NATIONAL MEASUREMENT ACT 1960
NATIONAL MEASUREMENT REGULATIONS (AMENDMENT)
EXPLANATORY STATEMENT
1985 No. 315
Sub-section 7(1) of the National Measurement Act 1960 (“the Act”) provides that the Regulations made pursuant to the Act may prescribe units of measurement of any physical quantity.
The National Measurement Regulations (Amendment) (‘the amending Regulations”) will amend the National Measurement Regulations (“the principal Regulations”) by inserting units of measurement of sound pressure and sound pressure level, sound intensity and sound intensity level and sound level and sound power level. The unit of measurement in respect of sound pressure level sound power level and sound intensity level is the decibel. The prescription of these units is necessary because there has been considerable state legislation on noise abatement both in industry and the environment and it is necessary to ensure that measurement relating to this legislation are uniform and valid.
Details of the amending Regulations are as follows:
Reulation 1 provides that “Principal Regulations” means the National Measurement Regulations.
Regulation 2 amends regulation 32 of the principal Regulations, which relates to units of measurement of power, by inserting a new sub-regulation (4) which provides that ‘power’ includes sound power.
Regulation 3 amends regulation 34 of the principal Regulations, which relates to units of measurement of pressure, by inserting a new sub-regulation (4) which provides that ‘pressure’ includes sound pressure.
Regulation 4 inserts new Divisions 33 and 34 into the principal Regulations. Details of the new Divisions are as follows:
(a) New Division 33 - Sound Intensity
Inserts new regulations 73 and 74 which relate to units of measurement of sound intensity and the watt per square metre respectively.
(b) New Division 34 - sound power level, sound pressure level, sound intensity level.
Inserts new regulation 75 which prescribes the decibel as the unit of measurement of sound power level, sound pressure level and sound intensity level. Also inserts new Schedule 30C which sets out units of sound intensity.