The international frameworks for legal metrology

The OIML Convention  

The International Organization of Legal Metrology (OIML) was set up by the OIML Convention. Under the provisions of this international treaty, OIML works with national legal metrology authorities to develop harmonised regulations on measurements and measuring instruments.  This ensures that certification of measuring devices in an economy is compatible with certification in another, facilitating trade in measuring devices and in products that rely on the measuring devices. These include weighing devices, taxi meters, speedometers, agricultural measuring devices such as cereal moisture meters, health related devices such as exhaust measurements and alcohol content of drinks.

International Organization of Legal Metrology

   

The mission of the OIML is to enable economies to put in place effective legal metrology infrastructures that are mutually compatible and internationally recognized, for all areas for which governments take responsibility, such as those which facilitate trade, establish mutual confidence and harmonize the level of consumer protection worldwide. - OIML B 15:2011

https://www.oiml.org/en/files/pdf_b/b015-e11.pdf

OIML provides it members with guidelines on their national legislation, for example to ensure that measurement used for trade and regulatory purposes are made using measurement standards legally traceable to the International System of Units (SI), supported by the BIPM.

For more information about the role and structure of the OIML see:

https://www.oiml.org/en/about/about-oiml

Asia-Pacific Legal Metrology Forum     

The work of the OIML is supported at the regional level by Regional Legal Metrology Organisations (RLMOs.  The RLMO for the Asia Pacific is the Asia-Pacific Legal Metrology Forum (APLMF). The APLMF was established to build the capability of legal metrology authorities as well as increasing awareness of the economic and social benefits of Legal Metrology within Asia Pacific economies. APLMF is committed to supporting member economies within the Asia Pacific region that are aligned to the APEC goals.

APLMF’s objective is the development of legal metrology and the promotion of free and open trade in the region through the harmonisation and removal of technical or administrative barriers to trade in the field of legal metrology.

For more detail see the Quality Infrastructure page of this website.