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instruments used for the implementation of technical regulations are
submitted to legal control, but the list may be diverse according to the
countries. This is to give confidence to the public that regulatory
controls are carried out with appropriate and reliable instruments
(brake efficiency of vehicles, exhaust gas analysis, sound level of
equipment for industry or public works, lighting in the workplace,
etc.), and that prosecution of offenses is based on reliable
measurements (radar speed meters for vehicles, breath analyzers, etc.).
Instruments used for healthcare, for public safety or environmental
protection and monitoring are more and more frequently submitted to
legal metrology control (medical instruments, measurement of
pollutant emissions, etc.). Although its organization differs from one
country to another, legal metrology is present in nearly all countries –
hence an international organization, the OIML, was set up 50 years
ago to deal with this aspect of metrology.

The International Organization of Legal Metrology (OIML)
The OIML is an intergovernmental organization established by a
treaty in 1955, and whose general objective is to organize mutual
information and cooperation among its members in the field of legal
metrology, to harmonize legal metrology regulations and to foster
mutual confidence. The OIML has about 60 member states (who are
signatories to the treaty, committed to implementing common
decisions), and about 50 corresponding members.
One of the main activities of the OIML is to harmonize legal
metrology regulations by developing international recommendations,
which are model regulations proposed to its members when they
intend to regulate a category of measuring instruments. These
international recommendations have three parts: requirements, test
procedures and the test report format. In addition to recommendations,
the OIML develops international documents, which are of a more
informative nature. Due to this harmonizing role, the OIML is an
international standard-setting body and has been accepted as an
observer in the Technical Barriers to Trade Committee in the World
Trade Organization. To complement to its harmonizing activity, the
OIML has developed – and is continuously developing – systems to
facilitate mutual recognition and mutual acceptance of legal metrology
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