NIST 

Weights and Measures Division 

Our Roles and 

Responsibilities

By Carol Hockert

The intent of this article is to help you, our customers and stakeholders, to

understand what we do and why we do it. The NIST Weights and Measures

Division works under the authority of Federal Law, as enumerated in the

Constitution and made explicit in the Organic Act (U.S. Code-Title 15 Section

Inside this Issue

Page

NIST Weights and Measures

Division: Our Roles and 

Responsibilities 1

Calendar 2

Weights and Measures News

Links 3

Publication 16 NCWM Committee 

Reports Release 4

This Month in

History

April 14, 1828 - The first American English

dictionary was published by Noah Webster

(American Dictionary of the English Language).

April 18, 1775- Two men, Paul Revere and

William Dawes, rode out of Boston around

10:00 p.m. to warn the patriots at Lexington

and Concord that the “British are coming.”

April 22, 1965 - The phrase “In God We Trust”

was added to all newly minted U.S. coins by

an Act of Congress.

April 24, 1800 - The creation of the Library of

Congerss.

April 30, 1789 - George Washington became

the first U.S. President. 

1

Volume I Issue 3

April 12, 2010

The Organic Act reads:

“(b) The Secretary of Commerce (‘Secretary’) acting through the

Director of the Institute (‘Director’) and, as appropriate, through

other officials, is authorized to take all actions necessary and appropriate to accomplish the purposes of this Act, including the following

functions of the Institute— ...

(9) to assure the compatibility of United States national measurement standards with those of other nations; 

(10) to cooperate with other departments and agencies of the

Federal Government, with industry, with State and local governments, with the governments of other nations and international organizations, and with private organizations in establishing standard

practices, codes, specifications, and voluntary consensus standards;

...

(c) In carrying out the functions specified in subsection (b), the Secretary, acting through the Director and, if appropriate, through other

appropriate officials, may, among other things—... 

(4) cooperate with the States in securing uniformity in weights

and measures laws and methods of inspection.” 

271 “NIST Act”), and excerpts follow below that pertain to the work we do.

The Organic Act can be found in its entirety at: 

http://www.nist.gov/director/ocla/organic.htm. 

NIST also has a duty under the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act (FPLA) to
Calendar 2010

April 12 - 16

SEMAP

Gaithersburg, MD

April 22 

Webinar: Documenting Traceability and Calibration Intervals

NIST/WMD

April 29

Webinar: Internal Auditing

NIST/WMD

May 3 - 7

WRAP

Gaithersburg, MD

May 10 - 13

Northeastern Weights & Measures Association - Annual Meeting

Groton, CT

May 16 - 20

Central Weights & Measures Association

Annual Meeting

Springfield, IL

May 17 - 21

Basic Mass - Industry

Gaithersburg, MD

May 27

Webinar: Supplier Evaluation

NIST/WMD

June 3

Webinar: Basic Uncertainty Concepts

NIST/WMD

June 7 - 11

CAMAP

Gaithersburg, MD

June 22 - 26

Laboratory Administration Seminar

Austin, TX

July 1

Webinar: PT Analysis

NIST/WMD

July 8

Webinar: Measurement Assurance Basics

NIST/WMD

W&M Connection 2 Volume I Issue 3

work with the states on packaging and labeling under: Sec. 1458. Cooperation with State Authorities; Transmittal of Regulations to States; 

“(a) A copy of each regulation promulgated under this chapter

shall be transmitted promptly to the Secretary of Commerce, who shall

(1) transmit copies to all appropriate State officers and agencies, and

(2) furnish to such State officers and agencies information and assistance to promote to the greatest practicable extent uniformity in State

and Federal regulation of the labeling of consumer commodities.”

Based in part on the authority and responsiblities listed above, the Division

has adopted the following mission:

To improve the accuracy of measurements, enhance consumer protection,

foster fair competition, and facilitate economic growth and trade through

technical activities that promote uniformity in national and international

legal metrology laws, regulations, standards, test procedures and enforcement.

The work we do as a Division is focused on this mission. It includes the publication of test procedures, guidelines, field manuals and other documents,

the training of administrators, metrologists, field inspectors and related industry personnel, responding to thousands of technical inquiries and requests for information, and participation in the development of technical

standards related to legal metrology. Our standards development work involves participation in a number of organizations, such as ASTM, OIML and

NCWM. The role of the Division is slightly different for each of these organizations. For instance, in OIML, we represent U.S. positions in an international forum based on the input we receive from industry, regulators and

others. In the NCWM, our role has evolved over the years since NCWM became incorporated after being sponsored by NIST. We have changed from

being somewhat of a “parent” figure to more of a mentor or advisor. Therefore, it may be of value now to clearly define and restate what we do as Executive Secretary, Technical Advisors, and as members of NCWM. It is also

important to note that the success of our work depends on the cooperative

relationships we develop with our customers and stakeholders.

As Executive Secretary, we publish the agendas and reports of the Conference, as well as the NIST Handbooks that are adopted through the NCWM

process. The staff time associated with this task is large and uses a significant

percentage of our resources.

As part of our mission, we participate in technical activities that promote

uniformity. One of our roles within the NCWM is to serve as Technical Advisors, providing technical expertise and advice to the membership. We do

this by serving on technical committees, publishing technical articles and by

speaking during the open hearings and committee work sessions on the technical merit of a proposed item. Our goal is to highlight the technical integrity

or lack thereof in any proposal, rather than to be seen as taking sides on any

given issue. We will also indicate whether we believe that a proposal, as

written, will lead to more or less uniformity across the country. We strive

to limit our input to information based on fact, or research, and resist being

drawn into discussions outside of this realm. But even when talking about
July 11 - 15

NCWM 95th Annual Meeting

St. Paul, MN

July 15

Webinar: Basic Uncertainty Concepts

NIST/WMD

July 25 - 29

NCSL International Workshop & Symposium

Providence, RI

August 19

Webinar: Doc.ument Control & Recordkeeping; NIST/WMD

August 25 - 26

NCWM - NTETC Grain Analyzer Sector Meeting

Kansas City, MO

August 26

Webinar: Document Control & Recordkeeping - *Reserved for state participants only*

NIST/WMD

August 31 - September 2

NCWM - NTETC Weighing Sector Meeting

Columbus, OH

September 2

Webinar: Contract Review - *Reserved for

state participants only*

NIST/WMD

September 9

Webinar: Software V&V - *Reserved for

state participants only*; NIST/WMD

September 12 - 15

Central Weights & Measures Association

Interim Meeting

Rock Island, IL

September 13 - 17

NEMAP

Gaithersburg, MD

September 23

Webinar: Internal Auditing - *Reserved for

state participants only*; NIST/WMD

September 19 - 24

CIML 2010 Meeting

Orlando, FL

September 26 - 30

Western Weights & Measures Association

Olympia, WA

W&M Connection 3 Volume 1 Issue 3

technical issues, there can be disagreement over what is the best course of

action. The final decision on whether any proposal is ready to be put forward as a voting item rests with the appropriate standing committee, and

the decision to adopt an item rests with the voting membership.

We provide to the U.S. citizens and branches of government advance notification of proposals to change rules affecting commerce to promote uniformity and allow due process through notices published in the Federal

Register. When we publish the Federal Register notice announcing the Interim or Annual Meeting, we include this excerpt for legal reasons: “Publication of this notice on the NCWM’s behalf is undertaken as a public service;

NIST does not endorse, approve, or recommend any of the proposals contained in this notice or in the publications of the NCWM mentioned below.”

This is intended to clarify that NIST did not necessarily write or create the

items and, therefore, does not claim ownership. It should not be misinterpreted to mean that we cannot speak to the items individually during the

open hearings. 

Our intent is to provide impartial technical input while staying within the

boundaries of our authority. We also take seriously concerns about our giving the appearance of doing otherwise. Our collaborations are easy when

we reach the same conclusions in our analysis. However, when we differ

on the technical merits of a Handbook proposal, as the document’s publisher, we have a responsibility and right to voice our concerns. This is part

of the open discussions that have been encouraged in the weights and

measures standards development process since 1905. As members of

NCWM, we are all striving to be civil when providing input and graceful in

our acceptance of constructive criticism.

By explaining to you our purpose and goals as Executive Secretary, Technical

Advisors, and members of the NCWM, we hope to facilitate open dialogue

regarding our participation in the NCWM and its limitations. We also hope

you have a better understanding of our role in the weights and measures

system, and we welcome questions, comments and feedback.

W&M NEWS WEB LINKS

Investigation Finds Frozen Seafood Packages Over Weight with Icy 

Excess

http://www.kansascity.com/2010/03/29/1845083/investigation-finds-frozenseafood.html?story_link=email_msg

Department Makes Sure Oklahoma Scales Measure Up

http://newsok.com/article/3447216

Seafood: Ripped Off by Ice

http://abcnews.go.com/WN/investigators-found-seafood-companies-count-iceweighing-pricing/story?id=10244900

If you know of a weights and measures topic that has made the news, pass it on

to the editor at: linda.crown@nist.gov

678
September 27 - October 1

MidMAP

Gaithersburg, MD

October 1 - 2

NCWM - NTETC Measuring Sector Meeting

Columbia, SC

October 3 - 6

Southern Weights & Measures Association

Location: TBD

October 4 - 8

SWAP

Gaithersburg, MD

October 11 - 12

National Industrial Scale Association (NISA)

Seattle, WA

October 13 - 14

Northeastern Weights & Measures Association

- Interim Meeting

Norwich, CT

October 14

Webinar: Annual Submission Process - *Reserved for state participants only*

October 21

Webinar: PT Evaluation & Follow up - *Reserved for state participants only*

NIST/WMD

October 28

Webinar: Management Reviews - *Reserved

for state participants only*

NIST/WMD

Calendar 2011

January 23 - 26

NCWM 96th Interim Meeting

Dallas, TX

Webinars are conducted by the WMD Laboratory Metrology Group. You can get additional

information by contacting Val Miller at:

301-975-3602 or by e-mail at:

val.miller@nist.gov

Additional details on the above calendar

items can be found at:

http://ts.nist.gov/WeightsAndMeasures/calendar3.cfm

W&M Connection 4 Volume 1 Issue 3

Publication 16 

NCWM Committee 

Reports for the 

95th Annual Meeting

For those of you that are planning to attend or just interested in the topics

and issues that are under discussion and consideration at this year’s National

Conference on Weight and Measures (NCWM), Publication 16 will be available in electronic format between April 16 – 20, 2010. Please stop at our

website homepage (www.nist.gov/owm) and look for the link.

This year’s Conference is being held July 11 – 15, 2010, in St. Paul, Minnesota. Additional information regarding the Conference can be obtained

at the NCWM website www.ncwm.net or by contacting the Conference directly at 402-434-4880. 

In the Field

Is there a W&M topic that you would like to have appear in the

Weights and Measures Connection?

How can we better serve our W&M community?

Do you have a safety tidbit to share?

Do you have a W&M event that you wish to post in the Connection’s calendar?

Submissions can be sent to the Editor, Linda Crown at

Linda.Crown@nist.gov

678

Spring has Sprung!

Ah, at long last the winter is over in the Atlantic Middle States. It is

time to get those barbecue grills out of the basements and garages

and grill that perfect steak. Remember to observe all safety rules.

The New York City Fire Department has a great webpage with safety

tips for grill safety at: www.nyc.gov/html/fdny/html/safety/barbeque.shtml