The Saint Lucia Bureau of Standards (SLBS), in collaboration with Inter American Metrology System, ([SIM] by its acronym in Spanish), is currently hosting the Annual General Assembly and SIM Week from 31st October 2022 to 4th November 2022.
At the five-day meeting are the leadership and staff of the National Metrology Institutes throughout the Western Hemisphere, alongside institutional partners, discussing and coordinating activities related to the metrology pillar of quality infrastructure.
SIM is currently comprised 33 Active Members and 13 Associate Members. Meetings of SIM’s Quality System Task Force (QSTF) and SIM Council culminates in the General Assembly on 4th November 2022.
Metrology is the science of measurement. Legal metrology is the application of legal requirements to measurements and measuring instruments. SIM was created to promote regional, international and particularly Inter-American cooperation in metrology issues. The hosting of the SIM Week and Annual General Assembly is another significant milestone in metrology for the SLBS and Saint Lucia.
Saint Lucia, in 2015, was the first Caribbean country and smallest nation in the world to receive the prestigious OIML Award for Excellent Achievements in Legal Metrology in Developing Countries. In 2020 the Metrology Laboratory of the SLBS was the first calibration laboratory in the OECS countries to be awarded ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation.
Saint Lucia, in October 2022, became a Corresponding Member of the OIML, the OIML being the world’s premier international body for legal metrology.
The effective application of scientific, industrial, and legal metrology in a nation stimulates innovation, competitiveness, trade, consumer protection and sustainable development.