COMMENTARY ON WORLD METROLOGY DAY WHICH FALLS ON MAY 2O EVERY YEAR BUT WAS CELEBRATED IN GHANA THIS YEAR ON FRIDAY, 18TH MAY 2012

The theme chosen for this year’s World Metrology Day is Metrology for safety, reflecting the importance of obtaining reliable measurement results to ensure that we are safe whether at work, rest or play”. Just like "metrology", the term "safety" covers a very wide spectrum of topics but many people are unaware of the vital role played by our worldwide metrology community. Safety is crucial and dependent on accurate measurement. It is the collective responsibility of experts in metrology to ensure that we have trustworthy measurement results whether to help ensure the reliability of the airplanes people fly in, the impact resistance of cars, or even the radiation therapy human beings will someday need.

Across the world, National Metrology Institutes and the National Legal Metrology organisations strive to provide the communities they serve with the expert metrological knowledge that allows our modern and high-technology world to function reliably and safely. With regard to road safety, for example, 1.5 million people are killed on the world's roads each year, an alarming figure which has prompted the UN to declare 2011 to 2020 the Decade of Action for Road Safety. A number of recommendations are particularly relevant to the field of road safety, as they give guidance on a range of instruments which may be subject to legal controls. Some examples are tyre pressure gauges, speedometers, radar equipment for the measurement of the speed of vehicles, evidential breath analyzers and automatic instruments for weighing road vehicles. In addition, some eleven million people are monitored for their personal radiation dose because they work with ionizing radiation. These are just a few examples indicating that whatever people do, although they may not know it, their safety depends on accurate measurement.

This explains why metrology experts have adopted the slogan: "We measure for your safety". Thus, all must join hands in celebrating World Metrology Day and appreciate the contribution of inter-governmental and national organizations that work towards accurate measurements throughout the year. Metrology or accurate measurement is important for socio-economic development because decisions are made based on information from measurements. In fact, wrong measurement results lead to wrong decisions. Metrological activities ensure that measurements meet specified degrees of accuracy and precision. They also ensure that the measurements are adequate and reliable. There is no doubt that in industry and commerce, measurements help ensure product quality, eliminates waste, raises productivity and facilitates trade based on agreed measurements and tests. Metrology or accurate measurements also enable scientists to use a common language to underpin their collaboration across the world and ensure that their exploits can be taken up and accurately reproduced by companies where ever they operate. In view of the importance of accurate measurements in socio-economic development, there is the need for everyone to attach great importance to metrology so as to ensure improvement in agriculture, housing road construction, health and other sectors of the economy.

BY: KOFI AMPOSAH-BEDIAKO, HEAD OF PUBLIC RELATIONS, GHANA STANDARD BOARD