Weighing instruments

From 1 January 2003, the Non-Automatic Weighing Instruments Regulations 2000 may apply to non-automatic weighing instruments that you use. A non-automatic weighing instrument is one where an operator is involved in some part of the weighing process. This includes those use for the:

Determination of mass in the practice of medicine for weighing patients for the purposes of monitoring, diagnosis and medical treatment, which covers those activities where medical staff are responsible for the weighing of patients. Examples are the use of weighing instruments in hospitals, health centres or taken into the community for medical purposes. Medical staff includes all persons that lawfully carry out the medical weighing tasks concerned in their Member State. Medical weighing tasks might include, for example, bed-weighers and baby-weighers.

Determination of mass for making up medicines on prescription in a pharmacy and determination of mass in analyses carried out in medical and pharmaceutical laboratories, where medical laboratories are laboratories that carry out analyses at the request of medical practitioners and pharmaceutical laboratories are quality control laboratories of manufacturers of medicinal products for human use. Pharmaceutical laboratories do not include the research and development laboratories of manufacturers of these medicinal products.

Details of other uses, the instruments involved and what this means for you is detailed on the National Weights and Measures Laboratory website.