masses

In Kazakhstan, the list of measurements related to state regulation has been supplemented with measurements of the mass of goods during trade and commercial operations, reports Azattyq Grooves with reference to the press service of the Ministry of Trade and Integration.

“In other words, now every retail outlet will have to carry out an annual mandatory verification of scales by certified verifiers in accredited (competency-assessed) verification laboratories, which are available in all regions of the country. If previously the requirement for verification applied only to means of measuring the geometric parameters of goods sold (length, etc.), now scales have also been added,” the message says.

The essence of verification is to confirm the compliance of measuring instruments with mandatory metrological requirements. For this purpose, a certified verification method is used, a number of measures are carried out, as a result of which positive results are certified by a verification stamp, in the negative case, a notice is sent about the unsuitability of the measuring instrument.

The procedure is not expensive; according to experts, the average price on the market rarely exceeds 5,000 tenge and involves the use of special weights.

Thus, when selling products by weight, consumers will be protected by law from unreliable measurement results and will receive the weight for which they paid. According to expert estimates, about 8-10% of measuring instruments submitted for verification do not pass it, and are therefore not suitable.

However, the innovation does not apply to agricultural fairs.

For non-compliance with the requirements of the law, liability is provided under Article 419 of the Code “On Administrative Offenses” in the form of a fine: for individuals in the amount of 30 monthly calculation indices (103,500 tenge), for legal entities – from 230 MCI to 600 MCI (from 793,500 to 2 070,000 tenge).

“The overdue measure, one might say, “fell out”, and control was not carried out for more than 4 years. Every minute across the country in thousands of retail outlets, consumers “without looking” trust scales of various types and conditions, paying their own money for unverified measurement results. Citizen complaints are being received. Verification will ensure the accuracy of scales, protect consumers and reduce deceptive practices,” said Kuanysh Elikbaev, Chairman of the Committee for Technical Regulation and Metrology of the MIT RK.