It's hard to write a
story about "A Day in the Life" of a Weights and Measures inspector because, to
a weights and measures inspector, there's no such thing as a "normal" day.
(Click on the Pictures for a Closer
Look)
Jim Brown, a Senior
Weights and Measures Inspector for the Michigan Department of Agriculture can
attest to that. "You never quite know what you're going to run into," he says.
Just as varied as the
days are the jobs he must perform—truck driver, technician, computer expert,
regulator, and communications expert, among others. Perhaps all these hats would be easier to wear if he were in a
small area. But Brown's region extends for the entire Upper and a good portion
of the Northern Lower Peninsulas. Brown is one of six Weights and Measures
inspectors for the entire state.
"People like to see
you," explains Brown. "You show to the
consumers that they are getting an honest weight and measure. And the business
people are assured that they too are getting and giving a fair deal. It's just
good business."
Brown begins one winter
day at a feed and grain elevator north of Lansing. He tests the large truck
scale to be sure it is accurate. If a
farmer brings in a truck filled with grain that he is selling to the elevator,
the truck is weighed first with the grain in it and then after the grain is
unloaded. The farmer is then paid on
the "net weight", which is determined by subtracting the second weighing from
the first.
The Michigan
Department of Agriculture's Weights and Measures Program is charged with
ensuring that everything bought or sold on the basis of weight, measure or
count is done in accordance with the requirements of state law. The Weights and Measures
Act, as enforced by
the program, ensures that everyone – consumer or business – gets a fair measure
of what they are selling or what they paid for. Thus a level playing field is
maintained to preserve and promote fair competition. This responsibility
largely falls to a small group of highly trained technical field inspectors,
including Brown.
For checking large truck
scales, Brown has a specially equipped truck with a 5,000 lb. Motorized weight
cart and pulley that allows him to place larger and larger quantities on the
scale all the way up to 25,000 pounds. A small inaccuracy at 5000 pounds
of weight may turn out to be a larger inaccuracy at 25,000. Carefully he
manipulates the hydraulic pulley, which brings thousand pound weights, five at
a time, out of his Department of Agriculture truck and into the weight cart
that rests on the scale.
The general responsibilities of a Weights and Measures
Inspector are to conduct inspections and testing of any weighing and measuring
device used in commercial trade. The devices are evaluated against technical
specification requirements, tolerances, and user requirements. Through careful
use of his weight cart and weights, Brown
discovers that the scale he is testing that morning is very slightly off—an
inaccuracy which benefits the customer. Brown carefully tags the scale as needing immediate attention.
The operator is required to have the scale
fixed within five days. Brown and the operator chat amiably—verifying the
accuracy of the weights helps businesses maintain their relationship of trust
with the consumer. Part of Brown's job
is meticulous follow-up. He tests the scales and then enters all the necessary
information on a computer so that all problems—or a clean "bill of health"
for the scales—are documented.
Another Weights and
Measures Inspector responsibility is to verify the net contents of all packaged
products offered for sale by weight, measure, or count in Michigan. Jim tests huge truck scales as well as the
small scales that measure something as simple and small as a half pound of
hamburger. This may be accomplished by conducting product inspections at the
manufacturer's facility, a distribution center, a retail store, or via sample
in the E. C. Heffron Metrology Laboratory. One particularly intriguing function is the measuring of liquefied
propane gas vapor so that a business pumping natural gas into a home or business
is delivering the amount paid for.
Because much of the propane in Michigan is delivered by
truck, it's up to Weights and Measure inspectors such as Jim Brown to test
each truck's dispensing equipment to ensure that the amount delivered by
the truck's pumps is accurately measured. To do this, Jim uses a
device called a "Prover" (pronounced just like its root word, prove,
as in, "To prove the pump's accuracy, we'll use this prover."). The
prover measures the volume of propane, while allowing Jim to take its
temperature. The temperature is used to figure the actual mass
contained within the prover as cold gas is more dense, therefore it takes
up less space; thus the temperature is crucial in proving the propane
truck's pump accuracy.
The Weights and
Measures Inspector also has the added responsibility of investigating consumer
complaints throughout the entire state. Many of these are connected with
consumers who are concerned that the gasoline pump is not calibrated correctly
and that they are paying for more gas than they are getting. Complaints come from industry and consumers
alike, and typically number in excess of a 1,000 per year. Many of the
complaints result in complex investigations that have in extreme cases required
strong consumer protection initiatives, including undercover operations when
intentional criminal violations have occurred. A typical outcome in such a case would be the start of criminal
prosecution and/or civil penalties.
Added to this responsibility is the requirement to
evaluate whether or not the devices are being properly used to conduct
trade. On rare occasions, an
unscrupulous device operator might illegally manipulate a perfectly installed
and sound device. When Inspectors find
a device in violation, they have the unique ability to seize, shut down, or
otherwise order the repair of the device without formal warrant or court
proceeding.
So how do Michigan
Department of Agriculture Weights and Measures Inspectors like Jim Brown affect
your day-to-day life? You think not at
all? Only if you fueled your car or
truck; or purchased a 2 liter soda; or purchased a gallon of milk; bought groceries;
or put a quarter in a parking meter; purchased precious jewelry; or purchased ½
pint milk for your child's school lunch, etc. The list goes on and on. And
these services are provided every day, in all types of weather, and all for
less than a dime and two pennies per Michigan resident. That's less than the average amount found
between couch cushions. Now that's a
bargain!
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