The Bahamas Bureau of Standards and Quality is an established legal entity charged with the responsibility of implementing systems and measures to support and promote the further growth, expansion and sustainability of the Bahamian economy. Its mission is to advance national development through the facilitation and promotion of quality services in standardization, metrology and conformity assessment to protect the consumer, enhance international trade and competitiveness of goods and services. Since its establishment, the bureau has formed alliances with several major international organizations in its efforts to introduce international standards and policies that will create a cultural shift in the way businesses are conducted in the country, positioning The Bahamas to engage more significantly in the international trade of goods and services.
The bureau's external relationships have led to the national observance of international days designed to increase public awareness and enlightenment of the key aspects of the global commitment to Standards and Quality. One such observance is World Metrology Day (WMD), an annual celebration of the signing of the Metrology Convention on May 20th, 1875. At that time 17 countries were party to the convention which over the years has led to countries in both the developed and developing world understanding its significance and joining the global movement.
The convention sets the framework for global collaboration in the science of measurement and in its industrial, commercial and societal applications. The original aim of the convention is the worldwide uniformity of measurement. It remains relevant and important today.
"We are extremely proud of the work the bureau has been doing. The director and her team have made significant progress in ensuring that the organization is established with all of the appropriate services in place to positively impact nation building," said the Minister of Financial Services Hope Strachan, under whose ministerial portfolio the Bahamas Bureau of Standards and Quality falls.
The World Metrology Day project is realized jointly by the International Bureau of Weights (Poids) and Measures (BIPM) and the International Organization of Legal Metrology (OIML) and is now recognized and celebrated by nations around the globe.
The theme for 2016 is Measurements in a Dynamic World. The BIPM and the OIML are the world's two principal metrology bodies, committed to collaborate to promote the continued development and global implementation of the Metrology Convention.
World Metrology Day is celebrated annually to raise awareness of the central role metrology plays in scientific discovery and innovation, industrial manufacturing and international trade and in improving the quality of life and in protecting the global environment. It is also observed to pay tribute to the efforts of thousands of experts worldwide that collaborate and sacrifice time and effort to develop the science of measurement in its industrial, commercial and societal applications.
"We want to help create a more enlightened society about the value these services provide to nations around the world that the positive impact it could have on our country, if we implement and execute the services properly," said Director of the Bureau Dr. Renae Bufford.
"We encourage our stakeholders and the general public to enquire about Metrology and the other services we provide. We believe that through educating Bahamians we can more effectively transition to a society that understands how establishing and enforcing new standards can positively impact economic growth and the quality of life for all," Dr. Bufford explained.
The Weights and Measures Act was passed by Parliament and enacted in 2006 and is essential to the country's implementation and maintenance of proper metrology services through the Bahamas Bureau of Standards and Quality that can effectively prepare, promote, generally adopt and enforce metrology service regulations, to enhance measurement capacities that are traceable to the International System of Measurement in the areas of legal and scientific metrology. Effective measurement capacities, inclusive of calibration services, are extremely important in helping to transforming the business culture in The Bahamas while improving and strengthening its international trade relationships.
The bureau is developing its metrology department and laboratories to position it to fulfill its role as the national monitor for standards and quality. As part of the observance of World Metrology Day, the bureau will for a period of one month, May 23 through June 24, offer free testing of weighing instruments up to 200 pounds at its headquarters on Bacardi Road, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.
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