TEST & MEASUREMENT


Engineering Trust: Advancing Ireland’s Measurement Capabilities


For this month’s Test and Measurement feature, I spoke with Pamela Dagg, Director of Legal Metrology at the National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI) and Dubhaltach Mac Lochlainn, Head of the NSAI National Metrology Laboratory (NML), to explore the critical, and often unseen, role metrology plays in Ireland’s economy


Metrology might seem abstract to many readers. How would you explain why accurate measurement standards matter to the Irish industry and global trade? Metrology, which is the science of measurement, is one of the key quality pillars, underpinning all industry and trade. Without metrology, there would be a total breakdown in trust in both trade and in industrial processes. Metrology is also a  eminent 19th





said, “to measure is to know”. Without reliable measurements, we know nothing.    correct amount of petrol is dispensed, the      for the calibration of their own instruments, to guarantee the accuracy of their measurements.   as stents will ensure their application will cure   metrology and support from the NML.


NSAI offers calibration across a range of quantities like pressure, temperature, time and more. What are the most common calibration challenges you see in Irish industry and how do you help organisations overcome them?  


instruments, such as weighing scales, liquid fuel   requirements. This is essential for maintaining fair trade practices, trust and assurance for the consumer and trader alike while ensuring regulatory compliance.


        research projects, the NML is also continuously 


 


28 January/February 2026 Irish Manufacturing


   time for the calibration of instruments, where downtime is costly. The NML are making   


How does NSAI ensure that Irish measurement results are internationally recognised, and what does mutual recognition (like through the CIPM MRA) mean for Irish businesses?


   


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