Supervision of instruments in use
Swedac has the task of conducting system supervision for different areas within legal metrology. This means that Swedac shall ensure that the systems for measuring instruments are working together as a wholeness. This is the case for e.g. electricity, water and heat meters.
Swedac’s supervision covers installed measuring instruments and is addressed to the user of measuring instruments e.g. to take charge for a product or a service. It can be anything from food retailers who use scales to municipalities that supplies water. The supervision is conducted for minimizing the amount of measuring instruments that don’t meet current requirements and ensure that the price the consumers pay is correct.
Supervision is carried out by visits or by reviewing documentation. Swedac makes surveying inspection activities in some areas – all users must answer an supervision form and the result is used to select the companies that will have a more in-depth review.
As a rule, Swedac doesn’t solve individual complaints between businesses and consumers.
Market surveillance
By market surveillance Swedac ensures that the measuring instruments available for sale and introduced into the market meet regulatory requirements. The purpose with market surveillance is to assure quality and equal competition between manufacturers, importers and distributors. Swedac conducts market surveillance primarily by reviewing the documentation and product marking. Therefore, market surveillance applies to the economic operators.