GNBS calibration services: 2,000 measuring instruments calibrated for industries, laboratories

The Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) in an effort to meet the demands of industry, particularly as companies are becoming more interested in the use of traceable and accurate measurements has calibrated some 2000 measuring instruments such as balances, masses, measuring cylinders, liquid-in-glass thermometers, gauge blocks among others countrywide thus far in 2024.
In industry operations, calibration is very important; and consistently knowing the accuracy of measuring instruments gives companies the confidence that they are putting the right amounts of ingredients in their products. On this point, Head Corporate Communications at GNBS Lloyd David revealed that to date, the organisation has calibrated over 1500 instruments across the country.

“The GNBS has a measurement function, which we refer to as calibration. Basically, we compare a working standard or a working measuring instrument with the standard we have at the Guyana National Library Standards. We compare the measurements to ensure that they are accurate and reliable. Essentially, that is calibration. The GNBS has so far calibrated over 2,000 measuring instruments for industries, laboratories, and other stakeholders in the sector, even those supplying the oil and gas sector. We have done considerable calibration so far for this year.”
Moreover, the GNBS spokesperson revealed that the organisation also does verification for devices such as speed guns and breathalysers for the Guyana Police Force (GPF).
“There is ongoing work between the GNBS and the Guyana Police Force to ensure that breathalysers and speed guns used in the monitoring of the traffic are in order and verified by the Guyana National Bureau of Standards. In terms of speed guns and breathalysers, those are verification. There is not a calibration function. It’s a verification function, and the GNBS also provides that function to the Guyana Police Force and other stakeholders.”
He added that the bureau has already reached out to the Police Force to begin verifying instruments for the second half of the year.
“we’ve offered a quotation to commence the verification of these instruments for the second half of the year. We are looking to get them done for the remainder of the year so they can be new and ready, verified for the beginning of 2025.”
Calibration is known to be a complex scientific process, which allows traceability in measurements. It compares the accuracy of instruments or equipment with a known and proven measurement standard. Currently Companies and Laboratories are increasingly submitting their measuring instruments to the GNBS for regular comparisons with traceable standards in the areas of mass, dimension, volume, pressure, and temperature.
To maintain the traceability and accuracy of its verification services, which are offered to stakeholders in trade, the GNBS also calibrated its working standards, i.e. masses, electronic balances and provers (volumetric containers). Hence, these vendors, shopkeepers, and other users of scales verified by the GNBS can have confidence in the verification process.
Notably Companies which are certified to international standards such as the ISO 9001 Quality Management System Standard are required to have their measurement instruments calibrated.