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The Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) has urged the public, especially, motorists to report to the Authority whenever they were shortchanged by any fuel attendant as they purchase fuel for their vehicles. Mr Kwabena Acheampong, Director of Metrology Division of GSA, said people should feel free to call GSA to complain when they suspected that they were being cheated at any fuel station through the main telephone number: 0302-500065/6 so that the Authority could go in and verify and sanction that fuel station. He also advised the public to use the fabricated ten-litre measuring can known as �ntease kruwa� available at every station meant for motorists to check the amount of fuel dispensed when they were in doubt of the quantities supplied to them. Briefing the media on metrology or measurement, one of the core activities carried out by the GSA, in Accra, Mr Acheampong said it was the mandate of the Authority to verify fuel dispensing pumps in the country to know whether such pumps meet international standards and were offering the required services to the general public. �In the particular area of ensuring fairness in the dispensing of fuel to motorists, certified inspectors go to the fuel stations to ensure that dispensing pumps for retail of petrol, gas oil and kerosene are delivering within the maximum permissible limits of error. Fuel stations found to be dispensing fuel with the expected accuracy are given green stickers while those which fail the test are locked up and marked with red stickers. These are displayed on the dispensing pumps at the fuel stations,� Mr Acheampong said. He explained that a green sticker found at a fuel station indicate that a dispenser delivers accurately but a red sticker shows that the dispensing machine had failed the test of accurate delivering and such a pump was locked and not allowed to be used for the sale of fuel to motorists. Elaborating further on the significance of metrology, Mr Acheampong said metrology, was the science and art of making precise measurements, while guaranteeing accurate and reliable measurement, adding that measurement were essential in all aspects of human endeavour. He said in the production of industrial goods and services, health care delivery, agriculture, animal husbandry, trading, safety and in environment, there was the need to apply measurement to ensure consumer protection, fair trade practices, competitiveness as well as ensuring that measurement were traceable to international standards. He said under the Weights and Measures Decree, 1975 (NRCD 326), the Authority offers calibration and verification services to individuals and organisations, and that the GSA as the custodians of weights and measures, was responsible for the realisation, establishment and maintenance of the country�s measurement system. Mr Acheampong said the GSA was involved in the calibration of weighbridges for industrial concerns and bulk road transport, calibration of weighing and measuring instruments in hospitals and clinics, weighing and measuring of instruments for post offices, supermarkets, manufacturing industries, courier services providers and other industrial concerns and also in the verification of cocoa weighing scales in all cocoa growing centres. He said five laboratories of the Metrology Division of the GSA had been accredited to ISO/IEC 17025, the International Standard for General Requirements for the Competence of Testing and Calibration Laboratories. These laboratories are the Mass, Temperature, Balance, Volume and Pressure, adding that the significance of accreditation was that it leads to international recognition of the technical competence of the accredited laboratories and shows that results obtained were reliable, thereby enhancing trade. He also announced that preparations were underway to ensure that six more laboratories in the Division, namely Humidity and Moisture, Dimensional, Density, Viscosity, Electrical, Frequency and Time were also accredited to ISO/IEC 17025. Mrs Elizabeth Adetola, Deputy Executive Director, in charge of Core Services at GSA said since the beginning of the year, the Authority had been briefing the media on major activities of the organisation to help educate the public on the significant role it plays in the economy of the nation. �We held briefings on standards, during the first quarter, on certification during the second quarter, and on testing and inspection during the third quarter. The Fourth and last quarterly briefing of the year is focusing on metrology to highlight the importance of measurement in socio-economic development� she explained. She also announced that the Authority was working with the Ministry of Trade and Industry in collaboration with the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning to establish a national measurement system that would help streamline activities in the oil and gas industry. �If we cannot measure, we cannot develop. So we should put emphasize on measurement in the country� Mr Eugene Adarkwa Addae, a Director at GSA said.