National Conference on Weights and Measures Interim Meeting
| Published date | 21 December 2018 |
| Record Number | 2018-27600 |
| Court | National Institute Of Standards And Technology |
Federal Register, Volume 83 Issue 245 (Friday, December 21, 2018)
[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 245 (Friday, December 21, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65634-65637]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-27600]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Institute of Standards and Technology
National Conference on Weights and Measures Interim Meeting
AGENCY: National Institute of Standards and Technology, Commerce.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Interim Meeting of the National Conference on Weights and
Measures (NCWM) will be held in Charleston, South Carolina, from
Sunday, January 13, 2019, through Wednesday, January 16, 2019. This
notice contains information about significant items on the NCWM
Committee agendas but does not include all agenda items. As a result,
the items are not consecutively numbered.
DATES: The meeting will be held from Sunday, January 13, 2019, through
Wednesday, January 16, 2019, on Sunday through Tuesday, from 8:00 a.m.
to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time, and on Wednesday, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00
p.m. Eastern Time. The meeting schedule is available at www.ncwm.net.
ADDRESSES: This meeting will be held at the Francis Marion Hotel, 387
King Street, Charleston, South Carolina 29403.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Douglas Olson, NIST, Office of
Weights and Measures, 100 Bureau Drive, Stop 2600, Gaithersburg, MD
20899-2600. You may also contact Dr. Olson at (301) 975-2956 or by
email at douglas.olson@nist.gov. The meeting is open to the public, but
a paid registration is required. Please see the NCWM website
(www.ncwm.net) to view the meeting agendas, registration forms, and
hotel reservation information.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Publication of this notice on the NCWM's
behalf is undertaken as a public service; NIST does not endorse,
approve, or recommend any of the proposals or other information
contained in this notice or in the publications produced by the NCWM.
The NCWM is an organization of weights and measures officials of
the states, counties, and cities of the United States, and
representatives from the private sector and federal agencies. These
meetings bring together
[[Page 65635]]
government officials and representatives of business, industry, trade
associations, and consumer organizations on subjects related to the
field of weights and measures technology, administration, and
enforcement. NIST participates to encourage cooperation between federal
agencies and the states in the development of legal metrology
requirements. NIST also promotes uniformity in state laws, regulations,
and testing procedures used in the regulatory control of commercial
weighing and measuring devices, packaged goods, and for other trade and
commerce issues.
The NCWM has established multiple committees, task groups, and
other working bodies to address legal metrology issues of interest to
regulatory officials, industry, consumers, and others. The following
are brief descriptions of some of the significant agenda items that
will be considered by some of the NCWM Committees at the NCWM Interim
Meeting. Comments will be taken on these and other issues during
several public comment sessions. At this stage, the items are
proposals. This meeting also includes work sessions in which the
Committees may also accept comments, and where recommendations will be
developed for consideration and possible adoption at the NCWM 2019
Annual Meeting. The Committees may withdraw or carryover items that
need additional development.
These notices are intended to make interested parties aware of
these development projects and to make them aware that reports on the
status of the project will be given at the Interim Meeting. The notices
are also presented to invite the participation of manufacturers,
experts, consumers, users, and others who may be interested in these
efforts.
The Specifications and Tolerances Committee (S&T Committee) will
consider proposed amendments to NIST Handbook 44, ``Specifications,
Tolerances, and other Technical Requirements for Weighing and Measuring
Devices.'' Those items address weighing and measuring devices used in
commercial applications, that is, devices that are used to buy from or
sell to the public or used for determining the quantity of products or
services sold among businesses. Issues on the agenda of the NCWM Laws
and Regulations Committee (L&R Committee) relate to proposals to amend
NIST Handbook 130, ``Uniform Laws and Regulations in the area of Legal
Metrology and Engine Fuel Quality'' and NIST Handbook 133, ``Checking
the Net Contents of Packaged Goods.''
NCWM S&T Committee
The following items are proposals to amend NIST Handbook 44:
GEN--General Code
Item GEN-3 G-A.1. Commercial and Law-Enforcement Equipment and G-S.2.
Facilitation of Fraud
The S&T Committee will consider a proposal that would expand the
application of NIST Handbook 44 to include accessory equipment (e.g.,
credit/debit card ``skimmers) that can be used to defraud or collect
unauthorized personal or financial information from a user when that
accessory equipment is used in connection with a commercial weighing or
measuring device. The proposal would also expand paragraph G-S.2.
Facilitation of Fraud by requiring credit/debit card readers and other
devices capable of customer initiated electronic financial transactions
used in conjunction with weighing and measuring equipment to: (1) Be
designed and constructed to restrict access and tampering by
unauthorized persons; and (2) include an event counter that records the
date and time of access.
In 2018 the S&T Committee assigned this item to a NCWM Task Group
for further development. The Task Group is expected to provide an
update on its development of this item at the 2019 NCWM Interim
Meeting.
SCL--Scales
Item SCL-2 S.1.8.5. Recorded Representations, Point of Sale Systems
The S&T Committee will consider a proposal requiring additional
sales information to be recorded by cash registers interfaced with a
weighing element for items that are weighed at a checkout stand. These
systems are currently required to record the net weight, unit price,
total price, and the product class, or in a system equipped with price
look-up capability, the product name or code number. The change
proposed would add ``tare weight'' to the list of sales information
currently required. This change has been proposed as a nonretroactive
requirement with an enforcement date of January 1, 2022. If the
proposal is adopted, the additional information (i.e., the tare weight)
would be required to appear on the sales receipt for items weighed at a
checkout stand (Point of Sale Systems) on equipment installed into
commercial service as of January 1, 2022. This proposed change would
not affect equipment already in service. The further development of
this item was assigned to an NCWM Task Group in 2018 at the request of
the S&T Committee. The Task Group is expected to provide an update on
its development of this item at the 2019 NCWM Interim Meeting.
SCL-3 Sections Throughout the Code To Include Provisions for Commercial
Weigh-In-Motion (WIM) Vehicle Scale Systems
The S&T Committee will consider a proposal to amend various
sections of NIST Handbook 44, Scales Code to address WIM vehicle scale
systems used for commercial applications. This ``Carry-Over'' item has
appeared on the S&T Committee's agenda since 2016. An NCWM Task Group
(TG) was formed in 2016 at the request of the S&T Committee to consider
a proposal that would expand the NIST Handbook 44, Weigh-In-Motion
Systems Used for Vehicle Enforcement Screening--Tentative Code to also
apply to legal-for-trade (commercial) and law enforcement applications.
The TG, that is still active today, is made up of representatives of
WIM equipment manufacturers, NIST Office of Weights and Measures, state
weights and measures agencies, and others. Members of the TG agreed in
2016 to eliminate from the proposal any mention of a law enforcement
application and focus solely on WIM vehicle scale systems intended for
use in commercial applications. Members of the TG later agreed that
commercial application of WIM vehicle scale systems should be addressed
by the Scales Code of NIST Handbook 44, rather than the Weigh-In-Motion
Systems Used for Vehicle Enforcement Screening--Tentative Code. Recent
activity by the TG has focused on providing evidence supporting the
claims of WIM scale manufacturers regarding the performance
capabilities of these devices. The TG has requested this evidence to
indicate whether devices being manufactured at this time can comply
with commercial device tolerance applied to comparable static weighing
devices. The submitter of this proposal (a WIM manufacturer) has
initiated a process where preliminary testing can be done to provide
the TG with data to substantiate the claims regarding device
performance.
An additional focus of the TG, since its formation in 2016, has
been to concentrate on the development of official test procedures that
can be used to verify the accuracy of a WIM vehicle scale system given
the different axle and tandem axle configurations of vehicles that will
typically be weighed by a system and a proposed maintenance and
acceptance tolerance of 0.2 percent on gross (total) vehicle weight.
The TG is
[[Page 65636]]
expected to provide an update on its development of this item at the
2019 NCWM Interim Meeting.
Item SCL-6 UR.3.11. Class II Scales
The S&T Committee will consider a proposal to add a new paragraph
to the Scales Code of NIST Handbook 44 requiring users of Accuracy
Class II scales equipped with a different verification scale division
value (e) than the displayed division value (d) to base all commercial
transactions on the verification scale division (e). When these two
scale divisions (identified as ``e'' and ``d'') are different, a
difference in scale's resolution is established. The variation in scale
divisions within a scale's capacity range will produce either a
reduced, or a greater resolution in the representation of values for
loads applied to the scale. According to NIST Handbook 44, when these
division values aren't equal on Class II scales, the value of ``e'' is
required to be larger than the value of ``d.'' This proposal will
require that all commercial transactions conducted using Class II
scales will be based on ``e'' (the larger of the two divisions).
Item SCL-7 T.N.3.6. Coupled-In-Motion Railroad Weighing Systems;
T.N.4.6. Time Dependence (Creep) for Load Cells During Type Evaluation;
UR.5. Coupled-In-Motion Railroad Weighing Systems; and Appendix D--
Definitions: Point-Based Railroad Weighing Systems
The S&T Committee will consider a new proposal (which replaces one
from the same submitter that appeared on the Committee's agenda in
2018) to amend the Scales Code of NIST Handbook 44 to allow for the use
of point-based, in-motion railroad weighing systems in commercial
applications. The current proposal has eliminated many of the changes
proposed in the previous proposal but has retained recommended changes
listed below.
--Increase the tolerance allowed during official testing of these types
of commercial devices used for dynamic weighments of unit trains.
--Provide an exemption for ``point-based'' in-motion railroad weighing
systems from the performance of ``creep tests'' during official
evaluations.
--Require the user of dynamic weighing systems for railway cars to
provide a suitable static weighing scale, located in close proximity to
the dynamic system to use as a reference scale during dynamic scale
testing.
Provide a definition for ``point-based'' railroad weighing systems.
BCS--Belt-Conveyor Scales
Item BCS-1 S.1.3. Value of the Scale Division; S.1.9. Zero-Ready
Indicator; S.4. Accuracy Class; S.5. Marking Requirements; N.1.
General; N.2. Conditions of Test; T.1. Tolerance Values; T.2. Tolerance
Values; and UR.3. Maintenance Requirements--Scale and Conveyor
Maintenance
The S&T Committee will consider a proposal amending the Belt-
Conveyor Scale Systems Code of NIST Handbook 44 in multiple sections of
the code. This proposal has been submitted by the U.S. National Work
Group on Belt-Conveyor Scales and recommends several changes to the
existing code. Many of the recommended changes are intended to clarify
the application of tolerances to material tests that are either
performed under the same or under varying conditions. These changes
specify that a less stringent application of tolerances is to be used
when comparing results of totalization operations that are performed
under different flow rates of material. Additional recommended changes
would establish two different accuracy classes for these systems. In
addition to the currently recognized systems, an accuracy class would
be added to the code to encompass systems capable of complying with
more stringent performance requirements (tolerance of 0.1%) as compared
to the existing tolerance (0.25%).
ABW--Automatic Bulk Weighing Systems
Item ABW-3 A. Application; S. Specifications; N. Notes; UR. User
Requirements; and Appendix D--Definitions: Automatic Bulk Weighing
System
The S&T Committee will consider a proposal to amend the Automatic
Bulk Weighing Systems Code that would broaden the scope of the code to
encompass additional automated weighing systems. This proposal would
eliminate language in the Application Section of the code that
currently constrains the code's use to automatic weighing systems that
operate only as specified. The proposal would also amend the definition
of ``automatic bulk weighing system'' in Appendix D of NIST Handbook 44
by broadening its application to encompass additional automatic
weighing systems that do not meet the current definition. Additionally,
the proposal would update the code in recognition of more recent
designs and technology that has evolved and is being used in automated
weighing systems.
LMD--Liquid Measuring Devices
Item LMD-5 UR.3.4. Printed Ticket
The S&T Committee will consider a proposal that would provide an
exemption to the requirement that the identification of liquid
measuring devices (e.g., dispenser #1) be included on a customer's
receipt. This exemption would apply to establishments with a single
dispenser having multiple meters or not more than one dispenser with a
single meter for each product delivered.
LPG--Liquefied Petroleum Gas and Anhydrous Ammonia Liquid-Measuring
Devices
Item LPG-2 S.2.5. Zero-Setback Interlock, Stationary and Vehicle
Mounted Meters, Electronic
The S&T Committee will consider a proposal to add a new
nonretroactive paragraph (effective date to be determined) that
requires both stationary and vehicle mounted electronic LPG and
anhydrous ammonia liquid-measuring devices be designed with an
automatic interlock system that must engage following completion of a
delivery. The proposal specifies that the interlock system must prevent
a subsequent delivery from occurring until such time the indicating
elements and recording elements, if so equipped, have been reset to
zero. The proposal also requires the automatic interlock system to
activate within three minutes of product flow cessation and this
``timeout'' feature be sealable at the indicator.
HGM--Hydrogen Gas-Measuring Devices
Item HGM-6 Tentative Code Status and Preamble; A.2.(c) Exceptions; N.2
Test Medium; N.3. Test Drafts; N.4.1. Master Meter (Transfer) Standard
Test; N.4.2. Gravimetric Tests; N.4.3. PVT Pressure Volume Temperature
Test; N.6.1.1. Repeatability Tests; T.3. Repeatability; T.6.
Tolerance--Minimum Measured Quantity (MMQ) and Appendix D. Definitions
Where Applicable
The S&T Committee will consider a proposal that would remove the
tentative status of the existing code and make this a permanent code.
With several amendments throughout this tentative code and in the
Appendix D definitions relative to these devices, the proposal states
this code has been sufficiently vetted and should now be made
permanent.
[[Page 65637]]
GMA--Grain Moisture Meters
Item GMA-2 Table S.2.5. Categories of Devices and Methods of Sealing
The S&T Committee will consider a proposal that would require (on
or after the effective date--TBD) grain moisture meters approved under
the National Type Evaluation Program to comply with ``Category 3''
sealing methods. This electronic type of sealing would require an event
logger and the ability to generate a printed copy of audit trail
information that is available through the device or through another on-
site device.
Item GMA-3 Table T.2.1. Acceptance and Maintenance Tolerances Air Oven
Method for All Grains and Oil Seeds
The S&T Committee will consider a proposal that would reduce the
tolerances applied to official grain samples used as reference
standards established when using the Air Oven Reference Method.
MDM--Multiple Dimension Measuring Devices
Item MDM-2 S.1.7. Minimum Measurement
The S&T Committee will consider a proposal that would amend
requirement S.1.7. Minimum Measurement to also provide an exemption
from that requirement for ``mobile tape-based'' MDMD devices. This
proposal would allow measurements of less than 12 divisions made using
mobile tape-based devices to be used in the calculation of charges for
shipping of parcels.
NCWM L&R Committee
The following items are proposals to amend NIST Handbook 130 or
NIST Handbook 133:
NIST Handbook 130, Section on Uniform Method of Sale (MOS) of
Commodities
Item MOS-7 Section 2.4. Firewood and Stove Wood
The L&R Committee will address the request to extend the effective
date of Section 2.4.3.(a) Packaged natural wood sold in packaged form
in quantities less than 0.45 m\3\ (\1/8\ cord or 16 ft\3\). This could
change the effective date of enforcement from 2019 until 2021.
NIST Handbook 130--Section on Uniform Open Dating Regulation (ODR)
Item ODR 1 and ODR NEW Section on Uniform Open Dating Regulation
The L&R Committee will consider a proposal under Item ODR 1 to make
changes to the language within the Open Dating Regulation. The Open
Dating regulation provides requirements for standardized date formats
found on perishable or semi perishable packaged foods. The proposed
revisions replace ``Sell By'' with ``Use By'' which provides consumers
with clearer guidance to avoid spoilage or loss of value for perishable
or semi perishable foods.
Under Item ODR NEW, the L&R Committee will consider a recommended
proposal to remove the Open Dating Regulation in its entirety from NIST
Handbook 130.
NIST Handbook 130 and NIST Handbook 133
The following items are proposals to amend NIST Handbooks 130 and
133:
Block 1 (B1) Items NIST Handbook 133, ``Checking the Net Contents of
Packaged Goods,'' and NIST Handbook 130, Section on Uniform Packaging
and Labeling Regulation (PLR), 2.8. Multiunit Package
The L&R Committee will consider a proposal for to add a test
procedure in NIST Handbook 133 for addressing the total quantity
declaration on multiunit or variety packages. In addition, in NIST
Handbook 130, it will clarify the definition of Section 2.8. multiunit
package.
Authority: 15 U.S.C. 272(b).
Kevin A. Kimball,
Chief of Staff.
[FR Doc. 2018-27600 Filed 12-20-18; 8:45 am]
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