- ensuring consumers get fuel they pay for
The National Weights and Measures Act of 1981 was established to ensure consumer protection and equity in trade with regards to weights and measures.

The Act states that all weighing and measuring devices used for commercial trade must be verified twice per year or once every six months.

The Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) has the responsibility for verifying all scales, weights, measures and fuel pumps. A significant portion of the Bureau’s mandate includes checking and verifying the accuracy of bulk meters and fuel pumps at filling stations countrywide, to ensure that fuel dispensed at the pumps is within the acceptable tolerance levels as stipulated in the Regulations.

Since 1996, Officers of the GNBS have routinely conducted verifications at all petrol pumps at gas stations countrywide, and upon completion, the pumps are sealed off by Inspectors to ensure that operators do not tamper with them.

If pumps are found to be under-delivering or over-delivering, the necessary adjustments are made and a protective seal affixed. However, if a pump which has been sealed off is found to be tampered with, the operators or owners can face prosecution.

If for one reason or another, a fuel pump is not functioning properly, and cannot be calibrated immediately, the Inspector would seal the nuzzle to prevent further usage of the pump until its accuracy can be verified.

To maintain the integrity of the process, security seals are placed on the adjusting mechanism of the meter.

In this process, both the supplier and the consumer are protected. When a pump is over delivering fuel, the seller is being robbed; likewise, if a pump is under delivering, the consumer is being short-changed.

The Bureau of Standards, therefore, serves as an effective interface between the consumer and the seller, thus ensuring fair trade and business practices and ultimately, protection for all. It is only through the Bureau’s continuous verification and monitoring efforts that consumers can be assured that they receive accurate quantities which they have paid for.

For further information on this subject, call the Guyana National Bureau of Standards on Telephone number: 219-0065 or 218-0066.