DCP Metrology Laboratory provides measurement advice, services to many industries, government agencies, educational institutions
HARTFORD — The Department of Consumer Protection hosted an open house at the State Metrology Lab Tuesday to introduce Chris David, the new Connecticut State Metrologist hired earlier this year to oversee the Connecticut State Metrology Laboratory (CSML). The lab, operating under the Division of Weights and Measures, offers measurement advice, and serves as a reference center, providing measurement assistance to industry, government agencies and educational institutions.
“One of the earliest forms of consumer protection in the world is weights and measures – ensuring consumers are getting exactly what they pay for. Everything that comes in and out of our lives is weighed or measured at some point and it’s important we’re all working by the same standards,” said DCP Commissioner Michelle H. Seagull. “I’m proud to highlight the important work of our Standards Division. Their work impacts all of our lives on a daily basis, whether we realize it or not.”
“From grocery store deli scales to gasoline pumps to heating oil deliveries, weights and measures has a profound impact on the daily lives of every single Connecticut resident,” said Chris David, Connecticut State Metrologist. “Our inspectors here in Connecticut use a variety of devices to conduct their evaluations. These tools all need to be properly calibrated to maintain accuracy. This is where the Connecticut State Metrology Laboratory comes in.”
DCP’s Standards Unit regulates weights and measures in the state of Connecticut. The Standards Program (also known as Weights and Measures) registers nearly 1400 fuel stations and 600 heating oil dealers, and regulates 3,044 locations that have scales and other measuring devices in the state.
The earliest references to Weights and Measures in Connecticut date back to the mid-1600s when the General Court of Connecticut made its first attempts to create a standardized set of agreed upon weights and measures.
The Standards Program as we know it today was established in 1947 when the Connecticut General Assembly created the Food and Drug Commission, now known as the Department of Consumer Protection.
In his role as the state metrologist, David is responsible for many tasks, including:
Establishing a quality control program for the state’s physical reference standards
Performing laboratory procedures involving the calibration of laboratory and field standards of mass, volume, length, and temperature
Making other precise determinations of mass, volume, length, and temperature for business and industries in the State
Performing mathematical corrections for standards involving air buoyancy, thermal expansion of materials, temperature, humidity, and pressure as required
Making recommendations for the approval, modification, or rejection of weighing and measuring devices sold or used in Connecticut
Instructing Field Inspectors in quality control, care and use of standards, safety, laws and regulations
Conducting special tests on commercial weighing and measuring equipment
Consulting with business, industry, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology on technical matters of measurement
Performing routine maintenance to analytical balances and precision equipment
The Standards Program is part of the Food and Standards Division at DCP and is responsible for:
Ensuring the accuracy of all weights and measures used in Connecticut trade, and operating the state’s only Metrology Laboratory.
Overseeing licensees under the Heating Oil Dealer, Retail Gasoline Dealer, Motor Fuel Quality, and Weighing and Measuring Device Dealers and Repairers laws.
Testing motor fuel octane.
More information about national metrology standards can be found at the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
Consumers who have complaints for our Standards Unit may email dcp.foodandstandards@ct.gov.
