EDITORIAL - New building code legislation long overdue

It is good to be optimistic about the future. And there is currently some optimism among stakeholders in disaster management that after many promises, the new national building code will finally see the light of day in a matter of months.

If, as the experts estimate, seven of 10 buildings constructed in Jamaica are done without the benefit of professional input, it is scandalous that the authorities have not been able to move the legislative process more speedily.

The last building code was created in 1908 in response to the 1907 earthquake that ravaged Kingston. It is way past time that this new code, which seeks to incorporate all construction-related regulations, be put to work.

The Bureau of Standards started a review of the code in 1991 and a laborious process ensued. Stale-dated and starved of funding, the project was eventually abandoned in 2000. It was left to far-sighted, civic-minded engineers under the banner of the Jamaica Institution of Engineers (JIE) to restart the project in 2005.

From all accounts, the technical work on the code has been completed through the efforts of more than 100 engineers who volunteered their time and a few generous private-sector firms that provided funding. Government financial input was very late in coming.

Natural disasters such as hurricanes and earthquakes have become more intense and devastating to life and property. We need look no further than our neighbour Haiti to understand the magnitude of the carnage that can take place when an earthquake strikes, as it provides the sternest test of a country's structural readiness. Haiti's infrastructure was shattered by a 7.0-magnitude earthquake in January 2010.

DISASTER-PREPAREDNESS MEASURE

Jamaica lies in an active seismic zone and is forecast to experience a major seismic event of up to magnitude 7. Such a disaster could severely damage as much as 70 per cent of the buildings in the Corporate Area.

So it is rather puzzling that the matter has not been treated with the urgency that it deserves, since the code is designed to keep the populace safe at work, at home and wherever else people congregate. It will not prevent a disaster, but buildings constructed to international standards will fare better in such events.

It has been a long, drawn-out process to repeal the Kingston and St Andrew Building Act and the Parish Council Building Act and pass the Building Act, which gives legal authority to the National Building Code of Jamaica. In fact, former Prime Minister Bruce Golding was presented with a copy of the document in 2009 when he acknowledged its importance.

The primary purpose of the code is to improve safety against natural and man-made disasters by regulating the construction industry. It will also ensure that construction is undertaken with due regard for areas such as the environment, plumbing, sewage disposal, and energy conservation.

Of course, no code or regulation will ever serve its purpose well if it is not backed by robust enforcement, but there is enough anecdotal evidence to confirm that enforcement is usually the weakest link in the accountability chain. So even though the code is considered very necessary to minimise loss of life and property, it has to be accompanied by a strong inspection mechanism that will readily apprehend and ensure punishment of those who breach the regulations.

Then there is the question of people's attitude towards legislation. The ease with which people are willing to ignore land-use zoning laws and build houses in gully courses and on river banks suggests that it could be an uphill task to get the majority to comply with a National Building Code.

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