The proposals are embodied in the Legal Metrology Bill‚ which has been tabled in Parliament and which will replace the existing‚ outdated Trade Metrology Act.
The act is 40 years old and does not provide for the regulation of legal metrology measurements.
The bill will ensure the quality and credibility of the measurements used to promote fair trade and industrialisation‚ and to protect public health and safety and the environment.
According to the memorandum of the bill‚ it "seeks to expand the scope of trade metrology to legal metrology and strengthen the enforcement thereof within an appropriate legislative framework".
The expanded scope was necessary‚ the department's chief director of technical infrastructure‚ Tshenge Demana‚ told Parliament's trade and industry portfolio committee on Wednesday during a briefing on the bill to take account of new industries which needed to be measured.
The new legislation will also‚ through regulation‚ allow for the regulation of medical instruments such as for temperature‚ blood pressure and syringes; safety measurements for speed and alcohol testing; and environmental measurements for smoke emissions and water pollution.
The memorandum says the bill also "seeks to protect consumers against short measure‚ level the playing field for industry and support the competitiveness of local industry".
In terms of the proposals‚ the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications will administer the bill which deals with the powers of market surveillance inspectors‚ and the approval and verification of measuring instruments.
Demana said globalisation was increasing the demands on countries to demonstrate that they had the technical infrastructure to guarantee products originating in their territories were safe and fit for purpose.
He said technical infrastructure consisted of standards‚ quality assurance‚ metrology and accreditation.
Demana said the bill was intended to improve enforcement through increased market surveillance and increased penalties. Nonconforming products‚ services and instruments could be confiscated or destroyed.
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