Mohammad Kabir Naziri

Director, Industrial and Agricultural Materials

Norms and Standards Department

Ministry of Mines and Industries

Kabul, Afghanistan

Mr. M. K. Naziri, born September 10, 1946, in Kabul,

Republic of Afghanistan, is the Director, Industrial

and Agricultural Materials, Norms and Standards

Department, Afghanistan Ministry of Mines and

Industries.

Mr. Mohd, Abul Bashar Khan

Deputy Director, Certification Marks

Bangladesh Standards Institution

3 DIT Extension Avenue

Dacca 2, Bangladesh

Mr. M. A. B. Khan, born January 11, 1927, in Chittagong,

Bangladesh, received his M.S. degree in Chemistry from

Dacca University in 1951. From December 7, 1972, he has

been Deputy Director (Certification Marks) of the Bangladesh Standards Institution.

Mr. Jose Paredes

Chief, Quality Control Department

Direccion General de Normas y Tecnologia

Ministerio de Industria, Comercio y Turismo

Casilla 4430

La Paz, Bolivia

Mr. J. Paredes, born March 18, 1945, received a degree in

1971 from San Andres University in Bolivia. Since January

1975 he has been Chief, Quality Control, Bolivian General

Direction of Standards and Technology.

3
Mr. Her nan Sotomayor

Chief, Weights and Measures Department

Institute) Ecuatoriano de Normalizacion

Casilla 3999

Quito, Ecuador

Mr. H. Sotomayor, born in 1948, received a degree in

Electronics and Telecommunications Engineering from the

National Polytechnic School of Ecuador. Presently he

is National Director of Weights and Measures in the

Ecuadorean Institute of Standardization.

Dr. Lawrence Twum-Danso

Principal Scientific Officer and Head, Materials

and Engineering Department

Ghana Standards Board

P.0. Box M. 245

Accra, Ghana

Dr. L. Twum-Danso, born April 28, 1933, received his Ph.D.

from Astin University, England. Since 1972, he has been

Principal Scientific Officer and Head of the Materials

and Engineering Department of the Ghana Standards Board.

Dr. Rex B. Woo-Ming

Government Analyst

Department of the Government Analyst

19-21 Evans and Lyng Streets

Georgetown, Guyana

Dr. R. Woo-Ming, born May 11, 1934, in Buxton, Guyana,

received his Ph.D. from the University of the West

Indies. He is the Director-designate of the Guyana

Bureau of Standards.

Dr. A. R. Verma

Director

National Physical Laboratory

Hillside Road

New Delhi 110012, India

Dr. A. R. Verma, born September 20, 1921, received his

Ph.D. from Allahabad University in 1942. Since 1965

he has been the Director of the National Physical

Laboratory, New Delhi.

4
Mr. Herudi Kartowisastro

Director, National Institute for Instrumentation

Indonesian Institute of Sciences

LIPI Complex, Jl. Sangkuriang

Bandung, Indonesia

Mr. H. Kartowisastro, born January 17, 1939, received an engineering degree from the Institute of Technology,

Bandung, Indonesia. From 1965 he has been the Director

of the Indonesian National Institute of Instrumentation.

Dr. D. Davoudzadeh

Director, Division of Coordination in Formulation

and Implementation of National Standards

Institute of Standards and Industrial Research of Iran

P. 0. Box 2937

Tehran, Iran

Dr. D. Davoudzadeh, born February 1942, received his Ph.D.

from Strathchyde University, U.K., in 1973. Presently he

is Director for Divisional Coordination, Formulation, and

Implementation of National Standards in Iran.

Mr. Mahmoud Issa Khasawneh

Acting Director and Head, Standards Section

Directorate of Standards

Ministry of Industry and Trade

P.0. Box 2019

Amman, Jordan

Mr. M. I. Khasawneh, born January 9, 1942, received his

B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering from Auburn University,

U.S.A. Since 1971 he has been Head of the Standards Section and Acting Director of the Directorate of Standards

of Jordan.

5
Mr. Raila Odinga

Group Standards Manager, Engineering Section

Kenya Bureau of Standards

P.0. Box 10610

Nairobi, Kenya

Mr. R. Odinga, born January 7, 1945, received a post

graduate degree from Magdeburg College of Advanced

Technology in Mechanical Engineering in 1969. Since

1975 he has been Group Standards Manager for the Kenya

Bureau of Standards.

Dr. Wun Jung

Vice-President of Metrology

Korea Standards Research Institute

C.P.O. Box 156

Seoul, Korea

Dr. W. Jung, born June 13, 1932, received a Ph.D.

degree in Physics from Purdue University in 1963.

Since the beginning of 1976, he has been the VicePresident of Metrology for the Korea Standards

Research Institute.

Mr. F. P. A. Obi

Assistant Director

Nigerian Standards Organization

Federal Ministry of Industries

11 Kofo Abayomi Road, Victoria Island

Lagos, Nigeria

Mr. F. P. A. Obi, born August 12, 1933, received a B.S. degree

in Chemical Engineering from Purdue University in 1963. From

1971 he has been the Assistant Director of the Nigerian Standards Organization.

6
Mr. Jawdat M. Nazer

Economic Expert

Ministry of Supply

Sana, Yemen

Mr. J. Nazer, born in 1926, has served since 197A as an Economic Expert to the Government of Yemen, Ministry of

Supply, in the areas of quality control, metrology, and

standardization.

Mr. D. Uorku, who at the last minute was unable to attend but has

contributed a paper, was born in 1936, and received his Masters Degree

at the University of Iowa. Since 197A he has been Head of the

Standards Translation, Publication, and Documentation Division,

Ethiopian Standards Institution, P.0. Box 2310, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

7
8
PHOTOGRAPH IDENTIFICATION

Standing (left to right):

Mr. J. Birch, Mr. J. Paredes, Dr. L. Mr. H. Kartowisastro , Mr. S. Peiser,

Mr. C. Raley, Dr. R. Woo-Ming, Mrs.

Dr. A. Verma, Mrs. F. Bullman, Dr. W

Mrs. J. Cornish, Mr. M. Naziri, Dr.

Mr. M. Khan, Mr. H. Sotomayor, Mr. R

Kneeling (left to right)

Mr. F. Obi, Dr. D. Davoudzadeh, Mr.

Twum-Danso

,

Mr. J. Nazer,

D. Bluebond,

'. dung,

E. Brady,

. Odinga.

M. Khasawneh.

9
‘
National Bureau of Standards

Agency for International Development

Workshop on Standardization and Measurement Services

"NBS —A RESOURCE FOR DEVELOPMENT"

October 16 - 30, 1976

October 16, Saturday

AM - PM

October 17, Sunday

Arrival

AM Free

4:00 PM

October 18, Monday

Dinner and Talk, Mr. W. L. Ellers

Deputy Director, Office of Science and Technology

Agency for International Development

U.S. Department of State

9:00 AM - 9:15 AM

Welcome, Dr. E. Ambler

Acting Director, NBS

9:15 AM - 9:45 AM

NBS Overview, Dr. E. L. Brady

Associate Director for Information Programs

9:45 AM

10:15 AM - Workshop Introduction, Mr. H. S. Peiser

Chief, Office of International Relations

10:15 AM - 10:30 AM

Break

10:30 AM - 11:45 AM

Executive Session I

11:45 AM - Lunch

12:45 PM - 2:15 PM

Administrative Procedures

2:15 PM - 3:30 PM

Institute for Basic Standards

Dr. H. A. Fowler, Scientific Assistant

11
3:30

3:45

PM - PM

Break

3:45

5:00

PM - PM

Institute for Materials Research

Dr. E. Horowitz, Deputy Director

7:00 PM

October 19, Tuesday

Dinner and Talk, Dr. C. Weiss

Science and Technology Adviser, World Bank

Group-International Bank for Reconstruction

and Development

9:00

10:15

AM - AMInstitute for Applied Technology

Dr. C. Muehlhause, Senior Scientist

10:15

10:30

AM - AM

Break

10:30

11:45

At! - AMInstitute for Computer Sciences and Technology

Mr. P. F. Roth, Chief, Information Technology

Analysis

11:45

12:00

AM - Noon

Group Photograph

12:00

2:00

Noon - PM

Lunch and Talk, Dr. J. Williams

Assistant Director for International

Standards, Office of the Secretary

U.S. Department of Commerce

Product

2:00

4:00

PM - PMNBS Tour

4:00

5:00

PM - PM

Executive Session II

October 20, Wednesday

9:00

10:15

AM - AM

Office of International Standards

Mr. U. E. Andrus, Chief

10:15

10:30

AM - AM

Break

10:30

11:15

AM - AM

Office of Measurement Services

Mr. J. M. Cameron, Chief

12
11:15 AM - 12:00 Noon

12:00 Noon - 2:00 PM

2:00 PM - 4:00 PM

4:00 PM - 5:00 PM

7:00 PM

Office of Standard Reference Materials

Mr. G. A. Uriano, Deputy Chief

Lunch and Talk, Mr. A. W. Alexander

Program and Product Manager

National Technical Information Service

U.S. Department of Commerce

Standards Application and Analysis Division

Dr. L. E. Eicher

Mr. K. G. Newell

Dr. N. F. Somes

(Break at 3:30 PM)

Executive Session III

Dinner and Talk, Dr. J. E. Arem

President, Multifacet, Inc.

October 21, Thursday

9:00

10:15

AM - AMCenter for Building Technology

Dr. R. N. Wright, Director

10:15

10:30

AM - AM

Break

10:30

11:00

AM - AM

Office of Experimental Technology Incentives

Program, Mr. R. T. Penn, Deputy for Operations

11:00

12:00

AM - Noon

Office of Weights and Measures

Mr. J, V. Odom, Metric Coordinator

12:00 Noon Lunch

2:00

3:30

PM - PMDivision of Weights and Measures

Department of Economic Development

District of Columbia Government

1110 U Street, SE

Washington, D.C. 20020

Host: Mr. E. Maxwell

5:00 PM Dinner and Talk, Dr. A. A. Bates

Consultant

13
UL LU UCL XI

9:00

9:30

- % l i. xu ay

AM - AM

Library Division

Mrs. P. W. Berger, Chief

9:30

10:15

AM - AMInstrument Shops Division

Mr. J. L. Pararas, Chief

10:15

10:30

AM - AM

Break

10:30

11:15

AM - AMDental and Medical Materials Section

Dr. J. M. Cassel, Chief

11:15

12:00

AM -

Noon

Office of Air and Water Measurement

Dr. W. H. Kirchhoff, Acting Chief

12:00

2:00

Noon - PM

Lunch and Talk, Dr. P. G. Harrill

Deputy Director, Division of Food Technology

Food and Drug Administration

U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare

2:00

2:30

PM - PMOffice of Developmental Automation and Control

Technology, Dr. R. N. Davis, Director, ICST

2:30

3:30

PM - PMTalk, Mr. M. A. Pisciotta

Deputy Managing Director of Standards Programs

American National Standards Institute, Inc.

3:30

3:45

PM -

PM

Break

3:45

5:00

PM

PM

Executive Session IV

5:00 PM - Farewell Reception and Dinner

October 23, Saturday

AM - PM Free

October 24, Sunday

AM - PM Free

14
October 25, Monday

10:00 AM American Society for Testing and Materials

1916 Race Street

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103

Host: Mr. Albert J. Sadler, Assistant to the Deputy

Director for National and International

Standards Coordination

October 26, Tuesday

9:30 AM Transportation Test Center

U.S. Department of Transportation

Pueblo, Colorado 81001

Host: Mr. Pres Lockridge, Public Affairs Officer

October 27, Wednesday

9:00 AM Institute for Basic Standards

National Bureau of Standards

Boulder, Colorado 80302

Host: Mr. R. D. Harrington, Chief

Program Coordination Office

October 28, Thursday

9:30 All Stanford Research Institute

333 Ravenswood Avenue

Menlo Park, California 94025

Host: Dr. Charles A. Anderson

President and Chief Executive Officer

12:00 Noon Stanford University

Stanford, California 94305

Host: Mr. Donald T. Carlson

Director, University Relations

15
October 29, Friday

10:00 AM Hughes Aircraft Company

P.O. Box 90515

Los Angeles, California 90009

Host: Mr. Roy H. Leach, Manager, Advanced

Program Development, Support Systems Division

October 30, Saturday

7:30 AM - Breakfast and Concluding Session

12:00 Noon Chairman: Mr. E. M. Glass

Technical Assistance Expert

16
WELCOME TO NBS/AID WORKSHOP

by

Dr. E. Ambler

Acting Director, NBS

Good Morning. And welcome to the sixth NBS/AID Workshop on Standardization and Measurement Services. One of the most vital

elements in technologica] progress is the availability of adequate and

appropriate measurement capabilities.

Our Secretary of Commerce, Mr. Elliot Richardson, delights in telling

the story of the merchant in ancient times. It seems the merchant

called to his assistant, "Hand me the measuring stick." To which the

assistant replied, "The one by which we sell, or the one by which we

buy?" Mr. Richardson concluded by noting "that was a country in need

of a national standards organization."

It is an acknowledged fact that standards based on technical

measurements are the basic building blocks for a growing economy.

Mr. Richardson's little story points out the fact that they assure

equity in the marketplace, providing confidence to both buyer and

seller. And without confidence on both sides, the exchange of

goods would grind to a halt.

Standards and measurements are also a known factor in the enhancement

of productivity. It was the development of standardized parts that made

mass production a reality. Even today, as w?e develop more

sophisticated means of producing goods, standards and measurements are

still a key factor in both implementation and production.

The development of a highly complex and technical society requires

basic norms and agreements to which all men can adhere. This forms

the nucleus of our system of laws and justice and it underlies cur flow of goods and services to the marketplace. Thus, standards and

measurement services are responsible for the manner in which we mark

time, size clothing, determine load bearing strength of building

walls, prescribe medication levels, evaluate materials, and a host of

others.

In short, these services determine the standard of living for the

citizens of our respective societies. The governments of many nations

have recognized the importance of a central organization responsible

for maintaining basic standards, developing measurement techniques and

establishing dissemination procedures. In the United States, that

responsibility w?as given to this organization.

17
For the past seventy-five years, NBS has carried out a mission

developed to support and encourage the growth of commerce, industry,

science and technology. Our programs range from research aimed at

exploiting scientific discovery to produce better tools of measurement

to applied technology aimed at resolving problems of immediate

practical importance.

In recent years, one fact has become increasingly clear. More and

more, the marketplace wherein our respective societies conduct

business is an international marketplace. And the language of

communication In that marketplace is standards and measurement

services. For that is the most elementary and necessary bond to

develop communication between buyer and seller of different

nationalities

But, I'm sure that I'm not telling you anything new with that fact.

However, the fact that our respective countries have recognized the

need for common communication through standards and measurement

services is relatively new. The American humorist Will Rogers once

said, "even if you're on the right track you'll get run over if you

just sit there."

Recognition of our need has us on the right track. Our participation

in this Workshop provides the means for forward motion on that track.

And hopefully, twelve days from now, when you sit down to breakfast

and tie concluding session in Los Angeles, California, you will have

moved down that track to lay the groundwork for increasing the

standardization and measurement services in your countries.

IS
MINERAL RESOURCES IN A NEW LIGHT

by

Dr. Joel E. Arem, F.G.A.

Multifacet, Inc.

Astronauts on their way to the moon have described the earth as a "fragile piece of blue," floating in space. We are increasingly aware

that our planet is indeed a fragile environment, subject to the

accumulated abuses of a technological civilization. Our globe is a closed system, and we must surely pay the penalties for its

mismanagement. Since most of us cannot leave the earth, we are obliged to take good care of the only home we have.

Rising standards of living throughout the world have resulted in

tremendous expansion of the quest for natural resources of all kinds.

The backbone of an industrialized economy is an ample supply of

minerals and fuels. Developing nations have been increasingly

pressured to exploit their own natural resources and export them to

other countries, while at the same time internal pressures have forced

governments to seek improvement for living conditions at home. But

the basic key to development always remains wealth from the ground.

In the United States and many European countries, affluence has become

a way of life for millions of people. With basic living conditions

easily paid for by relatively few working hours, leisure time and excess capital to spend on hobbies is a normal part of the lives of

many. In the past few decades, there has been a fantastic growth in

the collection of minerals, not for their intrinsic value as sources

of metal or fuel, but for their esthetic qualities. Even such mundane

materials as cinnabar (mercury sulfide), metallic copper, manganite

(manganese oxide), galena (lead sulfide), wolframite (iron tungstate),

millerite (nickel sulfide), stibnite (antimony sulfide), and calcite

(calcium carbonate) occur in spectacular crystals that are highly

prized by collectors.

Certain mines and localities are well known to collectors around the

world for the fine mineral specimens they produce. In almost all

cases, these specimens are, on a pound-for-pound basis, worth far more

than the massive ores in which they are found. The value of specimens

can be so high, in fact, that marginally profitable mines could

sometimes be profitably worked just for specimens.

Usually it is the gangue minerals, unwanted oxides, carbonates, and

sulfates associated with commercial orebodies, that provide the

19
collectors with desirable specimens. These minerals include siderite

(iron carbonate), wulfenite (lead molybdate), vanadinite (lead

vanadate), proustite (silver sulfide), and calcite. Unlike the more

somber-colored ore minerals, these minerals are usually brightly

colored and make spectacular showpieces or display items in museums

and private collections.

The lure of finding beautiful or valuable mineral specimens has

created a major collecting movement in the U.S. and other countries,

especially Germany, France, England, Switzerland , and Italy. Field

trips have several major attractions: they offer an opportunity to

get outdoors and get some exercise, especially for the average middleclass worker who spends most of his time at a desk. Collectors can be

found in the field in any weather, on back roads or in places where

there are no roads at all, exploring old mines and dumps, even digging

great pits into the ground. The hobby is quite liberated in that

women are equal participants. The "collecting fever" can be quite

virulent, leading to unparalleled exertions in such areas as weight

lifting and endurance. The work of collecting may be strenuous, but

for many the rewards, in terms of material found, are great.

Although many hobbyists are mineral collectors, the so-called mineral

and gem hobby is actually dominated by gem cutters and collectors.

Lapidary, or gem cutting, accounts for approximately 90 percent of all

money spent in the hobby, most of this going for cutting materials

(rough), supplies, and equipment, as well as books and tools. Any

colorful rock or mineral may be considered suitable for cutting by

hobbyists; agate and jasper are the most popular and abundant of such

materials. But even minerals that are considered ore, such as malachite, may be cut for jewelry, ashtrays, or other decorative

objects. Of course, the well-known gemstones, such as beryl, topaz,

and peridot, are mineral resources of great intrinsic value that are mined for their own right throughout the world and may play a great

role in the economies of some countries, such as India, Sri Lanka,

Burma, and Australia.

The hobby movement has, in addition to these gems, created a range of

desirable gem materials not generally regarded as such by the gem

trade. There is a small but growing number of connoisseurs,

collectors of rare stones, who regard any transparent mineral as a potential gemstone. Such materials as calcite, barite, rhodochrosite

(manganese carbonate), scheelite (calcium tungstate), cassiterite (tin

oxide), and stibiotantalite (antimony iron tantalum oxide) have all

been faceted for collectors. Some of these cut stones are among the

rarest of all natural objects, and their potential for price

appreciation is unrivaled.

20
Gemstones, in general, offer a haven from the ravages of inflation,

because they are non-perishable, durable, beautiful, have accepted

value worldwide, and their scarcity value seldom decreases. In the

1970's the gem market has seen a major increase in public awareness of

the desirability of colored gems, as well as diamonds. This increased

demand, coupled with increasing scarcity of some gems due to political

problems in countries of origin, has driven up gem prices in a dramatic way, increasing their visability as investment vehicles.

Developing nations that have gem material resources have become

increasingly aware of this potential, and the desirability of creating

a local gem cutting industry is becoming more and more apparent in

many countries.

A major factor in the development of the gem and mineral hobby is the

fact that it strongly attracts young people. The youth of a nation

can, through motivation and education, be turned into a massive field

explorationary force that can rapidly expand knowledge of local resources. An army of young people in the field picking up samples can map out far more ground than a small group of geologists ever could

.

In conclusion, the development of awareness of the value of mineral

specimens and potential gem materials in many countries is most

desirable. Every effort should be made to educate local mining

industries as to the value of such materials and stimulate them to

preserve specimen minerals as natural resources.

21

A BRIEF TALK ON NORMS AND STANDARDS PROGRAMS IN AFGHANISTAN

by

Mr. Mohammad Kabir Naziri

Director of Standardization for

Industrial and Agricultural Materials

Norms and Standards Department

Ministry of Mines and Industries

Kabul, Afghanistan

In a technical and scientific workshop of so many distinguished

experts in standardization, I am not going to say anything about the

importance of standardization, its aims, and advantages. However, as

the Director of Industrial and Agricultural Materials of the Afghan

Norms and Standards Department (ANSD) of Afghanistan, I may be allowed

to give a brief account of the activities of Afghanistan in the field

of standardization.

Afghanistan, with a population of some 17 million people, is primarily

an agricultural country. Nothing comes easily in Afghanistan, for it

is a hard mountainous land, divided through its center by a rugged

mountain range. During the long, dry, hot summers a great deal of

effort must be applied to irrigation if the ground is to be made to

yield its crops of rice, fruits, cotton, sugar beets, and sugar cane,

and to support the sheep and cattle of the country.

Natural resources exist, such as coal, natural gas, marble, mercury,

beryllium, and lapis lazuli. Besides these, the country is also known

to have deposits of petroleum, minerals like sulfur, fluorite, barite,

asbestos, mica, rock-salt, etc.

The economy of Afghanistan is based on agriculture and small-scale

industry. Major products are: fresh and dried fruits, karakul pelts,

hand-woven carpets and rugs, cotton, furs, and a large variety of

handicrafts.

The population is spread throughout the country in small villages in

addition to some concentrations in the towns and cities. More than 80

percent of the people work in agriculture and with livestock.

Industry in Afghanistan is now developing alongside agriculture.

In 1919, Afghanistan received its independence after the third AngloAfghan War. In July 1973, the country reached its zenith of progress

in the establishment of the Republic of Afghanistan by a national

hero, Mohammad Daoud.

Under the direction of the leader of the revolution, Head of State and

Prime Minister Mohammad Daoud, the Government and the people of the

23
Republic of Afghanistan have worked hard to make up for time lost in

the past and to create the foundations for a prosperous Afghanistan.

The new Republican Government has accelerated efforts in every

direction. For example, until 1973 Afghanistan had not had a National

Department of Standards which could concern itself with the study and

preparation of national standards. In September 1973, under the

direction of the Government, a new department of "Norms and Standards"

was established. ANSD is working within the framework of the Ministry

of Mines and Industries and has the following aims and functions:

AIM:

1. to improve the effectiveness and the capability of

domestic production in various sectors and to promote the

quality of products to meet national and international

requirements

2. to secure the required qualities of goods in order to

minimize the diversity and quantity of imports; and

3. to obtain a maximum and reasonable advantage from the

products and resources and to minimize the use of human and

national resources.

FUNCTION:

1. to plan and set up the national standards for all the

products including local and imported;

2. to set up national standards for measuring methods estimation

and control;

3. to study and apply international standards to utilize

those standards according to the economical, social, cultural,

and regional conditions of Afghanistan;

4. to publish and distribute approved standards, and to apply

them in concerned fields;

5. to cooperate with industrial and scientific organizations,

with public and private sectors, and to consider their proposals

for developing national standards and preparing the standards

for all traditional handicrafts;

6. to carry out different scientific, technical, and economic

investigations and researches in order to set national standards;

7. to create cooperative relations with international and regional

standards organizations and to apply the recommendations and

experiences of international organizations;

24
8. to strengthen cooperative relationships with the universities

and all scientific and educational institutions of the country,

to investigate and approve the national standards and quality

control of products;

9. to prepare the bylaws, regulations, and functional directives

of ANSI);

10. to publish and issue publications on standardization affairs;

11. to establish archives for the national and international

standards for achieving more benefits fron these standards;

12. to establish and maintain laboratories for the purpose of

scientific and technical investigations in the field of

standardization, and also to control the quality of products;

13. to train vocational and administrative personnel by

establishing long- and short-term service courses administered by

ANSI) and also to send such personnel to friendly countries for

increasing their vocational and administrative knowledge of

standardization;

14. to give technical and scientific guidance to producers and

commercial firms, to create facilities for improving national

products and to limit the number of imports of inferior quality

goods

15. to test and examine samples of products and to issue permits

for the privilege of use of the standards symbol, according to the

regulations; and

16. to supervise the sampling and comparing with given standards.

At present 28 graduate personnel are working in the ANSD and there are

plans for increasing the number of this personnel in the future.

The major objective behind ANSD is to develop national standards for a minimum quality of products and then further to increase the quality

to meet national and international expectations.

In order to achieve this end, we need to draw up a comprehensive and

practical program. Under this plan, first of all, norms and standards

will be introduced and popularized on a national level. Parallel to

that effort it is planned to establish laboratories for testing and

researching products for developing national standards.

The first part of the program which has been implemented since the

establishment of the ANSD is concerned with publicizing norms and

25
standards in the country and with overcoming the shortage of needed

technical personnel through holding of seminars and conferences and

teaching of norms and standards at university level. So far in five

seminars and one conference a total of 345 people and by teaching the

scientific fundamentals of norms and standards at the Polytechnic

College a total of 311 people have been acquainted with the principles

of norms and standards.

The second part of the program will include the establishment of

laboratories. The construction of a separate building will require

more time and money. Nevertheless, it is hoped that the second part

of the program will also be undertaken.

Surveys and studies carried out on norms and standards by the Ministry

of Mines and Industries during the past two years show that

implementation of norms and standards, national and international, in

different economic and social fields is now more imperative and

necessary in Afghanistan than at any other time. Utilizing scientific

principles of norms and standards in production activities for

importing consumer goods and exporting handicrafts, natural resources,

and agricultural products will not only accelerate the pace of

economic growth in the country, but will also prevent irregularities

in diverse activities.

Statistics and observations show that, with the exception of a few

items, most products are being imported into the country without due

attention to norms, standards, and technical specifications. Even

among those goods that are imported on the basis of standards there

are many instances where such standards and norms do not meet

conditions and requirements in Afghanistan. They can also adversely

affect the people and national economy. To solve this problem, strict

control of imported goods, from a standards and norms point of view,

will help local industries to turn out good quality products and save consumers from using goods of inferior quality.

In accordance with programs of the ANSD, so far 23 draft standards for

different kinds of textiles and 2 for raisins have been prepared by

technical commissions. They are ready for approval. For the

industrial sector, standardization of chemicals, wood, and cotton, and

for the mining sector, standardization of salt, industrial salt, talc,

barite, coal, and cement have been studied by concerned technical

commissions. Similarly, to standardize raw hides and skins, leather

and leather goods, edible oil, soaps, and a few other items, studies

are going ahead by concerned sections of ANSD.

Recently, the Government of Afghanistan, after observing and reading

reports of the activities of the ANSD, has issued orders to all

ministries, concerned firms, and organizations in the country to

26
develop their norms and standards with technical help and assistance

from ANSD.

ANSD, through proper channels, has applied for membership in the

International Organization for Standardization. Afghanistan has also

applied for membership in the Asian Standardizing Advisory Committee

and the International Electrotechnical Commission. ANSD hopes to

establish fruitful contacts with ISO, IEC, ASAC, and with individual

norms and standards bodies in different countries.

I hope that my visit to the National Bureau of Standards in the United

States of America will be useful and bring benefits to us for

developing our future activities in the field of standardization and

that we will have good and regular contacts in this important field.

27

STANDARDIZATION AND MEASUREMENT SERVICES

IN BANGLADESH

By

Mr. Mohd. Abul Bashar Khan

Deputy Director

Bangladesh Standards Institution

Dacca, Bangladesh

Bangladesh, which is hardly five years old as a sovereign, independent

country, has had to tackle its standardization problems since its

inception. Before liberation, a regional office of the erstwhile

Pakistan Standards Institution was functioning at Dacca and so was a Certification Marks Inspectorate at Chittagong. On liberation of

Bangladesh, the regional office which was merely functioning as a liaison office was up-graded and set up as the national standards

institution called Bangladesh Standards Institution with headquarters

in Dacca. It has presently a regional office at Chittagong mainly for

inspection and certification work.

The main functions of BDSI are:

i) To prepare and promote general adoption of standards

on a national and international basis relating to

materials, structures, commodities, practices, operations,

etc., and, from time to time, to revise, alter, and amend

these standards.

ii) To consider and recommend to the Government national

standards for measurement of length, mass, volume, and

energy.

iii) To promote standardization, quality control, and simplification in industry and commerce.

iv) To provide for the registration of the standardization

marks applicable to products, commodities, etc., for

which the Institution issues standards to be branded on

or applied to these products and commodities, which

conform to the standards.

v) To provide or arrange facilities for examination and testing

of commodities, etc., for any investigation or research that

may be necessary.

vi) To establish, form, furnish, and maintain libraries, museums,

and laboratories for the purpose of furthering the practice

of standardization.

29
vii) To communicate information to members on matters connected

with standardization and to print, publish, issue, and

circulate periodicals, books, circulars, leaflets, and

other publications as may seem conducive to any of the

objectives of the Institution.

BDSI, although autonomous in character, is presently under the

administrative control of the Ministry of Industries. The General

Council, i.e., the governing body of the Institution, may be appointed

soon. BDSI is mainly financed by Government grants-in-aid ; the income

from other sources such as sale of standards, certification marking

fees, and sustaining membership is as yet small.

DIVISIONS AND DIVISIONAL COUNCILS

The work of BDSI, for the time being, is distributed among the

following Divisional Councils and Divisions:

1) Agricultural and Food Products Divisional Council - This Council deals with the national standards relating to

agricultural products such as tea, coffee, frozen prawns and

shrimps, milk and milk products, cereals and pulses (seeds),

etc. Draft standards are processed through the Sectional

Committees appointed by the Divisional Council. The

Divisional Council and the Sectional Committees are constituted

from representatives of the respective interests of users

(Government and private), manufacturers, and other persons

or bodies, concerned or associated with the industries

included in the Divisional or Sectional Committees. Bangladesh

standards for tea, coffee, sugar, frozen prawns, and shrimps,

milk products, oilcakes, fruits, and vegetable products have

already been prepared.

2) Jute and Textile Divisional Council - Jute is the principal

foreign exchange earner for Bangladesh. This Divisional Council,

through its two Sectional Committees for Jute Fibers and Jute

Products, has given priorities to the preparation of export

standards for jute and jute products. Two Bangladesh standards

for jute (pacca and katcha grade) have already been implemented

by the Ministry of Jute. Jute product standards such as for

Bangladesh Hessians, jute carpet backing fabrics, jute bags for

cement packing, etc., have almost been finalized.

3) Electro-technical Divisional Council - This Divisional Council has

already finalized standards for ceiling fans, chokes (ballasts for

fluorescent lamps), glossary of terms relating to electrical

cables and wires, etc.

4) Other Divisional Councils - Mechanical, Civil Engineering and

Chemical Divisional Councils are working in a limited way.

30
Bangladesh standards for fire extinguishers, hurricane lanterns,

M. S. nails for general engineering purposes, kerosines, water for use in secondary storage batteries, etc., have been finalized.

Besides the above standards prepared since liberation, 400 Pakistan

standards have also been adopted as Bangladesh standards.

PROBLEMS AND DIFFICULTIES IN STANDARDIZATION

i) Laboratory facilities - BDSI has no laboratory of its own. So,

problems associated with the preparation of standards have to be

referred to other laboratories, which have their own priorities

and commitments. They are also faced with difficulties such as additional funds to undertake investigations of such problems and

also for reagents, chemicals, etc.

ii) The manufacturers do not come forward with standards drafts of

their own. So the BDSI technical officers consult the ISO and

other foreign national standards and prepare a draft for

consideration by the Sectional Committee.

The Sectional Committee is sometimes bogged down in the absence of

statistics and confirmed data, particularly when a new project for

standardization is taken up and there is no corresponding ISO standard

or well-recognized foreign standard. When a laboratory can be

pursuaded to undertake a particular investigation, its data cannot be

checked in another reference laboratory within the country. The

Bangladesh laboratories deserve to be mentioned: the Laboratories of

the Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, and the

Central Testing Laboratories. While the former is engaged in

fundamental and applied research, the latter is only testing samples

sent by the Government departments, private Industries, or commercial

organizations. So there is no laboratory in Bangladesh exclusively

devoted to the purpose of standardization, certification marking, and

metrication services.

CERTIFICATION MARKING AND QUALITY CONTROL

The Certification Marks Ordinance, 1961, has empowered the BDSI to

establish and publish Bangladesh standards, to specify a standards

mark (Certification Mark), to grant and renew licenses, to levy fees

for granting of such licenses, and also to make inspections and to take

samples of any material, etc. Under the Ordinance, the Government has

powers to prohibit export of any product, which does not conform to a Bangladesh standard and bear the BDSI Certification Mark. The

Government has already prohibited export of (i) cane molasses, (ii)

oilcakes, (iii) electrical accessories including ceiling fans,

secondary storage batteries and dry cell batteries, (iv) biscuits

(cookies), and (v) PVC electric cables, unless they bear the

Certification Mark.

31
The Inspectors of BDSI either draw samples from the mills and

factories or from the export point, or from both. The samples are

tested in some Government laboratories and, if they conform to the

relevant Bangladesh standards, a Certification Marks License is issued

to the manufacturer/exporter for export of the commodities concerned.

In the absence of laboratories within BDSI, the samples cannot be

tested as expeditiously as they should be. Sometimes the result of an analysis is required by the exporter within 48 hours. The Central

Testing Laboratories are cooperating with BDSI in this task. Yet a separate BDSI laboratory could instill more confidence in the minds of

the exporters, besides accelerating the certification marking

activities

METRICATION OF WEIGHTS AND MEASURES

Bangladesh has traditional weights (maunds, seers, chhataks) and

imperial measures (i.e., on the foot-pound-second system). In the

interests of export and for educating our children in the

international system, the Government has agreed in principle to switch

to the metric (SI) system of weights and measures at an early date.

BDSI has been asked to prepare a plan for this changeover, stating the

estimated cost, the institutional and other facilities to be created,

the transition period, etc. The metric Standard Weights and Measures

Act, 1967, legislated during Pakistan time, needs to be suitably

modified in the changed circumstances of Bangladesh.

32
QUALITY CONTROL IN BOLIVIAN INDUSTRY

By

Mr. Jose Paredes

Chief, Quality Control Department

Directorate General of Standards and Technology

Ministry of Industry, Commerce, and Tourism

La Paz, Bolivia

The modern concept of integrated quality control that has evolved

through operating experience covering a period of half a century is

described as:

"An effective system for integrating quality development, quality

maintenance, and quality improvement efforts of various groups in an organization so that production and service are carried out at the

most economic levels that will bring full customer satisfaction."

In the development of that concept, the function of a company which

designs, processes, and sells products in a competitive market is taken

into consideration. To be successful, the company has to take into

account the impact of the many stages of the industrial process where

quality of any product is affected. Moreover, this concept has

evolved as a result of the pressure which manufacturers operating in

highly industrial societies are required to face due to conflicting

demands

a) increasingly high quality requirements by customers,

b) the necessity to upgrade in-plant quality control practices

and techniques to meet these demands, and

c) rising quality costs which could tend to place even the best

manufacturers in an unfavorable competitive position.

In contrast to the above, industry in Bolivia is operating in a different situation. Since her industries are at early stages of

development, the Government is providing a number of facilities among

which the following are relevant.

a) The Supreme Decree (DS) No. 9984 of November 5, 1971, guarantees

national industry an assured market in the public sector.

All public institutions, statutory bodies, and industrial

units in the public sectors are required to make purchases

of goods for use or consumption from domestic industry

where that industry is in a position to meet the requirements

both in respect to quality and quantity, and provided price

does not exceed 20 percent of the cost of importing these

items

.

33
b) DS 12914 of October 3, 1975, prohibits for a period of

two years importation of a number of products manufactured

in-country, so that domestic industry, with the assurance of an even larger internal market, is given the chance of

establishing itself competitively in international markets.

Both Supreme Decrees emphasize the need for domestic industry to

maintain and improve the quality of the products. However, since

there are few manufacturers in Bolivia, no effective competition

exists to provide the required incentives to the manufacturers for

concerted efforts to maintain or improve quality or to reduce price.

This situation was countered by operating a lot certification scheme

and by introducing a certification mark which put some pressure on industry to provide adequate attention to product quality.

Domestic industry in Bolivia is at a very early stage of development.

It seldom engages in research and development activities which could

provide guidelines for manufacturing. The design of products,

manufacturing processes, etc., of international business houses are adopted by Bolivian industry. Its problems are therefore related to

difficulties in adhering to those requirements under local conditions.

Operating under this handicap, the national industry needs to be given

emphasis on quality control activities. Studies have recently been

conducted on the present situation in some industrial sectors of

Bolivia. One can summarize the conclusions of all such studies. Lack

in quality control leads to problems in the processing industry. The

consequence is deficient quality of products.

This situation seems to be a result of the traditional economy of

Bolivia, which is governed by unsatisfied demand. Quality

considerations play little or no part. However, the situation will

change when quality will become a prime interest to the producer,

consumer, and the whole society.

In order to accelerate this change, the Bolivian Directorate General

of Standards and Technology (DGNT) was established in 1971 under the

direction of the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, and Tourism. DGNT

emphasizes that the efforts for promoting quality control in Bolivian

industry in the initial stages must be guided by the following

considerations

a) Standards of quality of finished products must be

established to guide manufacturing operations.

b) Quality standards need also to be established for raw

materials and semi-finished products procured from the

market for further processing to products of desired

quality.

34
c) Standards of quality of finished products, raw materials,

etc., become meaningful only when a system is in operation

to ensure conformance to the standards.

d) Without an efficient system of control of quality during

production, it is Impossible to reduce rejection rates

and to ensure a uniform quality of finished products.

e) Evaluation of quality, testing equipment, and trained

manpower are basic needs.

f) Without a suitable in-plant organization with adequate

authority for the establishment of standards, a system of

control, etc., and continuous supervision of the plant

operation on the basis of the above quality control,

activities are not likely to yield beneficial results.

DGNT has a Department of Quality Control (DOC). Its basic aim is to

promote quality control in the domestic industry. All functions of

DQC are oriented towards providing required incentives to

manufacturers to establish quality control procedures. With this

objective in view, the activities of the DOC are as follows:

1. Lot Certification Scheme

The Lot Certification Scheme is basically a service to

Government departments, statutory bodies, etc., for

inspection of goods manufactured in the country before

they are procured. However, experience has indicated

that quite often specifications underlying purchase

contracts are so vague that quality certification

becomes meaningless. Consequently, DOC offers advice

to purchasers on specifications of goods which will

form the basis of their procurements.

Such Lot Certification on a compulsory basis to regulate

procurement of goods for use of Government departments,

etc., would no doubt have some impact on quality control

during production.

2. Standard Mark Certification Scheme

The Standard Mark Certification Scheme aims at providing

incentives to manufacturers for producing goods that

conform to a national standard. Authorized use of

the Standard Mark on products indicates that the products

conform to a national standard. It is a voluntary scheme,

but there are additional incentives for manufacturers to

join. Effective promotion and administration of the

scheme has been planned as an important function of DOC.

35
3. Technical Assistance for Quality Control

In the past DGNT only assisted in the identification of the areas where actions had to be concentrated for promotion of

quality control in industry. These activities related to

the Lot Certification and the Standards Mark Certification

Schemes which promote quality control in the domestic

industry. However, these schemes would have little impact on quality control if Bolivia did not also consider a number

of other means for promotion of quality control activities.

Technical assistance services should include:

a) half-day seminars for management support on quality

control;

b) training programs on quality control methods and

techniques for nominees of industries engaged in the

activity; and

c) consultancy services on quality control for industrial

units.

In addition to providing assistance for solution of specific problems,

the DOC aims at guiding the establishment of systems of control at

various stages of manufacture of products to obtain uniform quality

in conformance with standards. At first, efforts were concentrated

on the following to meet the immediate needs of domestic industry;

a) development of purchase specifications to regulate

procurement of raw materials, semi-finished products,

etc., for processing;

b) a system of control for incoming material, materials

handling, and storage;

c) establishment of a quality control system for manufacture

to specified limits;

d) establishment of product standards for the manufacturer;

e) a system for inspection and testing for ensuring conformity

of products to establishment standards, for safe packaging

and repair services;

f) advice on procurement for maintenance and proper use of

testing equipment for quality control; and

g) advice on an organization for quality control within the

factory.

36
In summary, the activities of DGNT for the promotion of quality

control in Bolivian industry are:

a) the Lot Certification Scheme,

b) the Standard Hark Certification Scheme, and

c) Technical Assistance for Quality Control.

That, in brief, is a modest presentation of the situation on quality

control in Bolivian industry. It is possible to see that DGNT is

contributing to the promotion of quality control at the national

level

.

t

37

THE NATIONAL PROGRAM OF METROLOGY

IN ECUADOR

By

Mr. Hernan Sotomayor

Chief, Weights and Measures Department

Instituto Ecuatoriano de Normalizacion

Quito, Ecuador

The Instituto Ecuatoriano de Normalizacion (INEN) is the governmental

national institution for standardization, quality control, and

metrology. To have these three technical activities in the same organization is a great advantage for the country, because related

implementations can be simultaneous and well coordinated. Metrology

is considered the basis for standardization and quality control,

because without a good system of measurement they cannot be

implemented.

After some studies of industry and commerce, INEN in 1972 decided to

initiate its program of metrology with three main objectives:

(I) to maintain the national standards of mass, length,

and volume,

(ii) to promote equity in markets, and

(iii) to implant the international system of metric units, SI.

To recruit new personnel was quite difficult, because metrology is a new discipline and the universities do not offer this subject in

engineering curricula, but eventually the Metrology Department secured

an engineer, a technician, an economist, and a secretary. This group

made an investigation to determine the level of accuracy and precision

used in industry, in order to establish the requirements and

specifications for the national standards, which were purchased in

1973 with the assistance of the National Bureau of Standards.

Additional complementary equipment needed for tests and calibrations

of other equipment used in the industry and commerce was also

purchased. With this as a basis, the National Metrology Laboratory

was created on March 22, 1973. Activities in the areas of mass,

length, and volume were immediately established.

To enforce the program of metrology, a Weights and Measures Law was elaborated during 1973 and promulgated in January 1974. It

establishes the use of SI in the country for all activities, but

allows a period for conversion of 10 years. The Law also makes

necessary legal dispositions to achieve equity in markets. One

disposition of the Law establishes at INEN the National Directorate of

Weights and Measures which is the legal authority in metrology.

39
In January 1976, the program of metrology was divided into three main

fields

(i) SI conversion

(ii) scientific metrology, and

(iii) legal metrology,

each one handled by a separate department.

The Department for SI conversion during the past two years has been

doing many investigations and surveys within industry and commerce in

order to elaborate the National Program for Implantation of SI. In

this Program all the details are given about the methods to be used in

the change of units of measurement, the policies to be followed, and

also the dates by which the various activities of the country shall be

using exclusively the SI Units. This Department also makes the

necessary contacts with industries, organizations, and government

institutions in order to organize executive commissions in each

sector. These commissions are given the necessary assistance and

orientation by the Department so that they can handle the problems and

situations created by the change of units. As a complementary

activity the Department has to prepare technical information such as conversion tables and standards requested during the period of

implantation of SI. Different formats are found effective according

to the persons to whom they are to be distributed, such as technicians, engineers, consumers, students, etc. The Department also

provides the necessary assistance in the preparation of regulations

issued in accordance to the provisions of the Law. It has to organize

and conduct publicity campaigns in all the country in order to promote

the publications and to help everybody in the usage of the new units

of measurement.

The Metrology Department is responsible within the National Metrology

Laboratory for the use and care of the national standards, and for

tests and calibrations of secondary and tertiary standards. This

Department elaborates the necessary standards for laboratory measuring

equipment, for example: equal arm balances, one-pan balances or special purpose scales, micrometers, calipers, rulers, tapes, etc.,

establishing specifications, tolerances, and other requirements in

order to enforce type approval of those products, whether manufactured

in the country or imported. A special regulation was elaborated

mentioning all the procedures to be followed in order to obtain a specially authorized seal of approval. The Metrology Department

conducts many investigations in laboratories of the universities and

records the metrological capabilities of technical personnel and

equipment. It qualifies them as auxiliary laboratories for testing

products or materials according to the needs of the Duality Control

Program. If these laboratories agree to participate in the Laboratory

Auditing Program, necessary instruction of the personnel is given in

40
the National Metrology Laboratory. The equipment of these

laboratories is tested and certified. The expected maintenance of

accuracy and precision is established and recorded in control charts

for all that equipment. They can be used as accredited auxiliary

laboratories for testing, calibration, and certification of weighing

and measuring equipment, according to the available facilities. Other

important activities of the Metrology Department are assistance

provided to industry in the purchase of equipment, in repair and

maintenance of equipment actually in use, and generally in a full

evaluation of the metrological facilities.

The third department involved in metrological activities is the

National Directorate of Weights and Measures, which is the highest

authority for all the country. It works basically in two ways , as technical consultant and also as legal authority.

During investigations conducted by INEN in industry and commerce, the

principal problems in weighing and measuring were found to be

unwarranted use of equipment that does not meet technical requirements

of accuracy and precision; complete confidence in equipment that has

not been tested, repaired, maintained, or even cleaned; purchase of

equipment on the basis only of price without looking at the quality of

the instruments or without establishing the real needs of accuracy,

precision, minimum graduation, maximum capacity, or other basic

technical requirements for selection. Those problems created the need

for INEN to elaborate standards for commercial weighing and measuring

equipment. They established the main requirements and tolerances that

the equipment has to meet whether manufactured in the country or imported. The application of these standards harmonizes with the

procedures established for the program of type approval.

The packaging industry has special problems because it has used

inadequate procedures and defective equipment. The National

Directorate of Weights and Measures is involved in a special project,

assisting that industry in the implantation of a Quality Control

Program which has three steps. The first establishes the requirements

which the weighing and measuring equipment should meet. It also

identifies the need for calibration, adjustments, or repair of the

equipment actually in use, or the purchase of new equipment. The

second step is for personnel of INEN and the industry to work together

for a short time establishing the control system and how problems

should be corrected. In the third step, the industry initiates a statistical control of the production using charts designed for this

purpose. Copies of these charts should be sent to INEN, which audits

the program.

Another important activity is the control of the import of equipment

for weighing or measuring. In this way, instruments that do not meet

the requirements established in the standards can be eliminated.

Otherwise industry might buy unauthorized equipment that later must be

condemned by INEN.

41
The legal activities related to the application of the Weights and

Measures Law are basically divided into three types. The first is

training of other authorities in the application of the Law, and the

use of: new techniques of measurement, modern equipment, the new

system of units, and other technical aspects of this new field of

metrology. The second is to provide assistance in the purchase of new

testing equipment and the third is the control of the application of

the Law.

The National Directorate of Weights and -Measures itself also inspects

and tests. For this purpose its activities are divided into three

main fields: scales, packaging and labeling, and flow measurement

systems

INEN, as a whole, is affected by a shortage of funding that restricts

its activities, contrary to the needs of the country, causing several

problems in the development process.

42
PROBLEMS AND EXPERIENCES IN STANDARDIZING

LOCAL SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL

TERMINOLOGIES AND IN TRANSLATING NATIONAL

STANDARDS IN ENGLISH INTO AKHARIC—ONE

OF THE MAJOR LANGUAGES IN ETHIOPIA

By

Mr. Daniachew Worku

Head, Translation, Publication and Documentation Division

Ethiopian Standards Institution

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

1. INTRODUCTION

Ethiopian standards are produced in English and then translated into

Amharic—the working language which, for implementation, has more

operational weight in courts of law than the English language. The

point here, however, is neither that Ethiopian standards are being

produced and published in two languages nor that one language has more

operational weight than the other. Situations like this appear in

other national or international standards organizations. For example,

the Standards Institution of Israel (SII) and the Arab Organization

for Standardization and Metrology (ASMO) produce their standards in

Hebrew and English and in Arabic and English, respectively; the

International Organization for Standardization (ISO) publishes its

standards in English, French, and Russian; certain countries like

Sweden, Switzerland, Austria, and Canada are either bilingual or trilingual. What is important here is that the above mentioned

national and international organizations seem to encounter little or

no problems with regard to terminology and translation as compared

with the difficulties faced by the Ethiopian Standards Institution.

European, Asian (except some Third World countries), and American

(except some Latin American) countries have languages rich in

scientific and technological vocabulary due to long years of exposure

to science and technology and due to the influence of the Portuguese

and the Spanish languages in the case of the Latin American countries.

Besides, European languages, for example, either by having been

derived from the same language family (Germanic or Anglosaxon) or by

having the same cultural background, have a lot in common which makes

the borrowing of concepts and terms from one language to the other

simple and more acceptable, without sounding foreign.

The exact opposite is true, however, for Amharic and English. Besides

being from different language families, one is just commencing to

43
develop its scientific and technological vocabulary while the other is

highly advanced in this respect.

Amharic lias not been able to catch up even with the languages of its own family—Arabic and Hebrew, for example. Both Egypt and Israel

have been able to cope with their terminology problems through the

formation of linguistic academies or through publications of

individuals engaged in the creation of new words for scientific and

technological concepts from the elements of the indigenous languages.

Although there is a language academy in Ethiopia, it has not been

able, up to now, to accomplish its task properly, partly because of

lack of trained staff. Consequently, the indiscriminate borrowing and

coining of words into Amharic has been uncommonly heavy. Besides,

although Israel and Egypt produce their standards in both the national

language and English, it is the former that is accepted as authentic

the English versions are published and issued only as unauthorized

copies for interested parties who have no knowledge of the national

languages or at the request of other national standards bodies,

exporters, and importers.

2. PROBLEMS AND OBSTACLES IN THE SOURCE (ENGLISH) AND RECEPTOR (AMHARIC)

LANGUAGES

Cultural and Lingu ist ic Chasm Betwe en the Two Languages

In translating English into Amharic, the translator tries to simulate

into the present, with all the time-lag and linguistic shift removed

from their substance, culture fragments alien to his own. He

struggles to reshape and enlarge Amharic to reach meanings which it

has not yet had to grapple with. A.s much as he is translating the

work into Amharic, he should also translate Amharic to and around the new ideas and images. He ought to leave behind him one set of

experience symbols and find the corresponding and different set he is

seeking.

The Non-Existen t Nature^ of a Term and Its C orresp onding Referent

in the Receptor Language

The lack of terms to express specific ideas, objects, or events is one

of the major problems in coining w’ords in Amharic because most of the

time such concepts are outside the realm of the people's experience.

Such terms were never before needed and therefore do not exist now. No matter how hard a translator wrenches the receptor language and his

operation of thought, the concepts may not be carried over satisfactorily into the receptor language. The translation will only

become, even for the translator who knows the source language, a crude

lens, for visualizing the right concept. Hence, the translator is

expected to domesticate an alien tradition by adjudicating it between

44
the claims of the source and receptor languages (e.g., cross- section—"S.jrnbj'-t Kjj'ftfl," literally; "sliced section"; web—"mHkMyHja,"

literally: "divider").

Even when equivalent words or phrases are found in a receptor language

there is always the difficulty of familiarizing the public with its

use. Sometimes the form (except proper names), and at other times the

meaning, of the word reveals its non-native sources. Hence, the form

and meaning have to be adapted to the ways of the local language.

Generic and Specific Vocabulary

In the meaning of words, the translator has at his disposal relatively

few close correspondences. To translate at least four different

English words, he uses one word (e.g., device, instrument, apparatus,

maciine —"massaria" literally: "instrument"). This, however, does not

do full justice to the specialized technical language. The greater

the statistical frequency of a word, the less specific is the

information that is actually carried by the word or the unit.

The English language, nevertheless, covers too wide an area of meaning

for many words. For example, "packing" may be used to designate the

process of putting in a protective container anything from pulses

(seeds), raw hides and skins to edible oils. In Amharic, by contrast,

we have corresponding but more specific words or phrases, like

"marr^t" for raw liid.es and skins, "KHtto mMsfat" for pulses, and

"molto malsctg" for edible oils. They must be used to get the meaning

across. Hence, a language made up of either only generic or only

specific vocabulary does not carry the load of information expected of

it.

Most of the times, Amharic terminology has to be qualified and

amplified by borrowed words (bromine —"bromin"; degree —"digry" from

English or concrete —"beton" —from French; hammer—"m&rtello"—from

Italian). Neologisms can be introduced (material —"s^rrat", scale

"qHbban"—from Arabic) or obtained by semantic shifts

(neutralization—"mKsMrrinHt^n y&masogHd tMgbar"—literally, "a way of

getting rid of hostility") . Finally, circumlocutions can be used

("dowels with double diamond points"—"hulHt fit mMgatHmiya sulHt

yall&w m^srnar" —literally, "nail which has joining points at both

faces"; steel— "ArHb b^rrMt" —literally, "Arabic iron"). It is

obvious that the uncontrolled use of borrowed words from different

languages and the system of translating technical material by

circumlocution creates Inconsistencies not only in the work of a given

translator in a given span of time, but especially between documents by

different translators.

45
Problems and Some Solutions in Spell ing and Transliteration

Ethiopic script is not perfectly suited for the transcription of

European words. As a result, variations of spelling (most of the time

confusing) dc occur.

Glyceride and million, for example, are written as:

"glis&rayd; glaysHrayjrd; gylisirid; and gjTlisirin"

"milyon, miliwon"

The lack of initial clusters in Amharic has also made the transcribing

of borrowed words difficult :

Scrofula—"^skrofula, skrofula"

Spinach --"^spinac, spinac"

Sometimes, due to different source languages, the same word has

different phonetic shapes:

"laboratwar* (French); laboratori (English); laborator (hybrid)"

"intMrna^nal (English); intMrnasiwonal (French)"

There usually are equivalent or near equivalent coinages for concepts

like density, "zj'ff^t"; mass, "gj zHf " ; volume, "yyzHt"; and these are easily rendered to Amharic whenever they appear in formulae by taking

the initial letters of the Amharic equivalents, e.g.,

acid value = should be rendered as "yHasid y zUt" = *

Symbols like °C, °F, °K are rendered by taking the initial letters of

the Amharic transcriptions of the English words. Hence, from

centrigrade we have "°Se" from Fahrenheit, " °f a" and from kelvin, " °ke.

This procedure of transcribing also holds true for units of measurement like cc, cm, mm, kgf, etc.

Greek symbols like e, y, it, and X are transcribed as they are without undergoing any modification in the same manner as English

retains them without any change.

Chemical symbols of inorganic compounds are transcribed by taking the

initial letters of the individual elements in the order of the formula

*The Ethiopian alphabet is phonetic and as such, the vowels and

consonants are not written separately but as one character (i.e. , P —la-bo-ra-t ’-wa-r) .

The symbols for the seven vowel phonemes of Amharic are 8, u, i, a, e, ^ , o, in their order in the Ethiopic syllabary.

46
for the compound. Hence, potassium hydroxide (KOH) shall be "Po.OHa",

and sodium hydroxide (Na.OH) —"So.OHa".

Chemical symbols of organic compounds are rather difficult to

transcribe because they have definite names which are not readable

from the formulae. Hence, an awkward transcription would be "KaHa^"

for methene (CH4) , "KaHa 3Ka00Ha " for acetic acid (CH3COOH) , "KaHa3-

KaHaO" for acetaldehyde (CH3CHO) , "Ka 2 Ha 5 OHa" for ethanol (C2H5OH)

.

Problems in Translating Larger Uni ts of Discourse

In technical works, knowledge of the subject matter outweighs the

linguistic aspect of the translation. Hovering between technical

concepts in two languages and trusting only to one’s linguistic

artificial horizon will not be of much help to the translator. The

untiring and proper guidance by a technical specialist is always

required.

Sometimes, the translator finds it difficult to disentangle a meaning

from an apparently elementary sentence. No matter how hard he tries,

its meaning remains annoyingly vague and amorphous. At such times, it

will be very difficult, indeed, to get a satisfactory translation from

an imprecise feeling for the submerged meaning. (E.g., "Coefficient of

cubic expansion" —"yMkubawi n^rMt m&lHkiya" —literally: "measurement

of cubic expansion.")

So often what is a noun in English must be rendered as a verb in

Amharic or vice-versa and Amharic adjectives are verb like. In such

instances, Amharic does not have a corresponding method of indicating

the given information without heavy circumlocutions and padding.

Amharic employs a tense-aspect system which is quite different from

that of English. It does not have any historical connection with

English, either by being a member of the same language family or because of historic and cultural associations. Stylistic adjustments

or re-translation may not be adequate for transferring the tenses from

English into Amharic. (E.g., "The following apparatus shall be used"

"bHmikStMlut m£ssariyaw7oK m&t&qHm yasfalljrgal" —which literally means

"It is necessary that the following apparatus be used.")

To avoid serious misunderstandings, it is often necessary to make

explicit in the receptor language what is only implicit in the source

language. (E. g., "arithmetic mean of determination" —"kHtHdUmMrH

bMhuwala t&kaflo yHmiganaw y£f7 tHsawoc' wutet" —literally: "a test

result obtained after having been added and divided.") Sometimes this

is done by a repetition of constituents ("at least"—"blanks bianys"

literally: "if it gets smaller and smaller.") At other times, Amharic

47
may not even have a corresponding method of indicating such

information.

Technical expressions usually cannot be translated literally. Literal

translation will totally destroy their meaning. The translator should

at first try to understand them, and then find a similar expression in

the receptor language with the least possible distortion (e.g. , in

translating "National Reference Standards," the equivalent word for

"Standards" has to show clearly the inherent meaning, i.e.,

"instruments")

At times, a translator's active vocabularies become passive. A word

or phrase that he badly needs escapes his mind. No matter how hard he

tries, it does not come to the tip of his pen. Yet, this word or phrase for which he has been diligently searching becomes crystal

clear in his mind after the work is published—an exasperating

discovery! At such times, is the translator excused for having used

instead his own coined word? No! He is far too rarely granted the

right of violating the rules of usage. It is not considered to be

part of his function to push the language to its limit and, if

necessary, to overstep it.

3. CONCLUSION

Standards must be clearly understood with a minimum of difficulty.

Translators of standards should, therefore, avoid unrestrained coining

of new words in the receptor language and irregular use of borrowed

words.

At present, in Ethiopia, as well as in some other developing

countries, many of the newly coined terms of science and technology

have little or no function in the daily life of the population and

have little or no currency in the spoken language. Therefore, it is

highly desirable for developing countries to solve linguistic problems

and to standardize their terminology at the initial stage of standards

preparation before the unrestrained coining of new words and the

irregular use. of borrowed words become rampant and a serious obstacle

to communication.

48
QUALITY CERTIFICATION IN GHANA

Rv

Hr. L. Twum-Danso

Principal Scientific Officer and Head,

Materials and Engineering Department

Ghana Standards Board

Accra, Ghana

Let me start by going into some history. The Ghana Standards Board was established in 1967 by the National Liberation Council Government

and was, until 1973, known as the National Standards Roard (NSB) . In

1973 the name National Standards Board was changed to the Ghana

Standards Board (GSB) as it was felt that the substitution of "Ghana"

for "National" would remove all doubts in the minds of people about

the identity of the standards organization.

The Board until 1972 had a part-time Director and six scientific

personnel consisting of one engineer, two chemists, one food

scientist, one sociologist, and one textile technologist. Apart from

these there were also six technicians and a similar number of clerical

staff

.

With the appointment of a full-time Director in 1972, a large scale

recruitment drive was undertaken. On September 30, 1976, staff

strength stood at 268, made up as follows: 43 scientists and

engineers, 58 technicians at both senior and junior levels, 17

administrative personnel in the senior grade, and 150 clerical and

other supporting staff.

The Board operates with certain aims and objectives which may be

summarized as follows:

(i) to establish and promulgate standards with the object of

ensuring high quality of goods produced in Ghana, whether

for local consumption or for export;

(ii) to promote industrial efficiency and development;

(iii) to promote standards in public, industrial welfare,

health, and safety.

In order to give effect to the realization of these aims and

objectives, the GSR thought it necessary to embark upon product

certification which was to be made a very important aspect of the

Board's activities. Certification as we know, may be voluntary or mandatory. It would be presumptuous to try to advocate one or the

other without considering, the circumstances of each environment. In a

49
country with a lonp tradition of industrialization, manufacturer s nay

wish to carry on their products sone markinp to indicate that their

commodities comply with the appropriate standard or specification.

The object would be to invite patronape of the consumer or perhaps to

persuade him to choose his product and not that of another

manufacturer. This may be considered necessary if the manufacturer is

to stay in business, and the v/hole exercise of obtaininp the

certification mark may be voluntary. In such cases, there is no need

for lepislation on the observance of standards provided that the

commodities concerned have no health or' safety implications in which

situation mandatory certification would be expected.

Ghana, like most developinp countries, has the problem of little

competition in the manuf acturinp sector; skilled manpower is scarce in

both industry and elsewhere; resources are scarce, and technical knowhow and expertise are inadequate. In these, circumstances, it is

important to maximize whatever facilities are available and deploy

them for maximum benefit. It is for this reason that certification

has been made mandatory in Ghana and this is backed by a Legislative

Instrument (L.I. 662:1970). The import of this is that all poods

manufactured by an industrial process in Ghana must first be certified

by the Ghana Standards Board before such poods can be placed on the

market to be sold, exported, distributed, or otherwise disposed of.

Good s so certified by the Board must, amonp other thinps, satisfy the

follov/inp conditions:

(a) they must bear code numbers indicatinp the batches of

production to which they belonp;

(b) they must be properly labeled;

(c) they must conform to the relevant Ghanaian standard. By

Ghanaian standard here is meant a standard which may be

Ghanaian, foreipn ISO, or other international standard which

has been formally adopted and pazetted as the standard in use in Ghana.

Manufacturers whose products meet the above requirements of the law

will be pranted a license by the GSB to use the certification mark on their products. The license to use the certification marl: is valid

for one year, renewal exercise beinp considered almost like a new

application. The fee for the license to use the certification mark is

minimal: 10 cedis (about U.S.$9) per year.

At this stape it mipht be useful to take you throuph the various

stapes leadinp to the award of the certification mark. In keepinp

with the requirements of the lav? the manufacturer first submits an application to the Board for permission to use the certification mark

on his product. A Central Certification Mark Unit (CCf!U) exists at

the Board which handles all applications in the first instance. From

50
here the application is referred to the relevant scientific department

of the Board for necessary action. The Board at the moment operates

through three such scientific departments, namely the:

(i) Materials and Engineering Department,

(ii) Food and Organic Products Department, and

(iii) Drugs and Cosmetics Department.

The department in question will then organize a visit to the

manufacturer's factory. At the factory, the officers will he taken

through the whole manufacturing process by some responsible person and

this will invariably be the Production Manager. The usual criteria

for certification apply, namely:

(i) the existence of quality control facilities at the

factory;

(ii) the availability of sampling and subsequent laboratory

testing of samples;

(iii) the keeping of proper records of tests conducted on product samples.

The Ghana Standards Board has two types of laboratories—a Chemical

Laboratory and a Materials and Engineering Laboratory where the staff

of the Board conducts most of the tests for purposes of certification.

Sometimes, however, where the right type of equipment is not available

or where, as it often happens, spares cannot be obtained for equipment

that has broken down, the services of other accredited laboratories

like the University Laboratories and other research establishments in or outside the country may be employed. The test results are then

presented to a Certification Marking Committee of the Board which

meets once a month to consider manufacturers' applications for the

award of licenses. The Committee comprises the Director of GSB as Chairman, the three Leads of the Scientific Departments, and the Lead

of the Administrative Department as members. The idea of this

Committee is to make certification a collective responsibility.

There is one important aspect of certification which cannot go without

further comment—it is the factory inspection. By this exercise, the

staff of the Board is able to offer advice to industry on quality

control and other aspects of the manufacturing processes including,

sometimes, advice on machinery and staffing. In quality control, the

need for raw material inspection is usually stressed. This, as you

can see, helps the Board in realizing its objective of promoting

industrial efficiency and improvement.

51
It may be mentioned here that one of the main problems facing industry

in Ghana sometimes is the woeful lack of technical know-how at the

production level. In this connection, we find that the factory visits

for certification are doing a great service to the country. This is

possible because, on the whole, industry in Ghana recognizes that the

training given to standards personnel is meant to equip them

sufficiently to offer this much needed advice. It is this spirit of

understanding and cooperation between industry and the GSB which has

made all the difference in the quality of manufactured products that we now find in our markets as compared with the average quality of a few years ago . It is therefore important that we allow only competent

and knowledgeable staff to undertake such factory visits. It is

essential to maintain the confidence that industry has in the

establishment of GSB.

It may be useful to cite a few examples of the assistance that our Standards Institution has given to industry.

(i) Unsupported PVC Sheeting : Samples of this product failed

the test for purposes of certification. This led to the

rejection of the manufacturer’s application to use the

certification mark on doilies. Further visits to the

factory by the staff of our Standards Institution brought

out clearly the defects in the manufacturing process

the mixture being used was of poor consistency; reproducibility could not be maintained because at no stage

in the preparation of the mixture was thought given to

the measurement of its viscosity; furthermore, the curing was not being done properly, kith our help, the factory

is now manufacturing doilies of first class quality.

(ii) Razor Blades : A manufacturer of razor blades had his

application rejected because, among other things, the

hardness of the steel used was not up to standard. It

did not take the GSB staff long to find out that this was

the result of malfunctioning thermocouples. Consequently,

the temperature could not be properly controlled in the

tempering process. Once the thermocouples were changed,

the steel attained the right hardness and the firm is now producing razor blades of reasonably high quality.

l

T e could add to this list from the textile and garment industries, the

electrotechnical and mechanical engineering industries, building and

general construction, food manufacturing industries, etc. My

illustrations are only meant to show that industry, in a developing

country like Ghana, could benefit a great deal from certification if

competent and knowledgeable personnel from the Standards Institution

were to undertake this exercise.

52
This statement does not in any way imply that certification is without

its problems. Some of these problems have already been mentioned but

one or two questions may be asked. Do we grant the license for the use of the certification mark on all commodities of the same type

which conform to the prescribed standards, but performance-wise might

not he of the same quality? In other words, in view of the fact that

standards generally are minimum standards, do we have to grant the

certification mark to each and every product that has fulfilled the

minimum requirements of the standard? Or do v/e reserve this

certification mark only for goods of extremely high quality? Should

we then make some arrangements like the granting, of an Exemption

Certificate? In Ghana, this can be done in accordance with the

requirements of another Legislative Instrument (L.I. 664:1970). This

Exemption could be given for products which satisfy minimum but not

certification quality or other requirements like the availability of

Ghanaian standards in respect to the products in question.

Finally, what do we do about rejected products? For food items,

drugs, or other items with health and safety implications, rejection

should also mean that such products cannot be sold. Can we say the same of products like shoes, handbags, shirts, etc.? Perhaps the

discussion that ensues may help us find effective and more realistic

ways of implementing the provisions of mandatory certification such as we have in Ghana.

53

STANDARDIZATION IN GUYANA

Dr. Rex B. Woo-Ming

Government Analyst

Department of the Government Analyst

Ministry of Health

Georgetown, Guyana

Guyana, which has an area of 83,000 sq. miles, has a population of

only 800,000 with about 90 percent on the narrow northern coastal

belt. The Guyanese economy is based on agriculture (sugar, rice),

minerals (mainly bauxite), lumber, and industries (chiefly shrimp).

Standardization, which is an essential prerequisite for successful

industrialization, has become a powerful tool for national development

and planning, industrial production, public health, commerce, and

trade. In developing countries we have come to realize this and have

started organizing ourselves to initiate this important activity to

improve our standard of living. As far back as the early sixties the

need for standardization was felt in Guyana, but more so a few years

after independence which was achieved on May 26, 1966, when the

country started having many more light industries.

Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) Under the National Science

Research Council (NSRC)

Guyana has not been insensitive to the need for a National Bureau of

Standards (GNBS). The problem was a question of inadequate financial

and limited manpower resources. A National Science Research Council

(NSRC) which was set up in September 1972 appointed a Bureau of

Standards Committee to advise on the establishment of a Bureau of

Standards. There is a firm decision to set up shortly a National

Bureau of Standards which will remain under the NSRC during its

formative years, to advise the government, and promote the formulation

of standards as needed in relation to national development, the

protection of the consumer, and the regulation of trade.

The Bureau of Standards Committee consists of at least two members of

the Council, of whom one is appointed as the Chairman of the

Committee, and other fit and proper persons. It is organized to

represent all sectors of the economy, to set up policies and programs

for standards development, and to guide the work of the GNBS in its

various functions.

The GNBS will promote and encourage the maintenance of standardization

in relation to commodities, processes, and practices and will exercise

other functions as follows:

1. to make recommendations to the Minister of Economic

55
Development (through the NSRC during the formative

years of the Bureau) in respect to the formulation of

specifications and the promulgation and application of

voluntary and compulsory standard specifications;

2. to promote research in relation to standardization and to

provide for the examination and testing of commodities,

processes, and practices;

3. to provide for the registration and use of standard marks;

4. to provide for the examination, testing, and calibration of

instruments, appliances, and apparatus in relation to their

accuracy;

5. to encourage or undertake educational work in connection with

s tandard izat ion

6. to make arrangements for the inspection of any operation

carried out on any premises in connection with the manufacture,

production, processing, or treatment of any commodity, process,

or practice for which any standard specification has been

declared; and

7. to do such other things as may be expedient or necessary for

the proper performance of its functions under this Act.

On August 7, 197A, the NSRC became a legal entity and within a few

months Dr. J. A. Campbell, former Deputy Director of the Food and Drug

Directorate in Canada, was invited to report on the development and

enforcement of standards in Guyana with particular attention to food

and drug legislation. In addition, there was held in September 1975 a seminar on quality control.

At the request of the Chairman of the NSRC and through the assistance

of U.S. AID, a U.S. National Bureau of Standards (NBS) three-man team

led by Mr. Steffen Peiser visited Guyana during the period July 11 to

July 17, 1976, to study and advise on standards development. Their

final report is expected to be submitted shortly. *

The drafting of a National Standards Act and its Regulations, with

interminis ter ial consultation on inputs, is in process. An

Organizational Chart (10 year projection) for the proposed GNBS has

been drawn up.

* Peiser, H. Steffen, Beck, Niels C., and Stephens, Kenneth S.,

Standardization and Measurement Services in Guyana, NBSIR 76-1180,

Office of International Relations, National Bureau of Standards,

Washington, D.C. 2023A. Issued February 1977.

56
Laboratories of the Guyana National Bureau of Standards

In the beginning, the GNBS may be able to carry on its activities of

periodical and special testing work by making use of the existing

laboratory facilities, particularly at the Government Analyst

Department and the University of Guyana. However, when the volume of

work increases, particularly due to the operation of the certification

marking scheme and export inspection, it would be essential for the

GNBS to be provided with its own well-equipped laboratories by that

time for routine testing work. As regards testing in the fields of

textiles and metrology, no adequate facility exists in the country and

early steps will be taken to set up these laboratories. It would also

be most desirable for the GNBS to have its own accommodation at that

time so that the laboratory complex could be built on a permanent

basis

.

The GNBS' main work would be in the fields of standardization, quality

control, measurement services, certification marking, and industrial

research and testing. The GNBS will also be involved in the process

of metrication.

A number of factories, in which various types of foods, garments, and

footwear are manufactured, have been inspected. In many factories,

there is great scope and urgent need for the introduction of proper

quality control so as to improve the quality, increase the

productivity, reduce the cost, and enhance the efficiency, which will

be in the interest of producers, consumers, and the country as a whole.

If the manufacturer satisfies the Government Analyst Department and

the GNBS that he possesses proper quality control facilities and a record over a long period of high quality finished products, then the

producer will be permitted to use the standard mark of the GNBS on his

products. Because of the standard mark, consumers will have a positive means of knowing what products are in fact approved by the

GNBS and what products are not. The immediate effect will be a new

feeling of confidence among shoppers and consumers and a greater

competitiveness among producers for higher quality.

Standardization in the areas of vital importance to health and safety

of the people, export promotion, and indigenous resource development

has been identified as a high priority concern. Suitable technical,

sectional, and specification committees will be formed for this

purpose and quality control work will be developed. An inventory of

testing facilities has recently been completed.

International Cooperation

The GNBS Committee is participating in the standardization activities

of the Caribbean Common Market Standards Council. This Council has

57
one representative from each of the member states in Caricom:

Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Antigua, Belize,

Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla, St. Lucia,

and St. Vincent. The NSRC has observer status on the Council and

Guyana is represented on the Council's Executive Committee by the

Government Analyst. The GNBS hopes to become a member of ISO, BIPM,

OIML, and IEC and the Government Analyst is the Codex Contact Point of

Guyana for the Codex Alimentarius Commission.

Government Analyst Department (Ministry -of Health)

The Government Analyst Department is responsible mainly for the

administration and enforcement of the Food and Drugs Act of 1971 and

its Regulations (the final drafting of which has recently been

completed). Four classes of commodities fall within the scope of this

Act

Foods

Drugs

Cosmetics, and

Medical Devices

This statute was enacted with five principal aims:

a) to prevent the sale of any of these commodities which are adulterated, impure, or of low quality;

b) to prevent the sale of any of them which are short in

weight, measure, or number;

c) to prevent misrepresentation in the way they are promoted,

for example, by labeling and advertisement;

d) to ensure that satisfactory standards of hygiene are practiced in all aspects of commerce in these products,

from the raw materials used in their manufacture through

the manufacturing process to the final retail distribution

of the finished products; and in addition,

e) in the case of drugs to ensure that proper therapeutic

use is made of those products which can be very harmful

to the consumer, for example, causing dependence,

premature death, etc., if improperly used.

If these objectives in fact represent the intentions of the Food and

Drugs Act, then two dominant themes emerge from them: preventing and

ensuring—preventing, on the one hand, certain things prejudicial to

the interest of the consumer, and, on the other hand, ensuring that

certain other things in his interests are observed in commerce in

these commodities.

58
This law is concerned with the serious matter of protecting the public

health associated with these basic commodities, some of which are consumed or used several times a day by every member of the community.

The Act provides for the appointment of analysts and inspectors by the

Minister of Health and empowers him to establish two committees: a Drug Advisory Committee and a Food Advisory Committee. These two

committees advise him on the making of regulations, including the

setting up of standards for any particular food, drug, or cosmetic.

It would be worthwhile to stress that the broad provisions of the Act

automatically impose quite effective standards for the manufacture,

distribution, storage, etc., of every article of food, drug, etc.,

whether or not a specific standard has been established for that food

or drug. When this is combined with certain general regulations

applicable to all foods and drugs, the effectiveness of this

particular approach to food and drug standardization in Guyana can readily be shown. Foods and drugs can be seized, manufacturing

establishments closed down, and imports can be rejected.

The method for making regulations enables them to be enacted fairly

quickly. Once they have been recommended by the Food and Drug

Advisory Committees to the Minister of Health, and accepted by the

Cabinet, they become law by proclamation in the Official Gazette.

During the period prior to the food and drug regulations being made

law, officers of the Analyst Department have been educating and giving

technical assistance and free advice on several matters including

correct labeling of commodities and proper conditions of manufacture

to consumers, prospective manufacturers and manufacturers who are given this period of time "to put their products in order."

The Government Analyst, who is Head of the Analyst Department and a Member of the Bureau of Standards Committee, works very closely with

this Committee which has co-sponsored a Workshop on "The Method of

Manufacture of Tomato Ketchup" with the Analyst Department. It was

the first of a series of planned workshops.

Weights and Measures Division

This Government Division is in the Licensing and Revenue Department of

the Ministry of Trade and Consumer Protection. Some scales are

adjusted and calibrated but most of the calibration and maintenance

work in the sugar industry is performed by a competent technician who

is sent periodically by the manufacturer (Avery).

Assistance Required

As our experience and resources are limited, the GNBS and the

Government Analyst Department will need considerable technical and

59
financial assistance from other national and international

organizations, particularly in the following fields:

i) Visiting experts to assist in specific projects;

ii) Equipment for testing and metrology;

iii) Training of technical and administrative personnel;

iv) Standard reference materials;

v) Information services including library, public relations,

reproduction, and printing; and

vi) Financial assistance to permit attendance at meetings of

ISO, IEC, OIML, COPANT, and the Codex Alimentarius

Commission.

It is in this regard that the United States with its accumulated

experience and advanced state of science and technology can offer

invaluable assistance.

Conclusion

It is hoped that the present opportunities offered by the NBS with

funding from the Agency for International Development will continue.

With continued Government support, cooperation by industry, consumer

interests, and assistance from other national and International

organizations, our GNBS will be able to achieve its objectives and

play a key role in the National Plan for the economic development of

Guyana.

60
STANDARDIZATION AND MEASUREMENT SERVICES IN INDIA

by

Dr. A. R. Verma

Director

National Physical Laboratory

New Delhi, India

Standardization in India has three aspects, viz.,

(i) framing of standard specifications on various consumer goods

and engineering items, etc., with the primary aim of ensuring

quality, uniformity, and interchangeability of the items,

(ii) scientific metrology which implies custody, development, and

maintenance of national standards of physical measurement and

the transfer of their accuracies through a hierarchy of

standards to the ultimate user of the standard for measurement

work, and

(iii) legal metrology which relates to the laying down of mandatory

specifications to ensure traceability of the accuracy of

measurement to the accuracies with which the national standards

are maintained, and also to enforce these specifications.

These three aspects of standardization are looked after by different

agencies in the country.

The Indian Standards Institution (ISI) is concerned with the first

aspect of laying down of what may be termed as the "paper standards."

This Institution has prepared over 8,000 standard specifications

covering a wide range of materials, industrial and agricultural

products, test methods, and codes for design and construction

practices. It collaborates with the International Organization for

Standardization (ISO), the International Electrotechnical Commission

(IEC), the Commonwealth Standards Conference (CS) , and the Asian

Standards Advisory Committee (ASAC). ISI also renders assistance to

other developing countries. The countries which have benefited from

India in this work include Burma, Algeria, Panama, Ethiopia, Trinidad

and Tobago, and The Sudan, to mention only a few. Technical personnel

from 20 countries have received training at the ISI.

The ISI prescribes standards specifications of various items for

civilian use only. This is done through a system of committees on which representation is given to technical experts from various

organizations, persons from the concerned industry, and the users of

the end product.

61
For the second aspect, viz., scientific metrology, the National

Physical Laboratory (NPL) , New Delhi, is the apex body. It has a statutory obligation of custody, development, and maintenance of

national standards of physical measurements at internationally

accepted accuracies. This Laboratory maintains the national standards

of base units of mass, length, time/frequency, luminous intensity,

current and temperature, and of the various derived units of vacuum,

force, sound pressure, threshold of hearing, luminous flux, color

temperature, etc., and various electronic parameters, viz., voltage,

power, impedance, attenuation, and noise, over all frequency ranges

covering DC to microwaves. Testing and calibration at NPL is done

against these standards at nominal charges.

The Directorate of Weights and Measures (DWM) under the Ministry of

Civil Supplies looks after the third aspect, viz., legal metrology.

This covers

(i) enactment of the relevant laws,

(ii) laying down of rules and procedures for enforcement of

the Acts,

(iii) training of personnel for legal metrology work, and

(iv) drawing of standard specifications of weights and measures.

A major achievement of DWM is the introduction of the metric system

after the country became independent in 1947. The NPL also played a significant role in this work by designing the specifications of

various weights and measures, and supplying their certified copies to

all the states in the country. Specialized training of officers of

DWM has also been imparted by NPL, The secondary standards of weights

and measures maintained by the various states are periodically

calibrated at NPL to ensure high accuracy for the enforcement of the

metric system for consumer protection.

A plan has recently been drawn out to integrate the existing testing

and calibration services in the country into a system in order to

ensure compatibility between the various test centers and to have

traceability of accuracies of measurement in any field, to the

accuracies with which the national standards of measurement are maintained. NPL will play a pivotal role in this system. While, on

the one hand, the national standards maintained by this Laboratory

will be tied to the international standards, their accuracies of

measurement, on the other hand, will be transmitted to the consumer through a hierarchy of calibration and testing laboratories.

Till recently, NPL was maintaining only the classical standards, viz,,

a prototype platinum- iridium meter bar as the standard of length; a prototype platinum-iridium cylinder (of length and diameter both equal

62
to 39 mm) as the standard of mass—the kilogram; and Weston cadmium

cells as the standard of voltage, etc. These standards are by no means time-invariant. They necessarily require periodic calibration

against the corresponding international standards, and also intercomparison with the national standards of other countries.

During the last couple of years, NPL has started following the

international trend to relate each of the base standards with certain

fundamental quantum phenomena. Work has been started on the

development of a mono-frequency, iodine-saturated, helium-neon laser

for generating a length standard of better accuracy, as compared to

the prototype meter bar. Studies have also been started on the

Josephson effect for generating a standard of DC voltage. A cesium

atomic clock which has an accuracy of + 7xlO“12 and a stability of + 3xlC>-'12 has t> een recently installed, replacing a quartz crystal

oscillator used hitherto, keeping in view the stringent requirements

of Defense, Posts and Telegraph, All India Radio, the Overseas

Communication Service, the Indian Space Research Organization, etc.,

for more accurate time and frequency standards. Till about a year

back, NPL was transmitting time and frequency signals under the call

sign ATA solely at 10 MHz for only five hours per day. How this

service has been extended to eleven hours per day on all working days

of the week and at an additional frequency of 15 MHz besides that of

10 MIIz. The plan is to extend this service further to broadcast tine

and frequency signals round-the-clock, and also to add another

frequency at 5 MHz, to meet the requirements of all users at any time

of the day throughout the country under all weather conditions. This

service caters to the requirements also of other countries in the

South and Southeast Asia. This Indian station is the only one transmitting time and frequency signals at high frequencies in this

region of the world. The nearest others are in Japan in the east, in

Italy in the west, in the U.S.S.R. in the north, and in Australia in

the south. The signals transmitted by the Indian station are powerful

enough to be heard even in Australia, the United States, U.S.S.R., and

a number of countries in Southeast Asia and the Middle East.

To meet the growing demand of the electronics industry, NPL has drawn

up a ten-year program for establishing and maintaining very accurate

standards for various electronic parameters, covering all frequency

ranges from DC to microwaves. The Electronics Commission of India,

which was established sometime back to promote the indigenous

electronics industry, also assigns a high priority to this program,

and is supporting it financially.

For meeting the day-to-day requirements for calibration and testing of

various electronic and electrical components, instruments, and

equipment, NPL has set up a specialized electronics Center which has

been well equipped to carry out tests under various environmental

conditions. These include:

63
(i)

(ii)

(iii)

dry heat test;

cold test;

damp heat test,

(a) accelerated damp heat exposure test,

(b) long term damp heat exposure test,

(c) damp heat (moisture resistance) test;

(iv) transport stresses,

(a) bump test,

(b) shock test,

(c) vibration resonance search test,

(d) vibration fatigue test;

(v)

(vi)

(vii)

(viii)

(ix)

(x)

(xi)

(xii)

(xiii)

(xiv)

(xv)

constant acceleration test;

salt mist test;

dust test;

mould growth test;

low air pressure test,

high air pressure test,

sealing (airtightness) test;

rapid temperature test;

solar radiation test;

rain test;

assembly stresses (robustness of termination),

(a) tensile test on terminations,

(b) bending test on terminations,

(c) torsion test on axial leads,

(d) torsion test on screw terminals,

(e) soldering test; and

(xvi) endurance tes t —electrical/mechanical.

In addition, this Center is equipped with special test facilities for

(i)

(ii)

(iii)

(iv)

(v)

high voltage testing,

semiconductor testing,

noise testing of resistors,

magnetic material testing,

radio and television receiver testing, etc.

The projected program of this Center includes studies on tropicalization of components and equipment and failure analysis, and on obtaining correlation of actual environmental conditions with those

of the accelerated laboratory tests. This Center, which serves as a National Center for the Northern Region, is also supported by the

Electronics Commission. Similar centers exist at the Bhabha Atomic

Research Center, Bombay, for the Western Region, and at the Chief

64
Inspectorate of Electronics, Bangalore, for the Southern Region. The

National Test House, Calcutta, serves the needs for testing in the

Eastern Region, but this Test House is primarily concerned with non- electronic items.

Besides establishing and maintaining national standards of physical

measurement, and transmitting the accuracies of these standards down

the line, the NPL also carries out research on associated areas. A

specific mention can be made of the work on the characterization of

materials for purity and perfection. The Laboratory has set up

facilities for polarography, complexiometry , atomic absorption

spectroscopy, spectro-chemical analysis, X-ray fluorescence and

diffraction, optical and electron microscopy, electron diffraction,

differential thermal analysis, thermogravimetric analysis, infrared

spectroscopy, electron spin resonance, Mtfssbauer spectroscopy, X-ray

diffraction topography, preparation of thin films, etc.

The Laboratory has developed a complete Lang camera for X-ray

diffraction topography. A demountable microfocus X-ray generator has

been developed incorporating several safety devices. A triple crystal

X-ray diffractometer has also been developed for absolute

characterization of single crystals for perfection, and also for study

of diffuse scattering from single crystals.

The Laboratory has an experienced group working on the development of

special materials, viz., semiconducting, ferroelectric, dielectric,

piezoelectric, magnetic, ceramic, and other materials. For this work,

extensive use is made of facilities described above. A number of

special materials have been developed and the Laboratory is now well

set to undertake the establishment of a library of standard reference

materials

.

The NPL has a strong group working on radio science, and it undertakes

studies on improving radio communication on specific routes and under

specific conditions against users' requests. In 1971, an Associate

Regional Warning Center was established at the Laboratory as a part of

the International Solar and Geophysical Network. The main

responsibility of this Center lies in quick distribution of daily

solar and geophysical data within the country and to establish

efficient channels of interchange of important daily data between

stations within India and various Regional Warning Centers in other

parts of the world. The following diagrams (Figs. 1 and 2) show the

linkage that this Center has with the other similar centers in the

world, and also the functions that it performs. A plain language

message is broadcast daily on the standard time and frequency service

(ATA) on 10 and 15 MHz at 1500 hours and by All India Radio at 2240

hours 1ST.

65
ASSOCIATE REGIONAL WARNING CENTRE

( A R W C )

GEO ALERT

THROUGH US EMBASSY

GEO ALERT

URSI GRAM

FROM TOKYO

KOOAl REPORT

RSD

REPORT

RAO© PROROGATION SERVICES CELL RS 0

V A R W C \ / RSD

1 M D RTT

if*! \ \ \ \

V V

V

'

ATA

AIR

TO MOSCOW

BY TELEX

INDIAN IONOSPHERIC DATA MOSCOW

REPORT

SYDNE Y REPORT BOULDER REPORTTO SYDNEY BY

IMD NETWORK

Figure 1.

DATA EXCHANGE (TIMES AND ROUTES)

Figure 2.

66
INDONESIAN APPROACH TO ESTABLISHING

A NATIONAL NETWORK FOR CALIBRATION

By

Mr. Herudi Kar towisastro

Director of National Institute for Instrumentation

Indonesian Institute of Science

Bandung, Indonesia

I. Introduction

One of the key national research programs of Indonesia under the

direction of the Minister of State for Research, within the framework

of the second five year plan of 1974-79, is the development of a national system for Calibration, Instrumentation and Metrology (KIM).

In this respect, the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) acts as a center for systems management in cooperation with the other institutes

concerned. The execution of this project is the responsibility of the

National Institute for Instrumentation (LIN). This is a great

challenge which needs its best effort and attention.

II . "KIM" and the National Development Plan

KIM is expected to take an active part in the National Development

program in agriculture and agriculture-based industries, heavy and

mechanically-based industries, the chemical and mining industries,

certainly including small-scale manufacturing facilities.

During the last several years it seems that KIM support has not been

adequately commensurate with the need. We have not even kept up with

industrial development. If the development of KIM continues at the

present rate, the gap between need and fulfillment will widen and it

will become very difficult to close it. We have to say that the

progress of KIM activities is not very spectacular at the moment

because the awareness of KIM is not yet widely and fully recognized.

The KIM system cannot exist and develop separately from the state of

industry and it should be synchronized with the industrialization

program.

The Government of Indonesia has promulgated a policy by which

industrialization programs will be centered on Jakarta, Surabaya,

Ujung Pandang, and Medan. This will cause KIM to concentrate also its

activities in these centers and to stress progress appropriate to

these regions. Geographically these locations are scattered at great

distances

.

67
III. The Present State of Available Infrastructure

The first five year plan started in 1969 and the Government invited

foreign, joint-venture, and private companies to invest their capital

in industry and other sectors. Government-owned state companies also

have invested in support of rehabilitation. It is clear that at that

time some technical awareness was lacking and the necessity for KIM

was not appreciated. Probably the main reason is that for two

previous decades (1951-1969) no meaningful investment had been made.

There are some laboratories with capability in various classes of

measurement. However, the level of skill in measurement and the

accuracy of the equipment across the entire spectrum of precision

measurement capabilities are very uneven. For some types of

measurement there are no precision measurement facilities at all.

Each organization at best provides the facilities it requires for its ovm purposes, without regard for the needs of other groups which might

also have a need for precision measurement in the same field. There

is a lack of coordination on the basis of national needs.

New directions of industrial activity demand corresponding new KIM

patterns of activities. We have to take special note of the increase

in the following elements in the economic life of Indonesia:

a) foreign and joint-venture investment;

b) new private and government investment;

c) rehabilitation; and

d) small-scale industry.

We have to keep in mind that these pattern changes have also created

certain consequences for KIM that have not arisen before. Foreign and

joint-venture companies could continue to depend on their mother

organizations abroad for their KIM activities. However, this mode

would have a direct adverse influence on the Indonesian balance of

payments. The Government and new private investment industries do not seem to show any concern for the acquisition of new KIM facilities or equipment, but after a while the lack of some KIM capability is

suddenly felt. The need often is in the skill and know-how of

technical personnel.

In industrial rehabilitation, KIM is directly involved and sometimes

influences the ability to compete or to obtain a good return. The

need for KIM's direct impact has been shown in the slowness of the

rehabilitation process when the influence of KIM is not available.

68
Small-scale industries still receive too little attention, although

only limited KIM activities are actually needed. We must remember

that this sector provides the largest employment. No doubt KIM

activities could improve their productivity. Problems that can be

solved by KIM also arise at most technical schools, universities, and

research and development institutions.

IV. The National Calibration Network

Indonesia does not have a single body or institute which is

responsible for national physical standards. In other words, an Indonesian "National Standards Laboratory" does not exist, but there

are laboratories with capabilities in various types of measurement.

Each laboratory provides for its own requirements. Originally there

was no coordination and no traceability to a national focal point.

To support national economic development, a calibration organization

on the basis of national need must be established. There are several

alternative approaches or models that have been considered. From the

local situations and environmental conditions as described above, we decided to take the network approach, that is, we aim at a National

Calibration Network (NCN) . This idea was introduced and adopted

during the KIM-75 Meeting in September 1975. It was attended by

participants from private and Government institutions, industries,

research and development institutions, and universities. We at LIN

are aware that this approach also has limitations and disadvantages,

but it will take the least time to achieve effective implementation.

NCN should be made up of institutes or laboratories which have

calibration facilities, and the National Calibration Committee (NCC)

should be created with the task of coordinating the calibration

centers and also that of improving their technical capabilities to serve the users better. The NCC should consist of representatives

from institutes having calibration facilities and from KIM users.

In support of NCC, an executive sub-committee should be established to

organize the routine tasks. Members of this sub-committee should

consist of three to five members of NCC. A secretariat for

administration is supported by LIN. Both the executive committee and

the secretariat will be located at LIN.

V . Developing the Network

The limitations of most calibration centers lie in their limited

technical skill and know-how, the limited accuracy and traceability of

the instruments, the lack of an adequate budget, and the imperfect

environments of the laboratories.

69
Although industrial development is increasing swiftly in Indonesia, an awareness of the need for instrument re-calibrations is not

widespread. This lack of awareness could be a serious problem when

interdependence between industries becomes a more common feature in

Indones ia

For these reasons, NCC, and LIN, as center for KIN activities, will

emphasize:

a) the dissemination of awareness of calibration needs,

especially to those who are directly or indirectly

concerned with calibration;

b) the training on calibration know-how and techniques

for technical personnel of the centers;

c) the establishment of procedures for "inter-laboratory

checking" among the centers and for the maintenance of

"international traceability";

d) the facilities in the calibration centers; and

e) the managerial and technical capabilities of LIN

to support the calibration centers.

70
IRAN'S EXPERIENCE IN STANDARDIZATION ACTIVITIES

By

Dr. Davoud Davoudzadeh

Director, Division of Coordination in Formulation

and Implementation of National Standards

Institute of Standards and Industrial Research of Iran

Tehran, Iran

2.. INTRODUCTION

Resulting from a rapid change in the framework of Iranian society adapting itself towards modern technology, the growth of industrialization

reached considerable proportions particularly during the last decade.

Many efforts have been made to accustom industrial and commercial enterprises to the application of the principles of standardization which

should play an important role in national economic and industrial

development. The establishment of the Institute of Standard and Industrial Research of Iran (ISIRI) was aimed at facilitating the above

development goals.

In the last few years, ISIRI has grown not only in organization and

personnel, but also in its functions and duties. At present, ISIRI, with

about 1,240 staff members, is a manifold or multipurpose organization

which is capable of working in the following:

a) preparation of national standards,

b) implementation of standards,

c) application of quality control systems

d) preshipment inspection of export goods,

e) hall-marking of precious metals (gold and

silver for purity)

,

f) administration of laws of weights and measures,

g) testing of materials,

h) industrial research,

i) metrology,

j) technical documentation,

k) improvement of leather, hides, and skins in Iran.

2. PROBLEM AREAS

A brief account will be given of some functions which are faced with

difficulties

2.1. Preparation of National Standards

ISIRI is seriously faced with a great deal of demand on the part of

71
government and other consumer interests. The organization is expected

to elaborate more and more products standards to cover the principal

domestic as well as import commodities, which sometimes are offered

with poor quality. In spite of the existence of more than 1,640

existing national standards, which have been prepared during the past

few years, ISIRI is forever asked to develop more standards to cover a wide range of items.

As far as the disposition of personnel and financial resources is concerned, ISIRI is following a modified procedure developed by the Inter-

* national Organization for Standardization (ISO) in order to evaluate

the priorities of subjects. This procedure could be particularly

significant for industrially developing nations. However, in utilizing

the "priority equation" we have some problems due to uncertainty and

insufficiency of statistical data. With regard to the definitions,

there is not a clear distinction between the number of people who are directly in contact with an item and those who are likely to come into

contact with that item. Thus, the evaluation of the priority order

will be subject to difficulties. There is also an unfortunate lack

of an appropriate factor in this priority equation to deal with the

effect of national policies. During 1966, ISIRI utilized the priority

evaluation method and carried out a survey of more than 1,055 items.

In some cases, the order of priority with regard to the experimental

background seems to be reasonable.

ISO, as a source of technology transfer for developing countries, can perhaps generalize the procedure which will no doubt help national

standards programs.

Another point for the preparation of specifications is to put more

emphasis on just a few main characteristics of a product and leave

less important factors for future coverage. This idea may serve the

immediate needs of most countries, developing or developed, with

important savings. It is also an encouragement for producers and

manufacturers who have difficulties in supplying high quality goods.

2.2 Implementation of Standards

On the implementation of international standards, a statement was made

by Mr. Soroudi, the General Director of ISIRI, during the tenth meeting

of the General Assembly of ISO held in Geneva (September 1976), Its

thrust is worth being discussed in this Workshop.

As is well understood, most of ISO and other international standards

bodies are developed by experts from industrialized countries. It can be safely assumed that these standards are mostly Implemented In

developed countries. In many instances, it has been found that

multinational companies, which strictly implement international

standards in their mother plants situated in developed countries, do

not do so in their branches in developing countries, where a lower

quality of goods is produced.

72
It may be true that people in developing countries are less quality

conscious than those of developed ones. However, it is expected

that developed countries undertake the moral obligation to facilitate the transfer of technology and export their know-how to less

developed countries to assist their development. In other words,

industrially developed countries should have a moral obligation to

implement international standards as far as practicable in their

economic and industrial collaboration with developing countries.

73

STANDARDIZATION IN JORDAN

by

Hr. M. E. Khasavmeh

Head, Standards Division

Acting Director, Directorate of Standards

Ministry of Industry and Trade

Amman, Jordan

1. Forewo rd

Jordan is basically an agricultural country. However, the industrial

sector has experienced impressive development since the middle of the

1950's when large factories were established in the fields of cement,

petroleum, paper, and pharmaceuticals as well as other medium and

small size factories. During the period between 1954-1969, the value

of production increased seven fold and the income rose by 368 percent.

In view of this remarkable expansion in the industrial sector, the

Jordan Government recognized the importance of standardization and

quality control as an effective tool for promoting industrial

development.

Since some domestic industrial products are inferior in quality to

similar imported products due to the lack of efficient laboratories,

competition, and quality inspection of goods for protecting consumers,

the Government in 1960 charged one of the foreign institutes to

conduct a thorough study of standardization activities and to

formulate the necessary legislation.

As a result, the seven-year plan included some recommendations for the

industrial sector; the second recommendation reads as follows:

"For the protection of consumers and the safe-guarding of quality

standards for exports, a Standards Bureau should be set up to

report to the Minister of National Economy."

In implementation of the above recommendation, a draft law for

standardization was submitted to the Parliament and, when the Jordan

Center for Industrial Development was established in 1967, it included

a separate section for standards.

In January 1971, the Directorate of Standards was created within the

Ministry of National Economy (changed now to the Ministry of Industry

and Trade) as a competent national body in all matters related to

standardization and quality control. In the next year, the

Standardization Law No. 24/1972 was issued.

75
2.

Structure

The Directorate of Standards is a Governmental body completely

financed by the Government. It comprises the following five

divis ions

1. Division of Standards,

2. Division of Quality Control,

3. Division of Quality Mark,

4. Division of Laboratories, and

5. Division of Weights and Measures.

The technical staff amounts to 20.

3. Nature and Number of Standards

According to Article 14 of the Standardization Law, the Jordan

Standard Specifications are voluntary. However, Article 15 stipulates

that, on a proposal from the Minister of National Economy, the Cabinet

may render any standard mandatory. Up to September 1, 1976, the

Directorate of Standards has issued 44 standards of which 10 are mandatory.

4 . International Activities

The Directorate of Standards has been a full member in the Arab

Organization for Standardization and Metrology (ASMO) since 1968. It

is also a full member in the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) , a Correspondent Member in the International Organization for Legal

Metrology (OIML), and a Correspondent Member in the International

Organization for Standardization (ISO)

5. Standardization and Quality Control Project

5.1 Obj ectives

In an effort to further promote standardization activities and to ensure the efficient operation of the Directorate of Standards, the

Government of Jordan, in collaboration with the United Nations

Development Program (UNDP) and the United Nations Industrial

Development Organization (UNIDO), started in July 1973 the execution

of a large-scale Standardization and Quality Control Project.

The ultimate objective of the Project is to strengthen standardization

and quality control activities in Jordan at the in-plant and national

levels with a view to contribute substantially to the improvement of

the national economy through the efficient use of local raw materials,

reduction of production costs, increase of efficiency, raising the

quality of locally produced goods, ensuring fairness in trade and

commerce, control of imports, and promotion of exports.

76
The immediate objectives of the Project are:

a. In the field of standard specifications:

(1) to organize and strengthen the operation of the Directorate

of Standards related to the elaboration of national standards

(2) to elaborate and implement a national program for

standardization activities; and

(3) to bring about the effective application of national standards and to assist in the establishment, organization, and

operation of standards departments in industrial enterprises.

b. In the field of quality control:

(4) to set up, organize, and operate Industrial Testing and

Quality Control Laboratories (ITOCL);

(5) to organize the proper relationship between the ITOCL and the

testing facilities in Jordan;

(6) to develop a national quality control scheme with a view to

improve the quality of goods and products on the domestic and

export markets, thereby protecting the consumers and

and promoting the export trade of Jordan;

(7) to develop quality consciousness among the public and

industrial establishments; and

(8) to organize and operate a national quality certification

scheme whereby the standards and quality marks would be

granted to products complying to national standards.

c. In the field of standard weights and measures:

(9) to establish, organize, and operate a central standards

laboratory in Amman and district weights and measures offices

in the main governorates of Jordan to accommodate reference

standards;

(10)

to plan, organize, and implement national metrological

services; and

d. Common to all fields:

(12) to set up an information center for the dissemination of

technical information relating to standard specifications,

testing, quality control, certification marking, and legal

metrology;

77
(13) to train national personnel in the fields of standard

specifications, testing, quality control, and legal metrology;

and

(14) to develop the participation of Jordan in regional and

international organizations in the fields of standardization,

testing, quality control, and legal metrology.

5.2 Duration

The duration of the Project is four years. The execution started, as was previously scheduled, in July 1973 and will be accomplished by the

middle of 1977.

5.3 Costs

The total costs of the Project are about two million dollars

contributed as follows:

a) The Government contribution of $1,500,000 consists of

the provision of:

(1) personnel

(2) land and premises (3,000 m^ floor area)

(3) chemicals and glassware

(4) office and laboratory furniture

(5) other operating costs

b) The United Nations contribution of $1,100,000 consists of

the provision of:

(1) Foreign advisors including:

one project manager

two experts

three associate experts

six consultants

(2) Nine fellowships:

one in organization and administration of national

standardization and quality control activities

two in statistical quality control

one in certification marking

two in instrumental methods of chemical analysis

two in physical and mechanical testing

one in legal metrology

78
(3) Equipment for:

inorganic analysis

organic analysis

food analysis

paints testing

paper and packaging testing

leather testing

textile testing

metallographic testing

mechanical testing

standardization of weights and measures

(A) Library references

(5) Other operating costs

5. A Staff

At the end of the Project, standardization and quality control

activities will be operated by a Jordanian staff composed of 60 as follows

1 director

A heads of divisions

17 engineers, chemists, analysts, and physicists

8 laboratory assistants

1 chief inspector

1A inspectors

1 draftsman

1 librarian

13 administrative supporting personnel

60

It is hoped that this Project—which will be accomplished by the

middle of 1977—will provide a strong impetus to the development of

standardization and quality control, and hence to the national economy

of Jordan.

79

STANDARDIZATION AND METROLOGY IN KENYA

By

Mr. Raila Odinga

Group Standards Manager, Engineering Section

Kenya Bureau of Standards

Nairobi, Kenya

I. INTRODUCTION

The Kenya Bureau of Standards (KBS) was established by an Act of

Parliament in 1973 (Standards Act 1973) after efforts to establish a similar institution on an East African basis, i.e., embracing Kenya,

Uganda, and Tanzania, had failed. Under the said Act, the functions

of KBS are:

(a) to promote standardization in industry and commerce;

(b) to make arrangements and provide facilities for testing

and calibration of precision instruments, gages, and

scientific apparatus, for the determination of their

accuracy by comparison with standards approved by the

Minister on the recommendation of the Council, and to

issue certificates in regard thereto;

(c) to make arrangements and provide facilities for the

examination and testing of commodities and of any

material or substance from or with which these

commodities may be manufactured, produced, processed,

or treated, or of the manner in which they are so manufactured, produced, or treated;

(d) to control, in accordance with the provisions of this Act,

the use of standardization marks and other distinctive

marks;

(e) to prepare, frame, modify, or amend specifications and

codes of practice;

(f) to encourage or undertake educational work in connection

with standardization;

(g) to assist the Government or any local authority or other public body or any other person in the preparation

and framing of any specifications or codes of practice;

(h) to provide for cooperation with the Government or the

representatives of any industry or with any local

authority or other public body or any other person, with

81
a view to securing the adoption and practical application

of standards; and

(i) to provide for the testing at the request of the Minister,

and on behalf of the Government, of locally manufactured

and imported commodities with a view to determining

whether such commodities comply with the provisions of

this Act or any other law dealing with standards of

quality or description.

II. EXISTING POSITION ON STANDARDS AND TESTING AT NATIONAL LEVEL

A number of official organizations in Kenya are already engaged in the

preparation of standards and in inspection and testing work. In the

main, these activities are specific to sectional needs. Thus, the

laboratory of the Government Chemist, a branch of the Ministry of Home

Affairs, carries out chemical analyses required under several Acts of

Parliament on a wide range of foodstuffs, on drugs, on water for

industrial use and domestic supply, on metals, plastics and rubber,

and on various goods coming under the surveillance of the Customs and

Excise Authority. Orders for medical supplies, with attendant

specifications, are prepared and issued by the Medical Stores

Superintendent's Department of the Ministry of Health. Testing work

is undertaken on a limited scale in some departments of the University

of Nairobi, and at the Kenya Polytechnic. At the University of

Nairobi, there is an interest in the setting up of physical standards

other than those for mass, length, and volume, these latter being the

prerogatives of the Weights and Measures Department of the Ministry of

Commerce and Industry. The Weights and Measures Department is,

indeed, currently involved in the plans for change to the metric

system in Kenya. Other departments of the Government are also

concerned in applying specifications in purchasing, and in examination

of the materials and products offered to supply their particular

needs. KBS is collaborating with these institutions and the local

industries in preparing national standards for quality.

III. TOWARDS ESTABLISHMENT OF A METROLOGY CENTER

In Kenya, the problems of legal metrology, i.e., providing for

equitable weights. and measures that assure correct and clearly

understood quantities of commodities bought or sold, are dealt with by

the Weights and Measures Department. This service is a basic

requirement for a healthy development of commerce and industry.

Hence, the development of the legal metrology program was given early

attention. However, the major problem which has impeded the proper

development of the weights and measures activity is the lack of a National Metrology Laboratory where the national primary and secondary

standards can be kept and properly maintained by calibrating and

tracing the accuracy of field and working standards. Similarly, a shortage of reference and working standards available for verification

82
purposes has slowed down the progress of the weights and measures

program.

Essential to the national legal metrology program are the physical

standards of weights and measures. National reference standards and

working or secondary standards are necessary for enforcement of legal

requirements. It is necessary, initially, to provide primary

standards of mass, length, and volume. These would serve as the

national standards. Commercial measurements and legal determinations

should be traceable to the national standards. Primary reference

standards are essential to provide the basis for an equitable level of

accuracy in commerce. To provide traceability and the link between

commercial measurements and the national standards, adequate field

standards of weights and measures should be employed. These should

include standard weights, capacity measures, linear standards,

electrical standards, temperature standards, gage blocks, and other

measuring instruments. Calibration of field standards against

national standards will not necessarily ensure that measurements are accurate since other aspects of the measurement process may not be

under adequate control. As the measurement practices in Kenya become more sophisticated, attention will have to be given to the entire

measurement procedure in order to be sure that systematic errors are minimized

.

It is because of the foregoing reasons that the establishment of an environmentally controlled National Metrology Laboratory to house the

national standards and laboratory instruments is planned. This

Metrology Center will be a part of KBS and its main responsibilities

will be:

(a) to provide and maintain the national physical standards

which, to assure accuracy, will be compared at regular

intervals with national physical standards of major industrial

nations or international primary standards;

(b) to develop and provide calibrated verification equipment for the

Weights and Measures Department, for use in legal enforcement

activities

(c) to plan, institute, and operate a nationwide educational

program for consumers and farmers so that the public can know and identify the correct type of measurement and also

exercise self-protection when selling or buying agricultural or industrial products;

(d) in cooperation with other organizations, to do research

and find solutions, if possible, to problems involved in

developing accurate and standardized measuring devices for

replacement of traditional ones;

83
(e) to develop standards of performance, accuracy limits, and other

requirements for testing commercial devices for an orderly

commercial weights and measures program;

(f) to provide annual calibration services for verification of

instruments used by the Weights and Measures Department;

(g) to develop test procedures for weights and measures inspectors

to apply to commercial as well as scientific measuring

devices

(h) to assist in developing laws and regulations covering weights

and measures;

(i) to provide calibration services to industries, universities,

and research institutions; and

(j) to train scientists, inspectors, and technicians of different

laboratories as necessary for metrology.

The Weights and Measures Department will therefore concern itself with

metrication activities as well as conducting systematic periodic

calibration and verification of measures and measuring instruments used

in commerce and industry.

84
MODERNIZATION OF NATIONAL MEASUREMENT SYSTEM IN KOREA

Progress Review of Korea Standards Research Institute

By

Dr. Nun Jung

Vice President for Metrology

Korea Standards Research Institute

Seoul, Korea

I am very happy to be in this Workshop to represent the Korea

Standards Research Institute. On behalf of our country and our Institute, I wish to express our deep gratitude to Mr. II. Steffen

Peiser, organizer of the Workshop, and to the U.S. Agency for

International Development for kindly providing the opportunity for me

to visit the National Bureau of Standards (NBS) and meet distinguished

colleagues from all over the world.

Our present effort to modernize the National Measurement Standards

System in Korea may represent a somewhat unique and perhaps

interesting example for developing countries like Korea to establish

an advanced measurement system on a relatively moderate budget and in

a limited time span. The Korea Standards Research Institute (K-SRI) came into being as a central body of the National Standards System

last December. The target date for full operation is January 1978.

It was at the 1974 Workshop (November 4, 1974) that Dr. Zae-Ouan Kim,

then the Director of the National Industrial Standards Research

Institute (NISRI), outlined the rapid industrial growth of Korea at

the time and the increasing need for modernizing the National

Standards System. Dr. Kim pointed out that Korean industry had

developed so far that a higher level of measurement precision was now

needed to sustain its further growth.

Modernization of the National Measurement System in Korea has been

under study for ten years. An NBS team, including Mr. Peiser, was invited to Korea to assess the situation in 1967, and again in 1972

under his leadership. Following its recommendation USAID financed an independent feasibility study by a General Electric TEMPO team for a period of eight months—September 1974 to May 1975. The team

concluded that the situation called for a very drastic measure—the

expansion of the existing organization simply would not be adequate.

It recommended that the responsibilities for the National Measurement

Standards be separated from the testing/inspection functions of NISRI,

and that an autonomous new organization be created to modernize the

metrology standards system.

85
Based on the report of the feasibility study, a detailed plan for the

establishment of the new Institute was laid out to strengthen the

National Standards System and to maintain the traceability to the

international standards system. The definition of the mission of the

Institute, its objectives, organizational structure, staff

qualifications, instrumentation, and facility requirements, as recommended by the GE-TEMPO study, were described by Dr, Kim in the

Regional Seminar in Singapore, May 19-20, 1975,

A long-term loan of five million dollars from USAID was negotiated,

Dr, Kim was appointed the first President of the Institute, and so the

Korea Standards Research Institute was established in December 1975 as

the central body of the National Standards System of Korea, As I said

earlier, the target date for full operation is January 1978. We are now in the midst of the implementation of the plan. The groundbreaking ceremony was held on September 23, 1976, at the construction

site in the heart of the new Science Town in the central part of

Korea,

At the same time, recruitment for about thirty senior scientists and

preparation for the procurement of equipment are getting under way in

earnest. In all phases of the activity, the guidance and the

cooperation of NBS under a Memorandum of Understanding are playing an

important role. The specifications of the recommended instruments,

for example, are being carefully reviewed by experts at NBS.

Consultation on the design of the laboratory building, including the

environmental control in particular, and the orientation and training

of the core staff are being carried out right here on the campus of

NBS.

At this point, I would like to touch briefly on the questions raised

during the review process for the specifications. The GE-TEMPO report

provided a sound basis for equipment selection. However, the rate of

growth of the Korean industry, in the heavy machinery sector in

particular, far exceeded the projection of the feasibility study. As

a result, K-SRI will have to provide a higher level of measurement

standards than anticipated. And even at this stage, the needs are shifting more and more toward the future requirements of the industry.

Moreover, recent advances in the state of the art of instrument

technology are making some of the originally recommended equipment

outdated. One such example is the development of a Josephson junction

voltage standard. In collaboration with an NBS expert, a firm in

California has just perfected a commercial unit in time for us to

reconsider. Another example in the same category is an inductive

divider bridge which advanced the precision of AC measurements by two

orders of magnitude. A contrasting example is the dead weight force

calibration system we visited this afternoon. As the system is

86
incapable of eliminating oscillations or responding to stepwise

dynamic forces, I was told that NBS is phasing out the program. The

level of Korean industry, however, still requires this kind of

calibration service. Other cases where concurrence was hard to reach

were the selection of fixed point temperature standards and the

candela standards at the freezing point of platinum. Without going

into further technical details, these are the kinds of problems we are facing in the specifications review process. We are carefully

weighing every facet of the situation and revising the specifications

as needed.

Recruiting and training of properly qualified scientists for each job

function is another aspect of the implementation on which we are proceeding cautiously. While we want to assemble the core staff by

early 1978, we would like to leave openings for the best qualified

personnel for future consideration and so maintain the level of

excellence. Concurrently a more thorough survey to identify the

changing needs of the industrial measurements is being planned for

April 1977. Coordination with existing standards laboratories is also

being carefully planned.

Thanks to the outstanding cooperation of NBS, the project is coming

along well so far. However, we still have a long way to go. By good

matching of the dedicated efforts of capable staff with advanced

instrumentation and modern laboratory buildings, we hope to achieve

the goal of a high quality service in measurement standards to help

the industrial growth of Korea. We are looking forward to the

dedication ceremony in May 1978. We will be most happy if all of you

could come to Korea and celebrate the occasion with us.

87

OVERVIEW OF STANDARDIZATION IN NIGERIA

Ry

Mr. F. P. A. Obi

Assistant Director

Nigerian Standards Organization

Federal Ministry of Industries

Lagos, Nigeria

Standardization is comparatively young and progress slow in Nigeria,

It was only in 1970 that the administrative base of the Nigerian

Standards Organization (NSO) was established as an arm of the Federal

Ministry of Industries. The organization was to prepare Nigerian

Industrial Standards Specifications for products, materials, and

processes, and to foster interest in the recognition and maintenance

of acceptable standards by industry and the general public. It was

then very well recognized that standardization would provide a necessary rational basis for advancement of the country's fast growing

industrial and commercial activities. In 1971, the Federal Military

Government provided a legal backing for the establishment of the NSO

with a Decree (Decree No. 56) which defined the exact scope and

responsibilities of the Organization. The decree, was framed to cover

the economic and social needs of the country. It spelt out

unequivocally the functions of the Organization with those of its

governing council and laid down the procedure for the establishment of

industrial standards and for enforcing compliance with them. Tn

accordance with the Nigerian Standards Organization Decree, the

Organization is governed by a Standards Council charged with the

following responsibilities:

1. To advise the Federal Military Government generally

on national policy on standards specifications,

quality control, and metrology.

2. To designate, establish, and approve standards in respect

of metrology, materials, commodities, structures, and

processes for certification of products in commerce

and industry throughout Nigeria.

3. To provide the necessary measures for quality control

of raw materials and products in conformity with

standard specifications.

4. To determine the overall policy of the Organization, in

particular with regard to the financial, operational,

and administrative programs of the Organization and

to ensure the implementation of the said policy.

89
Subject to the above, the NSO, which is responsible to the Federal

Ministry of Industries, has authority:

1. To organize, test, and do everything necessary to ensure compliance with standards designated and approved by

the Council.

2. To undertake investigations, as necessary, into the

quality of facilities, materials, and products in Nigeria,

and establish a quality assurance system including

certification of factories, products, and laboratories.

3. To provide reference standards for calibration and

verification of measures and measuring instruments

4. To foster interest in the recommendation and maintenance

of acceptable standards by industry and the general

public

5. To develop methods of testing materials, supplies, and

equipment

6. To undertake the preparation and distribution of standards.

7. To register and regulate standard marks and specifications.

8. To establish and maintain laboratories, to compile and

publish scientific data important to science, or manufacturing interests.

9. To coordinate all standardization activities, cooperate

with corresponding national and international organizations

in such fields of activity as NSO considers necessary with

a view to securing conformity in standards specifications.

The Organization is also empowered to undertake such research as may

be necessary for the performance of its duties.

The NSO, under the Decree under review, is endowed with the powers to

enter premises and obtain information related to its activities. The

Decree stipulates that:

1. If any person required to furnish returns pursuant

to appropriate sections of the Decree fails to furnish

those returns as required, he shall be guilty of an offense and liable on conviction to a fine not

exceeding N400 or imprisonment for a period not

exceeding six months.

2. Any person who willfully obstructs, interferes with,

90
assaults or resists any NSO officer or servant shall he

guilty of an offense and liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding H200 or imprisonment for a period

not exceeding three months or both.

From the foregoing, it can be seen that the Nigerian situation is

somewhat unique in the normal standardization practices all over the

world. Quite unlike conditions prevalent amongst many standards

bodies, particularly in developed countries, the following aspects are highlighted in the general scope and responsibilities of the NSO:

1. Whereas in some countries standardization, quality

control, certification marking, and metrological services

are functions of different functionaries, the Nigerian

situation admits to a single body carrying out these

various functions as well as having a legal right to

carry out inspection of factories and obtain such data

as it deems necessary for its activities.

2. The Organization is authorized to carry out some research

insofar as that would foster standardization activities

in the country; this aspect of the scope of the responsibilities

imposed on the Organization provides for original work in

standardization effort to be done in pertinent areas, which fact

means that room for effective and original work on standardization is emphasized.

3. The most important aspect of the Nigerian Standards Decree is

perhaps the mandatory nature stressed therein. It can be seen here that enforcement of standards is emphasized, which in effect

augurs well for a young and developing economy like Nigeria in

which actual implementation of standards poses some difficulties.

The machinery for standardization efforts to meet the needs of

the country was thus established. The NSO is now faced with the

problems of an effective implementation of the ideals set up

in the Organization Decree. Nigeria's position is no different

from that of any other developing country. We have aspirations

but we have problems, too. We want to achieve economic and

industrial development in the shortest possible time. We want

to utilize the technology already perfected in the developed

countries of the world without wasting time and resources trying

to discover what has already been established.

PRESENT SITUATION

Despite the very well identified general problems facing all

developing countries like inadequate supply of facilities, manpower,

etc.

,

the Organization has continued over the years to carry out its

responsibilities, but perhaps in a rather modest manner.

91
Standardization - In establishing standards, the consensus approach

has been followed although some details of the process are being

modified to meet emerging needs and demands, particularly to quicken

the pace of standards writing and to keep a happy harmony with the

ISO. Essentially, however, established National Industrial Standards

(NIS) , which now number slightly over 70, are mostly product standards

which stress performance requirements rather than anything else.

Standards Implementation - The Standards implementation program best

suited to Nigeria has been a subject of continued Council debates for some time. While voluntary standards have been generally favored, a cautious approach to mandatory standards has now been recommended for

adoption. The Nigerian Council felt that large-scale adoption of

mandatory standards would present a lot of problems because of the

constraints under which the Organization now operates. For instance,

facilities for scientific evaluation of product quality and its

performance are lacking and designated laboratories which have

hitherto fulfilled this role are not considered adequate in view of

great demands on them which a mandatory system would create.

So far, no NIS Standard has been made mandatory but some will soon be

made so because it is felt that such a measure appears to be the only

way to force compliance to established standards. The use of a certification mark, which is generally encouraged and happily adopted

in many parts of the world, does not appear to be attracting favorable

response from Nigerian industries. Although to date eight industrial

concerns have been permitted to use the NIS Mark on their products,

only one of them has actually started doing so; this is not very

encouraging.

PRESENT PROBLEMS

Standardization problems vary in nature from country to country.

Amongst the developing countries these problems are practically

identical. There are problems of identification, of priorities,

problems of finance, problems of facilities, and problems of expertise

or know-how. Experience in Nigeria shows that there are other added

problems amongst which are the problems of winning public confidence

in locally manufactured products and, even amongst government circles,

creating the necessary awareness of the need and advantages of

standardization. Every effort is being made to tackle problems

relating to public relations as well as quality control, but those

relating to facilities and manpower are bound to remain with us for a while

FUTURE PLAN

In the final analysis, the question of determining priorities and

directing the course for future actions will depend solely on general

92
policy decisions of the Standards Council. However, short- and longterm plans of the Organization include the following:

1. To prepare and develop standards in as many industrial

areas as possible, and in so doing, adopt as far as possible ISO Standards where they are found to meet

local needs.

2. To become more involved in international as well as interregional standardization by establishing more

active cooperation with the ISO, IEC, and other such

institutions and organizations actively concerned with

standardization in developing nations.

3. To implement the standards mark and certify products,

services, materials, and commodities which conform to

valid Nigerian industrial standards.

4. To consolidate and expand the quality control instruction

seminar program of NSO for personnel in industry. It is

the best means of instilling quality consciousness into

the minds of manufacturers.

5. To continue and intensify factory inspection tours and to

collect quality control data and samples for analyses

with a view to analyzing such data and establishing

quality levels of products over long periods of time

for future considerations in the review of standards.

6. To expand our quality control laboratory facilities for

quality tests of products and services to industry, and

to prepare the foundation for basic research work in local raw materials necessary for future standardization

activities

.

7. Since by our Decree metrology has been added to the

responsibilities of the NSO, to establish a physical

laboratory for metrological services.

8. To intensify the training of personnel engaged in

standardization work.

To realize this plan, the Organization has embarked upon an expansion

program under which three branch offices are being created and new headquarters are being erected to accommodate modern laboratory

facilities (including those for metrology) as well as enlarged library

services. To this end, a number of experts under UNIDO technical

assistance are being engaged to help the Organization, both in

planning and execution of vital activities.

93
MEASUREMENT SERVICES

In conclusion, I wish to put in a word or two on measurement services

as they relate to Nigeria. Although the scope of responsibilities of

the NSO covers metrology, effort in this direction so far has been

restricted to mere compiling of inventory of available metrological

materials in the country as the basis for determining metrological

service requirements. Under a UNIDO technical agreement now coming

into force, it is expected that a metrological laboratory will soon be

established, equipped, and run by the NSO. At the moment, however,

metrological services offered in Nigeria are perhaps those practiced

in trade and those which are legally controlled by the Weights and

Measures Division of the Ministry of Trade. Another aspect of

measurement services consideration worth mentioning is the country's

change-over to the metric system which was begun in 1971 and is

expected to last up till 1977. Industrially and perhaps

educationally, the country could be said to be over 80 percent

metricated, but there is the problem of motivating the general public

to use metric measures and units in their day-to-day operations.

94
UNITS OF WEIGHTS, SCALES, AND MEASUREMENTS

IN THE YEMEN ARAB REPUBLIC

by

Mr. Jawdat Nazer

Economic Expert

Ministry of Supply

Sana, Yemen

Units of weights, scales, and measurements known and widely used in

the Yemen Arab Republic were different from other units found in the

Arab world and varied in Yemen itself from one district to another,

depending on the influence of other neighboring states on that

particular area.

Most of these units were taken from the Greeks, Romans, Persians,

Byzantines, and Indians during the pre-Islamic era. Later they were

adapted to Arab customs during the Turk and Imam reigns. The first

Imam who issued rules giving a basis for these units was Imam "Yahya

bin Al-llussein Al-Hadi." He was the first Imam to rule Yemen in the

Islamic era. During his time, units of weights, scales, and

measurements were copied from Africans, Indians, French, and British,

and subsequently "Arabized" until they became the official units in

the country.

Despite the fact that these units were official, in practice

differences persisted in weights, scales, and measurements from one area to another, depending upon the diligence and responsibility of

the rulers of those particular areas. Anyhow, these units were also

different in shape, design, and manufacture, depending on the areas of

the country.

A description follows hereunder:

1 . Units of Weights and Scales

Units of weights and scales are unified for grains (cereals), raisins,

and coffee in one unit called "Kadah." It is cylindrical in shape and

made of wood; it is similar to the bushel in the United States and the

Sa'a in some other Arab countries. The Kadah was legalized to weigh

and measure grains, cereals, and raisins which should be taxed by all

the people as Zakat. The Zakat is a 1/10 part of all farm production

which must be paid by each Moslem to the Government's main stores

according to the Holy Book (Kura'an).

While the weights of grains and cereals are different according to

their size, mass, and density of the different varieties, a system was

put into effect for collecting the Zakat which is payable by everybody

95
in the nation in the form of various kinds of farm products, such as grains, cereals, etc., so the Kadah in Sana, the capital, is as follows

a. Amount of Kadah for Maize = 32 kg

b. Amount of Kadah for Millet = 28 44/64 kg

cAmount of Kadah for Sorghum = 29 kg

d. Amount of Kadah for Wheat = 31 12.8/64 kg

e. Amount of Kadah for Barley = 25 6.4/64 kg

f

Amount of Kadah for Lentils = 360.75/64 kg

g. Amount of Kadah for Broad Beans = 34 0.75/64 kg

h. Amount of Kadah for Coffee = 29-38 kg

i. Amount of Kadah for Raisins = 49-51 (Yemeni Ratel

see below)

up to now 1the Kadah has been mostly used for weighing grains,

cereals, coffee, and raisins, and it is widely known and officially

taken to be such that one Kadah equals 64 Nafar, so that one Nafar is

1/64 of Kadah.

The Nafar is also a small weight and scale measure made of wood and is

cylindrical in shape and is subdivided into a half, a third, a quarter, and an eighth.

There is some difference in the weight of a Kadah in the Sana

district from the Kadah in the Sa'dah district in the north, or in the

Al-Mahweet district in the southeast, or the Rani Iloshaish in the

outskirts of Sana and other areas. The weight of the Kadah in the

above mentioned areas is more in mass than the Kadah is in Sana. It

is called Al-Kadah Al-Siri or Al-Kadah Al-Hadi in the name of Imam

Yahia Ibn Al-Hussein A1 Jladi (the first Imam) in Yemen.

The other units of mass are called Ratel (pound). The Ratel is

considered as an official unit in the country, and it also differs in

weight, so it depends upon the required goods to be weighed. The

description follows:

1. The "small Ratel" (Cirkali Ratel—means English Pound) for

weighing spices and thin silk threads = 16 Oqia.

2. The "medium Ratel" for weighing coffee, husk coffee,

vegetables, fruits, and meats = 20 Oqia.

3. The "large Ratel" for weighing ghee, cooking oil, and

kerosene = 24 Oqia.

The Oqia is 28.4 grains in all Ratels; it is sometimes more or less

than 28.4 grains (it depends on the honesty of the seller).

96
There also exists a piece weight made of iron called Farasleh; it

equals 20 small Ratels.

2. Measures for Fluids

Measures for weighing fluids such as cooking oil, rose water, vinegar,

and kerosene have been prepared and differ in size and volume and are made from tin based on the weight of the Ratel equaling 24 Oqia.

3 . Measurements of Lengths and Areas

The units of measurements of lengths and areas vary from one area to

another; for instance, in some areas the arm, which is called Dera',

or two arms' length plus the shoulders' length, called Ra'a, are used

for measures of cloth materials and ropes. Sometimes sellers use

their own arm, or their arms and shoulders. In other areas, the Padi

Dera' length is used. It equals 66 cm. In other areas the yard is

used for measuring materials made out of velvet. There is also the

Waar, which is a measure equaling 90.75 cm. The Padi Dera' and the

Waar are made of iron and are subdivided into halves, thirds, and

quarters.

For measurement of areas in the Sana District, the Libnah is used

indicating 10 Dera's length squared, and in the Taz District the

Kasabah is used. It indicates 10 Dera's length squared, i.e., the same as Libnah, while in the Hodeidah District, the Ma'ad is used and

almost equals 800 Al-Hadi Dera' length squared.

4. Measurements of Silver and Gold

With regard to gold and silver, the Tola is used as a unit of weight

and it equals 11.5 g. Its origin is Indian.

Weights, scales, and measures are made by persons who have inherited

this art from their forebears, the Kadah and the Hafar are made from

wood, but the other weights and measures are made from iron, copper,

and lead, and rarely checked and stamped by the Government of the

State, so it is always low.

This is just a brief insight into units of weights, scales, and

measurements found in the Yemen Arab Republic. All are still common

and widely used. In 1974, we started to change and replace these

weights, scales, and measures by the Metric system. For this purpose,

we issued new regulations and rules necessary for applying this metric

system. However, due to difficulties of enforcing them quickly, it

will take a very long time to succeed, because of objections

encountered from some quarters such as religious elders and people in

positions to profit from the difference in weights and scales when

they buy or hand back the Zakat. They receive the Zakat from the

people in different areas where the weights of the Kadah is more.

97
while they hand back to the State the weight of the fana'ni Kadah

which is less. The difference is pocketed by them.

I hope in this brief study there are enough facts ro benefit us all.
EVALUATION SESSION

By

Mr. Edward M. Glass * Technical Assistance Expert

The principal objective of the Evaluation Session was to re-examine

the experiences of the past two weeks of the Workshop. During that

time, the major emphasis was in four areas related to the national

administration of standards:

1. maintenance of national standards of measurement

compatible with SI (the international system of

units of measure) , and the transfer of these

standards to local institutions;

2. field surveillance of weights and measures in the

marketplace;

3. procedures for the development of standards

concerned with safety, consumer protection,

building codes, etc., as well as compatibility

standards for such items as pipe threads;

A. inspection and quality control of production. This

includes sampling, tolerances, control charts, etc.

The modus operandi of the Workshop was to bring the participants

into close contact with activities and organizations which were

heavily involved in these four areas. Through visits, lectures,

demonstrations, and discussions, it was the purpose of the program

to pass on information on how standardization and related activities

are administered in the United States.

Upon the completion of the Workshop, it was decided that an evaluation session would be appropriate. This would provide a basis

for improving future workshops based upon the first-hand experience

of the participants. Accordingly, an attempt was made to review the

workshop activities to determine what useful lessons had been

learned and what changes in content and emphasis might be made in

the future. Some of the questions posed were:

1. What was really gained from this experience and how

will it be applied in developing countries?

* deceased April 1977

99
2. Was it really worth the investment in time and money?

3. What were the beneficial highlights?

4. What important areas were neglected?

5. What were the principal shortcomings?

In this session, an attempt was made to obtain the reactions to the

Workshop while the impressions were still fresh in the minds of the

participants. In addition, a detailed questionnaire had been

prepared by participants of prior Workshops. Each of the current

participants was asked to complete this questionnaire upon return to

his home country.

General Reaction

The group reaction was excellent. Everyone participated actively in

the discussions and they appeared to be pleased to be able to

describe their reactions. Almost all were very articulate in

English, which contributed to a very lively session.

There was general agreement that the task of planning and designing

this Workshop was extremely difficult because of the wide variation

in background, experience, and interests of the participants.

Overall, the group felt that an excellent job had been done to

develop a most useful program which held the interest of the group

in spite of this difficulty. The effectiveness of the

administrative arrangements received many plaudits.

Benefits Derived

The principal benefits derived by the group were the opportunities

to observe how a developed country administers and executes its

national standardization program. The participants were vitally

interested in the institutional linkages which have been created in

the U.S. among government, private industry, and educational and

non-profit organizations, a situation which is relatively rare in

developing countries. This was illustrated dramatically during the

visit to the Hughes Aircraft Company, where the cooperation between

Hughes and the National Bureau of Standards is extremely close under

voluntary arrangements.

The general consensus was that relatively few specific items were directly transferable to their own countries. What they did receive

was a good grounding in the fundamentals of standards and

measurements. It would now be possible to translate these basics

into specific programs to meet the development needs of individual

100
countries. A number of attendees felt that the benefits of the

Workshop would not be known for some time to come. Many

standardization programs are in the planning stage or in their

infancy in these countries. As they develop and mature, many facets

of the program presented would become more relevant and usable.

They considered themselves highly stimulated and motivated as a result of the information they had gained and were anxious to see how they could apply the principles learned to local situations.

Finally, a number expressed the opinion that the Workshop provided a basis for lasting relationships among the countries represented

within the group. Living together for two weeks provided

opportunities for exchanges of experiences among participants and a better understanding of one another's problems and solutions.

Fruitful communication was expected to continue for some time to come.

Changes Suggested

There was a general feeling that inadequate time had been scheduled

for discussion periods. It was thought that more time should have

been set aside for greater verbal interchange of ideas among the

participants, possibly toward the end of the first week.

Many of the developing countries are concerned with the

standardization of a wide range of products from primitive to

sophisticated. Naturally, the Workshop emphasized the higher

technology end of the spectrum and this was appreciated by the

group. However, it was emphasized that standardization

organizations of many of the countries represented were heavily

involved in the more traditional, basic needs of the people. More

emphasis was suggested in the presentations and discussions on standardization and measurement related to food, clothing, shelter,

and medical care.

A seller's market exists in most developing countries. Such a market environment does not encourage quality assurance and

standardization programs. As a result, the government has had to be

the driving force in the creation and execution of a national

program aimed at protecting the public and assuring adequate safety,

health protection and product performance. Many of the participants

were interested in obtaining better insights into ways of improving

the government's role and performance in the national administration

of standards. Of particular interest were techniques to gain

greater acceptance and participation of local industries.

There appeared to be interest in enlarging the discussions on the

question of voluntary versus compulsory standards in developing

101
countries. Related to this is the role of standards organizations

with respect to consumer movements.

The question of cultural activities was raised. Several

participants would have liked to learn more about American culture

during their free time. This could include attendance at an evening

stage play or concert; group visits to museums or other cultural

exhibitions; or suggestions and assistance on free day activities.

There was general disappointment that some free time was not

available while in San Francisco.

There was unanimous recognition that two weeks is the optimum for

the length of the program. Many could not have attended if the

Workshop were longer. To accommodate some of the suggested changes,

it was felt that some adjustments xrould have to be made in the

planned program rather than lengthening the program, i One of the

modifications suggested was the possibility of compressing some of

the NBS presentations at Gaithersburg.

A number of attendees expressed interest in follow-up regional

workshops and seminars designed to cover specific technical subjects

in greater detail.

102
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ADDRESSED BY PARTICIPANTS

OF THE NBS/AID WORKSHOP

OCTOBER 1976

A. Relevance to your Programs In your Country .

Question :

1. What fraction of the presentations had any relevance

to your

a. present needs?

b. future needs (as seen by you now)?

Answers

a. present needs?

Mr. Mohammad Kabir NAZIRI : Weight and measures, and quality

control.

Mr. Mohd. Abul Bashar KHAN: (1) Standardization and

certification of industrial products, food and

miscellaneous items. (2) Standardization, calibration and administration of weights and measures.

Mr. Ilernan SOTOMAYOR: All the presentations related to

basic metrology.

Dr. Lawrence TWUM-DANSO: 80-90 percent

.

Dr. A. R. VERMA: Only those presentations which dealt

with physical measurements were of direct interest to me personally.

Dr. D. DAV0UDZADE1I: Weights and measurements, environmental pollution, and building.

Mr. Raila ODINGA: 60 percent.

Dr. Wun JUNG: One half.

Mr. F. P. A. OBI: 4/11; presentations on Oct. 18, 20 and 25,

part of Oct. 21 and 22.

b. future needs (as seen by you now)?

NAZIRI: In the future first of all, we have to build an establishment for the purpose of measuring and testing

103
the quality of products and for training the vocational

and administrative personnel.

KHAN: Setting up of national metrological services center

within the umbrella or as an integral part of the Bangladesh Standards Institution.

SOTOMAYOR: Applied metrology in industry will be our future

field, also dimensional measurement, physical properties,

and characteristics of materials.

TUUM—DANSO: 80— 90 percent

DAVOUDZADEH: Computer science and reference materials.

ODINGA: 60 percent.

JUNG: One half.

OBI: In terms of long-term needs all of the presentations.

Question :

2. Which presentations could have been omitted

a. in Gaithersburg?

b. in Boulder?

c. elsewhere?

Answers :

a. in Gaithersburg?

NAZIRI: In my opinion none.

KHAN: All were useful and informative, so none should have

been omitted.

Mr. Jose PAREDES: None.

SOTOMAYOR: None.

TOUM-DANSO : None.

ODINGA: Dinner and talk by Dr. C. Weiss.

JUNG: Institute and Division overvievjs had some overlaps.

104
I appreciate the emphasis in most of the overlaps. Some

could have been replaced by actual laboratory visits.

OBI: None anywhere; no knowledge is a waste.

b. in Boulder?

SOTO! IAYOR: None.

TWUM-DANSO: None.

ODINGA: None.

JUNG: None.

c. elsewhere?

KHAN: Visit to the Transportation Test Center, Colorado.

SOTOHAYOR; None.

TWUM-DANSO: None.

DAVOUDZADEH: Transport Testing Center, Pueblo.

ODINGA: Transport Testing Center, Pueblo.

JUNG: None.

Question :

3. Which presentations were too brief

a. in Gaithersburg?

b. in Boulder?

c. elsewhere?

Answers :

a. in Gaithersburg?

NAZIRI: As the NBS Workshop was organized for a period of

two weeks, it was required that presentations be brief.

SOTOMAYOR: None.

DAVOUDZADEH: Standards Application and Analysis Division,

International Standards.

105
JUNG: None

OBI: All presentations were overviews and therefore

precise and not too brief as such. However, execu- tive sessions were rather brief.

b. in Boulder?

PAREDES: Yes.

SOTOMAYOR: None.

VERMA: Visit to cryogenics laboratory would have been most

welcome in order to see the facility and work.

JUNG: None.

c. elsewhere?

SOTOMAYOR: None.

TNUM-DANSO: Needed more time at Stanford Research

Institute.

DAVOUDZADEII: Stanford Research Institute and Stanford

University.

ODINGA: At Hughes Aircraft Corporation.

Question :

4. Uhat presentations should have been added?

Answers :

NAZIRI: The presentation tine was not sufficient for the

two weeks; in the future if possible more must be added.

PAREDES: The Food and Drug Administration.

SOTOMAYOR: Maybe the executive sessions should be longer in

number and in time, because it will give us the opportunity

to evaluate the programs conducted in our own countries with

the assistance of the NBS experts and all the participants.

VERMA: Perhaps some on the calibration of instruments, etc.,

and an actual example.

DAVOUDZADEH: Quality control and technological aspects of light

106
industry such as Foods, Clothes, Drugs, etc.

ODINGA: a) Brief session about the U.S., b) standard specif ica

tions.

JUNG: Here laboratory visits. But I realize that other partic

ipants nay feel otherwise.

OBI: A full discussion session on problems of developing

nations

.

Question :

5. Did you appreciate the presentations from other participants

to such an extent that you wish more time should have been

devoted to then

a. by longer sessions?

b. additional sessions?

c. reduction of other presentations?

Answers :

a. by longer sessions?

NAZTRI : Yes.

PAREDES : Yes

.

SOTOMAYOR: Yes.

ODINGA: No.

JUNG: I think it was adequate.

OBI: Yes.

b. additional sessions?

KHAN: Perhaps yes for interaction between fellow participants and U.S. leaders.

SOTOMAYOR: Yes.

TUUM-DANSO: Yes, by way of discussions.

DAVOIJDZADEIL: Yes.

ODINGA: No.

107
OBI : Yes

c. reduction of other presentations?

SOTOMAYOR: Could be.

0D INGA: Yes.

OBI: Hot necessarily, except where time becomes a major

factor

B. Quality of Presentations and MBS /AID Program

Question :

1. Which presentation was the best for you

a. in Gaithersburg?

b. in Boulder?

c. elsewhere?

Answers :

a. in Gaithersburg?

NAZIRI: Itaterials research, basic standards, instruments shops, weights and measures, and library

division.

SOTOMAYER: All the presentations were extremely important.

DAVOUDZADEH: Measurement Services, Institute for TIaterial

Research.

ODINGA: Talk by Dr. A. A. Bates.

JUNG: All.

OBI: Metrology/measurements.

b. in Boulder?

NAZIRI: Basic standards.

VERMA: Time and frequency.

DAVOUDZADEH: MBS.

108
JUNG: All

c. elsewhere?

NAZIRI: Philadelphia (ASTM) ; Stanford Research Institute.

TWUM-DANSO: Prof. Ireson’s presentation (Stanford

University.

VERMA: Hughes—Space Simulation Laboratory,

DAVOUDZADEH: Stanford Research Institute and Hughes Aircraft

Company.

ODINGA: Talk by Prof. Ireson of Stanford.

JUNG; Impressed by Hughes visit.

Question :

2. Do you plan in the future

a. to request NBS literature?

b. to request US standards literature?

c. SRM's?

d. a guest worker stay at JIBS for yourself?

e. a guest worker stay at NBS for others?

f. to suggest to your Government to invite a Survey?

g. to suggest to your Government to seek, to send trainees?

h. to recommend that others from your country go to

NBS /AID Workshops?

i. to recommend that others from other countries go to

NBS /AID Workshops?

j. to recommend that your country host a Regional Seminar?

Answers:

a. b. c. d. e. f. g. h. i. .1

NAZIRI Yes Yes — — — — Yes Yes — —

KHAN Yes Yes No No Yes Yes Yes Yes — —

PAREDES Yes Yes — — — — Yes Yes — —

S0T0MAY0R Yes Yes Yes Yes — — Yes Yes — —

TWUM-DANSO Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes

VERMA Yes Yes Yes — — — Yes Yes — Yes

DAVOUDZADEH Yes Yes — Yes — — Yes — Yes

ODINGA Yes Yes Yes No No Yes No Yes — Yes

JUNG Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

OBI Yes Yes Yes — Yes — Yes Yes Yes Yes

109
Hues t ion:

3. What suggestions would you make for the organizational arrangements for MRS /AID Workshops?

Answers

NAZIRI: The program was very useful especially for developing

countries. I suggest that M3S cooperate in the field of

standardization in the future.

SOTOMAYOR: None.

TinJil-DANSO : Program was too crowded. Some tire could be given

to other non-technical things like visits to nusetims, attendance at theater, etc. Financial arrangement could have

been simplified by paving the per diem and leaving participants to snend it the way they wished.

DAVOUDZADF.E: 1) To visit those factories whose products are more relevant to developing countries, and 2) to allocate

more time for the Executive Session.

OD I? IGA: The participants should have a free afternoon for

consultation and private reading or there should be father

evening dinners.

JUNG: Well organized and well executed. I have the highest

admiration for the thorough arrangements.

OR I : Yes. Every exposure counts.

C. Personal Ouestions

Question

1 . Did you (a)

(b)

enjoy the TTRS/ATD Workshop?

regret attending the MRS/AID Workshop?

Answers

(a) enjoy the NRS/AID Workshop?

NAZIRI : Yes.

KHAN: Yes.

PAREDES: Yes.

SOTOMAYOR: I enjoyed very much being a guest of such an

110
important institution

TWUM-DANSO: Yes.

VERMA: Yes, only it was a bit too busy. But that was

to be expected and inevitable.

DAVOUDZADEH: I an deeply impressed by the fully scheduled

program.

ODINGA: Yes.

JUNO: Yes, indeed.

npi: Yes.

(b) regret attending the fTBS/AID Workshop?

TWUM-DANSO : No

.

VERMA : Not at all.

OK INCA: No.

.TUNG: Certainly not.

Question :

2. Did you profit professionally in some way?

Answers :

NAZIRI: Yes, T did. During the two weeks which passed I learned many things about standardization which will be

useful for my future activities in my country.

KHAN: Yes.

PAREDES: Yes, experience.

SOTOMAYOR: To attend the NBS/AID Workshop really means a lot

to me.

TWUM-DANSO : Yes

.

VERMA: Yes.

DAVOUDZADEII : It was fruitful and helpful.

ODINCA: Yes.

Ill
JUNG: Yes

OBI: Yes. Every exposure counts.

Question :

3. Do you feel you have established personal and useful contacts

a. with NBS staff?

b. other US colleagues?

c. with other Workshop participants?

Answers :

a. with 'IBS staff?

NAZIRI : Yes.

KHAN: Yes.

PAREDES: Yes.

SOTOMAYOR: I established contact with Mr. Joseph Hilsenrath

fron the computer division, who offered us assistance

with our program in information processing.

TWUM-DANSO: Yes.

VER1IA: Yes.

DAVOUDZADEH: No, because of the shortage of time.

ODINGA: Yes.

JUNG: Yes, in many ways.

OBI: Yes.

b. other US colleagues?

KHAN: To some extent.

PAREDES: Yes.

TWUM-DANSO: Yes.

DAVOUDZADEH: No, because of the shortage of time.

112
ODINGA: Yes.

JUNG: Not quite.

OBI: Some.

c. with other Workshop participants?

NAZIRI: Yes.

KHAN : Yes

.

SOTOMAYER: I have to send some information on metrology to

Dr. Rex B. Woo-Ming, Guyana.

TWUM-DANSO : Yes.

VERMA: Yes.

DAVOUDZADEH: Yes.

ODINGA: Yes.

JUNG : Yes , ind eed

.

OBI: Yes.

Question :

4. Do you feel your country should have sent someone else of

a. greater seniority (in job)?

b. lesser seniority (in job)?

c. greater technical experience?

d. lesser technical experience?

Answer s :

a. greater seniority (in job)?

KHAN: It is decided by our government.

PAREDES: Yes.

TWUM-DANSO: No.

VERMA: No.

DAVOUDZADEH: Same seniority.

113
ODINGA: No

JUNG: Not certain. But in some respects, a decision and

policy making person might have profitted more.

OBI: No, none could have attended anyway. Participants

should be of high seniority since essentially the Workshop was merely inspirational and could be of advantage

to those who are in a position to suggest, create, or innovate.

b. lesser seniority (in job)?

KHAN: No.

TlJUH-DANSOs No.

ODINGA: No.

OBI: No.

c. greater technical experience?

NAZIRI : Yes.

TWUM-DANSO: No.

ODINGA: No.

OBI: No.

d. lesser technical experience?

TWUM-DANSO: No.

ODINCA: No.

OBI: No.

D. Any other Remarks

KHAN: Developing countries export more agricultural and food

products than engineering products. So balance should be made,

if possible, to include the agricultural and food products besides

engineering products.

Problems of developing countries as stated in the papers

presented during discussion may be compiled along with the

recommendations/suggestions for solutions, if any, at the end of

the report separately.

114
The final printed report nay be nade available to each

participant as early as possible, also to the government of his

country.

VERMA: On the whole excellent. UPL India and other institutions

would like to participate in the future also.

Perhaps a little tine for seeing towns like San Francisco

would have been very welcone.

It was a very rewarding session. It has given ne a chance

to visit TIBS laboratories and discuss the collaborative nrograns.

DAVOUDZADFdl : As you are aware, nost of the developing countries

have been involved not only in preparation of national standards,

but also inplenentation of the national standard. Thus, nore

enphasis nust be put on the applicability of the standard drafts

with special reference to process quality control and production

management.

Concerning the Workshop program, it may be more effective

to avoid a fully and heavily scheduled program which prevents

the concentration of the participant to pick up the highlight

of the daily program.

ODINGA: I enjoyed attending the MBS Workshop. It was beneficial

to meet people from different countries and share experiences witB

them. The visits to U.S. institutions and industries were stimulating. It is a pity that the AID Mission in Kenya does not take

much interest in the field of standardization. Upon my return to

Kenya, I shall write a report and recommend that we host

a similar workshop in the future. We would be very pleased if

MBS /AID would assist us in establishing our metrology and quality

control laboratories. In conclusion, I would like to thank Mr.

Steffen Peiser and all those in the TIBS/ AID who made it possible

for me to attend this very useful Workshop.

OBI: I have already suggested cutting down travel time where

possible and concentrating visits.

It might well be useful to allow time for participants to see where they have traveled so far to see, namely that where

possible participants should have some tine to themselves when a new station is visited.

Time allocated to executive session was not enough with the

result that full discussions on papers presented were not held.

In this regard, participants should be encouraged to attend fully

prepared to avoid ad hoc sessions and rushed-up papers.

Perhaps it may help the organizers to ask for special areas

of interest ahead of time for possible inclusion in presentations

to ensure that everybody’s interest is covered as far as possible.

Senior officials normally like to spend freely as they like

without bothering to give account of every penny spent, some of

which they may forget or not even bother to note as being trivial.

Therefore, it is a better arrangement to hand over approved

115
stipends and have officials use their discretion in spending.

It is a fact that most people hardly find enough tine later to

study documents gathered durin^ workshops; therefore, T should

like to suggest that participants be allowed enough free tine

during which some private studies of such documents could be

carried out by serious minded participants.

116
IBS-1 14A (REV. 7-73)

U.S. DEPT. OF COMM. BIBLIOGRAPHIC DATA

SHEET

1. PUBLICATION OR REPORT NO. NBSIR 77-1385

2. Gov't Accession

No.

3. Recipient’s Accession No.

1. TITLE AND SUBTITLE

REPORT TO AID ON AN NBS/AID WORKSHOP ON

STANDARDIZATION AND MEASUREMENT SERVICES

5. Publication Date December 1977

6. Performing Organization Code

7,/MjWtM^) H. Steffen Peiser, Charles C. Raley, Cathy M. Schroye:

Editors

-8. Performing Organ. Report No.

9. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME AND ADDRESS

NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20234

10. Project/Task/Work Unit No.

11. Contract/Grant No. PASA TA (CE) 6-71

12. Sponsoring Organization Name and Complete Address (Street, City, State, ZIP)

Agency for International Development

Department of State

Washington, D.C. 20523

13. Type of Report & Period Covered

Final

14. Sponsoring Agency Code

15. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES

16. ABSTRACT (A 200-word or less (actual summary ot most significant information. If document includes a significant

bibliography or literature survey, mention it here.) From October 16-30, 1976, a Workshop was held at the National Bureau of

Standards, Gaithersburg, and at selected universities, research institutes,

standards developing organizations, test centers, and industrial companies,

under the sponsorship of AID. The object of the Workshop was to give

standards officials of industrializing nations insight into the standards

and measurement systems of the United States and the role of the National

Bureau of Standards, so that these officials might consider what parts of

the U.S. system might usefully be adapted to conditions in their home

countries. An exchange of standardization experience in each of the

participant's countries was presented by delivered papers which are reproduced here. Countries represented included Afghanistan, Bangladesh,

Bolivia, Ecuador, Ghana, Guyana, India, Indonesia, Iran, Jordan, Kenya,

Korea, Nigeria, and Yemen.

17. KEY WORDS (six to twelve entries ; alphabetical order; capitalize only the first letter of the first key word unless a proper name; separated by semicolons) AID ; assistance ; developing economies ; foreign relations;

industrializing nations ; international relations ;LDC's;measurement services;

standardization

18. AVAILABILITY [x] Unlimited 19. SECURITY CLASS

(THIS REPORT)

21. NO. OF PAGES

| | For Official Distribution. Do Not Release to NTIS

UNCLASSIFIED

112

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