…specifying minimum accepted level of safety for constructed objects
THE Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) yesterday launched the much anticipated National Building Codes, in the presence of dozens of industry stakeholders. Delivering the feature address at the ceremony at the Guyana International Conference Centre (GICC), Housing and Water Minister Irfaan Ali underscored the importance of such regulations and highlighted the role of the Ministry of Local Government and the Ministry of Public Works in ensuring that the basic standards, as set out in the codes, are kept.
“The building code is a set of rules that specify the minimum accepted level of safety for constructed objects, such as buildings. The issues of global warming, leading to greater risks of flooding, issues of expanding economy leading to issues of zoning, urban development and changes in the urban landscape, all create severe pressure on government to act to ensure that there are minimum basic standards in place, through which the building and construction sector will be guided.”
He explained that the codes will be introduced for a period of six months, during which time all stakeholders will be able to examine what they seek to address, to engage in community consultations and training, and more importantly, to give feedback.
This is particularly important at the Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) level, in ensuring that the country’s construction sector is built on a solid foundation, Ali added.
According to Minister Ali, the concept of developing national building codes in Guyana is not a novel idea, but one which was introduced more than 20 years ago, but which  was never tested and tried and taken to the final stage  of ensuring the necessary legislative framework are put in place for enforcement.
“This consultation today is the commencement of that process of educating, training, familiarization, moving towards the firming up of the codes, then onward to the legislative agenda,” Ali said.
He also assured those present that the codes were not developed in a vacuum, but were formulated using material from the Caribbean Unified Building Code (CUBIC) which was developed by the Council of Caribbean Engineering Organization (CCEO).
This material was used as a reference standard because of its adoption and general acceptance in the Caribbean.
Ali reminded that the code itself is only the first step in the process, since much more work needs to be done in terms of enforcement; he also announced that there are plans under way to set up the   institutional mechanisms  through  which the codes will be enforced.
The minister called for the implementation of mechanisms to help advance the processing of plans and to improve efficiency through which the development framework could be approved, so that all stakeholders can benefit, and he assured that training will be conducted with local government authorities throughout country.
Ali charged all stakeholders, including contractors and architects, to ensure that they have copies of the codes, which are on sale at the GNBS, to aid in the design and construction of buildings.
To date, some sections of the Code have been completed. These include enforcement, fire safety, use and occupancy, electrical, plumbing, use of Guyanese hardwoods in construction, concrete and block masonry, structural steel, high rise buildings, foundations and excavations, and finally, the code of practice for the design and construction of septic tanks and associated secondary treatment and disposal systems.
During the session yesterday, several other stakeholders also presented overviews of various sections of the codes, including Chief Fire Officer Marlon Gentle, Energy Economist at the Office of the Prime Minister Horace Williams, President of the Guyana Association of Professional Engineers Ms. Jean Ramkellawan, Senior Advisor on Sustainable Development  and Environmental Health , PAHO, Mr. Adrianus Vlugman, and Head of Conformity Assessment at the GNBS Ms. Candelle Walcott-Bostwick.