THE Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) hopes to establish a building authority to reinforce the importance of standards and accreditation in the construction and building sector.
This was revealed on Friday during the World Accreditation Day (WAD) forum at Cara Lodge Hotel, Quamina Street, for stakeholders in the local building and construction sector in observance of WAD. WAD 2017 is being observed under the theme, “Delivering confidence in construction and the building environment.”
Local Economic Development Coordinator attached to the Ministry of Communities, Roger Rogers, speaking on behalf of the Minister of Communities, Ronald Bulkan, in his feature address, said that the forum will help to highlight the importance of upholding the standards and accreditation in the development of the construction and building sector in Guyana. Rogers noted that standards are the foundation used to market services and products available to consumers. “The development of standards and the pursuit for accreditation plays a key role in the development of the country, though it is widely understood that development cannot be achieved without any minimum standards that can lead our societies to advance and organise in a sustainable manner,” he explained.
Rogers pointed out that it is the government’s responsibility to support a value-added regulatory environment to ensure that citizens receive value for their money, instead of mediocre services which will cause repeated remedial works to be done. He noted that acquiring environmental accreditation is one example of how Guyana can transition to become a green state in keeping with the government’s green agenda. Upholding the standards in the construction and building sector is not only aimed at accomplished contracting companies, but small business contractors as well, Rogers pointed out.
He disclosed that the Central Planning and Housing Authority (CH&PA) will collaborate with the Ministry of Public Infrastructure to host a workshop to promote awareness of the National Building Codes for small business contractors, through the Ministry of Communities, shortly. GNBS Executive Director Candelle Walcott-Bostwick, said that though the initiative created by the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperative (ILAC) to foster the importance of accreditation, it also helps to encourage regulators to continue to push for safety and standards in the construction environment.
Walcott-Bostwick noted that the construction and building environment industries provide critical employment opportunities in communications, design, engineering, infrastructure and transportation, while playing a crucial role in the realisation of safe homes, secure businesses, and reliable platforms for transit, commerce, and education. Faulty construction and inexperienced contractors among other areas were highlighted as weak points in the construction and building environment, which will need to be addressed in the push for building standards and accreditation, Walcott- Bostwick said. (DPI/GINA)