The Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA) has announced that its Metrology Laboratory has been accredited by the National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program (NVLAP) for mass and volume calibration services.  This consumer protection effort may not be widely known, but it affects almost every person in the state.

“CDA’s Division of Inspection and Consumer Services (ICS) inspectors and metrologists ensure the accuracy of scales, meters, and packaged products at supermarkets, airports, warehouses, packing plants, storage facilities, and other retail stores through inspections.  The metrology laboratory calibrates the standards used by the inspectors and licensed scale repair companies. Both protect the consumer and help ensure fairness in the marketplace,” said Nick Brechun, CDA’s Measurement Standards Program Manager.

NVLAP provides unbiased third-party recognition of quality performance by a laboratory through a strict series of assessments.  Through the NVLAP accreditation program, laboratories are accredited in compliance with International Standard ISO/IEC 17025:2005. According to NVLAP, the accreditation demonstrates technical competence for a defined scope and the operation of a laboratory quality management system

With this accreditation, CDA can now offer and perform a range of calibration services for those customers requiring such work from a NVLAP accredited lab.  The Colorado Metrology Lab is now one of 17 state labs to achieve NLAP accreditation.

“Weights and measures is one of the oldest and most important activities of government; every citizen and every business has a direct financial interest in seeing that all transactions are fair to both the buyer and seller. This designation acknowledges the vital work this laboratory has been performing in relation to consumer protection,” continued Brechun.