Operating an efficient national measurement system
Environmental protection provides a basis for decision-making, and global markets also require accurate and reliable measurement to reduce technical barriers to trade.
Chemical analysis and measurement are closely related to human life. Many items used in human life, such as food, medicine, drinking water, health products, cosmetics, pesticides, rodenticides, etc., need to be strictly analyzed and measured. To improve environmental quality, the atmosphere, soil, water bodies, organisms, etc. must be monitored at any time. All of these require chemical analysis and measurement as support, and reliable measurement results that can be comparable in space and time.
The UK government has implemented the Valid Analytical Measurement Programme (VAM Programme) since 1988, which is the national measurement system (Natio) under the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).The NAL Measurement System (NMS) framework has achieved remarkable results and has been widely recognized by analytical chemists.
First, the UK's national measurement system
The National Measurement System of the United Kingdom is recognized as a complete and efficient national measurement system in the world. It is a technical infrastructure composed of institutions such as the British Measurement Laboratory. The purpose is to maintain and develop the measurement infrastructure at the national level. It provides the UK's trade, industry, academia and government with world-leading measurement science and technology and traceable and accurate measurement standards. It guarantees the validity, applicability, consistency and international recognition of British measurements, so as to meet the needs of enhanced economic competitiveness and government planning and policy formulation. NMS has played an important positive role in the UK economy. During the 1990s, NMS directly or indirectly contributed 0.8% (about £5 billion) to the growth of GDP every year.
The NMS is managed by the UK Department for Trade and Industry (DTI), the direct arm of the DTI, the National Measurement System Policy Agency (Natio).The NAL Measurement System Policy Unit (NMSPU) is responsible for guiding the overall strategy and policy of the NMS, and the Measurement Advisory Committee (MAC), an independent body composed of representatives from industry users, academia, and relevant government departments, specifically guides NMS-funded projects and the management of these projects. In terms of legal measurement, the DTI is responsible for formulating measurement laws and regulations such as the Weights and Measures Law, which makes it clear that non-automatic weighing devices, automatic weighing devices, fuel dispensers, containers, meters, etc. used in commerce and trade are legal measuring instruments. 168 local trade standards coordinating bodies (LACOTS) funded by the government coordinate and manage legal measurement work on behalf of the country, and specifically supervise the implementation of measurement laws and regulations such as the Weights and Measures Law. Its main tasks are to accept consumer complaints, law enforcement inspections, supervision and spot checks on legal measuring instruments and quantitative packaging goods, and measurement publicity and education. The organizational structure of NMS is shown in Figure 1.
Missing illustration!
Figure 1 Organizational structure of the UK National Measurement System </CTSM >
1. National Metrology Agency (Natio)nal Metrology Institutions，NMIs)
The work of NMS is mainly carried out by four national metrology institutions: the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), the National Engineering Laboratory (NEL), the National Weights and Measures Laboratory (NWML), and the Government Chemists Laboratory (LGC). These four institutions vary in their work content and affiliations:
(1) National Physical Laboratory (NPL)
The basic task of NPL is to establish and maintain national basic standards, ensure the accuracy, reliability and uniformity of the British value, and also carry out basic standard research on some parameters proposed by industrial development, provide verification testing services and technical advice, develop and sell reference materials; lease experimental equipment for companies and universities, and undertake company research projects.
(2) National Engineering Laboratory (NEL)
The scope of research and development is very wide, including ten aspects such as manufacturing technology, material detection technology, internal combustion engine engineering technology, control engineering and detection technology.
(3) National Weights and Measures Laboratory (NWML)
Mainly engaged in measurement applications related to legal measurement activities, less engaged in research. The specific business is divided into two parts, one is the calibration laboratory that carries out quantity and value transfer, verifies the work measurement standards of local trade standard institutions, and also carries out standard service work for the society; the other is the inspection laboratory that carries out type tests.
(4) UK Government Chemists Laboratory (LGC)
Mainly engaged in advanced chemical analysis and diagnostic services, its research and service areas cover chemical, biochemical and forensic analysis, as well as DNA testing and genetic imaging; it is also engaged in the development of certified reference materials and biological materials.
2. United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS)
In the NMS, an important national body is the Royal Accreditation Commission. It is the most authoritative accreditation body in the Commonwealth and the world, responsible for the accreditation of national laboratories and private measurement institutions. UKAS has not only successfully carried out the accreditation of Commonwealth national laboratories and certification bodies, but also carried out fruitful work in the European Union countries, the Americas and other regions.
3. Private sector surveying agencies
Another layer of measurement infrastructure in NMS comes from the private sector, a network of calibration, testing, and inspection institutions that has greatly facilitated the adoption of measurement technologies in industry.
In the UK, there are around 342 metrology laboratories and 1,161 testing and inspection organisations accredited by UKAS, in addition to a large number of measurement organisations that are not accredited by UKAS. Between 1999 and 2000, various measurement laboratories provided about 6.60 million measurement services to businesses, which is estimated to cost the business community a minimum of £440 million.
In the above system, there is a certain degree of contractual relationship between the government (DTI) and various measurement agencies. On the one hand, the government selects the appropriate project based on the assessment of the economic impact of the measurement activity; on the other hand, it can negotiate with the agency on the cost and time limit of the project, use project management methods to monitor the implementation of the measurement project, and can also select institutions in different regions to complete the project through cost comparison between countries, in order to achieve lower costs and higher efficiency.
NMS manages 18 program projects, and the VAM program is one of them.
Effective Analysis and Measurement Plan (VAM Plan)
Analytical measurements are economically important for the Commonwealth, which spends billions of dollars each year on this, and are necessary to ensure quality of life.
The Effective Analytical Measurement Programme is designed to improve the UK's analytical measurement capabilities, help analytical laboratories demonstrate the validity of their data, promote national and international mutual recognition of results, and ensure that analytical measurements meet specific analytical purposes in practical applications. The programme helps UK institutions complete analytical measurements smoothly and accurately, enables the UK to compare analytical measurements with its trading partners, and provides "tools" for their working laboratories to choose the best approach to use to obtain complete and reliable results.
VAM plans to promote effective analytical measurement based on six principles: analytical measurement should meet specific requirements; analytical measurement should use methods and instruments that have been tested to ensure their suitability for the purpose of measurement; analytical measurement personnel should be qualified and competent; laboratories should have regular independent technical conduct evaluations; analytical measurement results should be consistent across locations; analytical measurement laboratories should have strictly defined quality control and quality assurance procedures.
The above six principles enable an organization to provide reliable analytical measurements every time, and to achieve bottom-line improvement by increasing operational efficiency and reducing risk. Laboratories that adopt an effective analytical measurement program can increase customer and data user confidence in the validity and purpose of analytical measurements. The six effective analytical measurement principles enable an organization to perform the best program and obtain valid data. They control all factors that can affect the measurement results, thus reducing the cost and risk of unreliable measurements.
The main mechanisms through which VAM plans to achieve its goals are:
(1) Provide UK analytical laboratories with a "total analysis package" to help them achieve valid, globally acceptable results. The key is to provide reference values and tools to help analysts implement the "VAM Six Principles" of effective measurement practice.
(2) Positioning the UK Measurement System in the new global system by participating in key international comparisons organised by CCQM.
(3) Develop and maintain a high-precision analytical capability to provide internationally recognized values for UK-important reference materials.
Evaluate new technologies, ask relevant measurement questions, and provide tools that analysts can use with confidence.
(5) Effective knowledge transfer has been achieved at both the planning and implementation levels.
The VAM program includes three topics of physics, chemistry and biology, which are closely related to the dissemination of knowledge. The program period is 3 years and the development is rolling.
In drafting the recently concluded VAM Chemistry Plan 2003-2006, which ran from October 2003 to September 2006, the drafters consulted widely with the analytical societies and took note of the results of the strategic forward-looking projections of analytical measurements commissioned by DTI. They also considered the main factors affecting future analytical measurements: quality, speed and cost, and the possible impact of new technologies. The VAM Chemistry Program 2003-2006 specifically includes six topics: Chemical Metrology, New Analytical Technologies (NT), Nucleic Acid Measurements, Tools for Analytical Quality (QA), Knowledge Transfer (KT), and Program Management & Development (MD).
At present, the VAM Chemistry Program 2006-2009 has been implemented, and its technical topics are Speciation Analysis, Organic Analysis, Inorganic Analysis, Reference Materials and Calibration, Knowledge Dissemination, and Management Transfer.
