Denmark has a population of 5.1 million and is a constitutional monarchy with a
single chambered Parliament (Folketing). Local government administration is the
function of 14 Counties which in turn are divided into 275 Municipalities.
With a total land area of 43,069 km2 over one-fifth of Denmark's population
live in the greater Copenhagen area. Its historically strong links with both
Scandinavia and Western Europe are reflected in the political structure of
Denmark. Special status, and legislative provisions, are accorded to the City
and County of Copenhagen and municipality of Frederiksberg.
Organisational Structure and Background
Denmark has had a centralised metrological structure for more than 300 years.
In 1983 it began the privatisation of its metrological control services.
Central responsibility is maintained by Sikkerhedsstyrelsen (The Danish Safety
Technology Authority)www.sik.dk within the Okonomi-og
Erhvervsministeriet (Ministry of Economic and Business Affairs)
www.oem.dk. Under the Act on Promotion of Industry and Trade of 2005
the The Danish Safety Technology Authority is responsible for issuing
regulations in the field of metrology. DANAK (The Danish Accreditation and
Metrology Fund) www.danak.dk performs tasks
on behalf of the Danish Safety Technology Authority.
DANAK is in charge overseeing arrangements for traceability of standards and
securing international liaison and of issuing national type approvals,
verifications and establishing of systems for in-service control of measuring
instruments. The initial and mandatory verification work is devolved to 25
laboratories, appraised and accredited by DANAK and appointed for this work,
some of them for type approvals work under Directive 90/384/EEC and som more
recently under the Measuring Instrument Directive 2004/22/EC.
DANAK is also responsible for accreditation of certification bodies and for
laboratory accreditation. Danish Fundamental Metrology (DFM), a private
non-profit organisation, provides with 8 other institutes the primary standards
and other high level metrology service to the Danish Safety Technology
Authority. DFM performs research, builds up primary standards, and disseminates
traceable measurements.
Equipment Subject to National Controls
-
Medium accuracy weights
-
Liquid volume metering instruments
-
Petroleum
-
Liquefied petroleum gas
-
Bulk milk
-
Lubricating oil
-
Heating oil
-
Gas volume meters
-
Non-automatic weighing instruments
-
Self-indicating
-
Non self-indicating
-
Automatic weighing instruments
-
Discontinuous totalising
-
Continuous totalising (beltweighers)
-
Gravimetric filling
-
Rail weighbridges
-
Catch weighers
-
Checkweighers
-
Weigh/price labeller and weigh labeller
-
Warm water meters (for heating purposes only)
-
Heat meters and heat allocation meters
-
Test meters for size of fish nets
-
Cold and warm water meters for consumption
-
Electricity meters
-
Multidimensional measuring instruments
Type Approval
National type approval certificates are issued by DANAK. As for measuring
instruments under Directive 2004/22/EEC and non-automatic weighing instruments
under Directive 90/384/EEC two accredited private laboratories have been
appointed for the purpose of type approving instruments those being FORCE
Technology and DELTA Dansk Elektronik, Lys og Akustik. Use is made of
accredited sub-contractor testing facilities where the type approval bodies
cannot perform the full range of tests themselves.
Fees for type approvals are based on a full cost recovery principle, as
required by Danish ordnance. Laboratories retain all fees charged by them.
Certificates are published in Danish although unofficial translations will be
provided by the Agency on request.
Initial Verification
The initial verification function is performed by 25 private and accredited
laboratories, each being concerned with specific types of instruments, FORCE
Technology covering the widest range. Accreditation is by DANAK based on ISO
17025. Some of the laboratories are owned by manufacturers. Auditing teams are
being required to involve legal metrology expertise.
Fees for initial verification are required by ordnance to be based on full cost
recovery. Informal negotiations do take place with DANAK but intervention is
only likely where any one laboratory has a monopoly.
Inspection and Reverification
A statutory system of periodical reverification operates. It is directed by
regulation how the system will function and the reverification periods
applicable to each type of instrument ie:
|
Liquid Volume (or mass) metering instruments
|
2 year |
| Weighing Instruments |
4 years |
| Trade Weights |
4 years |
| Multidimensional measuring instruments |
4 years |
| Other categories |
Depends on results from statistical sampling |
Verification labels are attached by the laboratory inspectors. The labels
indicate when the next reverification is due. The user is obliged to submit his
instrument before that date.
The Danish Safety Technology Authority operates a random inspection programme.
Inspection is basically visual and limited to seeing that instruments bear the
prescribed seals and stamps and that weighing equipment is zeroised and
adjusted to correct gravity. Any complaints from the public are referred or
taken direct to the Danish Safety Technology Authority.
Latest figures show that some 8000 non-automatic and automatic weighing
instruments are annually reverified, and almost 20,000 petrol and other meters
plus 100,000 heat meters. Errors are based on mpe x I for reverification and
mpe x 2 for random inspection purposes. A fee is charged for reverification
based on that for initial verification. Repairers can verify instruments if
they are accredited to EN45000.
Legal Metrology Practitioners and Scope
Staff generally operate under the control of the laboratories under the
contracting out approach. Competence is adjudged against the ability of a
laboratory to satisfy ISO 17025 criteria. There is no government led
qualifications or formal training programme in legal metrology or quality
assurance. DANAK examins the competence of technicians employed by laboratories
prior to their being allowed to apply the verification sticker and collect a
fee. This is done as part of the laboratory authorisation process.
Consumer complaints are referred to the Police and prosecutions for short
weight packages may only be taken by the Police.
EC average quality controls are enforced by accredited, authorised private
laboratories
Sanctions
No system of administrative fines operates in Denmark and any prosecutions
would be taken to court by the Police. Such prosecutions are very rare,
numbering less than ten a year, and would generally relate only to where
equipment is used fraudulently or traders have refused to have their
instruments verified. The system generally works on the basis of written
warnings to the instrument owner, and a revisit on the premises if the owner
does not react to the warnings. If the instrument has not been corrected the
inspector will refer the details to the Danish Safety Technology Authority, who
may submit the case to the Police for possible prosecution. Up to 100 letters
of warning may be given each year. Inspectors have no power to seize
instruments.
Directive 90/384/EEC
The Directive was implemented in Denmark by ordnance No. 560 of 23 June 1992.
No gravity zones are identified for the purposes of the Directive. Inscriptions
required are:
| Denmark |
981584 milligal |
| Faroe Islands |
982077 milligal
|
| Greenland south of 680 |
982111 milligal
|
| Greenland between 680 and 760 |
982587 milligal
|
| Greenland north of 760 |
983036 milligal |
The Danish ordnance makes it an offence to use an instrument outside its marked
weighing range.
Accuracy classes are specified for particular applications and details are
published by the Danish Safety Technology Authority:
| Precious stones/metals |
Class II or better |
| Waste, sand, gravel, concrete etc and transport charges (except post) |
Class IIII or better |
| All others
|
Class III or better |
Directive 2004/22/EC
The directive was implemented in Denmark by ordnance No.436 of 16 May 2006.
Mandatory for Denmark is
-
Water Meters
-
Gas Meters
-
Elecricity Meters
-
Heat Meters
-
Measuring Systems for liquids other than Water
-
Automatic Weighing Instruments
-
Taximeters
-
Multidimensional Measuring Instruments
Special requirements for use of specific accuracy classes for
different applications do exist.
Updated September 2007
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