Three-tier quality control system for consumer goods in Oman

Muscat: Consumer goods that are sold in Oman are subject to three rounds of testing to ensure they meet their expected safety and quality standards.

A series of laboratories – some of them privately-run – and registered under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, test goods sold in Oman at three levels.

There are some 48 private laboratories that have been set up for this purpose across the country’s 11 governorates, at the end of 2019.

Said bin Sultan Al Busaidi, head of the accreditation department at the Directorate General of Standards and Metrology, under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, said, “There are laboratories that are classified as first, second and third-party labs based on the stage at which they conduct examinations of products. A first-party laboratory is a laboratory of a company that produces goods. Its activity is limited to the examination and/or calibration of products related to the company or establishment.


Al-Busaidi said, “For many years, the countries of the world worked hard to have joint legislation and specifications under the umbrella of international organisations for this purpose. Among the most important of these specifications for laboratories that test products and commodities is the international standard ISO/IEC 17025, which is related to the general requirements for the competence of those labs involved in testing and calibration.”

“Examination reports and calibration certificates of approval that come from internationally accredited laboratories according to this standard are considered passports to ship products from one country to another,” he added. “Laboratory testing builds trust and attracts consumers regionally and internationally towards Omani products. The safety and health of the product is ensured through several methods and procedures, including the presence of an examination report of the product from a laboratory registered with the accreditation department at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, or internationally accredited in the areas of inspection.”

Since the Sultanate became a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO), the movement of goods and products to and from the Sultanate has increased. Testing and standards cover all types of products to ensure the health and safety of consumers and get rid of commercial fraud being faced by all countries of the world.

 

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has always ensured the health and safety of these various products and goods imported to the Sultanate before they enter markets. It also makes sure that the products and commodities exported abroad meet the specification standards.