Placing measuring instruments on the market
Legally regulated measuring instruments are placed on the market via a conformity assessment procedure or national approval and initial verification. The applicable procedures are defined in the measuring instrument-specific ordinances of the Federal Department of Justice and Police (FDJP).
Procedure for placing measuring instruments on the market
There are two ways of placing legally regulated measuring instruments on the market:
- a conformity assessment procedure
- national approval and initial verification.
Which variant is used is determined by the measuring instrument-specific ordinances of the FDJP.
The ordinances for your measuring instrument category can be found in the Overview of legally regulated measuring instruments.
Conformity assessment procedures
In the conformity assessment procedure, the manufacturer of a measuring instrument commissions a designated body. The latter checks whether a measuring instrument or its manufacture meets the legal requirements.
Following a successful evaluation, the manufacturer issues a declaration of conformity.
Compliant measuring instruments can be identified by the CE, CH or UKCA marking in combination with the metrology mark “M”. A device may have one or more of the following markings:
Requirements for conformity assessment bodies in Switzerland
Conformity assessment bodies must meet the requirements according to Annex 2 of the Measuring Instruments Ordinance. Their designation is based on the Accreditation and Designation Ordinance and the Agreement between the Swiss Confederation and the European Community on mutual recognition in relation to conformity assessment.
For measuring instruments covered by the Measuring Instruments Directive (2014/32/EU) or the Non-Automatic Weighing Instruments Directive (2014/31/EU), the conformity assessment body must also be designated by the EU Commission.
METAS-Cert meets these requirements and is the METAS conformity assessment body recognised by Switzerland, the EU and the UK.
Approval and initial verification
Certain measuring instruments require national approval and initial verification. These sovereign activities are carried out exclusively by:
- METAS;
- the responsible enforcement bodies (verification offices and verification laboratories).
Measuring instruments with national approval can be identified by the stylised “S” on the type plate. Successful initial verification is confirmed with a verification mark.
