Artnel Henry | Are high-rise buildings being constructed safe?

The title of this article is from a question that was asked by the reporter in the evening news of TVJ on August 11.

In the early ‘70s Robert Lightbourne, the visionary minister of trade and industry, knew that our nation was in a crisis because of the poor-quality goods we were producing, evidenced by the fact that the best of what we exported were rejected by our principal trading partners, the USA and Canada. Exporters were instructed to first send samples of the products being traded to their testing laboratories. Those found to be of acceptable quality could then be exported. Scarce foreign exchange had to be paid for the testing service. Our own people gladly purchased the foreign-made articles at higher prices.

He established the Jamaica Bureau of Standards (JBS) to develop standards for improving the quality of our goods and services. More than 300 professionals from the private sector and the university came to the bureau and developed standards for commodities, processes and practices. Those standards which impacted on health and safety, that is, those for our foods and building materials, were categorised as mandatory standards and should therefore be adhered to without exception.

The building department constantly tested and certified those materials for the construction of our commercial buildings and homes, which were sand, gravel, cement, steel and building blocks. In the absence of national standards, the bureau, a member of the International Standards Organization (ISO), tested the commodity in conformance with the appropriate international standard.

As the demand for houses increased throughout the island, it was impossible for the bureau to certify the building blocks of all the producers. The bureau employed a training officer who organised weekly training seminars for producers of goods and services then followed up with a Quality Mark which the producers and suppliers of good-quality products should possess and display. Those persons supplying building materials – building blocks, cement, steel, sand, gravel, asphalt, were happy to assure the public that their commodities earned the Quality Mark, therefore, had conformed to the appropriate standard and which benefited both producers and purchasers.

The bureau carefully prepared and published a list of the companies, and materials which had earned the Quality Mark. The certified block makers were happy and proud to inform the public that their building blocks earned the bureau’s certification, Quality Mark.

The bureau discovered that imported steel, a most significant material for a safe building, did not meet the international standard for building construction, therefore, took the decision that a shipment which had arrived should not be off-loaded from the ship until samples of the steel were tested and found to be acceptable. Unfortunately, that entire shipment of steel was rejected because of poor quality.

QUALITY IMPROVED

The quality of building materials improved appreciably because the bureau made public those building blocks and other commodities which adhered to proper standards.

Engineers of the building department, using non-destructive technique, exposed the growing steel malpractice in the construction of higher-rising structures. The ground level of the building started out with the required allotment of steel. But as the building rose, many of the steel at that level were drawn up to the higher level, giving the impression that both levels then received the required allotment of steel. (P63 of Dr Henry’s book Development of the Jamaica Bureau of Standards 1973-2000 provides evidence of this malpractice).

The bureau stressed the importance of the Quality Mark and challenged those in the construction business to allow the Quality Mark to advertise their good-quality product. The public was informed that they should be guided by the Quality Mark in the purchasing of safe and good-quality products.

Some manufacturers of building blocks, anxious to receive the Mark, brought in samples of their products for testing but were informed that, for the Quality Mark, it was the inspectors of the bureau who would inspect their plant and select the samples for testing. Despite these measures, some producers of building blocks were still producing blocks of poor quality. When confronted, they informed the bureau that the blocks they were producing were not intended for building construction but for building walls and border fences. They learned that the bureau recognised one standard for concrete blocks.

Mrs L. McLeod, a member of the Jamaica Institute of Architects, was chairman of the Building and Associated Materials Committee which drafted standards for building materials. She was concerned about the safety of those buildings that had already been constructed. She prepared an article titled ‘Are our buildings safe’?

She argued that before the existence of the bureau and its provision of training seminars, and the Quality Mark, and before quality standards were produced by members of the different technical committees, the building contractors purchased building materials of various quality for construction. They were influenced primarily by the cost and not quality.

Even though very few buildings had reached three and four levels, she was still concerned whether those buildings would withstand the vagaries of nature, primarily hurricanes, earthquakes and flooding. She proposed that financial institutions, the banks and insurance companies should, as a policy, give support to the contractors who were using certified building materials to ensure the construction of strong, reliable buildings. She believed, too, that cooperation among governments, their agencies and industry was necessary to ensure that we have a nation better prepared to face disaster.

In 2000, the director of the JBS retired. A foreign consultant was hired to transform the JBS which, incidentally, had these departments – standards development, training, public education, 19 testing laboratories and a library with national and international standards, to become exactly what existed in his country, which unfortunately was a large office to develop and distribute standards. The transformed JBS resulted in the creation of four national institutions, one being the BSJ.

UNCERTAINTY

In the absence of the JBS, there is uncertainty whether there is now an agency responsible for testing and certifying the quality of these building materials, and whether the building contractors would any more know which materials are of acceptable quality. Would the producers of good-quality building blocks who earned the Quality Mark continue to protect their integrity, or because cheaper materials are readily acceptable at lower price reduce the quality and price of their building blocks in order to be competitive?

The steel is imported from a developed country, but without testing there is no guarantee that Jamaica is receiving the desired quality since it was discovered before that poor-quality steel which had to be rejected was shipped to us from a developed country. How satisfied are we that the large quantities required for the high-rise buildings are of good quality?

The growing steel was a practice carried out secretly on structures that were three or four floors then. Some of the present structures are several floors higher. How can we be sure that this malpractice is not carried out in the construction of some buildings?

Building blocks that were of poor quality and unsuitable for building construction were said by the producers that they were blocks specially produced for the construction of walls and fence and not for building construction. But in this time of great demand, would they not be sold as genuine building blocks for construction?

Are there training seminars to help new block makers? Is there a Quality Mark or any other means by which purchasers might be guided in the selection of good-quality materials? Are the banks and the insurance companies or any other agency being involved in any way to ensure that contractors of public trust are the ones who are committed to using good-quality building materials?

If there are serious shortcomings with the quality of our high-rise buildings, it would be difficult to determine who should be held responsible. The contractors are using what materials are available and when demand is greater than supply, poor-quality material will be in circulation. If there is no agency held responsible for certifying the product quality, materials of inferior quality and less costly will be produced and distributed.

The growing steel was evident when in truth there were no high-rise buildings but structures two, three or at most four levels It would be idle to imagine that this practice might not be evident during the construction of some high-rise buildings. If the steel is not of good quality, this would be cause for major concern.

These expensive buildings are to serve succeeding generations, and if the building materials are of inferior or questionable quality, then the concerns of Mrs L. McLeod regarding the onslaught of nature, in particular hurricane, earthquake and flooding, should be our concern also.

Rev Dr Artnel Henry was the first executive director of Bureau of Standards Jamaica. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com