There are special facilities in the form of appropriate materials (substances) being created to ensure the uniformity (traceability) and accuracy of measurements, especially those types of measurements which cannot be provided with appropriate measurement standards in chemistry, metallurgy, other areas of economy, in scientific research, and also in the activities of non-productive area.

The Service of Reference Materials of Composition and Properties of Substances and Materials (SRM), which was established in accordance with the Law of Ukraine On Metrology and Metrological Activity (Section 2 Article 9) [More], has been carrying out inter-industry coordination of the activities on ensuring the uniformity of measurements and traceability in those types of measurements which are associated with the development and introduction of reference materials (RMs) since 2016 in Ukraine. The activity of the SRM is controlled by the Regulation On the Service of Reference Materials of Composition and Properties of Substances and Materials approved by the Resolution № 663 of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine of 2 September 2015.

The Service of Reference Materials of Composition and Properties of Substances and Materials is a system of enterprises, institutions and organizations of all forms of ownership, their structural subdivisions, which constantly carry out scientific and metrological activity concerning the development and application of reference materials of composition and properties of substances and materials. 

The Service – in accordance with the tasks imposed on it – ensures:

·        scientific and methodical management of work on the development and application of reference materials;

·        determination and prediction of the needs of economy and non-productive area for reference materials;

·        determination of main tendencies of the development and establishment of the required accuracy of reference materials which are used in economy and non-productive area;

·        scientific research concerning the creation of new types of reference materials;

·        international cooperation on the development and application of reference materials.

The Ministry of Economic Development and Trade coordinates the activities concerning the maintenance and development of the Service.

The SRM includes the Scientific and Methodological Centre of the Service and the producers of reference materials that – in the prescribed manner – have proved their competence.

NSC “Institute of Metrology” has functions of the Scientific and Methodological Centre of the Service of Reference Materials of Composition and Properties of Substances and Materials (SMC SRM), which are imposed on the Scientific and Research Laboratory SRL-41 “The Scientific and Methodological Centre of the Service of Reference Materials of Composition and Properties of Substances and Materials”.

The primary functions of the Scientific and Methodological Centre of SRM – in accordance with the Regulation on SRM – are:

·        to carry out scientific and methodological management and coordination of the activities on the creation of reference materials by producers of reference materials;

·        to carry out research concerning the creation of reference materials;

·        to assign values of properties of reference materials according to the measurement uncertainties and traceability under the ISO Guide 35:2006, IDT, accompanying them with the documents under the ISO Guide 31:2000, IDT;

·        to determine – in the legally prescribed manner– the suitability of reference materials for application when carrying out verification of the measuring instruments regulated by law;

·        to draw up guidelines and recommendations concerning the development and application of reference materials;

·        to carry out international cooperation on the development and application of reference materials;

·        to provide – within its authority – scientific and methodological consultations concerning the development and application of reference materials;

·        to report to the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade on the activities of the Service.

The producers of reference materials have got – in the prescribed manner – firm competence:

·        to create reference materials to meet the needs of economy or non-productive area;

·        to assign values of properties of reference materials according to the measurement uncertainties and traceability under the ISO Guide 35:2006, IDT, accompanying them with the documents under the ISO Guide 31:2000, IDT;

·        to involve the Scientific and Methodological Centre of the Service in carrying out scientific research concerning the creation of reference materials.

1162 types of state reference materials of Ukraine were recorded –during the period from 1992 to 2015 – in the Section Reference Materials of the State Register of Measuring Instruments, particularly RMs of the composition of non-organic and organic substances and their solutions, pesticides, ferrous and non-ferrous metals, ores, concentrates and products of their processing, calibration gas mixtures, and also RMs of properties of substances and materials (the table shows the distribution of the created state reference materials according to their type).

THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE CREATED TYPES OF STATE REFERENCE MATERIALS

Due to the fact that the Law of Ukraine On Metrology And Metrological Activity № 1314-VII of 5 June 2014 and the Regulation On The Service Of Reference Materials (approved by the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine № 633 of 2 September 2015) came into force, the procedure of handling of reference materials has been changed. Reference materials must meet the requirements of the European international standards concerning reference materials since 1 January 2016 in Ukraine.

The term “reference material” – depending on the context of its application – may cover simultaneously (in common) both all non-certified reference materials (RMs) and certified reference materials (CRMs) and refer to only non-certified reference materials (RMs).

The concept –as a means of displaying the sings characterizing the features of the objects under study – covers a wide range of property bearers, which are determined when describing and performing measurements and other studies of the properties of material objects. Today to describe the properties of material objects, concepts, which fall beyond the scope of conventional quantities, are used: from usual physical concepts related to the measurements in chemistry, biochemistry, molecular biology, forensic expertizing and up to nominal quantities (values of nominal properties, such as colour scale, the classification of species in biology, the classification of diseases in medicine, the sequence of amino acids in polypeptides and nucleotides of DNA, taxons of HIV antibodies, hepatitis A virus, particular types of pathogenic microorganisms, parasites, etc).

The production of reference materials (RMs) is a key activity to improve and maintain the worldwide harmonized measuring system. RMs with different characteristics are used when performing measurements, such as calibration, quality control, verification of qualification and validation of the techniques, and also the assignment of values to other materials. Certified reference materials (CRMs) play a pivotal role in the introduction of the concept concerning the traceability of measurement results in chemistry, biology and physics among other sciences which study substances and materials. CRMs are used to confirm or establish metrological traceability of traditional reference materials, such as octane number, scale of hardness and pH scale.

There is one international standard and three ISO Guides which describe the production and certification of RMs to ensure that the quality of RMs meets the requirements of ultimate consumers:

-         ISO 17034:2016 (Е), General requirements for the competence of reference material producers;

-         ISO Guide 30:2015, Reference materials – Selected terms and definitions;

-         ISO Guide 31:2015, Reference materials – Contents of certificates, labels and accompanying documentation;

-         ISO Guide 35:2017 (Е), Reference materials. Guidance for characterization and assessment of homogeneity and stability.

The production and application of reference materials in Ukraine contributes to ensuring the uniformity of measurements in Ukraine at the level of intergovernmental and international requirements, removing technical barriers to trade, enhancing the quality of industrial products, effective production and exploitation of natural raw materials, environmental health, health care and effective use of scientific and technical potential of Ukraine in order to solve real practical problems in scientific research and when in industrial exploitation.