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Calibration involves comparing something to an already existing standard. When an instrument is ‘out of call’, it is taken for calibration to correct it and find out how off the calibration it was and how much closer to the standard it is after the calibration. Every instrument should be worked on to ensure they have no errors whatsoever. Genuine calibration standards are those developed from the master standards of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

We need to calibrate instruments often to ensure they are not ‘out of call’. The frequency of calibration is determined by a number of factors including:

* Before undertaking any measuring: Make sure all the instruments to be used to carry out any project that involves measuring should be calibrated before hand. eg. in a lab, before carrying out tests on a plant that require very accurate results, ensure that the instruments have been calibrated and not used on another project before the present work.

* Recommendation from the manufacturer: Some manufacturers indicate on the manual how often their instrument should be calibrated.

* Requirements of different types of tests: There are some tests that require calibration before carrying out. This is normally indicated in the specs.

* After an incident: Some instruments can get ‘out of call’ when they are dropped by accident. For example, a clump might just not give you the right measurement immediately after it takes a hit or falls.

* Annually, quarterly, or monthly: The more frequent the calibration, the lesser the chance of instruments being ‘out of call’ and the more accurate your test results.

* Annually: For some instruments, an annual calibration will work just right. This is also in a way cost effective.

* Bi-annually: Instruments not used regularly for major measurements can be calibrated bi-annually.

Initially, most instruments were easy to calibrate since they were not so complex. Currently, indirect measurement is used and it is not possible to validate and monitor instruments by mere intuition. This is why calibration is of paramount importance today.

An example of a lab that carries out accurate calibration is the Electrical Measuring Instrument Calibration Laboratory. The lab is accredited by the National accreditation Board of Laboratories in New Delhi. The lab has state of the art electrical calibration equipment. All the instruments used at the lab have an accuracy of between 0.01% and 2% and they work for a wide range of electrical measuring parameters.