Weight & Measures Legislation covers businesses that are invoicing by weight or volume

If you use weighing equipment to sell or buy products by weight, the scale you are using must meet legal and technical standards and must be verified by an approved person. The person that completes this verification must either be an Inspector of Weights and Measures or work for a Government approved company.

There has been a marked increase in recent years of approved mobile weighing instruments that are incorporated into road vehicles such as HGV lorries.

 

These mobile weighing systems offer many benefits to the user because the legal weighing can take place in the lorry after it has been loaded. This saves time and cost and is particularly useful where traditional static weighing instruments are not available.

 

Examples of applications that use mobile weighing include waste transfer stations and recycling centres, mobile shredding trucks, loading at farms and forestry environments and measuring liquids by weight where metering systems are not available. All of these examples benefit considerably from reduced cost and increased efficiency.

 

Mobile weighing systems can be fitted to new trucks or can be easily retrofitted to existing vehicles and quickly show pay back in higher profit margins and improved operational time efficiency.

The Legal Requirements of Mobile Weighing and how to make sure you can sell or buy by weight! 

Mobile weighing instruments are now included specifically in the International Technical Standard that all weighing instruments must comply with, namely EN45501- 2015. Using equipment that complies with these standards guarantees consistent and accurate measurement time after time and ensures you meet all legal requirements and technical standards.

As part of this standard, Mobile weighing equipment must include a facility to ensure that the scale will function accurately when on a gradient and, if the gradient is too steep, let the user know the result may not be accurate and not allow the weighing to take place. 

 

There are a number of additional requirements your scales must meet in order to satisfy Weights and Measures law. The software that governs the operation of the instrument must be secure and approved meaning it can be used with confidence in all business environments and, to be sure that you comply with the law, your scales must meet the requirements of the Non-automatic Weighing Instruments Regulations 2016. To show that scales meet these requirements they are marked with a CE and M mark. All of AWM Limited's approved weighing scales meet these requirements and can be used with confidence for mobile or static weighing applications.

 

Trading Standards Service will carry inspections on instruments used for trade purpose. These visits may be unannounced and you cannot refuse to allow the inspector to test the equipment. If the equipment has been found to be inaccurate a six-pointed star will be placed over the legal markings. This means that you cannot continue to use it for trade until it has been repaired and re-verified.

 

This re-verification test can be carried out by the local Trading Standards Officer or by a supplier of weighing and measuring equipment that has been approved by the Government as suitable to carry out verifications. This procedure involves testing the equipment in accordance with the appropriate regulations to ensure that it is in compliance. AWM Limited are authorised to perform Class III verification and can re-verify weighing scales in the UK under the NAWI Directive - click here to read more about our ISO and Self Verification.

 

For further details on Mobile Weighing click here or contact- sales@awmltd.com / +44 (0)1284 701222.