CONSUMERS in Guyana represent the largest public body in the country; therefore protection of their interests is of vital importance.

To carry out this activity of protecting the interests of consumers, there must be measures in place for the establishment of an orderly approach to providing quality goods, services and utilities for their satisfaction.

The establishment of the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS), under the Act of 1984, is one of Government’s commitments to the cause of the consumer. A major objective of this Act is to make the GNBS a body to protect and promote consumers’ interests.

One of the major activities carried out by the GNBS to protect Consumers’ interests is standards development and promotion.

The Bureau of Standards is entrusted with the task of developing and promoting standards in all sectors of the economy, such as the Agriculture, Manufacturing, Mining and the Building Sectors.

The GNBS develops standards which provide a means of communication between regulators and manufacturers, and manufacturers and consumers, by clearly stating requirements for products and services. This ultimately creates customer confidence that if the consumer engages in a service or orders goods which comply with a standard, the quality of that service or goods would always be more than satisfactory.

Standards also apply to safety in use, facilitate compatibility, regulate environmental impact and ensure quality goods and services of a wide range of fields from household goods to domestic appliances, medical instruments, plastics, telecommunication, transport, computers, sports equipment, and many others.

Almost every service or industry can be standardized.

For further information please contact the GNBS on telephone numbers: 219-0069, 219-0065, 2190062.