FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 2, 2020
Contact: Mary Peck, Department of Agriculture 303-869-9005, mary.peck@state.co.us
Contact: Cher Haavind, Department of Labor and Employment, 303-318-8003, cher.haavind@state.co.us
Denver, Colo.-Governor Polis has issued a proclamation declaring March 1-7, 2020 as Weights and Measures Week in Colorado. Each year, the first week in March commemorates the signing of the first weights and measures law in the United States by President John Adams on March 2, 1799.
The proclamation honors the consumer protection efforts of the Colorado Department of Agriculture and the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment. The work of these departments touches virtually every Coloradan by ensuring the accuracy of all commercial weighing and measuring equipment.
“Guaranteeing the accuracy of weights and measures is one of the oldest and most important activities of government,” says Hollis Glenn, Director of the Division of Inspection and Consumer Services at the Colorado Department of Agriculture. “Every citizen and every business has a direct financial interest in seeing that transactions are fair to both the buyer and seller.”
Every day, commercial scales, meters and scanning equipment are used to ensure equity in the marketplace. The Department of Labor and Employment’s Division of Oil and Public Safety (OPS) and the Department of Agriculture’s Measurement Standards Programs protect consumers by checking and calibrating that the devices are operating properly.
“The quiet but systemic efforts of these officials instills trust in our marketplace,” said Mahesh Albuquerque, Director of the Division of Oil and Public Safety. ”Weights and Measures Week is an opportunity to educate consumers, businesses and lawmakers about their important work.”
Inspectors with OPS ensure that motorists are getting precisely what they are paying for at more than 50,000 retail motor fuel dispensers throughout Colorado. These inspectors routinely collect samples of fuel products at retail stations statewide and analyze the samples to ensure compliance with fuel quality standards.
OPS inspectors also verify bulk propane, gasoline, diesel truck meters, retail propane, compressed and liquefied natural gas dispensers for accuracy. In addition to this consumer protection work, OPS addresses environmental protection by overseeing the cleanup of contamination of soil and groundwater caused by petroleum leaks and spills.
Inspectors within the Department of Agriculture’s Inspection and Consumer Services Division ensure the accuracy of commercial scales, meters and scanning equipment used at supermarkets, warehouses, packing plants, storage facilities, and retail stores. Scales are even used at Denver International Airport to determine allowable luggage weights. The metrology laboratory at the Department of Agriculture tests and calibrates these devices for precise accuracy.
Colorado Department of Agriculture
Inspectors and metrologists within CDA’s Measurement Standards Program and Division of Laboratory Services ensure the accuracy of scales, meters, and packaged products at supermarkets, warehouses, packing plants, storage facilities, and other retail stores.
Colorado Department of Labor & Employment
CDLE’s Division of Oil and Public Safety is responsible for inspecting Colorado’s more than 50,000 retail motor fuel dispensers. Inspectors routinely collect samples of fuel products from retail fueling stations across the state, and samples are analyzed for compliance with fuel quality standards. Learn more about OPS’s Weights and Measures program here.
Attachment: Proclamation from Governor