GNBS will continue to protect consumers through monitoring

GINA, GUYANA, Tuesday, February 21, 2017

The Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) which falls under the purview of the Ministry of Business will continue to monitor the quality of products which fall under its purview throughout 2017 to ensure compliance with available standards and guidelines.

Public Relations Officer for the GNBS, Lloyd David said that monitoring for compliance to standards is essential to protect consumers from harmful, defective and unsafe products. He noted that the use of quality products gives users a great level of satisfaction when they can garner optimum benefits for money spent.

David said that the GNBS under the Standards Act of 1984 and amendment of 1987 has been monitoring some 20 categories of imported and locally manufactured commodities/products under its Standards Compliance Programme to ensure compliance with the requirements of national standards.

Some of the products currently  monitored by the GNBS include: domestic electrical appliances, tyres (new and used), textiles, garments, footwear, PVC pipes, scales, masses and measures, animal feed, furniture, gas stoves, cigarettes, safety matches, safety helmets, fertilizers, electricity and water meters, cellular phones, Christmas trees and decorative lighting outfits, David said.

David however, pointed out that the Bureau does not monitor foods, drugs, cosmetics, medical devices, plants and animals, and meats and seafood.  He noted that it is only mandated to develop standards pertaining to these commodities, which are enforced by other regulatory bodies including the Veterinary Public Health (VPH) Unit, and the Government Analyst Food and Drug Department (GA-FDD).

Explaining the monitoring process, David said that all importers, manufacturers and dealers of products monitored by the Bureau are required to register annually with the Standards body. Entries (Custom documents) pertaining to commodities in commercial quantities which are monitored by Bureau are referred for inspection by an Inspector stationed at the Guyana Revenue Authority Office (GRA).

Inspections are conducted at the ports-of- entry, points of sale, or at warehouses. In the case of products which require proper storage prior to and during sale, Inspectors conduct routine checks to ensure that storage requirements are adhered to, thus avoiding the sale of damaged or deteriorated products to consumers, David said.

Once a product is found to be in compliance with its relevant national standard, it is released for sale to consumers. However, in instances where products fail to comply with their requirements, the appropriate actions are taken by the GNBS. These actions include seizure, and relabelling or the submission of test certificates. There are also instances where defective and unsafe products are destroyed by the GNBS, or importers are asked to reship such products to the country of origin, David explained

 

By: Gabreila Patram