The Vietnam Confederation of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), after collecting opinions from many enterprises, has given suggestions to the Ministry of Science and Technology’s (MST) draft circular on Group 2 Measuring Instruments, which will replace Circular 23 released in 2013 on the same issue.

VCCI noted that when drafting Circular 23, the compilation agency combined regulations applied to the measuring instruments used for public purposes (ensuring safety, protecting the community’s health, and environment in inspection, examination, judicial examination and other public activities), and for private purposes (quantification of goods and services in purchases, payment). It set the same control requirements with no specific requirements.

VCCI believes this is unreasonable and causes problems in practice. Measuring instruments used for public purposes, if containing problems, may pose a risk, or cause accidents or official duty errors. 

The measuring tools for public purposes need thorough examination.

The measuring tools used for private purposes can be fixed easily if errors are discovered, and don’t need such strict control like the tools for public purposes. 

Moreover, in a civil-business transaction, involved parties have other measures to ensure the accuracy of measurements, and there is no need to use the inspection mechanisms from licensed organizations.

According to VCCI, the requirement on regular examination mainly aims to prevent measurement fraud. In this case, imposing punishment on tools that are not re-examined will be less effective than heavily sanctioning discovered fraud. 

The required regular examination will cost money and time of the people who do not commit fraud, and this will not help reduce deliberate fraud.

VCCI said many of its member companies have complained they spend too much time and money to have their measuring tools inspected, though the error probability rate is nearly zero. 

Every time businesses have measuring instruments examined, they have to suspend production activities, disassemble measuring equipment in machines and bring them to inspection institutions, or invite the inspectors to their factories at a high cost.

Local authorities have also complained about the implementation of the regulation. Some local measurement sub-departments have to send groups of inspectors to examine scales for free for petty merchants at traditional markets. The proportion of the scales which don’t meet the requirements is low.

Therefore, VCCI said that it would be better to classify measuring tools depending on their use purposes. Periodic examination frequency should be prolonged or the examination should be removed. 

Tran Chung