We provide advice to businesses to help them comply with the law.
Home Authority Principle
We adhere to national guidelines (known as the Home Authority Principle) which require us to place special emphasis on companies resident in Fife.
Business Link
The Business Link website contains advice on a variety of business issues including starting up a new business, international trade, and the various Trading Standards related laws.
Visit their website on www.businesslink.gov.uk.
The Money Advice section of this site also contains advice for small businesses and self employed customers.
Calibration Service
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Our Laboratory enables precise and accurate calibration of weights, weighing machines and capacity measures. We have UKAS accreditation for Mass Calibration and can also provide fully traceable calibration in other fields of measurement. Our Service is open to all customers throughout the UK. More and more businesses are seeking certification under the ISO 9000 series of quality assurance standards. Apart from the quality system required, traceability of inspection equipment used must be provided. A UKAS certificate is recognised around the world as one of integrity and traceability. |
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Our Service To You
We can guarantee you an efficient and reliable service, together with a competitive pricing structure.
For UKAS calibrations, your equipment needs to acclimatise to the environmental conditions in the laboratory before we can commence your tests. In order to programme our work to your needs, requests for calibration can be undertaken by prior arrangement, but can usually be accommodated on an 'as required' basis.
Mass Laboratory
Our mass laboratory is environmentally controlled for temperature and humidity to ensure accurate calibrations can be carried out.
It is equipped with a full range of sophisticated balances of precision and comparators to enable us to calibrate your weights up to the OIML accuracy of F2 level.
These accuracy classes are as follows:
| F2 | within | + or - 15mg at 1kg | and | + or - 0.3mg at 1g |
| M1 | + or - 50mg at 1kg | and | + or - 1mg at 1g | |
| M2 | + or - 150mg at 1kg | and | + or - 3mg at 1g | |
| M3 | + or - 500mg at 1kg | and | + or - 10mg at 1g |
We are able to calibrate weights within the following ranges:
| F2 | 20kg | To | 1mg |
| M1 and below | 25kg | To | 1mg |
| Non-standard weights (e.g. 10 newtons 7lb) that fall within |
20kg | To | 1mg |
All calibration work is accompanied by a comprehensive Certificate of Calibration, bearing the UKAS logo.
Our laboratory capabilities also allow us to issue non-UKAS Certificates of Calibration which are fully traceable to National Standards.
Other Facilities
We are able to offer our customers a calibration service in the fields of capacity measurement, measures of length and for weighing machines.
The capacity measurement/measures of length are by direct comparison to local standards and comes complete with a fully traceable certificate of test.
Weighing machines can be tested using the laboratory's highly accurate weights of a sufficient standard to enable calibration or verification of weighing machines in each of the following classes:
Class I - High accuracy
Class III - Medium accuracy
Class IV - Ordinary accuracy
The laboratory is provided to ensure that the standards of calibration meet all the necessary requirements and that equipment used by our own and other Trading Standards authorities is legally correct.
Who To Contact
Fife Council
Environmental Services
Metrology and Safety Team
Kingdom House
Kingdom Avenue
Glenrothes
Fife
KY7 5LY
How much does it cost for our calibration service?
Speak to the Laboratory Manager, Alan Hamilton, to discuss your individual needs. Telephone: 08451 55 55 56 or e-mail: alan.hamilton@fife.gov.uk.
Weights and Measures
We offer the following services to businesses.
- free advice on the requirements of the Act in relation to goods, services or the use of equipment;
- verification service for weighing and measuring equipment which is required by the Act to be tested as fit for use for trade before it is so used;
- calibration service for the testing and certification of length measures, capacity measures, weighing machines and weights;
- a UKAS accredited calibration service for the calibration and certification of weights from 20 kg to 1 mg;
- a complaints service if you think you have received the incorrect amount of goods that you have contracted to pay for.
Further information on metrication is available on this site, including metric conversion tables.
If you would like further information on the above or related matters, contact Alan Hamilton, Tel: 08451 55 55 56. Email: alan.hamilton@fife.gov.uk.
Weighbridge Test Unit Scheme
Fife Trading Standards also administers the Weighbridge Test Unit Scheme. This consists of the provision of a dedicated vehicle specially designed for the carriage of calibrated heavy weights used for testing weighbridges and other high capacity weighing equipment.
The unit is used to test all the weighbridges in Fife (and the fifteen other Scottish local authorities in the Scheme) on a regular basis to ensure their compliance with the provisions of the Weights & Measures Act 1985.
The unit is also available for hire, to such companies as may need to use it for the verification, calibration or servicing of weighbridges and other heavy weighing equipment.
For further information about the Scheme or to enquire about hiring the vehicle, contact Janice Paton. Telephone: 08451 55 55 56. Email: janice.paton@fife.gov.uk.
What do we mean by 'fair trading'?
What is fair to one person may not seem fair to another. The phrase is used by us to cover a wide range of trading legislation which has at its heart the principle of open and fair treatment of consumers while taking account of the needs of business - marketing, opportunity, profit and competitiveness.
None of the legislation we seek your compliance with is intended to make your life difficult. The main thrust is providing a level playing field so that business people do not need to engage in vicious spirals of competition which can lead to situations where consumers lose trust in the market place.
What are the main pieces of legislation?
Most people have heard of the Trade Descriptions Act and the Prices Act. Between them they provide a framework for businesses such that you should be able to assume that your competitors are, in general, applying truthful descriptions and prices to their goods. The Consumer Protection Act goes further and requires you and your competitors to have transparent price comparisons whenever you run promotions.
How is advertising controlled?
Most adverts are controlled by the advertising industry but there are two specific statutory controls - The Consumer Credit Advertising Regulations and The Control of Misleading Advertisement Regulations.
The former is the source of all of the technical detail required in credit adverts. A booklet explaining this is available. The latter is a catch-all which allows the Office of Fair Trading to consider those adverts which, though misleading, are not controlled by any other means.
Where do so-called consumer rights come from?
Over the years there have been many developments in the field of consumer rights. The most recent is contained in the Distance Selling Regulations. As of the 1st November 2000 any consumer contracts concluded at distance i.e. by phone, fax, e-mail or post must include a cooling-off period. There are also other promotions in this new legislation.
Most consumer rights emanate from the Sale of Goods Act. These are the ones most people have heard of. Goods must comply with descriptions; be fit for their purpose; and be of acceptable quality. This last one means free from defects taking account of the circumstances of sale.
If you require specific advice on any of these issues or if you are a Fife business you can contact us directly for free advice on any of these topics as well as a whole lot more. Details can be found on the Contact Us page.
Are you thinking of manufacturing or importing consumer goods? There are Regulations governing the supply of consumer goods in the UK. Certain goods such as toys, electrical equipment, machinery, personal protective equipment, pressure equipment and medical devices must comply with European legislation and bear the "CE" mark.
Aspects of safety of some other goods must comply with UK Safety Regulations. These include cosmetics, upholstered furniture, prams and pushchairs, bunk beds, products containing nickel, electrical plugs and sockets, nightwear, ceramic ware and pedal cycles.
Many goods fall outside these specific Regulations. They must comply with The General Product Safety Regulations. Broadly, this means the items must be safe bearing in mind their intended users. Warnings or instructions accompanying the goods should be appropriate and proportionate to the dangers posed.
Product Liability
Under strict liability, the producer of a defective product is liable for damage caused by it. The term "producer" has a wide definition and includes "own branders". Where the producer cannot be identified then the supplier may be liable.
In practical terms, manufacturers should:
Guidance information is available in our guidance notes and leaflets section.
Details of the latest product recalls are available in our Safety News section.
If you require specific advice on any of these issues or if you are a Fife business you can contact us directly for free advice on any of these topics. Tel: 08451 55 55 56 Email: cds_TS@fife.gov.uk.
The Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (formerly the DTI) has a number of consumer protection and product safety publications available to view at their website at www.berr.gov.uk.
The Service can provide advice to businesses that offer credit. There is also a range of guidance available on the Office of Fair Trading website.
Credit Advertising
The OFT website contains information on changes to credit advertising that came into force in 2004 under the Consumer Credit (Advertisements) Regulations 2004.
The OFT has produced a set of answers to frequently asked questions as guidance to the new regulations.
An updated version of 'Credit advertising', providing a general guide to the credit advertising regime, is also available to download.
If you require specific advice on any consumer credit issues or if you are a Fife business you can contact us directly for free advice. Tel: 08451 55 55 56 Email: cds_TS@fife.gov.uk.
If you sell goods or services to consumers by mail order, over the internet, by telephone, or by fax, your customers will have new rights. Regulations provide statutory backing for the good business practices which many companies already observe.
The Regulations give consumers the unconditional right to cancel an order.
The consumer must inform the supplier within the time limits shown.
Consumers cannot cancel an agreement or return goods for:
The new rules will not apply to:
Some of the new regulations will not apply to:
Further information on distance selling is available from the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (formerly the DTI) and can be viewed on their website at www.berr.gov.uk.
You can also obtain information from this Service. Details can be found on the Contact Us page.
It is good business practice to avoid contacting those people who do not wish to receive direct sales mailings.
The Mail Preference Sevice is a central register of individuals who have indicated they do not wish to receive unsolicited direct mail. Further information is available on the Mailing Preference Service's website.
The Direct Marketing Association runs an E-Mail Preference Service for consumers which enables them to opt-out of receiving direct marketing messages electronically.
If your business operates such a service, you can get further information from the DMA on how to eliminate these consumers from your mailing lists.
Fair Trading
Safety
Consumer Credit
Distance Selling
Direct Mailing
Direct Electronic Mail?
Unwanted Telephone Sales Calls?
The Telephone Preference Service (TPS) helps you to make sure your telephone number is no longer available to organisations who may telephone you with offers and information you do not wish to receive.
You can either do this by contacting companies directly and asking them not to phone you or you can register at the Telephone Preference Service's website.
If you require specific advice on this issue or if you are a Fife business you can contact us directly for free advice. Tel: 08451 55 55 56 Email: cds_TS@fife.gov.uk.
Unwanted Sales Faxes?
The Fax Preference Service (FPS) gives an individual (which includes consumers and sole traders) the opportunity to register fax numbers on which they do not wish to receive direct marketing messages.
You can do this by registering at the Fax Preference Service's website.
If you require specific advice on this issue or if you are a Fife business you can contact us directly for free advice. Tel: 08451 55 55 56 Email: cds_TS@fife.gov.uk.
Selling By Telephone Or Fax?
Do you sell goods or services by telephone? If so, you must check the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) lists of persons who have registered not to receive marketing calls.
It is a criminal offence to make unsolicited marketing calls to TPS registered telephone numbers. Full information on how to comply is available at the TPS website.
Similar laws apply to marketing by fax. Information is available at the Fax Preference Service's website.
If you require specific advice on this issue or if you are a Fife business you can contact us directly for free advice. Tel: 08451 55 55 56 Email: cds_TS@fife.gov.uk.
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Fife Council, Environmental Services, Trading Standards, Kingdom House, Kingdom Avenue, Glenrothes, KY7 5LY
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Guidance notes and leaflets
Telephone: 08451 55 55 56.
Electronic Mail: cds_TS@fife.gov.uk
Internet World Wide Web: http://www.tradingstandards.gov.uk/fife