Trading Standards role in the accreditation process
Trading Standards is a team within the Market Integrity branch of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE). It administers the accreditation scheme as established under the provisions of Section 30A of the Weights and Measures Act 1987.
The relevant sections of the Weights and Measures Act 1987 (the Act) and regulations of the Weights and Measures Regulations 1999 (the Regulations) are:
- Sections 30A – 30J(external link) of the Act provide the infrastructure of the accreditation scheme including: the duration of the accreditation period, duties of Accredited Persons, and the controls and appeals available
- Regulations 16 and 17(external link) of the Regulations states who can be an Accredited Person
- Regulation 19(external link) unique identifier and prescribes the format of the forms, labels and stickers
- Schedule 7(external link) of the Regulations provides the requirements for an organisation's Quality Management System.
Power and authority
Trading Standards has the power and authority to perform or require the following:
- Section 30A(3)(external link) provides the power to impose conditions in respect of the accreditation of any accredited organisation or individual, such as restricting accreditation categories or imposing conditions on the Working Standards used
- Section 30I(external link) provides the power to require an Accredited Person to produce for inspection:
- Any weight, measure or instrument in possession of an Accredited Person,
- Any documents under the control of that Accredited Person and take copies if required,
- Any information or particulars required by Trading Standards must be provided within a reasonable time.
Client manager
Client Manager is a Trading Standards Officer who is assigned to an organisation applying to be accredited. The Client Manager will remain if accreditation is granted by Trading Standards or until the organisation withdraw their application.
The role of Client Manager may be reallocated to another Trading Standards Officer at any point during the accreditation process/period of accreditation.
The Client Manager is the primary point of contact for the organisation on all accreditation issues. The Client Manager role includes, but is not limited to:
- Completing an organisation’s systems audit;
- Ensuring the organisation’s quality system is maintained;
- Processing and managing all non-compliances issued by Trading Standards;
- Managing/overseeing any non-compliances discovered by an Accredited Person;
- Carrying out/facilitating the surveillance of Accredited Persons.
Surveillance by Trading Standards Officers
Where accreditation is granted, the Client Manager will undertake surveillance activities to remain confident that an accredited individual(s) remains competent and carry out their duties in line with the weights and measures legislation. The Client Manager has a number of different ways to achieve this, which includes, but is not limited to:
- Observations: a Trading Standards Officers will accompany an Accredited Person to observe them inspecting the categories they are accredited for;
- Review of test sheets: a Trading Standards Officers can request test sheets from the Management Representative for review;
- Interview: a Trading Standards Officers may conduct interviews with Accredited Persons to determine their knowledge or competence;
- Proactive inspections: Independent proactive inspections are completed at trader’s premises. During these inspections, verified and certified instruments are examined and tested for compliance against the weights and measures legislation.