In Guyana, our local Standards Body is the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS). The GNBS was established under the Standards Act No. 11 of 1984 and for the first time opened its doors in March of 1985. The Standards Act was amended in 1997 to make the legislation more supportive of the services provided by the National Standards Body, to facilitate business growth and development and to ensure that the public is protected from sub-standard products and services.
By virtue of the Standards Act and its amendment, the Bureau is mandated to monitor seventeen categories of products including household electrical appliances, cellular phones, tyres, furniture, and electrical equipment and fittings to ensure compliance with requirements outlined in national standards. In addition, the GNBS is mandated to develop National Standards and adopt International Standards for implementation within the various sectors.
The GNBS also provides voluntary services to make industry, products, and services standards-compliant and competitive. These services include training and consultancy on the requirements of international standards (ISO 9001, ISO 15189, ISO 14001, ISO 17020). The GNBS Certification Services Department also provides Auditing Services based on the requirements of these international standards.
Meanwhile, medical and testing laboratories are certified by the GNBS based on the requirements of the National Laboratory Standard. Further, once the requisite standards and testing facilities are available, local products can be certified under the GNBS Product Certification Scheme.
The GNBS is also the National Metrology Institute (NMI) as it is empowered under the Weights and Measures Act of 1981 to verify the accuracy of all weighing and measuring devices such as scales, masses, measures, used in commercial trade. Therefore, it has the legislative support to provide mandatory Legal Metrology Services to businesses.
In addition, in pursuant of Article 6 of the Petroleum Agreement, the GNBS is delegated to perform the functions of the Minister as set out under Regulation 12 of the Petroleum (Exploration and Production) Regulations. Hence, the GNBS now plays a very significant role in the Oil and Gas Sector, which is to ensure accurate measurements during the lifting of crude from the Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel(s).
Further, Industrial Metrology and Testing Services, which are voluntary, are highly demanded by Companies and Laboratories from the GNBS. These entities are increasingly submitting their measuring instruments for regular (calibration) comparisons with traceable standards in the areas of Mass, Dimension, Volume, Pressure, and Temperature. These instruments include balances, masses, measuring cylinders, liquid in glass thermometers, gauge blocks, pressure gauges, measuring tapes, micrometers, and calipers.
Currently, the GNBS is classified as a semi-autonomous agency, which falls under the Ministry of Tourism, Industry, and Commerce. It is an internationally (ISO 9001) certified institution, which is governed by a National Standards Council (NSC). The NSC is comprised of persons who represent the various interest groups and sectors of our economy, and the Minister appoints these individuals.
The vision of the GNBS is to be the Premier National Institution for standards and quality in Guyana. Its mission is to develop and implement the National Quality Infrastructure in partnership with key stakeholders towards sustainable socio-economic development and consumer protection.
The roles of the GNBS include supporting trade and enhance business competitiveness through standards and certification, facilitating business growth and development to enhance efficiency and the quality of products and services offered for sale, supporting the establishment of a National Quality Infrastructure, and Protecting consumers.
For further information on this subject, call the GNBS on Telephone number: 219-0065 or 219-0069 or visit the Bureau’s website: www.gnbsgy.org
