Tags – Weighbridge Calibration
You’d be surprised how many people think that once their weighbridge has been installed, that’s it.
However, maintaining accurate weight data is critical for businesses of all sizes, whether you’re a small business that relies on accurate weights to stay competitive, or a large corporation with hundreds of employees and products to track, weighbridge calibration is essential.
Otherwise, it’s possible that you’re exposing yourself to prosecution or giving away valuable goods and profits without realising it.
Regardless of how robust the initial design and construction of the weighbridge is, it will require regular maintenance and annual health checks.
In this blog post, we’ll discuss the importance of calibrating your weighbridge regularly and why it’s critical for businesses of all sizes.
What is Weighbridge Calibration?
Weighbridge calibration is critical to achieve accurate weighing results, and ignoring this important service turns measuring into guesswork.
Unfortunately, the accuracy of weighbridges becomes less reliable over time, as a result of normal wear and tear and other external factors.
But the life of your weighbridge and its weighing accuracy is greatly prolonged when combined with periodic calibration and frequent routine testing.
In simple terms, calibration is the process of ensuring that a measuring instrument’s performance matches the standard of known or traceable accuracy; the measurement error is the difference between the measured value (the reading) and the correct value (the reference weight).
Legal Requirements
If you’re using your weighbridge for trade, there’s a legal requirement that it maintains the claimed accuracy (within specific limits) at all times.
Anyone who uses a weighbridge should have it checked once a year to ensure compliance. Under the Weights & Measures Act 1985, Trading Standards have the authority to shut down weighbridges that do not fulfil performance standards and impose fines on operators.
Plus, if significant components such as load cells or weight instrumentation have been replaced, the weighbridge must be re-verified by law.
It is also worth noting that if your company vehicle gets pulled over to be weighed by the DVSA and they find it’s overloaded, then you and your driver can face criminal charges.
It’s no defence to claim that your weighbridge proved you weren’t overloaded. If your overloaded vehicle is involved in an accident, the same may apply.
The Benefits of Weighbridge Calibration
Calibration performed by an authorised provider ensures that weight measurements will be correct, improving industrial processes and therefore increasing profitability.
Ultimately, your weighbridge will get the green light and be deemed fit for purpose, which means you can operate in confidence knowing you are within what is deemed acceptable.
Furthermore, the lifespan of your weighbridge will be extended as many faults can be rectified before they become irreparable.
Not to mention, calibration will highlight any signs of ageing and wear and tear, which will allow you to source replacements in plenty of time.
These types of assessments also guarantee that your firm fulfils restrictions governing the weight of items, vehicles, and anything else that is measured in the same manner. This helps to improve your company’s reputation by ensuring consistent and accurate readings.
The Risks of Using Non-calibrated Weighbridges
Failing to calibrate your weighbridge and adhering to legal requirements can cause issues both in the short and long term.
Consequently, failing audits leaves your business open to financial penalties, and as a small business, this could cripple your entire operation.
However, further issues can come from customer complaints if your service falls below what they expect, therefore negatively impacting your company’s reputation.
In addition, there’s also the risk of cost: failing to calibrate your weighbridge means you may need to repeat and correct your work (which costs money).
Lastly, if you don’t calibrate equipment properly, you’ll be unprepared in the event of a full breakdown.
Rather than having spare parts on hand, you might find yourself unable to work and forced into unscheduled and costly downtime as a result of not having replacements.
The Bottom Line
Clearly, the calibration of scales is critical and non-negotiable.
You not only gain from calibration, but you also avoid a lot of headaches.
Furthermore, you have an ethical obligation to the individuals who rely on your readings to maintain them as accurate as possible and keep operations running smoothly.
To find out more, please get in touch today.
In the meantime, take a look at our weighbridges here.
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