Law on Measurement and Standardization

Official Gazette – Issue (1006)
Royal Decree No. 17/2013
On the Promulgation of the Law of Measurement and Standardization

We, Qaboos bin Said, Sultan of Oman,

• Having reviewed the Basic Law of the State issued by Royal Decree 101/96,
• The Omani Penal Code issued by Royal Decree 7/74,
• Royal Decree 39/76 establishing the “Directorate General of Standards and Measures” at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry,
• Royal Decree 1/78 defining the competences of the Directorate General of Standards and Measures at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry,
• The National Law on Legal Measurement and Calibration issued by Royal Decree 74/90,
• And after presentation to the Council of Oman,
• And in the interest of the public good,

We decree as follows:

Article One
The attached “Law of Measurement and Standardization” shall be enforced.

Article Two
This Decree shall be published in the Official Gazette.

Issued on: 13 Jumada Al-Awwal 1434 AH
Corresponding to: 25 March 2013 AD
Qaboos bin Said
Sultan of Oman

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Official Gazette – Issue (1006)

Law of Measurement and Standardization

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Chapter One – Definitions and General Provisions

Article (1):
The following words and expressions shall have the meanings opposite them, unless the context requires otherwise:

1. Minister: The Minister of Commerce and Industry.
2. Ministry: The Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
3. Directorate: The Directorate General of Standards and Measures.
4. Director General: The Director General of the Directorate.
5. Metrology: The science of measurement.
6. Legal Metrology: Legislative, administrative, and technical procedures taken by the State to determine and guarantee acceptable levels of accuracy and credibility in measurements related to official oversight in trade, health, safety, and the environment.
7. Legal Metrological Control: Supervision carried out by the Directorate to ensure accuracy of measurements affecting safety, health, consumer rights, and the environment; includes legal measuring instruments, legal testing, inspection operations, measurement actors, and supervision of pre-packaged goods.
8. Measuring Instrument: Any instrument or device used for weighing, measuring, or counting.
9. Legal Measuring Instrument: Measuring instrument subject to mandatory legal requirements.
10. Legal Testing: Testing carried out according to mandatory legal requirements.
11. Metrological Control: Operations ensuring compliance of production, import, export, sale, supply, maintenance, repair, installation, and use of legal measuring instruments with legal and technical requirements; includes oversight of quantities on pre-packaged products, use of legal units, and advertisements involving measurement results.
12. Pre-packaged Product: A package in which the product has been filled and sealed, and its quantity determined before being offered for sale.
13. Legal Unit of Measurement: A measurement unit legally authorized for use.
14. International System of Units (SI): A coherent system of measurement units based on base units adopted by the General Conference on Weights and Measures.
15. Metrological Verification: All operations performed by the Directorate or authorized entities to ensure a legal measuring instrument meets mandatory requirements.
16. Calibration: All operations carried out under specified conditions to determine errors of measuring instruments and their uncertainty, and to achieve traceability, including determining other features if requested.
17. Primary Measurement Standard: A standard whose value and uncertainty are determined without reference to another standard; it is the highest standard in calibration hierarchy and linked to SI definitions.
18. Measurement Standard: A standard recognized by the Minister or his delegate as the basis for determining the value of all other standards of the same quantity in Oman.
19. Traceability: The relation of a measurement result or calibration to national or primary standards through an unbroken chain of calibrations/comparisons, each with known uncertainty.
20. Product: Result of design, manufacture, repair, or preparation (instrument, package, device); under this Law, only measuring instruments and pre-packaged goods.
21. Manufacturer: A natural/legal person who designs, produces, distributes, repairs, or reconditions a product and affixes his name, trademark, or distinctive sign; an importer/distributor is deemed manufacturer if he alters the product affecting compliance.
22. Trader: A natural/legal person who imports or supplies a product in Oman.
23. Distributor: A natural/legal person active in the supply chain and offering the product in Oman.
24. Measurement Standard (Specification): Rules, guidelines, or characteristics for services/products/production methods or management systems for public and repeated use; may include terminology, symbols, data, packaging, marking, labeling; compliance is voluntary.
25. Mandatory Requirements: Legal elements required to ensure accuracy, transparency, and credibility of measurements, units, instruments, and actors.
26. Technical Regulations: Rules or characteristics of services/products/production methods and administrative procedures; may include terminology, symbols, data, packaging, marking, labeling; compliance is mandatory.
27. Verification Certificate: Certificate issued by the Directorate after verifying a legal measuring instrument.

Article (2):
The Directorate may charge stakeholders prescribed fees for measurements or calibration in accordance with Article (13).

Article (3):
By decision of the Minister of Justice, employees designated by the Minister shall have the status of judicial officers for enforcing this Law and its regulations.

Article (4):
The Royal Oman Police and other competent authorities shall, upon request, provide necessary support to the said judicial officers, including dealing with street vendors or itinerants misusing measuring instruments or packages. The Directorate shall also cooperate with official authorities to achieve the Law’s objectives.

Article (5):
The Minister shall issue the necessary technical regulations for implementation of this Law and for organizing metrological activities and events in the Sultanate; such regulations shall be published in the Official Gazette and enforced the following day.

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Chapter Two – Competences of the Directorate

Article (6):
The Directorate shall implement this Law as follows:

1. Develop measurement standards.
2. Draft technical regulations and supervise implementation.
3. Enumerate locally produced/imported products, pre-packaged goods, and measuring instruments.
4. Publish/distribute documents related to measurement standards and technical regulations of the Ministry, Arab/regional/foreign organizations, under agreements.
5. Supervise all entities active in legal metrology; may delegate some tasks by agreement.
6. Coordinate with government/private scientific institutions.
7. Support research, studies, activities, training in metrology; participate regionally/internationally.
8. Propose agreements on mutual recognition and competence; represent Oman in related bodies.
9. Cooperate with Arab, regional, international organizations in metrology; join them.
10. Adopt foreign/regional/international standards or regulations when appropriate.
11. Conduct periodic testing of market samples.
12. Participate in consumer/trader/producer awareness.
13. Receive and examine complaints on measurement/calibration.
14. Support national economy and quality improvement of domestic products.

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Chapter Three – Measurement and Calibration

Article (7):
Legal units of measurement:

• Weight: kilogram and decimal multiples/fractions.
• Length: meter and decimal multiples/fractions.
• Time: second and its parts.
• Electric current: ampere.
• Thermodynamic temperature: kelvin.
• Luminous intensity: candela.
• Amount of substance: mole.

The Minister shall issue regulations on supplementary/derived units, symbols, and manner of notation in line with SI.

Article (8):
The Ministry shall:
a) Establish the National Metrology Laboratory to maintain national measurement standards and reference materials, link them with SI, provide calibration services, and any other tasks defined by the Minister.
b) Establish metrological verification centers for legal measuring instruments in each governorate as needed.

Article (9):
The Directorate shall establish national standards and reference materials it holds or authorizes, and define duties/powers of authorized bodies.

Article (10):
The Directorate shall draft technical regulations for organizing metrology, including:
– National metrology policy;
– Components of the national metrology system;
– Transparency, impartiality, integrity;
– Formation of national metrology committee;
– Conditions for legal metrology bodies;
– Traceability and national standards;
– Recognized metrology centers;
– Requirements for calibration bodies;
– Legal metrological control;
– Metrological marks;
– Measuring instruments subject to control;
– Mandatory requirements;
– Verification procedures;
– Production, import, marketing, sale, rental of instruments;
– Maintenance, repair, installation;
– Export;
– Possession and use;
– Legal tests and measurements;
– Suspension, seizure, withdrawal, return;
– Measurement claims in advertising;
– Violations and penalties;
– Any other matters.

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Chapter Four – Oversight of Petroleum Derivatives

Article (11):
The Directorate shall oversee petroleum derivatives, quantitatively and qualitatively, from refinery or main supplier until consumer delivery (tankers, pipelines, storage, stations).

Article (12):
The Minister shall issue technical regulations on oversight of petroleum derivatives, including procedures and fines (not exceeding limits in Article 14).

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Chapter Five – Fees

Article (13):
The Minister, with Ministry of Finance approval, shall issue decisions on service fees provided by the Directorate under this Law.

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Chapter Six – Inspection, Supervision, and Offenses

Article (14):
The Minister shall issue regulations on inspection, supervision, and seizure of violators, and may impose administrative fines not exceeding 100 OMR; in case of repetition, the fine doubles.

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Chapter Seven – Penalties

Article (15):
a) Without prejudice to harsher penalties, anyone committing the following is punishable by imprisonment up to one year and/or fine up to 6,000 OMR:

1. Importing, producing, installing, maintaining, repairing, selling, using, or possessing instruments in violation without authorization.
2. Misuse or manipulation of measuring instruments or refusing verification.
3. Producing/selling non-compliant packages or misleading labeling.
4. Obstructing judicial officers.
5. Misuse or destruction of official seals, marks, reports, or certificates.
6. Fraud in petroleum derivatives (quantity/type/grade).
7. Altering, concealing, or falsifying labeling information.
8. Submitting false documents or concealing required documents.
9. Supplying products violating technical regulations or counterfeit products.
10. Selling/importing products before authorization.
11. Concealing or wasting seized products/instruments.

b) In case of repetition, the maximum penalty applies.

Article (16):
Forgery or imitation of any seal, mark, report, or certificate used by the Directorate, or use thereof with knowledge, is punishable under the Penal Code.

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Chapter Eight – Final Provisions

Article (17):
The Minister of Commerce and Industry shall issue the regulations necessary for implementation; until then, existing regulations remain valid where not conflicting.

Article (18):
The National Law on Legal Measurement and Calibration (Royal Decree 74/90) is repealed.

Article (19):
This Law shall come into force one month after publication in the Official Gazette.