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A master weigher has three areas of responsibility: material weighing, scale inspection, and quality control. Weighers are very common in industries where the price is determined by the weight of the material and when that material is difficult to quantify independently. For example, this function is very common in warehouses, junkyards, feed mills and ranchers.
Most weighers work for government agencies, a weighing company, or a company that requires this service on a regular basis. There is no specific post-secondary education program to become a weigher, but a certification program is required. Look at your state requirements to determine who the certifying agency is and what their requirements are for certification.
People who are detail-oriented, naturally extroverted, and who have a strong sense of fairness report the greatest satisfaction as weighers. In this race, you will meet a wide variety of sellers, buyers, and brokers. Maintaining a strong code of ethics and independence as a weigher is important. The primary function is to provide independent assurance that the scales have not been tampered with and the weights are correct.
Primary responsibility is weighing materials. This function is generally required at the time of receiving or sending the material. The weigher may bring their own scale or may use their equipment and experience to verify that the existing scale is accurate and has not been tampered with. They supervise the weighing of the materials and make sure that everything is correct.
Scale inspection is another important responsibility of a weigher. Most states have laws about the frequency of inspections, the qualifications of the inspectors, and the exact tests that must be performed. The types of scales inspected include gas pumps, supermarket scales, barcode scanners, and a variety of other related products.
Quality control is a very important part of this job. While scales are regularly inspected, weighers must respond to consumer complaints about scales, how bar code readers work, and computerized price programming. Government agencies conduct random, unannounced audits to gauge the depth of compliance and assist with complaint investigations.
The demand for this role is increasing, along with the scope of responsibilities. Originally, a weigher’s area of focus was strictly related to scales and measurements. Over time, it was expanded to include any method used to calculate the price of any item. This includes gas pumps, utility metering equipment, barcode readers, and computerized cash registers.