TANZANIA BUREAU OF STANDARDSP.O. Box 9524 Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Tel: 255 - 22 - 2450206, 2450949, 2450298

Fax: 255 - 22 - 2450595

E-mail: info@tbstz.org

Website: www.tbstz.org

Technologist working with an autoclave at the Food Laboratory

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TBS IN CONTEXT

Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS) is Tanzania’s solestandards body established by Act No. 3 of 1975 andsubsequently amended by Act No. 1 of 1977. TBS is aparastatal organization under the Ministry of Industry, Tradeand Marketing.

Functions

The main functions of TBS are:

a. Formulation and promulgation of Tanzania standardsin all sectors of the country’s economy. Priorities havebeen established for national standards in the fields oftextiles, leather, agriculture and food, chemicals,engineering and the environment.

b. To implement the promulgated standards throughthird party Certification Schemes.

c. To improve the quality of industrial products bothfor export and local consumption through variouscertification schemes like pre-export /pre-importinspection and testing, the tested product certificationscheme and quality system registration.

d. To promote standardization and quality assuranceservices in industry and commerce through trainingof personnel in company standardization, qualityassurance, quality improvement and laboratorytechniques.

e. To undertake the testing of product samples drawn byTBS inspectors in the course of implementingstandards (certification samples) or as requested bymanufacturers (type-testing samples).

f. To undertake calibration of industrial and commercialmeasuring equipment and instruments in the areas ofmass, length, volume, energy, temperature etc.

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Human Resource

TBS has a total staff of about 140 most of whom areuniversity graduates mainly in scientific disciplines. Mosttechnical staff have been trained abroad by reputableorganizations dealing with Standardization and QualityAssurance activities such as: -

- The British Standards Institution (BSI)- The Swedish Standards Institution (SIS)- Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS)- German Standards Institution (DIN)- United Nations Industrial Development Organization

(UNIDO)- International Organization for Standardization (ISO).- WHO/FAO Codex Alimentarius Com-mission

Technician testing the hardness of a hand hoe at the MaterialsTesting Laboratory (Mechanical)

Standards

Standards can be defined as consensus agreements betweennational delegations representing all the economic stakeholders concerned, suppliers, users, government regulatorsand other interested groups, such as consumers. They agreeon specifications and criteria to be applied consistently inclassification of materials, in the manufacture and supply ofproducts, in testing and analysis, in terminology andprovision of services. In this way standards provide areference frame work, or a common technological languagebetween suppliers and their customers which facilitate tradeand transfer of technology.

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Why standards matter?

If there were no standards we would soon notice. Standardsmake an enormous contribution in most aspects of ourlives. It is when there is an absence of standards that theirimportance is brought home. For example as purchasers orusers of products, we soon notice when they turnout to be ofpoor quality, do not fit, are incompatible with equipment wealready have, are unreliable or dangerous. When productsmeet our expectations, we tend to take this for granted.We are usually unaware of the role played by standards inraising the level of quality, reliability, efficiency andinterchangeability as well as in providing such benefits at aneconomical cost.

Tanzania standards

TBS has an established National Standardization Systemthrough which national standards are formulated. Thissystem is based on the worldwide ‘consensus principle’ whichworks through the use of technical committees. Thesecommittees draw members from all stakeholder groupsincluding industries, government ministries and institutions,research institutions, institutions of higher learning, businessorganizations and consumers. By October 2007, TBS hasbeen able to finalize about 1000 Tanzania standards.The finalized standards include product standards, testmethods, codes of practice and codes of hygiene. Thestandards cover various sectors of the economy includingfood and agriculture, chemicals, textiles and leather,engineering, environment and general techniques.

Implementation of Standards

A number of industries and service organizations both in thepublic and private sectors have already adopted Tanzaniastandards in their manufacturing processes and purchasingprogrammes. Manufacturers producing products inconformity with Tanzania standards are granted licences touse the ‘tbs’ mark on their products. No body can ignorestandards, as they affect every member of the society inwhatever the activity is being done and wherever he/she is.By implementing standards, one is assured of better quality,safety, health and avoids unnecessary costs and wastages,hence increased productivity.

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Also standards serve as guide for production of goodsand services, provide basis for trade transactions, helptechnologists judge quality and performance and providesolutions to recurring problems.

The Standards Mark Scheme

TBS operates a Standards Mark Scheme, which allowsmanufacturers who have conformed to Tanzania standards touse the ‘tbs’ standards mark of quality on their products.

The ‘tbs’ standards mark of quality on a product indicatesthat samples of that product are independently androutinely tested and certified by TBS against the relevantTanzania standards. The ‘tbs’ mark is a registered trade markowned by TBS. Licence to use the mark is granted only tomanufacturers conforming to the rigorous quality auditingrequirements of the standards mark licensing procedures.The mark is a sign of product quality and gives assurance toboth manufacturers and buyers that the product can be usedsafely and reliably.

The ‘tbs’ mark make people buy with confidence. On theother hand, it protects the manufacturers from competingwith inferior products and proves to the market that theirproducts satisfy all the requirements specified in Tanzaniastandards.

TZS………….....……….

MARK APPLIED ON THE PRODUCT WITHA NUMBER FOR THE RELEVANTTANZANIA STANDARD (TZS…………)

TBS Ag Director Charles Ekelege (left) granting a client with alicence to use the “tbs” mark on products.

Batch Certification

As part of implementation of Government Notice No. 672of 1998 (The Standards Compulsory Batch Certification ofImports) Regulations, TBS has introduced BatchCertification Scheme for all imports covered by compulsorystandards. This is to avoid Tanzania being turned into adumping ground for substandard goods by unscrupuloustraders.

A number of import consignments have been condemned assubstandard. These include hand hoes, fertilizers, edible oils,cement, bicycle tyres and toothbrushes, to mention a few.

Quality Management System Registration schemes

TBS operates Management System Registration schemessuch as Quality Management System and EnvironmentalManagement System.

Companies registered to ISO 9001 (Quality ManagementStandard) have realized that:-

- their market opportunities ha ve increased; - customer complaints have been reduced dramatically; - operating costs have been significantly reduced; - demand for their products and services has increased.

Further, companieshaving EnvironmentalManagement System(EMS) in place haverealized cost savings aswell as reduction ofenvironmental liability.EMS standards stress theneed for continuousimprovement in strivingto perfect theenvironment not onlyfor ourselves but forfuture generations.

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TBS inspectors leave a supermarket with samples after asurveillance inspection.

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Testing at TBS

The TBS Test House was established in 1982 to assistmanufacturers to improve the quality of their products,provide facilities for the testing of products to ensure theirsuitability for their intended use, and verify pre-export andpre-import product quality. The TBS Test House providesquick, accurate and confidential test facilities fortype testing, audit testing, technical guidance and advice ontest methods and training of laboratory personnel. Tests arecarried out to Tanzania, other national and ISO standards aswell to the client’s specifications.

The Test House covers the following testing facilities:

1. The Chemistry Laboratory

The Chemistry Laboratory at the TBS Test House wasestablished to provide test facilities and services for allchemical and allied products.

Chemist at work in the Chemistry Laboratory

2. Material Testing Laboratory (MTL)

Incorrectly designed or specified materials andequipment can cause serious injury and/or considerabledamage to property. In order to minimize thesehazards, TBS offers the facility of materials testing.Only through rigorous testing and competentassessment of components and equipments can theuser be assured that they meet the relevant safetyrequirements. The laboratory covers testing facilitiesin the fields of electricity, mechanical and civilengineering.

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Technologist testing strength of aluminum wire at the TBSMaterials Testing Laboratory (Electrical)

T e c h n i c i a nmeasuring thestrength of concreteroofing tiles atthe TBS MaterialsTesting Laboratory(Building andConstruction)

3. The Food Laboratory

The Food Laboratory at the TBS Test House providestest facilities for all food and agricultural products.Tests are carried out to detect contaminants of all typesand prove food wholesomeness and safety.

In addition, the Food Laboratory provides specialservice to exporters of fish and fish products e.g.prawns and lobsters by issuing them with sanitarycertificate which certifies that a particular consignmentconforms to the accepted code of hygiene.

M i c r o b i o l o g i s tcounting colon ofmicroorganisms ina tested foodsample at the TBSM i c r o b i o l o g yLaboratory

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4. The Textile and Leather Laboratory

The Textile and Leather Laboratory was established toprovide test facilities for both the textile and leatherindustries. It also trains textiles and leather analysts ingood laboratory techniques. Physical testing is done atISO recommended atmospheric conditions fortropical countries. This Laboratory is well equiped totest the quality of Condoms.

Textile technologist testing tensile strength of textilesamples at the Textile Laboratory

5. Metrology Laboratory

In Tanzania, the statutory responsibility of establishingcustody and maintenance of the NationalMeasurement Standards related to all physicalparameters, at internationally accepted level ofaccuracy, is entrusted to the TBS MetrologyLaboratory.

The laboratory undertakes apex level calibration ofmeasurement standards and precision instruments invarious fields of measurements such as length, mass,temperature, force, volume (including calibration ofvertical and horizontal bulk storage tanks), pressure,D.C. and A.C. measurements.

TBS understands the importance of equipping itselfwith a prompt calibration facility and is thereforeequipped with a mobile calibration facility whichprovides on-site fast and convenient services at thecustomer’s location, thus ensuring promptness, savingtime and averting transport costs on the part of thecustomer.

TBS instruments used in calibrating other instrumentsand measuring equipment in the country, arere-calibrated by the National Physical Laboratory

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(NPL) in South Africa to ensure that their accuracy ismaintained. The NPL maintains traceability of itsprimary standards to international standards in Paris.

Metrologist calibrating weight on Mass Comparator at the Metrology Laboratory

Effectively from 11th December 2006 four metrology fieldshave been accredited by the South African NationalAccreditation System (SANAS). The fields are mass, smallvolume, temperature and time and frequency. With thisaccreditation, the laboratory became the 33rd laboratory inthe list of accredited laboratories in the world and fourthonly to South Africa, Egypt and Kenya in Africa.

Training

The Quality Control Section at TBS organizes in plant andgroup training courses on implementation of ISO 9001 –Quality management systems, ISO 14001- Environmentalmanagement systems, ISO 22000 - Hazard Analysis andCritical Control Point (HACCP) – Food safety, and ISO17025 – Testing and calibration. Tailor made courses onquality management are also organized according tocustomers’ needs. These courses target industrial personnelcovering shop floor workers, supervisors, managers and chiefexecutives

Information Dissemination

TBS has a well-equipped library to cater for standards andstandards related information needs of industrialists,researchers, academicians, traders and consumers

The library maintains and updates a full set of Tanzaniastandards, international standards, like ISO, IEC andWHO/FAO Codex Alimentarius standards, foreignstandards issued by other countries all over the world, laws

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and regulations, standards catalogues, journals, newsbulletins and other publications related to standardizationand quality assurance.

TBS staff glancethrough variousi n f o r m a t i v edocuments available at TBSLibrary

The standards sales section of the library receives enquiriesand orders for copies of Tanzania standards, foreign andinternational standards.

National Enquiry Point (NEP)

Tanzania Bureau of Standards is the National Enquiry Pointfor WTO-TBT agreements in Tanzania. NEP handlesinformation on technical regulations and standards adoptedor proposed to be adopted and conformity assessmentprocedures adopted or proposed to be adopted.

The Announcer

The Bureau issues a biannual bulletin titled ‘The Announcer’that gives details of standards published by TBS,International Organization for Standardization (ISO), CodexAlimentarius Commission (CAC) and other nationalstandards bodies abroad.

Media programmes

TBS runs a radio programme known as “VIWANGO” andspots advertisements through both print and electronicmedia aiming at educating the general public on the benefitsof standardization and quality assurance in order to build aquality culture among Tanzanians.

Packaging Technology Centre (PTC)

The Packaging Technology Centre (PTC) was established tooffer the following services:- training of industrialists in packaging technology;

certification of packages;- provide testing facilities;

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- computerized data base on packaging (PACKDATA)which is linked to the International Trade Center inGeneva supplying worldwide packaging information toexporters.

The centre is already furnished with necessary equipment toenable it to implement its objectives, including supporting acoordinated development of the packaging industry bystrengthening the existing standardization and testingcapability in the area of packaging, offering training onstructural and graphic design of packages, provision of thirdparty certification for packaging materials and packagesproduced according to acceptable standards; and provision oftesting services for packages and packaging materials.

Technical Assistance to Importers and Exporters (TAIE)

TAIE is a service which provides exporters and importerswith essential information, and advice on foreign technicalrequirements, such as standards, regulations, codes ofpractice and testing and approval procedures in foreignmarkets. TAIE does this through a variety of services andpublications including technical enquiry, library,preshipment inspection, and technical research and consultancy.

National and International involvement

TBS is a member of the International Organization forStandardization (ISO) and represents Tanzania in allinternational standards work. With the current global trade,Tanzania’s active participation in international standardswork is crucial. TBS is also a member of the East AfricanStandards Committee and South African DevelopmentCommunity Committee of Experts for Standards, QualityAssurance, Accreditation and Metrology. TBS is also aparticipating member to the FAO/WHO CodexAlimentarius Commission which is there to ensure thatworld wide food standards are available for protecting thehealth of consumers and ensuring fair practices in food trade.This has been done to ensure that Tanzania is fully representedin all technical issues concerning standards and quality.

TBS is at your service. It is there to contributeeffectively to Tanzania’s development.

WHOEVER YOU ARE, WHEREVER YOU MAY BE,WHATEVER YOU DO, THINK OF QUALITY, THINK OF TBS