If there is anything on the minds of most North Carolinians right now, getting your money’s worth at the gas pump is likely pretty close to the top of the list.
Thankfully, NCDA&CS weights and measures inspectors help to do just that. From March 1-7 we celebrate national Weights and Measures week, when we recognize the hard work that these professionals do – work that often goes unnoticed and unappreciated.
“It’s important for us the put some attention on our inspectors and the work that they do,” said Stephen Benjamin, NCDA&CS Standards division director. “The work we do impacts people every day, and the fact of the matter is a lot of people don’t even know we exist.”
NCDA&CS does not have any hand in controlling gas prices. However, weights and measures inspectors are responsible for making sure that gas pumps give accurate readings for how much gas they dispense. They also check for credit card skimmers inside the machines themselves, as well as make sure that posted prices match the prices at the pumps.
Inspectors don’t just work at the pump, however. They also inspect price scanners and scales at retail stores to make sure that the price you’re seeing is really what you’re getting charged. As stores continue to suffer from staffing shortages, price scanner errors have seen an uptick in recent months, so the work of weights and measures inspectors is all the more important to help catch them.
Weights and measures inspectors are also tasked with making sure that the food you buy at the supermarket has the correct weight on the packaging. When you buy a pound of ground beef or a gallon of milk, you can be confident that you’ve gotten your money’s worth thanks to weights and measures inspectors.
Weights and Measures week is celebrated every year from March 1-7, to commemorate President John Adams signing the first U.S. weights and measures legislation into law on March 2, 1799. For more information on how NCDA&CS weights and measures inspectors keep North Carolinians safe, visit http://www.ncagr.gov/standard/Measure/.