Weighing Equipment (Filling and Discontinuous Totalising Automatic Weighing Machines) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1998

Amendment of the Weighing Equipment (Filling and Discontinuous Totalising Automatic Weighing Machines) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1986

13.  For Schedule 2 there shall be substituted the following Schedule—

regulation 32(1)

“SCHEDULE 2 Discontinuous Totalisers

Part I Testing – General Requirements

1.   Discontinuous totalisers provided with a display of totalised weight only (to which, accordingly, the requirements of regulations 9 and 24 do not apply) shall be subject to material testing in accordance with Part II of this Schedule.

2.   Discontinuous totalisers which embody the facilities referred to in regulation 9 but not those referred to in regulation 24 shall be subject to the requirements of regulation 32(2) in addition to the provisions of Part II of this Schedule.

3.   Discontinuous totalisers to which regulations 9 and 24 are applicable may be tested in accordance with the provisions of Part III of this Schedule.

4.— (1) Subject to sub-paragraph (2), when testing a discontinuous totaliser, an inspector shall satisfy himself that—

(a) it is properly balanced or set to zero when unloaded;

(b) any beam or leverwork has sufficient room for oscillation and returns to the position of equilibrium when the load is removed; and

(c) any indicator returns to the zero mark or given point when the load is removed.

(2) Sub-paragraphs (1)(a) and (c) shall not apply in the case of a discontinuous totaliser of a pattern in respect of which a certificate of approval is in force, if in the certificate of approval or the notice of examination in respect of that pattern it is described as not so constructed as to balance when unloaded.

5.   Before commencing material testing of a discontinuous totaliser, the inspector shall satisfy himself that the arrangements (which may include the use of a non-automatic weighing machine or an internal non-automatic weighing facility) to be used for determining the weight of material used in the testing will give a weight determination of each test load (determined in one or more weighing operations) to an accuracy equal to or better than—

(a) one-fifth of the prescribed limits of error for material testing; or

(b) in a case where the accuracy of such arrangements is assessed immediately before use, one-third of such prescribed limits.

Part II Testing – Using a Separate Non-automatic Weighing Machine

6.— (1) The tests specified in sub-paragraphs (2), (3) and (4) shall be carried out on a discontinuous totaliser under normal conditions of use.

(2) A minimum of three individual tests (including at least one at minimum load and at least one at maximum capacity) shall be carried out, each test involving the weighing of a quantity of suitable material as nearly as practicable equal to the minimum totalised load marked on the machine.

(3) In the case only of a discontinuous totaliser first passed as fit for use for trade before 8th December 1998, and if the person submitting it for testing so requests, the test at maximum capacity under sub-paragraph (2) may be made with twenty separate loads and the words “as nearly as practicable equal to the minimum totalised load marked on the machine” in that sub-paragraph shall not have effect.

(4) Unless already included in the tests carried out under sub-paragraphs (2) and (3) two further tests (which shall include at least five weighing cycles and a quantity of material not less than the minimum totalised load) shall be carried out, one at the minimum load and one at the maximum capacity.

(5) For each of the tests carried out under sub-paragraphs (2), (3) and (4), the inspector shall determine—

(a) the weight of material used in the test using the arrangements referred to in paragraph 5;

(b) the material testing error by ascertaining the difference between the weight of the material determined in accordance with head (a) and the value of the weight of the material obtained from the totalisation indicating device.

Part III Testing – Using an Internal Non-automatic Weighing Facility

7.   Where a discontinuous totaliser is constructed with an internal non-automatic weighing facility complying with regulations 9 and 24(1)(a) the machine may be tested by the use of that facility if the facility has first been tested by standard weights to verify that the weight indicating device (if necessary, in conjunction with a calibration chart or graph prepared from the results) will provide the accuracy required for the purposes of paragraph 5 in the range required for the purposes of paragraph 8.

8.— (1) After the machine has weighed and discharged suitable material for at least five separate fillings of the load receptor by the normal automatic process, the process shall be stopped with the load receptor empty; and the inspector shall—

(a) ensure that the individual weight indicating device is set to zero or a given point; and

(b) set the totalisation indicating device to zero or record the indicated total.

(2) The automatic process shall be restarted so that the load receptor is filled and automatically weighed; and before any material is discharged the process shall be interrupted and the inspector shall determine the individual weight value.

(3) The automatic process shall be restarted so that the load receptor is discharged and automatically weighed; and before any further material is supplied to the load receptor the process shall be interrupted and the inspector shall determine the individual weight value.

(4) From the weight values recorded in accordance with sub-paragraphs (2) and (3) the inspector shall determine the true net weight of the material discharged taking account of any calibration chart or graph prepared for the purposes of paragraph 7.

(5) The inspector shall then—

(a) determine the total true net weight of a number of separate loads in accordance with sub-paragraphs (2), (3) and (4) to complete material tests as specified in sub-paragraphs (6), (7) and (8) under normal conditions of use; and

(b) record the indication of the totalised weight of material in each test.

(6) A minimum of three individual tests (including at least one at minimum load and at least one at maximum capacity) shall be carried out, each test involving the weighing of a quantity of suitable material as nearly as practicable equal to the minimum totalised load marked on the machine.

(7) In the case only of a discontinuous totaliser first passed as fit for use for trade before 8th December 1998, and if the person submitting it for testing so requests, the test at maximum capacity under sub-paragraph (6) may be carried out with twenty separate loads and the words “as nearly as practicable equal to the minimum totalised load marked on the machine” in that sub-paragraph shall not have effect.

(8) Unless already included in the tests carried out under sub-paragraphs (6) and (7) two further tests (which shall include at least five weighing cycles and a quantity of material not less than the minimum totalised load) shall be carried out, one at the minimum load and one at the maximum capacity.

(9) For each group of tests referred to in sub-paragraph (5)(a), the inspector shall determine the material test error by ascertaining the difference between the weight of material determined as required by that sub-paragraph and the value of the weight of material obtained from the totalisation indicating device in accordance with sub-paragraphs (1)(b) and (5)(b).”.