Non-Automatic Weighing Instruments (NAWI)
Directive 2014/31/EU, a non-automatic weighing instrument is one where an operator is involved in some part of the weighing process. In certain applications such weighing equipment has to comply with the NAWI directive 2014/31/EU. This article looks at:
– How weighing scales comply with the directive.
– What applications require the use of weighing equipment that complies.
Weighing Scale Compliance
To comply weighing equipment must have gone through EC type-examination (the procedure whereby a NAWI notified body verifies and certifies that an instrument, representative of the production envisaged, meets the requirements of the Directive that apply to it) and been given an EC Type Approval Certificate.
Equipment that is manufactured in accordance with the EC type approval certificate is then examined and tested and conformity assessment mark applied to confirm compliance. See below
Compliant weighing equipment is commonly referred to as:
– CE Verified
– Trade Approved
Note: The above identification should not be confused with the CE mark for electrical safety, which is similar and will also appear on the scale. The equipment must have the green M sticker.
If non compliant weighing equipment is purchased it cannot be retrospectively approved
When purchasing a new CE verified scale it is usually compliant “out of the box” and ready to use. However some manufacturers only manufacture in accordance the NAWI directive, the final examination and testing then needs to be performed by a notified body. Please ask us for advice.
The approved readability for a scale or balance is identified as (e). The standard readability (ie a version of the equipment that has not nee approved) is (d). In many cases the approved readability (e) will be less than (d).
Example – 200g x 0.01mg
The standard readability (d) for the above balances is 0.01mg. However the approved readability for (e) the above will be 0.1mg. The last place on the balance display with hatched to show it cannot be used in your reporting.
What Applications Have to Comply
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
| Analyses – Pharmaceutical | Determination of mass in analyses carried out in pharmaceutical laboratories. 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. |
| Analyses – Medical | Determination of mass in analyses carried out in medical laboratories. Medical laboratories are laboratories that carry out analyses at the request of medical practitioners |
| Medical Treatment | Determination of mass in the practice of medicine for weighing patients for the purposes of monitoring, diagnosis and medical treatment |
| Pharmacy | Determination of mass for making up medicines on prescription in a pharmacy |
| Commercial transactions | “Determination of mass for commercial transactions”, which deals with trading transactions where the goods are bought or sold by mass. The cost therefore is directly proportional to the mass of the product. For example: weighing of fruit in a greengrocers, or using a weighbridge to weigh a load of timber. |
| Payment | “Determination of mass for the calculation of a toll, tariff, tax, bonus, penalty, remuneration, indemnity or similar type of payment”. This category of use not only includes situations where the payment is directly proportional to the mass, e.g. remuneration, tax, but also situations where the mass value determines the cost of the service, e.g. post office use, laundry or airport baggage tariff, charge for transporting goods, disposal of waste. |
| Laws / Regulations | “Determination of mass for the application of laws or regulations; expert opinions given in court proceedings”, which covers the activities where an instrument is used by a person who is not an expert in metrology but is giving evidence based on weighing results. Instruments used for the same purposes by experts from metrological laboratories, government or public authority laboratories and forensic laboratories are therefore excluded on the condition that such laboratories keep their instruments properly maintained, calibrated and adjusted. This might however include, for instance: the weighing of aircraft in connection with statutory requirements or the weighing of vehicles in connection with statutory weight restrictions |
| Retail | “Determination of price on the basis of mass for the purposes of direct sales to the public and the making up of pre-packages”. The former case covers the use of instruments with price calculation, in particular price-calculating retail scales, and the latter refers to scales used to make up pre-weighed non-predetermined quantities. |