County weights-and-measures inspector rolls out blue reinspection stickers, reports no fuel failures

Columbia County’s weights-and-measures program will switch to blue inspection stickers this year to make it easier for inspectors to spot equipment due for reinspection, the department reported.

A department speaker explained the visual system: blue stickers will indicate odd or even years to provide a quick cue about whether a gas pump or scale is due for reinspection. The inspector said the normal reinspection interval is annually; the office will continue routine checks of pumps and scales.

The inspector reported sampling practices for fuel: a 0.8-gallon sample is taken and sent to New York State for lab analysis (mid-grade, premium and diesel are tested at different times of year). The inspector said, so far, no pumps have failed the laboratory analyses returned to the department.

On retail pricing and labeling, the inspector said there have been complaints about unmarked price differences between shelf tags and the product, but several local store checks yielded high accuracy: “the 3 that I’ve tested so far… all passed with 99% accuracy,” the record shows. The inspector said Dollar General has historically been the most common source of pricing complaints, though recent spot checks at stores on Fairview Avenue, in “Malaysia” and Lebanon passed.

The office also described its enforcement scope: primary responsibilities are price accuracy, weights and measured volume at pumps and scales; food expiration dates and other retail health matters are not enforced by this office, the inspector said.

Ending: The program expects the sticker change to improve field efficiency; the inspector said staff will spend more time on price and package checks at supermarkets going forward.