A faulty scale may not be a bad thing if you’re trying to convince yourself that your diet is working.
But if you’re delivering grain, loading a truck or having a sample of wheat tested, you want to be sure that the measuring device is accurate.
Making sure that’s the case is the job of a little known federal government agency called Measurement Canada.
The agency is in the midst of reviewing how well the grain industry is being served when it comes to weights and measures.
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“We want the industry to tell us how they’d like us to be involved in measurement and how best to ensure accuracy and fairness,” said Lance Robertson, team leader for Measurement Canada’s grain sector review.
“It’s to ensure we’re doing what’s needed.”
The agency has been conducting similar reviews in other industries since 1999, he said, adding there are no particular concerns about the grain sector.
“Farmers should definitely not take this as any indication that there is any problem in the industry,” he said.
“The review is not a result of any complaints or perceived problems. Grain was simply next on the list.”
The agency has developed a 13 page questionnaire for industry stakeholders, including farmers, to fill out.
It is available online at http://mc.ic.gc.ca.
It asks questions designed to gauge the level of satisfaction with the service being provided and identify any issues that need to be addressed.
It also wants to know whether stakeholders are comfortable with the agency contracting out some of its services to private sector companies, a result of funding shortages.
Currently, the initial inspection of a device is conducted by an accredited service provider, along with subsequent inspections as requested by the operator.
Services that could be contracted out to the private sector include certification, calibration, approval of specific devices and net quantity verification.
Measurement Canada will at a minimum continue to establish rules and requirements, investigate complaints, monitor accredited service providers and take action when necessary to ensure compliance.
Robertson said one reason the agency is looking at more contracting out is the increasing cost of monitoring the more complex electronic and computer-based measuring devices now in widespread use.
According to information in the questionnaire, the compliance rates over the past five years for various grain industry devices include dockage scales 87.7 percent, platform scales 81 percent, hopper scales 35.5 percent, bulk weighing systems 63 percent, truck scales 69 percent and railway scales 100 percent.
While some of those numbers seem low, Robertson said it’s a bit misleading.
The agency’s tolerance level for compliance is generally 0.1 percent, although it varies with some devices. That means it doesn’t take much of a variance to be considered out of compliance. Also, the device could be out of compliance for reasons not directly related to measurement, like incorrect installation or the operating environment.
“I realize that on the surface this looks alarming, but it’s not as bad as it appears,” Robertson said.
At the same time, he said, the agency welcomes any suggestions on how to improve things.
Currently, inspections are conducted by Measurement Canada or accredited service providers at random, at the request of the operator of the device or in response to a complaint. One question being asked in the review is whether that is adequate.
The review is scheduled to be complete by March 31, 2008. The agency plans to post a discussion paper on its website in December or January, then make recommendations to senior management after further discussions with stakeholders.
