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Austria is a democratic republic. Its head of state (the Federal President) and its legislative organs are elected by the populace. Citizens of Austria have been guarantee basic rights and freedoms (such as freedom of belief and conscience) since 1867.
Austria is a federal republic, composed of nine provinces (Bundeslaender): Wien (Vienna), Burgenland, Niederoesterreich (Lower Austria), Oberoesterreich (Upper Austria), Salzburg, Steiermark (Styria), Kaernten (Carinthia), Vorarlberg and Tirol (Tyrol). Federal legislation is enacted by the two chambers of Parliament, the “Nationalrat” and the “Bundesrat”. The latter chamber represents the interests of the federal provinces. The supreme federal executive organs are the Federal President and the members of the Federal Government, headed by the Federal Chancellor. The supreme executive organs of the provinces are the provincial governments, each headed by a provincial governor.
Austria covers an area of approximately 84 000km². The population is about 8.0 million of which 1.6 million live in the capital Vienna. Austria is a member of the European Union since 1995.
Organisational Structure and Background
The Metrology Service of the Bundesamt für Eich- und Vermessungswesen (BEV), the Federal Office of Metrology and Surveying in Vienna, is the National Metrology Institute (NMI) and the national authority on legal metrology in Austria. The BEV is a subordinate agency of the Federal Ministry of Economic Affaires and Labour (BMWA). Due to historical reasons the metrology service consolidated with the national authority for land surveying into a common organisation. The statutory basis of the activities of the BEV in the field of metrology is the Metrology Act (MEG) Federal Gazette (BGBl.) Nr. 152/1950 last amended by BGBl. I Nr. 85/2002.
As NMI the Metrology Service has the task to maintain the national measuring standards of the legal units of measurement and to lay down methods of realisation of these units as well as to carry out international comparisons. The legal units of measurement are disseminated by calibration and testing of measuring instruments/devices. The Physico-technical Testing Service (PTP), which is a partial legal entity, is entrusted with calibration and testing.
Being the legal metrology authority the tasks of BEV comprise type approval and verification of measuring instruments, market surveillance and in-service-inspection, control of prepackages and supervision of accredited verification bodies. Verifications will only be carried out by the BEV or the 9 local verification offices, if there are no verification bodies accredited for the type of instrument concerned as of the 1st of January 2004.
The NMI as well as the legal metrology authority require close European and global cooperation. Austria is therefore signatory of the Meter Convention and of the Convention of the OIML, and BEV signed the Memorandum of Understanding of EUROMET and WELMEC.
Equipment Subject to National Controls
Instruments for official and commercial transactions
- Simple length measures and length measuring instruments
- Area measuring instruments
- Volume measures
- Dipsticks and Depth gauges for liquids
- Taximeters
- Weights
- Liquid volume metering instruments
- Water
- Liquids other than water
- Capacity measures (tanks)
- Gas volume meters
- Electricity meters
- Heat meters
- Measuring instruments for grading cereals and milk
- Measuring instruments for density
- Manometers
- Thermometers
- Sound level meters
- Dosimeters
- Activity meters
- Hardness test blocks and indenters for hardness
- Non-automatic weighing instruments
- Automatic weighing instruments
- Discontinuous totalising
- Continuous totalising (beltweighers)
- Gravimetric filling
- Rail weighbridges
- Catch weighers
- Checkweighers and Weight graders
- Weigh/price labellers and weigh labellers
Instruments for health service and environmental protection
- Weighing instruments
- Dosimeters and contamination meters
- Sound level meters
- Activity meters
Measuring instruments for safety purposes
- Manometers
- Thermometers
- Dosimeters
- Activity meters
Measuring instruments for road traffic and enforcement purposes
- Tyre pressure gauges
- Axle and wheel weighing systems
- Chronotachographs
- Traffic speed measuring instruments
- Accelerometers
- Breath analysers
- Revolution counters
- Sound level meters
- Dosimeters and contamination meters
Most of the equipment, other than simple instruments,
is subject to type approval requirements, initial verification and mandatory
reverification.
Type Approval
In Austria the Metrology Service/BEV issues type approval certificates in German language. The Physico-technical Testing Service (PTP) of the BEV performs tests for type approvals, but in some cases results of other competent laboratories can also be taken into account. This holds equally for test results from similar bodies abroad, especially on the basis of international arrangements. Fees charged for the testing work are calculated on a full economic cost recovery principle. The Metrology Service/BEV is a notified body for type approvals due to the Directive 90/384/EEC as amended.
Initial Verification, Inspection and Reverification
The 9 local verification offices and (for some specific instruments or in special cases) the Metrology Service/BEV are responsible for initial verification and reverification, supplemented by random inspections. Private accredited bodies may perform verification for gas, water, heat and electricity meters. The possibility to have private accredited bodies was extended by the last amendment of the Metrology Act to almost all kinds of measuring instruments (excluding only instruments for law enforcement).
Verifications will only be carried out by the BEV or the 9 local verification offices, if there are no verification bodies accredited for the type of instrument concerned as of the 1st of January 2004.
The Metrology Service/BEV and the verification offices are notified bodies for EC verification and EC unit verification due to the Directive 90/384/EEC as amended.The Metrology Service/BEV is a notified body for the evaluation of manufacturers quality systems. Authorised manufacturers may perform the EC declaration of type conformity (guarantee of production quality) according to this Directive.
Typical reverification intervals are:
| Weighing instruments |
2 years |
| Measuring instruments for liquids other than water |
2 years |
| Water meters |
5 years |
| Household gas volume meters |
12 years |
| Electricity meters |
8 to 20 years; depending on physical principle (with possibility of extension) |
The maximum permissible errors (mpe’s) for reverification are generally the same as for initial verification. The mpe’s in service (and consequently for inspection) in most cases are twice these values.
Inspection and Reverification
A mandatory reverification system operates
in Austria, supplemented by random inspection. These procedures are applied by
BEV and the verification offices. Typical
reverification intervals are:
| weighing instruments in trade use
|
2 years |
| petroleum pumps in trade use |
2 years |
| cold water meters |
5 years |
| law enforcement instruments |
3 years eg traffic radar |
| manometers for blood pressure |
2 years |
Fees for reverification are the same as
those for initial verification. Error allowances in service are normally mpe x
2. There is no procedure which permits repairers to reverify instruments
following adjustment.
Legal Metrology Practitioners
The Metrology Service/BEV has approximately 100 employees, about 20 of them with an university degree and 40 technicians working on type approvals but occupied with fundamental metrology and calibrations as well.
Another 85 people – half of them being technicians – are employed at the verification offices. Training is provided by the BEV and consists of one year training on the job and a formal six weeks course followed by an examination. From time to time short special courses follow to give supplementary training in the different areas of work.
The Metrology Service/BEV provides advice in legal matters and also in quality assurance when related to measurement questions.
Sanctions
Infringements of legislation are dealt with by a verbal warning as a first step. Administrative fines might be imposed by verification officers up to 21 Euro, by district administration authorities up to 10 900 Euro. In severe cases, especially when fraud is evident, prosecution by a court of law is possible.
Instruments, found to be infringing legal requirements, might be sealed or confiscated to prevent further use.
Directive 90/384/EEC
The Directive was implemented in 1994. All Article 1(2)a category instruments were subject to verification already prior to the implementation.
Gravity zones were established for Class III-instruments of lower resolution. The instruments have to bear an inscription of either the zone or the location of use (depending on the resolution the exact location or an area has to be given). In addition a harmonised marking of gravity zones elaborated by Welmec will also be accepted.
Austrian law makes it an offence to use an instrument outside of its marked operating conditions. There are only a few requirements demanding a designated instrument class to be used for a particular application.
The Metrology Service/BEV and the verification offices are notified bodies for EC verification and EC unit verification. The Metrology Service/BEV is also a notified body for the evaluation of manufacturers quality systems as well as for EC type examination (type approval).
Generally the accreditation of testing laboratories, certification bodies, calibration laboratories and verification bodies is the responsibility of the Federal Ministry of Economic Affaires and Labour.
Updated March 2003
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