Announcer | January - June 2011 - Tanzania Bureau of Standards

Announcer | January - June 2011 1

Pages 

Pages 

Pages 

Pages 

Pages 

IN THIS ISSUE 

1 – 6: News in Brief 

6 – 25: Activities Report 

26 – 28: ISO News 

28 – 31: Certification Data 

33 – 37: Feature Articles 

Editorial Board 

L S Kinabo – Chairman 

R N Andusamile – Secretary 

M B Kasanga – Member 

B J Samilani – Member 

D H Mbaga – Member 

M P Mulinda – Member 

J S Abdi – Member 

A E Ndanshau – Member 

TBS blocks 

substandard gas oil 

consignment 

TANZANIA Bureau of Standards 

(TBS) has blocked 5,000 metric 

tonnes of gas oil (diesel) 

destined for the local market, 

for safety reasons. 

The consignment arrived at the Dar 

es Salaam Port on 13th June, 2011 

from the United Arab Emirates 

aboard MT Gulf Jumeirah and the 

consignee has been identified as 

Addax Energy SA. 

A statement issued by TBS 

Director General Mr. Charles 

News in Brief 

Ekelege on Thursday, June 

16 said after testing a sample 

taken from the consignment, 

TBS established that the liquids 

flash point temperature does 

not conform to the requirement 

stipulated in the Tanzania 

Standard for the product. 

He said the Tanzania Standard 

674:2009, Automotive diesel fuel 

– Specification sets the minimum 

flash point temperature at 66 o C 

while the sample taken from 

the consignment shows that the 

oil’s flashpoint temperature is 

56 o C. The standard specifies the 

requirements and test methods 

for diesel fuels suitable for 

various types of diesel engine 

vehicles. 

Flash point temperature measures 

tendency of the sample to form 

a flammable condition and it is a 

critical characteristic in assessing 

overall flammability hazard of 

gas oil, said Mr. Ekelege, adding 

that low flash point temperature 

poses risk of explosion especially 

during transportation. 

The Director General cautioned 

all importers of diesel and other 

fuels to make sure their imports 

conform to relevant Tanzania 

Standards. 

2 

Announcer | January - June 2011

News in Brief 

Isles bureau of 

standards underway 

The Zanzibar Government will 

soon introduce an organ that 

will oversee standards for locally 

manufactured and imported 

goods. 

The Deputy Minister for Industry, 

Trade and Marketing of the 

Revolutionary Government of 

Zanzibar, Ms Thuwayba Kisasi 

said in Dar es Salaam recently that 

the House of Representatives 

has already passed a law which 

will soon create the Zanzibar 

Bureau of Standards (ZBS). 

D e p u t y 

Minister for Industry, 

Trade and Marketing of Zanzibar, 

Ms Thuwayba Kisasi (second right) listens 

as the Head of Food Laboratory, Ms. Agnes 

Mneney briefs her during her recent visit at TBS 

Headquarters in Dar es Salaam. 

She said the new Act will help 

Zanzibar curb the problem 

of substandard goods that 

are threatening economic 

development initiatives as well 

as putting at risk the health of 

people who end up consuming 

inferior products. 

The Deputy Minister was 

speaking shortly after visiting the 

Tanzania Bureau of Standards 

(TBS), where she came to learn 

on its functions and how it can 

assist in the establishment of 

ZBS. 

“Soon we will have our own 

standards body operating in 

Zanzibar, and we have come 

here to learn since we need to 

join forces in fighting substandard 

products,” she said. 

The government, she said, 

was now preparing regulations 

following the enactment of the 

ZBS Act which has already been 

signed by the President. 

TBS challenged to 

educate farmers 

The Tanzania Bureau of 

Standards (TBS) has been 

challenged to provide more 

education against substandard 

goods and packaging technology 

to farmers in rural areas to enable 

them implement Kilimo Kwanza 

initiative. 

The Acting Iringa Regional 

Commissioner Mr. Aseri Msangi 

said recently in Iringa that since 

people in the rural setting were 

increasingly involved in business 

and commercial farming, it was 

crucial for them to get such 

education on standards and 

packaging skills to compete. 


News in Brief 

Mr. Msangi made the remarks 

recently in Iringa when opening 

a three-day seminar to farmers 

and entrepreneurs organized 

jointly by TBS and Agricultural 

Sector Development Programme 

(ASDP). 

“You have to ensure that such 

seminars reach as many farmers 

as possible since many of them 

are not aware of stiff competition 

facing the sector,” he said adding 

that Iringa farmers were ready. 

He said for years now, farmers 

in the region have been suffering 

losses that could otherwise be 

avoided if they were exposed to 

basic skills of quality production 

and packaging technology. 

Earlier, Chief Standards Officer, 

Mr. Faustine Masaga who was 

representing the TBS Director 

General said the Bureau was 

prepared to ensure that farmers, 

particularly in the rural setting, 

continue to receive training on 

standards and packaging skills. 

Minister urges TBS 

to curb substandard 

firms 


(TBS) should take action against 

institutions that work below 

standards because they are 

likely to endanger people’s lives. 

D e p u t y 

Minister for Industry 

and Trade, Hon. Lazaro Nyalandu 

(centre) stresses a point to the Tanzania Bureau 

of Standards (TBS) Management Team during his 

visit at the Bureau. To his left is the Chairperson of 

TBS Board of Directors, Prof. Apollinaria Pereka and to 

his right is TBS Director General, Mr. Charles Ekelege. 

The Deputy Minister for Industry 

and Trade Mr. Lazaro Nyalandu 

(MP) issued the directive recently 

during a familiarization tour of 

TBS premises in Dar es Salaam. 

“No one should be spared, stern 

measures should be taken on 

both public and private institutions 

for providing substandard services 

and products,” stressed the Minister. 

He added that TBS should use 

its statutory powers to take 

necessary steps to ensure that 

all local products have qualities 

to compete within and outside 

the country. 

4 


News in Brief 

In view of that, he called on TBS 

to revisit all its responsibilities 

and draw attention to matters that 

needed review to enable it carry 

out its duties accordingly. 

As an example, the Minister 

explained that almost all road 

humps in the country were 

substandard because necessary 

precautions were not taken 

during and after construction. 

As a result, he pointed out, this 

leads to loss of life that would 

have otherwise been prevented. 

On his part, the TBS Director 

General, Mr. Charles Ekelege, 

said the current TBS Act 

enables the Bureau to remove 

substandard products from the 

market. The Act further enables 

TBS to destroy such substandard 

products, as well as withdrawing 

licences from companies, 

industries and entrepreneurs 

whose performance is below 

standard, he said. 

TBS revises motor - 

cycles standards 


(TBS) is in the process of revising 

the standards for motorcycles 

in order to combat the problem 

of substandard motorcycles 

imported to Tanzania. 

TBS Director General, Mr. 

A 

cross-section of 

members in one of the TBS 

Technical Committee meetings. 

Charles Ekelege reveled 

this recently and warned 

motorcyclists to be careful not 

to buy substandard motorcycles, 

most of which use a mixture of 

fuel which is a threat to not only 

the environment, but also to 

people’s health and safety. 

The Director General sounded 

the warning when presenting 

TBS standard mark licences 

to different manufacturers and 

importers in Dar es Salaam. 

“I would like to assure Tanzanians 

that from this year there will be no 

more importation of fake goods 

especially motorcycles,” he said. 

Some of the original motorcycles 

which have already been certified 

by TBS include those supplied 

by Guangzhou Fekon Motors 

Company and Guangzhou 

Haojin Motorcycles Assembling 

Company. 

In the meantime, TBS has 


News in Brief / Activities Report 

also finalized the revision of the 

standards of bread and maize 

flour in order to ensure that the 

said food products produced in 

the country are of quality and 

safe for human consumption. 

Mr. Ekelege said the new 

Meetings held 

requirements for maize and 

wheat flour will include optional 

requirements for fortification 

including labeling and aflatoxins 

and microbiological requirements, 

while for bread he said the new 

standard will cater for various 

types of bread. He also said 

various sizes of bread have been 

specified to give consumers 

a wide range of choice for the 

value of their money. 

During the period of January – June 2011, the following technical committees and working groups meeting 

were held: 

6 


Activities Report 


8 



Finalized standards 

During the period under review, the 

following standards were finalized: 

1. TZS 1367: 2011, Edible corn oil-Specification 

2. TZS 228(Part 1):2011, Animal and vegetable fats 

and oils – Preparation of methyl esters of fatty 

acids 

3. TZS 228(Part 2):2011, Animal and vegetable 

fats and oils-Analysis by gas-chromatography of 

methyl esters of fatty acids 

4. TZS 1368:2011, Animal and vegetable fats and 

oils – Determination of ultraviolet absorbance 

expressed as specific UV extinction 


oils – Determination of butylhydroxyanisole 

(BHA) and butylhydroxytoluene (BHT) - Gasliquid 

chromatographic method 

6. TZS 1370:2011, Animal and vegetable fats 

and oils – Determination of tocopherol and 

tocotrienol contents by high-performance liquid 

chromatography 


oils – Determination of individual and total sterols 

contents – Gas chromatographic method 

8. TZS 1372:2011, Olive oils and olive-pomace oils 

– Determination of wax content by capillary gas 

chromatography 

9. TZS 1384:2011, Milk – Determination of nitrogen 

content – Part 1: Kjeldahl method 


content, Part 2: Block digestion method (macro 

method) 


content, Part 3: Block digestion method (semi 

micro rapid routine method) 


content – Part 4: Determination of non protein 

nitrogen content 


content – Part 5: Determination of protein nitrogen 

content 

14. TZS 1389:2011, Milk and milk products – 

Determination of fat pointy by gas chromatographic 

analysis of triglycerides 

15. TZS 1390(Part 1):2011, Milk products and milk 

based food – Determination of fat content by 

Weibull-Berntrop gravimetric method – Part 1: 

Infants foods 

16. TZS 1390(Part 2):2011, Milk products and milk 



Edible ices and ice-mixes 

17. TZS 1390(Part 3)2011, Milk products and milk 



Special cases 

18. TZS 1391:2011, Refined Mustard Oil– 

Specification 

19. TZS 1392:2011(Part 1), Analysis of soap – Part 

1 – General introduction and sampling 


2 – Determination of moisture and volatile matter 

content – Oven method 


3 – Determination of content of ethanol insoluble 


4 – Determination of free caustic alkali 


5 – Determination of free fatty acid 




6 – Determination of total alkali content and total 

fatty matter content 


7 – Determination of chloride content – Titrimetric 

method 

26. TZS 1392:2011(Part 8), Analysis of soap – Part 8 

– Determination of unsaponified and unsaponified 

saponified matter 


9 – Determination of glycerol content – Titrimetric 

method 


10 – Determination of total free alkali content 

29. TZS 1412:2011, Fat spreads and blended fat 

spread – Specification 

30. TZS 1393:2011, Cream – Determination of fat 

content by gravimetric method 

31. TZS 1394:2011, Caseins – Determination of fixed 

ash 

32. TZS 1395:2011, Rennet caseins and caseinates 

– Determinationof ash 

33. TZS 1396:2011, Caseins – Determination of free 

acidity 

34. TZS 1397:2011, Mechanical vibration and shock 

evaluation of human exposure to whole-body 

vibration – Method for evaluation containing 

multiple shocks 

35. TZS 1398:2011, Mechanical vibration and shock 

– Evaluation of human exposure to whole body 

vibration – General requirements 

36. TZS 1399:2011, Mechanical vibration – 

Measurement and evaluation of human 

exposure to hand transmitted vibration – General 

requirements 

37. TZS 1400:2011, Mechanical vibration - 

measurement and evaluation of human exposure 

to hand transmitted vibration – Practical Guidance 

for measurement at work place 

38. TZS 1401:2011, Mechanical vibration, shock and 

conditional monitoring – Vocabulary 

39. TZS 1402:2011, Human response to vibration – 

Measuring instrumentation 

40. TZS 1403 (ISO 11083), Water Quality- 

Determination of Chromium (VI)-Spectrometric 

method using 1, 5,-Diphenylcarbazide 

41. TZS 1404 (ISO 6468), Water Quality- 

Determination of certain organochlorine 

insecticides, polychlorinated biphenyls and 

chlorobenzenes – Gas chromatographic method 

after liquid-liquid extraction 

42. TZS 1405 (ISO 14402), Water Quality – 

Determination of phenol index by flow analysis 

(FIA and CFA) 

43. TZS 1406 (ISO 6222), Water Quality – 

Enumeration of culturable micro-organisms – 

Colony count by inoculation in a nutrient agar 

culture medium 

44. TZS 1407 (ISO 7875-1), Water Quality, 

Determination of surfactants – Part 1: Determination 

of anionic surfactants by measurement of the 

methylene blue index (MBAS) 

45. TZS 1408: 2011, Cationic polyacrylamides 

for treatment of water intended for human 

consumption – Specification 

46. TZS 1409: 2011, Polyamines for treatment of water 

intended for human consumption – Specification 

47. TZS 1410: 2011, Chemicals used for treatment 

of water for human consumption – Anionic and 

non-ionic polyacrylamides – Specification 

48. TZS 1411: 2011, Spring mattress – Specification 

10 



49. TZS 1412: 2011, Fat spread – Specification 

50. TZS 1414: 2011, Point of use drinking water 

treatment units – Specification 

51. TZS 1420: 2011, Textile – Stitch types for garment 

manufacturing 

52. TZS 1421: 2011, Textile – Specification for cotton 

denim fabric 

53. TZS 1422: 2011, Textiles – Woven, nonwoven, 

knitted and lace household curtain and drapery 

fabrics – Specification 

54. TZS 1423: 2011, Textiles – Knitted upholatery 

fabrics –Specification for indoor 

55. TZS 1424: 2011, Textiles – Woven upholatery 

fabrics plain, tufted or flocked – Specification 

56. TZS 1425: 2011, Textile – Seving threads 

specification, sewing threads made wholly or 

partly from synthetic fibres 

57. TZS 1426: 2011, Paratha – Specification 

58. TZS 1427: 2011, Ice lolies – Specification 

59. TZS 136:2011, Biscuit – Specification 

60. TZS 438:2011, Maize grain (corn) – Specification 

61. TZS 695: 2011, Size designation of clothes – 

Definition body measurement procedure 

62. TZS 1413:2011, Building hardware – Padlocks 

and padlock fittings – Requirements and test 

methods 

63. TZS 1415:2011, Agricultural equipment – Four 

wheeled tractors – Specification 

64. TZS 1416:2011, Agricultural equipment – Disc 

plough – Specification 

65. TZS 1418:2011, Agricultural equipment – Soil 

tillage and equipment – Terminology 

66. TZS 1417:2011, Agricultural equipment – Walking 

type agricultural tractors –Specification 

67. TZS 354:2011, Farm implements – Machetes – 

Specification (Revision of TZS 354:1988) 

68. TZS 242:2011), Farm implement – Forged hand 

hoe – Material and Manufacturing process – 

Specification (Revision of TZS 242:1988) 

69. TZS 1419 - 1:2011, Furniture – Chairs and tables 

for educational institutions – Part 1: Functional 

dimensions 

70. TZS 1419 - 2:2011, Furniture – Chairs and 

tables for educational institutions – Part 2: Safety 

requirements and test methods 

71. TZS 1437:2011, Timber structures – Joints made 

with mechanical fasteners – General principles 

for the determination of strength and deformation 

characteristics 

72. TZS 1438:2011, Timber structures – Solid timber 

finger – Jointing – Production requirements 

73. TZS 1439-1:2011, Timber structures – Dowel– 

type fasteners– Part 1: Determination of yield 

moment 

74. TZS 1439-2:2011, Timber structures – Dowel 

– type fasteners – Part 2: Determination of 

embedding strength 

75. TZS 1440:2011, Timber structures – Bending 

strength of I-beams – Part 1: Testing, evaluation 

and characterization 

76. TZS 1441:2011, Timber structures – Testing 

of joints made with mechanical fasteners 

Requirements for wood density 

77. TZS 1442:2011, Soil shear test – Part 1: Direct 

shear stress 

78. TZS 1447:2011, Information Technology – 

Security Techniques – Information Security 

Management Systems – Requirements 



79. TZS 1448:2011, Information and documentation 

– Boxes, file cover and other enclosures, made 

from cellulosic materials, for storage of paper and 

parchment documents 

80. TZS 1449:2011, Information and documentation 

– Archival paper – Requirements for permanence 

and durability 

81. TZS 1450:2011, Imaging materials – Processed 

imaging materials – Albums, framing and storage 

materials 

82. TZS 1451:2011, Information technology – Security 

techniques – Information security management 

systems – Overview and vocabulary 

83. TZS 1452 -1:2011, Materials and articles in 

contact with foodstuffs – Plastics – Part 1: Guide 

to the selection of conditions and test methods for 

overall migration 

84. TZS 1452-2:2011, Materials and Articles in 

contact with foodstuffs – Plastics – Part 2: Test 

methods for overall migration into olive oil by total 

immersion 

85. TZS 1453:2011, HIV and AIDS management 

systems – General requirements 

86. TZS 1454:2011, Measurement management 

systems – Requirements for measurement 

processes and measuring equipment 

87. TZS 1455:2011, Quality management – Customer 

satisfaction – Guidelines for complaints handling 

in organizations 

88. TZS 1456:2011, Quality management systems – 

Guidelines for configuration management 

89. TZS 1457:2011, Quality management systems – 

Guidelines for quality management in projects 

90. TZS 1459: 2011, Quality management – Customer 

satisfaction-Guidelines for codes of conduct for 

organization 

91. TZS 1460: 2011, Quality management – 

Guidelines for training 

92. TZS 652:2011, Soil quality – Pretreatment of 

samples for physic – Chemical analysis (Revision 

of TZS 652: 2001) 

93. TZS 654-1:2011, Soil test methods – Part 1: 

Determination of moisture content (Revision of 

TZS 654 -1:2001) 

94. TZS 657:2011, Glossary of terms used in timber 

industry (Revision of TZS 657: 2001) 

95. TZS 661:2011, Copper/chromium/arsenic 

compositions for the preservation of timber – 

Method for timber treatment (Revision of TZS 

661: 2001) 

96. TZS 686:2011, Wood poles and blocks for power 

and telecommunication lines – Specification 

(Revision of TZS 686: 2001) 

97. TZS 888:2011, General requirements for the 

competence of testing and calibration laboratories 

(Revision of TZS 888:2006) 

98. TZS 144-1:2011, Lead-acid starter batteries – 

Part 1: General requirements and methods of test 

(Revision of TZS 144-1:2002) 

99. TZS 144-2:2011, Lead-acid starter batteries – 

Part 2: Dimensions of batteries and marking of 

terminals (Revision of TZS 144-2:2002) 

100. TZS 144-3: 2011, Lead – acid starter batteries – 

Part 3: Dimensions of batteries for heavy vehicles 

(Revision of TZS 144-3:2002) 

101. TZS 1434-1: 2011, Ceramic tiles – Grouts and 

adhesives – Part 1: Terms, definitions and 

specifications for adhesives 


adhesives – Part 2: Test methods for adhesives 


adhesives – Part 3: Terms, definitions and 

specifications for grouts 

12 




adhesives – Part 4: Test methods for grouts 

105. TZS 1435: 2011, Resilient floor coverings – 

Expanded (cushioned) polyvinyl chloride floor 

covering – Specifications 

106. TZS 1436-1: 2011, Gypsum binders and gypsum 

plasters – Part 1: Definitions and requirements 

107. TZS 1436-2: 2011, Gypsum binders and gypsum 

plasters – Part 2: Test method 

Stakeholders’ comments 

The following draft Tanzania Standards were issued 

for the stakeholders’ comments during the period 

under review: 

1. MEDC 2 (1763) P3– Sheet roof and wall covering 

– Aluminium alloy corrugated and troughed 

sheet 

2. MEDC2 (3489) P3 – Hot – Dip Aluminium – Zinc 

coated plain, corrugated and troughed steel 

sheets – Specification 

3. MEDC 10 (3316) P3 – Farm implements – Straight 

panga – Specification 

4. MEDC 10 (3388) P3 – Farm implements – Method 

of Sampling (Revision of TZS 244:1988) 

5. GTDC 5 (3579) P1 – Information and documentation 

– Paper for documents - Requirements for 1. 

permanence 

6. AFDC 4 (3446) P3-Refined mustard oil- 

Specification 

7. AFDC 4 (3515) P3-Refined edible rapeseed 

(canola) oil-Specification 

8. AFDC 4 (3516) P3-Refined olive oil and refined 

olive pomade oil-Specification 

9. AFDC 7(3392) P3 - Pilau masala - Specification 

10. AFDC 6 (3265) P3 - Artificially sweetened 

flavoured drink in solid form - Specification. 

New Projects 

The following new projects were initiated during the 

period of January – June 2011: 

1. AFDC 12(3603)P1 – Cereal based Traditional 

Alcoholic Beverage – Specification 

2. AFDC 12(3604)P1 – Fruits and Vegetables – 

Sampling 

3. AFDC 12(3605) P1– Fruits and Vegetables 

–Determination of water insoluble solids 

4. AFDC 12(3606) P1 – Fruits and Vegetables 

–Determination of mineral impurities 

5. AFDC 12(3607)P1 – Fruits and Vegetables 

–Determination of pH 

6. AFDC 12(3608)P1 – Fruits and vegetables – 

Determination of tin content 

7. AFDC 12(3609)P1 – Fruits and vegetables 

–Determination of iron content 


–Determination of benzoic acid 

9. AFDC12 (3611)P1 – Fruits and vegetables 

–Determination of copper content 


–Determination of soluble solids 




–Determination of sulphur dioxide 


–Determination of ascorbic acid 


–Determination of volatile acidity 


–Determination of zinc content 


–Determination of mercury content 

16. TDC 3/T-20 – Disposable diapers – Specification 


–Determination of total acidity 


–Determination of ethanol content 

19. EMDC 2(3621)P1 – Tolerance limits for emissions 

discharged to the air by cement factories 

20. EMDC 2(3622)P1–Guidelines emissions 

discharged to the air by cement factories 

21. EMDC 2(3623)P1 – Stationary source emissions 

– Manual determination of mass concentration of 

particulate matter 

22. EMDC 2(3624)P1–Sampling of gaseous 

pollutants 

23. EMDC 2(3625)P1–Stationary Source 

emissions – Determination of nitrogen axides – 

Napthlyethylenediamine photometric method 

24. EMDC 2(3626)P1 – Stationary Source emissions 

– Determination of mass concentration of nitrogen 

oxides – Naphthylethylenediamire photometric 

method 

25. AFDC12(3627)P1 – Rosella powder – 

Specification 

26. AFDC12(3628)P1 – Guava flour – Specification 

27. AFDC12 (3629)P1 – Avocado flour – 

Specification 

28. AFDC12 (3630)P1 – Pawpaw flour – 

Specification 

29. AFDC12(3631)P1 – Pawpaw leaves – 

Specification 

30. AFDC12(3632)P1 – Eucalyptus leaves – 

Specification 

31. AFDC12(3632)P1 – Eucalyptus leaves- 

Specification 

32. CDC 2 (3637) P1 – Antibacterial toilet soap – 

Specification 

33. CDC 2(3638)P1 – Shaving Soap – Specification 

34. MEDC 9 (3641) P1 – Protective helmets for 

motorcycle riders – Specification 

35. MEDC 9 (3642) P1 – Motorcycles tyres 

and rims (code designated series) – Part 1: Tyre 

36. MEDC 9 (3643) – Motorcycle tyres and rims 

(Code-designated series) – Part 2: Tyre load 

ratings 

37. MEDC 9 (3644) P1 –Motorcycle tyres and rims 

(code-designated series) – Part 3: Rims 

38. EEDC 3 (3645) P1 – Electromagnetic 

compatibility (EMC) – Testing and Measurement 

Techniques Flickermeter – Functional and design 

specification 

39. EEDC 1 (3646) P1 – Secondary Batteries 

containing alkaline or other non acidic electrolyte 

40. GTDC 5 (3639) P1 – Information and 

documentation –Boxes, file cover and other 

enclosures, made from cellulosic materials, for 

storage of paper and parchment documents 

41. GTDC 5 (3634) P1 – Information Technology– 

Security Techniques Information Security 

Management Systems –Requirements 

14 




documentation – Archival paper – Requirements 

for permanence and durability 


Documentation - Records Management – Part 2: 

Guidelines 

44. MEDC 10 (3388) P1 – Farm implements – Method 

of Sampling (Revision of TZS 244:1988) 

45. BCDC 16 (3499) P1 – Soil quality–Pretreatment 

of sample for physico-chemical analysis (Revision 

of TZS 652: 2001) 

46. BCDC 16 (3500) P1 – Soil test methods–Part 1: 

Determination of moisture content (Revision TZS 

654-1: 2001) 

47. BCDC 6 (3494) P1 – Wood poles and blocks for 

power and telecommunication lines (Revision of 

TZS 686:2001) 

48. GTDC 3 (3612) P1 – Quality management – 

Guidelines for training 

49. GTDC 3 (3348) P1 – General requirements for the 

competence of testing and calibration laboratories 

(Revision of TZS 888:2006) 

Training 

During the period under review, TBS continued to make efforts in the training and development of its human 

resource as shown below: 

Long-term training 

The following members of staff attended long-term training: 



Short-term training 

During the period under review, various TBS members of staff attended different training/workshops in various 

locations as follows: 

a) Inspection Training 

Between 26th January and 2nd February, 2011, 37 standards and quality assurance officers attended one-day 

training on inspection activities, sponsored by the Bureau. 

b) ICT Policy Training 

From 7th February to 15th March, 2011, 131 members of staff attended awareness training on TBS ICT 

Policy. 

c) Other Training 

Other training opportunities offered and attended during the quarter under review are as indicated in the 

following table. 

PLACE/ 

ORGANIZER 

16 





18 



Products samples tested and calibrations made 

Between January and June 2011, testing of products samples and calibration of bulk tanks was as follows: 

NUMBER OF TESTED SAMPLES AND CALIBRATED ITEMS 


20 



Sayuni Mbwilo 

Staff Matters 

Recruitment 

New Quality Assurance 

Officer Acquired 

During the period between 

January and June 2011, 


recruited one employee, namely 

Ms Sayuni Mbwilo. 

Ms Mbwilo (pictured), a Quality 

Assurance Officer working in the 

Food Laboratory was employed 

on 2011-05-09. She holds a 

Bachelor’s Degree in Food and 

Biochemical Engineering from 

the University of Dar es Salaam. 

Obituary 

Chief Laboratory Technician 

passes away 

The late Gideon Charles 


(TBS) regrets to announce the 

death of Mr. Charles Gideon 

(50). 

Mr. Gideon who was a 

Chief Laboratory Technician 

(Instrumentation) passed away 

on 2011-04-02 at Amana District 

Hospital where he was being 

treated after a sudden illness. 

He was laid to rest at Ipinda, 

Kyela in Mbeya Region on 2011- 

04-05. 

Mr. Gideon completed his 

Secondary Education at Sangu 

Secondary School in 1976 in 

Mbeya Region. In 1980 he 

attended a Full Technician 

Certificate course in Process 

Instrumentation and Control 

Systems at the National Sugar 

Institute. Between 1981 – 1985 

the late Gideon worked with 

Kilombero Sugar Company 

Limited as a shift in-charge 

(Instrumentation) and then he 

shifted to Southern Paper Mills 

Company Limited where he 

worked from 1986 to 1992 as an 

Instrument Foreman. 

He also worked with Tanzania- 

Italy Petroleum Refining 

Company Limited (TIPER) as an 

Instrument Technician. Then, the 

late Gideon joined TBS on 2002- 

06-17 as a Principal Laboratory 

Technician (Instrumentation) 

and he was gradually promoted 

to Chief Laboratory Technician 

(Instrumentation), the post which 

he was holding until his untimely 

death. 

The deceased is survived by a 

widow and three children. 



New Arrivals 

During the period January – June 

2011, the TBS Information Centre 

received several international 

and foreign standards to add 

to its current stock. Among 

others, the following documents 

and standards are of particular 

interest: 

Catalogues 

IEC Catalogue 2010 is available 

in a softcopy (CD). 

ISO Catalogue 2010 is available 

in a softcopy (CD). 

Catalogue of East African 

Standards 2010 is available in 

hardcopy. 

Iso Standards 

Agriculture and food standards 

ISO 3656 (4th ed.) 2011 Animal 

and vegetable fats and oilsdetermination 

of ultraviolet 

absorbance expressed as 

specific UV extinction. 

ISO 3720(4th ed.) 2011 Black 

tea – Definition and basic 

requirements. 

ISO 7301 (3rd ed.) 20011 Rice- 

Specification 

ISO 8455 (2nd ed.) 2011 Green 

coffee- guidelines for storage 

and transport. 

ISO 11600:2002 FDAM 1:2011 

Building construction – Jointing 

products- classification and 

requirements for sealants. 

ISO 12966-2:2011 Animal and 

vegetable fats and oils- Gas 

chromatography of fatty acid 

methyl esters-Part 2: Preparation 

of methyl esters of fatty acids. 

ISO 24114 Instant coffee – 

Criteria for authenticity. 

Buildings standards 

ISO 4635(2nd ed.) 2011 Rubber, 

vulcanized- Preformed joint 

seals for use between concrete 

paving sections of highways- 

Specification. 

ISO 10845-2:2011 Construction 

procurement- part 2: Formatting 

and compilation of procurement 

documentation. 


procurement- Part 3: Standard 

condition of tender. 


procurement- Part 4: Standard 

conditions for the calling for 

expressions of interest. 


procurement- Part 5: Participation 

of targeted enterprises in 

contracts. 


procurement - Part 6: participation 

of targeted partners in joint 

ventures in contracts. 



of local enterprises and labour in 

contracts. 



of targeted labour in contracts. 

Chemical standards 

ISO 179-2:1997 FDAM 1:2011 

Plastics – Determination of 

charpy impact properties- part 2: 

Instrumented impact test. 

ISO 1652(4th ed.)2011 Rubber 

latex –Determination of apparent 

viscosity by the Brookfield test 

method. 

ISO 2811-1(2nd ed.)2011 Paints 

and varnishes – Determination 

of density- part 1: pyknometer 

method. 

ISO 2811-2(2nd ed.)2011 Paints 

and varnishes – Determination of 

density- part 2: Immersed body 

(plummet) method. 

ISO 2811-3 (2nd ed.)2011 Paints 


of density- part 3: Oscillation 

method. 

ISO 2811-4 (2nd ed.)2011 Paints 


of density- Part 4: Pressure cup 

method. 

ISO 3405 4thed.) 2011 Petroleum 

products – Determination of distillation 

characteristics at atmospheric 

pressure. 

22 



ISO 4660(4th ed.) 2011 rubber, 

raw natural – Colour index test. 

ISO 5667-23:2011 Water quality 

– Sampling- Part 23: Guidance 

on passive sampling in surface 

waters. 

ISO 7751:1991: FDAM 1:2011 

Rubber and plastics hoses and 

hose assemblies- ratios of proof 

and burst pressure to design 

working pressure. 

AMENDMENT 1: Replacement 

of “design working pressure” by 

“maximum working pressure” 

throughout text. 

ISO 10350-2 (2nd ed.) 2011 Plastics- 

Acquisition and presentation of 

comparable single-point data 

– part 2: Long- fibre- reinforced 

plastics. 

ISO 12176-3 (3rd ed.02011 Plastics 

pipes and fittings – Equipment 

for fusion jointing polyethylene 

systems-Part 3: Operator’s 

badge. 

ISO 15015 (2nd ed.)2011 plastics- 

Extruded sheets of impactmodified 

acrylonitrile-styrene 

copolymers (ABS, AEPDS and 

ASA) - Requirements and test 

methods. 

ISO 15380 (2nd ed.) 2011 Lubricants, 

industrial oils and related products 

(class L) – Family H (Hydraulic 

systems) - specifications for 

categories HETG, HEPG, HEES 

and HEPR. 

ISO 21751:2011 Plastics pipes 

and fittings – Decohesion test of 

electrofusion assemblies – Stripbend 

test. 

ISO 22155(2nd ed.)2011 Soil 

quality – Gas chromatographic 

determination of volatile aromatic 

and halogenated hydrocarbons 

and selected ethers- static 

headspace method. 

ISO 26367-1:2011 Guidelines 

for assessing the adverse 

environmental impact of fire 

effluents- part 1: General. 

ISO 26422:2011 Petroleum and 

related products- Determination 

of shear stability of lubricating oils 

containing polymers – method 

using a tapered roller bearing. 

Environmental standards 

ISO 10844(2nd ed.) 2011 Acoustics 

– Specification of test tracks for 

measuring noise emitted by road 

vehicles and their tyres. 

Management standards 

ISO/IEC 17021(2nd ed.) 2011 Conformity 

assessment - Requirements for 

bodies providing audit +and certific 

ation of management systems. 

Mechanical standards 

ISO 15 (3rd ed.) 2011 Rolling 

bearings – Radial bearings – 

Boundary dimensions, general 

plan. 

ISO 544(4th ed.) 2011 Welding 

consumables – Technical delivery 

conditions for filler materials 

and fluxes – Type of products, 

dimensions, tolerances and 

markings. 

ISO 1352 (2nd ed.) 2011 Metallic 

materials – Torque- controlled 

fatigue testing. 

ISO 2106(3rd ed.)2011 Anodizing 

of aluminium and its alloys- 

Determination of mass per unit 

area (surface density) of anodic 

oxidation coatings – Gravimetric 

method. 

ISO 2575:2010 FDAM 1:2011 

Road vehicles – Symbols for 

controls, indicators and telltapes. 

ISO 3888-2(2nd ed.)2011 Passenger 

cars – Test track for a severe 

lane- change manoeuvre- Part 

2: Obstacle avoidance. 

ISO 3927(4th ed.)2011 Metallic 

powders, excluding powders 

for hardmetals – Determination 

of compressibility in uniaxial 

compression. 

ISO 4999(5th ed.)2011 Continuous 

hot-dip terne (lead alloy) coated 

cold-reduced carbon steel sheet 

of commercial, drawing and 

structural qualities. 

ISO 5952(4th ed.)2011 Continuously 

hot-rolled steel sheer of structural 

quality with improved atmospheric 

corrosion resistance. 

ISO 7401 (3rd ed.)2011 Road 

vehicles – Lateral transient 

response test methods- Open 

–loop test methods. 



ISO 7637-2 (3rd ed.) 2011 Road 

vehicles – Electrical disturbances 

from conduction and coupling – Part 

2: Electrical transient conduction 

along supply lines only. 

ISO 8251 (2nd ed.) 2011 

Anodizing of aluminium and its 

alloys- Measurement of abrasion 

resistance of anodic oxidation 

coatings. 

ISO 8994 (2nd ed.) 2011 Anodizing 

of aluminium and its alloys- rating 

systems for the evaluation of pitting 

corrosion – Grid method. 

ISO 10392(2nd ed.) 2011 Road 

vehicles – Determination of centre 

of gravity. 

ISO 10893-1:2011 Non- destructive 

testing of steel tubes – part 1: 

Automated electromagnetic testing 

of seamless and welded (except 

submerged arcwelded) steel 

tubes for the verification of 

hydraulic leaktightness. 


testing of steel tubes – part 

2: Automated eddy current of 

seamless and welded (except 

submerges arcwelded) steel tubes 

for the detection of imperfections. 



Automated full peripheral flux 

leakage testing of seamless and 

welded (except submerged arcwelded) 

ferromagnetic steel tubes 

for the detection of longitudinal and 

/or transverse imperfections. 


testing of steel tubes – part 4: Liquid 

penetrant inspection of seamless 

and welded steel tubes for the 

detection of surface imperfections. 



Magnetic particle inspection 

of seamless and welded 

ferromagnetic steel tubes for the 

detection of surface imperfections. 



Radiographic testing of the weld 

seam of welded steel tubes for the 

detection of imperfections. 



Digital radiographic testing of the 

seam of welded steel tubes for the 

detection of imperfections. 



Automated ultrasonic testing 

of seamless and welded steel 

tubes for the detection of laminar 

imperfections. 



Automated ultrasonic testing 

for the detection of laminar 

imperfections in strip/plate used 

for the manufacture of welded 

steel tubes. 



Automated full peripheral ultrasonic 

testing of seamless and welded 

(except submerged arc –welded) 

steel tubes for the detection of 

longitudinal and/or transverse 

imperfection. 



Automated ultrasonic testing of the 

weld seam of welded steel tubes 

for the detection of longitudinal 

and/or transverse imperfections. 


testing of steel tubes – Part 12: 

Automated full peripheral ultrasonic 

testing of seamless and welded 

(except submerged arc –welded) 

steel tubes. 

ISO 12153:2011 Welding consumables- 

Tubular cored electrodes for gas 

shielded and non-gas shielded 

metal arc welding of nickel and 

nickel alloys – Classification. 

ISO 13043:2011 Road vehicles 

– Refrigerant systems used in 

mobile air conditioning systems 

(Mac) – Safety requirements. 

ISO 14792(2nd e d.) 2011 Road 

vehicles - Heavy commercial 

vehicles and buses – Steady 

–state circular tests. 

ISO 14794(2nd ed.)2011 Heavy 

commercial vehicles and buses- 

Braking in turn- Open-loop test 

methods. 

ISO 15031-5(2nd ed.) 2011 Road 

vehicles – Commutation between 

vehicles and external equipments 

for emissions-related diagnosticspart 

5: Emission- related diagnostic 

services. 

ISO 15765-4 (2nd ed.) 2011 

Road vehicles – Diagnostic 

24 



communication over controller 

Area Network (DoCAN) - Part 4: 

Requirements for emissions – 

related systems. 

ISO 16160 (3rd ed.) 2011 Continuously 

hot- rolled steel sheet products- 

Dimensional and shape 

tolerances. 

ISO 16844-2 (2nd ed.)2011 Road 

vehicles – Tachograph systems- 

Part 2: Electrical interface with 

recording unit. 

ISO 17288-1 (2nd ed.) 2011 Passenger 

cars – Free-steer behavior – Part 

1: Steering-release open-loop test 

method. 

ISO 17288-2 (2nd ed.) 2011 Passenger 

cars- Free-steer behavior- Part 

2: Steering- pulse open- loop test 

method. 

ISO 20176(2nd ed.) 2011 Road 

vehicles – H- point machine (HPM- 

II) Specifications and procedure 

for H-point determination. 

ISO 23550 (2nd ed.) 2011 Safety 

and control devices for gas burners 

and gas- burning appliances – 

General requirements. 

ISO 26945(2nd ed.) 2011 Metallic 

and other inorganic coatings – 

Electrodeposited coatings of tincobalt 

alloy. 

ISO 28080:2011 Hard metals – 

Abrasion tests for hard metals. 

Packaging standards 

ISO 3781:2011 Paper and board- 

Determination of tensile strength 

after immersion in water. 

Textiles standards 

ISO 13365 IULTCS/IUC 29:2011 

Leather- Chemical tests – 

Determination of thepreservative 

(TCMTB, PCMC, OPP, OIT) 

content in leather by liquid 

chromatography. 

ISO 17072-1 IULTCS/IUC 27-1:2011 

Leather- Chemical determination of 

metal content – Part 1: Extractable 

metals. 


Leather – Chemical determination 

of metal content – Part 2: Total 

metal content. 


Leather – Chemical tests for 

the determination of certain 

azo colorants in dyed leatherspart 

2: Determination of 

4-aminoazobenzene. 

ISO 23409:2011 Male condoms – 

Requirements and test methods 

for condoms made from synthetic 

materials. 

A 

TBS inspector 

takes a market sample for 

testing. During the period under 

review, TBS continued with surveillance 

inspection. 


ISO News 

New ISO standard 

on phased 

implementation 

of environmental 

management 

systems will benefit 

SMEs 

ISO has just published a new 

standard in order to help 

organizations, and in particular 

small-and medium-sized 

enterprises (SMEs) use a 

phased approach to implement 

an environmental management 

system (EMS). 

Today, organizations increasingly 

take into account environmental 

management requirements in 

their activities. However, even 

if they clearly see the benefits 

they can derive, implementing an 

EMS is not always an easy task, 

especially for SMEs. 

The job will now be made easier by 

ISO 14005:2010, Environmental 

management systems – Guidelines 

for the phased implementation of 

an environmental management 

system, including the use 

of environmental performance 

evaluation. 

The purpose of this standard 

is to provide guidance for 

organizations on the phased 

development, implementation, 

maintenance and improvement 

of an environmental management 

system in order to meet the 

requirements of ISO 14001, which 

ISO News 

provides the requirements for an 

EMS. ISO 14005 also includes 

advice on the integration and use 

of environmental performance 

evaluation techniques. 

This International Standard is 

applicable to any organization, 

regardless of its level of 

development, its activities, or its 

location. 

Dr Anne-Marie Warris, Chair of 

the ISO subcommittee responsible 

for ISO 14005, comments: “The 

working group members that 

developed the standard are to be 

congratulated for their hard work in 

producing guidance related to this 

important area. During the project, 

a number of developing countries 

indicated the importance of this 

work for their communities.” 

An EMS meeting the requirements 

of ISO 14001:2004 is a management 

tool enabling an organization 

of any size or type to identify 

and control the environmental 

impact of its activities, products 

or services, to continually improve 

its environmental performance, 

to implement a systematic 

approach to setting environmental 

objectives, to achieving these and 

to demonstrating that they have 

been achieved and to insure legal 

compliance. 

Although accredited certification 

of conformity to ISO 14001 is not 

a requirement of ISO 14005 or of 

ISO 14001, many organizations 

choose to seek accredited 

certification as an independent 

confirmation that their EMS meets 

the requirements of ISO 14001. 

The ISO Survey of Certifications 

2009 revealed that up to the end of 

December 2009, at least 223149 

ISO 14001:2004 accredited 

certificates had been issued in 

159 countries and economies. 

New ISO standard will 

improve protection of 

workers exposed to 

radiation 

A new ISO standard will help 

optimize individual monitoring 

and protection of workers 

exposed to radiation. It will also 

provide the technical basis for 

reinforcing regulation in this field 

worldwide. The application of ISO 

27048:2011, Radiation protection 

— Dose assessment for the 

monitoring of workers for internal 

radiation exposure, will contribute 

to more reliable and consistent 

results when measuring internal 

doses of radioactive substances. 

Many workers are indeed 

exposed, often in varying degrees 

and circumstances, to ionizing 

radiation. Therefore, people 

who are occupationally exposed 

to ionizing radiation receive 

increased health surveillance and 

monitoring. For workers exposed 

to radioactivity which may enter 

the body via inhalation, ingestion 

or the skin, a comprehensive 

monitoring programme is needed; 

such a programme consists in 

26 


ISO News 

measurements of body activities 

and excretion rates via urine or 

feces. 

The quantitative interpretation 

of such measurements requires 

well-defined models and data 

describing the behaviour of 

radioactive substances in the 

human body. Various comparative 

studies have revealed that, in 

spite of the availability of scientific 

support in the form of International 

Atomic Energy Agency (AEIA) 

and International Commission on 

Radiological Protection (ICRP) 

recommendations, the actual 

application of identical models 

and data by different laboratories 

often results in dose assessments 

differing by orders of magnitude. 

There is, therefore, a need to 

lay down standard procedures 

for assessing internal doses 

using exposure data, in order 

to achieve consistency and 

reliability in the assessment of 

doses. ISO 27048:2011 should 

improve the reproducibility of 

dose assessments, ensure that 

the level of effort required for data 

interpretation is commensurate 

with the seriousness of the 

exposure and enable the 

exchange of consistent dosimetric 

information among laboratories 

and authorities, including across 

international borders. 

This International Standard 

specifies the minimum 

requirements for the evaluation of 

data from the monitoring of workers 

and presents procedures and 

assumptions for the standardized 

interpretation of monitoring data, in 

order to achieve acceptable levels 

of reliability. Those procedures 

allow the quantification of radiation 

exposures for the documentation 

of compliance with regulations and 

radiation protection programmes. 

ISO 27048:2011 will be very useful 

in interpreting data and assessing 

the reliability of results and will 

thus help improve the protection of 

workers through better knowledge 

of internal doses of radioactive 

substances. 

This International Standard is 

one of a series of three standards 

which together form a complete 

and consistent system regulating 

the complex issue of monitoring 

workers for potential incorporations 

(measurement programmes, 

requirements for laboratories, 

quantitative assessment of 

exposures). 

ISO standard makes sure 

that PINs are secure 

How many times and in how 

many places have you entered 

your bank card’s PIN (Personal 

Identification Number) today? To 

make sure that the integrity of this 

data is protected throughout all 

transactions, ISO has technically 

revised and updated the standard 

providing requirements for the 

management and security of PINs 

(ISO 9564-1). 

Why an International Standard 

for PIN management? Take the 

example of just one financial 

institution, Visa. In 2007, Visa 

had 20 000 member banks with 

1.59 billion cards in circulation 

generating 59 billion transactions 

per year, with peaks of more than 6 

800 transactions per second. The 

ISO standard for PIN management 

helps protect the identification 

numbers used for cardholder 

verification against unauthorized 

disclosure, compromise and 

misuse everywhere in the world. 

It thus helps minimize the risk of 

fraud through electronic funds 

transfer systems. 

Mark Sutton, Chair of the ISO 

subcommittee that developed the 

standard,explains, “A PIN’s life 

span may be long and involve its 

use in many different countries, 

bank machines, shops, and even 

online. Its secrecy needs to be 

assured at all times, both for 

online and offline transactions, 

from the moment it is established 

to its deactivation (including 

any issuances, storage, entries, 

transmissions, validations, etc.).” 

ISO 9564-1:2011, Financial 

services – Personal Identification 

Number (PIN) management and 

security – Part 1: Basic principles 

and requirements for PINs in 

card-based systems, specifies 

principles and techniques that 

provide the minimum security 

measures required for effective 

international PIN management. 

These measures are applicable 

to institutions responsible for 

the management and protection 

of PINs during their creation, 

issuance, usage and deactivation. 

Online and offline PIN verification 

may have very different security 

requirements. Since online PINs 

can be verified independent of the 


ISO News / Certificate Data 

card itself, any type of payment 

card or device can be used to 

initiate a transaction. However, 

there are special requirements for 

cards used in offline verifications. 

In particular because the latter 

type does not require that a 

cardholder’s PIN be sent to the 

issuer host for verification. 

This part of ISO 9564 is designed 

so that issuers can uniformly make 

certain that a PIN, while under 

the control of other institutions, is 

properly managed. Techniques 

are given for protecting the PINbased 

customer authentication 

process throughout its life cycle. 

“The updated standard, ISO 

9564-1, will help banks and their 

counterparts to maintain the 

secrecy of cryptographic keys. 

This is of the utmost importance 

as any compromised key can 

endanger PIN security,” explains 

Mr. Sutton. 

ISO 9564-1 is applicable to 

the management of PINs for 

cardholder verification in retail 

banking systems in, notably, 

automated teller machine (ATMs), 

point-of-sale terminals, automated 

fuel dispensers, vending machines, 

banking kiosks and PIN selection/ 

change systems. 

This third edition of the standard 

cancels and replaces the previous 

two, which have been technically 

revised. 

ISO 9564-1 was developed by ISO 

technical committee ISO/TC 68, 

Financial services, subcommittee 

SC 2, Security management and 

general banking operations. 

During the period under review, the Bureau continued to offer certification services under three schemes: 

Standards Mark Certification Scheme, Tested Product Certification Scheme and Batch Certification 

Scheme. 

Standards mark licences 

Certification data 

During the period January – June 2011, several companies were granted with licences to use the TBS 

standards mark of quality on their products as summarized below: 

o 

28 


Certificate Data 


Certification Data 

30 


Certification Data 

TBS 

Director General, 

Mr. Charles Ekelege grants a 

manufacturer with a licence to use the 

TBS standards mark of quality of her products. 

During the period January – June 2011, several 

companies were granted with standards mark licences. 

Tested Product Certificates 

During the period January – June 2011, several companies were granted with tested product certificates as 

summarized below: 

Batch certificates 

Batch Certification Scheme for Imports is part of the implementation of Government Notice No. 672 of 1998 – 

The (Standards) Compulsory Batch Certification of Imports) Regulations. TBS operates a Batch Certification 

Scheme for all imports covered under compulsory standards. 

Under this scheme, the Bureau is also in the process of implementing Pre-Shipment Verification of Conformity 

(PVoC) to standards program under which products quality will be verified in countries of origin. 

During the January – June 2011 period, the number of batch certificates issued was 566. 


32 


Feature Articles 

Chemical 

measurements for 

our life, our future 

By Ingram Kisamo 

World Metrology Day has become 

an established annual event 

during which more than eighty 

states celebrate the impact of 

measurement on our daily lives, 

discussing some of the untouched 

topics such as measurement for 

innovation, measurements in 

sport, the environment, medicine, 

and trade. 

The United Nations Educational, 

Scientific and Cultural Organization 

(UNESCO) and the International 

Union of Pure and Applied 

Chemists (IUPAC) have decided to 

designate 2011 as the International 

Year of Chemistry (IYC 2011), 

a worldwide celebration of the 

achievements of chemistry and 

its contributions to the well-being 

of humankind. Under the unifying 

theme “Chemistry - our life, our 

future,” IYC 2011 will offer a range 

of interactive, entertaining, and 

educational activities for all ages. 

Feature articles 

The year 2011 also coincides with 

the centenary of the Noble Prize 

in Chemistry awarded to Madame 

Marie Curie – an opportunity to 

celebrate the contributions of 

women to science. 

Chemistry is a creative science 

that is essential for sustainability 

and improvements to our way of 

life. All known matter is composed 

of pure chemical elements 

or of compounds made from 

those elements. Humankind’s 

understanding of the material 

nature of our world is grounded 

in our knowledge of chemistry. 

Molecular transformations are 

central to the production of 

foodstuffs, medicines, fuels, 

and metals – i.e. virtually all 

manufactured and extracted 

products. 

The World Metrology Day 

2011 message “Chemical 

measurements for our life, our 

future” builds upon the IYC 2011 

theme. Chemistry and chemicals 

pose particularly interesting 

challenges to the measurement 

community. Thousands of 

compounds must be measured, 

and the range of concentration 

at which some compounds must 

be reliably detected, qualified, 

and in some cases regulated can 

nowadays extend down to parts 

per billion (or even trillion). Yet 

the ability to make appropriately 

accurate and reliable chemical 

measurements is crucial to our 

economy, our environment and 

our personal wellbeing. In short, 

we must not underestimate 

the importance of chemical 

measurements for our life and our 

future. 

National measurement systems 

must rely on agreed 

standards, units, and accurate 

measurements. Each system of 

national measurement standards 

and laboratories is linked into a 

world-wide network coordinated 

by the International Bureau of 

Weights and Measures (BIPM). 

This network gives society access 

to accurate measurements in 

order to meet today’s challenges 

in healthcare, within the 

environment and in all the new 

technologies and processes. 

In industry and commerce, it 

helps ensure product quality 

and interoperability, eliminates 

waste, raises productivity and 

facilitates trade based on agreed 

measurements and tests. It 

also enables scientists to use a 

common language to underpin 

their collaboration across the 

world and ensure that their exploits 

can be taken up and accurately 

reproduced by companies 

wherever they operate. 

National and regional metrological 

regulations must be based on 

agreed technical requirements in 

order to help avoid or eliminate 

technical barriers to trade, ensure 

fair trade practice, care for the 

environment and maintain a 

satisfactory healthcare system. 



The International Organization 

of Legal Metrology (OIML) has 

developed a worldwide technical 

structure by means of which it 

provides its members with technical 

recommendations and documents 

as well as guides, vocabularies 

and other publications. When 

developing their metrological 

legislation and regulations, OIML 

members can ensure they meet 

these objectives by including the 

requirements contained in the 

relevant OIML publications. 

This year, in their messages to the 

world of metrology, governments, 

companies, academics and the 

Directors of the International 

Bureau of Weights and Measures 

and of the International Bureau of 

Legal Metrology both highlight the 

importance of accurate, reliable 

and internationally accepted 

chemical measurements in the 

modern world as it deals with 

today’s challenges. 

*Ingram Kisamo is a Principal 

Metrologist in TBS Metrology 

Laboratory. 

Carbon footprint–It’s 

about you 

By Rosemary Ndesamburo 

A carbon footprint is a measure of 

the impact our activities have on 

the environment, and in particular 

climate change. It relates to the 

amount of greenhouse gases 

produced in our day-to-day lives. 

For simplicity of reporting, it is 

often expressed in equivalent 

tons of carbon dioxide (CO 2 

). 

Many greenhouse gases occur 

naturally, such as water vapor, 

carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous 

oxide, and ozone. Others such 

as hydrofluorocarbons (HFC s ), 

perfluorocarbons (PFC s ), and 

sulfur hexafluoride (SF 6 

) result 

exclusively from human industrial 

processes. Since Industrial 

Revolution, human beings have 

been producing large quantities 

of greenhouse gases like carbon 

dioxide, a major cause of global 

warming. For instance; when you 

drive a car, the engine burns fuel 

which creates a certain amount 

of CO 2 

, depending on its fuel 

consumption and the driving 

distance. When you use electricity 

in your house, the generation of 

the electrical power may also have 

emitted a certain amount of CO 2 

. 

The production of the food and 

goods we buy also emitted some 

quantities of CO 2 

. 

Global warming is the continuing 

rise in the average temperature of 

Earth’s atmosphere and oceans. 

Global warming is caused 

by increased concentrations 

of greenhouse gases in the 

atmosphere. From global 

warming we expect a rise of the 

average temperature leading to - 

among other things – melting of 

glaciers and melting of the polar 

ice, increase of the mean sea 

level as well as generally more 

of extreme weather events and 

natural disasters like droughts 

and floods. 

You and I are responsible for the 

climate change. We normally 

believe that our personal behavior 

cannot change anything. This 

is a wrong assumption; we are 

fully responsible for everything 

we do. Life is about you and 

your behavior, and not about the 

behavior of others. We should 

take our responsibility seriously. 

This is an advantage not only to 

the earth, but also to us and our 

future generations. 

Here are the tips on how to reduce 

your carbon footprints: 

• Paper free office. Try to 

minimize the use of paper 

in the office. You can use 

communication tools like 

email instead of writing 

memos, not only saving 

paper, but also reducing the 

energy used in producing 

and transporting paper. 

34 



• Use both sides of paper 

when you are printing out 

or making copies. This is 

an effective way to slash 

paper expenditures, reduce 

the demand for paper and 

therefore reduce carbon 

emissions. 

• Use energy saving light 

bulbs. 

• Take a shopping bag with you 

to the market. Reusable bags 

reduce the number of plastic 

bags that are thrown away. 

• Plant trees to balance out 

the carbon dioxide that you 

produce. You can plant trees, 

grow flowers and grass in 

your own yard. 

• Refrain from using airconditioner 

more often. Air 

conditioners use massive 

amounts of electricity if they 

are turned on all the time. 

• Turn off appliances such 

as lights, television sets, 

computers and fans when 

not in use. 

The International Organization 

for Standardization (ISO) is now 

developing a product carbon 

footprint standard, ISO 14067 

which is in its early stages. This 

standard gives the requirements 

and guidance for quantifying and 

communicating a Carbon footprint 

of a product (including goods 

and services). A Product Carbon 

Footprint (PCF) is the balance of 

the greenhouse gas emissions 

that a product causes in the course 

of its entire life cycle (cradleto-grave) 

i.e from raw material 

acquisition through production, 

use, end-of-life treatment and final 

disposal or recycling. This can 

help consumers to decide which 

products they should purchase 

and consume so that greenhouse 

gas emissions are reduced. 

* Rosemary Ndesamburo is 

a Standards Officer in the 

Environmental Management 

Standards Section. 

Revival of the leather 

industry in Tanzania 

By Paul Manyilika 

Tanzania has a huge potential 

to be a major supplier of raw 

hides and skins, semi-processed 

leather, finished leather and 

leather products. This potential 

is based on the large number of 

livestock resources, abundant 

labour power and liberalized 

market outlet. According to current 

figures, Tanzania has about 18.5 

million cattle, 13.1 million goat and 

3.5 million sheep. The population 

size provides important renewable 

locally available resources of hides 

and skins with a considerable 

potential to generate export 

earnings. 

On realizing this great potential, the 

Government of Tanzania directed 

its effort towards investment in 

the leather and leather products 

industries as among other 

sources of in the development 

of the country’s economy during 

the1970s. As a result of this 

initiative, three large tanneries 

were set up in Mwanza, Morogoro 

and Moshi with a total capacity of 

producing 1.2 million hides and 

skins to produce 30 million square 

feet of leather. To support the laid 

up leather processing factories, 

two (2) large shoe factories were 

constructed. These were the Dar 

es Salaam based Tanzania shoe 

with its brand name Bora and the 

Moro Shoes factory in Morogoro. 

These plants operated under the 

Government owned parastatal 

organization named Tanzania 

Leather Associated Industries 

(TLAI), with its raw hides and 

skins trading wing called Tanzania 

Hides and Skins limited (THS). 

In the early 1980s the leather sector 

had advanced considerably and in 

1984 it reached its peak. During 

that time the leather industry had 



employed over 5000 employees 

controlled by TLAI country wide. 

However the following years 

the leather industry started to 

experience a downfall trend. 

The privatization factor 

Following the sector’s decline, 

it was realized that the leather 

industry has not exploited fully the 

hides and skins as a renewable 

resources that could achieve 

productivity gains needed for 

the creation of employment and 

foreign exchange earnings. This 

saw the Government looking for 

an alternative in order to reverse 

the trend. Initiatives to open up the 

leather sector to private investors 

were sought leading to structure 

reform programme. Under this 

initiative the trade in raw hides 

and skins was liberalized hence 

private companies were given 

trading licences. 

Current position of the 

leather industry 

Currently there are seven active 

tanneries namely Moshi Leather 

Industries, Tanzania Leather 

Industries, Afro Leather Industries, 

Kibaha Tanneries, Africa Tanneries, 

Himo Tanners, Salex Tanners and 

Morogoro Tanneries. 

Records show that for the past 5 

years a total of 9,290,000 Hides 

and 15,470,000 skins were 

collected from 2005 to 2010. 

However most of the hides and 

skins produced are exported in 

raw form. Only a small proportion 

is exported as semi-processed 

in the form of wet blue. Only a 

tiny portion of hides and skins is 

finalized to finished leather for 

local consumption. 

Though not consistent, the 

general trend of exporting leather 

in the semi-processed form has 

increased especially in recent 

years. This is a result of the 

governments incentive package 

by the way of export levy of 20% 

on FOB value for the export of raw 

hides and wet blue leather in the 

beginning of 2003 and later on in 

2007 it was increased to 40%. 

On the part of the footwear 

industry, which was well 

established during the 1980s, the 

current situation sees the influx of 

the cheap imports of shoes made 

from imitation leather as well as 

second hand leather shoes from 

all over the world. 

Future of the industry 

The Ministry of Industry and 

Trade and other stakeholders are 

working on a strategy on improving 

the quality of hides and skins by 

developing grading standards for 

raw and semi-processed hides 

and skins (wet blue-chrome/crust 

leather). 

The Tanzania Bureau of Standards 

Textiles Section incorporates the 

Leather and Leather Products 

Technical Committee. The 

Technical Committee has been 

lying inactive since the collapse of 

the leather industry about 26 years 

ago. TBS, whose role includes 

formulation and promulgation 

of Tanzania standards in all 

sectors of the country’s economy, 

including leather, has seen need 

to reconstitute the Technical 

Committee. 

A 

display of cheap 

imported shoes made from 

imitation leather. 

36 



As a stakeholder TBS has a 

major role to play concerning 

the production and processing of 

leather as a raw material for export 

or for the local manufactures of 

leather products and related goods, 

by providing Tanzania standards 

to guide leather processing and 

leather goods production. 

The Leather and Leather 

Products Technical Committee 

had prepared about 30 standards 

in the past which need to be 

revised. Out of these about 4 

standards need special attention 

as a contribution to the ministry’s 

initiative for the grading standards 

for raw and semi-processed hides 

and skins. The standards are 

TZS 424:1989, Raw hides and 

skins –Presentation, preservation, 

grading, packing and storing code 

of practice, TZS 189:1984, Leather 

– Wet blue chrome – Specification, 

TZS 191:1984, Leather – Chrome 

crust – Specification and 

TZS190:1984, Leather – Methods 

of sampling. 

Apart from the standardization 

aspect, the future of the industry 

depends on technical assistance 

and rehabilitation of factories, 

since some factories are in dire 

straits to collapse. Training is 

also key, as after privatization 

the trained technical staff either 

retired or were retrenched, hence 

the current situation is without 

trained personnel. In this regard, 

the government’s initiative to 

revitalize the Tanzania Leather 

Institute in Mwanza (TILT) is a 

much welcome step. 

*Mr Paul Manyilika is a Senior 

Standards Officer in the Textiles 

and Leather Standards Section. 


38

Announcer | January - June 2011 - Tanzania Bureau of Standards

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