Lincoln, Nebraska (PRWEB) March 02, 2015 -- The National Conference on Weights and Measures will celebrate Weights and Measures week March 1-7, 2015. Weights and measures inspectors are keeping pace with rapidly advancing technologies to ensure fairness in the marketplace. Their service to consumers and industry plays an essential role in our economic recovery by protecting buyers and sellers in virtually all sales of goods in the United States. This year’s theme, Weights and Measures: On the Path to Tomorrow recognizes this vital element of our free market society.
"The date of this year’s Weights and Measures Week is significant as it marks the signing of the first weights and measures law by John Adams on March 2, 1799," said Ronald Hayes, NCWM Chairman. "During the 110-year history of the NCWM, we have seen a number of advancements, from mechanical devices to highly sophisticated software-based weighing and measuring instruments and now apps used on smart phones."
Today, quantities are determined in all business sectors using the latest advancements in technology. Gasoline stations and supermarkets employ state of the art weighing and measuring equipment. Railway cars and highway vehicles are weighed "in-motion." Motor fuel and oil quality, another function for weights and measures, is also a rapidly advancing science. Regulatory officials are challenged with the development of performance specifications and laboratory testing of evolving fuel and energy sources such as ethanol, biodiesel, biobutanol, natural gas, hydrogen, and electrical recharging for motor vehicles. Regardless of the technology in place, inspectors are well trained to secure accuracy and equity.
"The weights and measures inspector is, perhaps, the least recognized element of daily commerce in the United States, even though he works to protect buyers and sellers in every transaction," said Hayes. “This coming July marks a historical event, with the 100th Annual Conference in Philadelphia, PA, where state and local weights and measures officials meet with industry and consumer groups to establish national standards.”
Weights and Measures Week serves as a reminder of the great value society receives for a minimal investment in weights and measures inspection programs. This regulatory presence costs a person less than $1.00 per year. The consumer can realize the full return on that investment in a single trip to the market or gas station.
The National Conference on Weights and Measures is a professional nonprofit association of state and local weights and measures officials, manufacturers, retailers and consumers. In 1905, NCWM was formed to develop model standards for uniform enforcement from city to city and state to state. The organization has set the example for bringing the right interests to the table to develop and amend national standards to keep pace with innovative advancements in the marketplace.
Don Onwiler, NCWM, http://www.ncwm.net, +1 (402) 434-4871, [email protected]
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