The Story within the Story…Finally…a Building Authority

Jun 11, 2017 News

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By Leonard Gildarie

On Friday, a Government release had some good news. It was disclosed that the Guyana National

Bureau of Standards (GNBS) is moving to establish a Building Authority to ensure standards and accreditation in the construction and building sector.
The announcement was made during the World Accreditation Day (WAD) forum at Cara Lodge, for stakeholders in the local building and construction sector. 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 noted that standards are the foundation used to market services and products available to consumers.
He had this to say: “The development of standards and the pursuit for accreditation play 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.”
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 towards becoming 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.
According to the government release, faulty construction and inexperienced contractors were among other areas highlighted as weak points in the construction and building environment which will need to be addressed, in the push for building standards and accreditation.
I repeated most of what the statement said, for the benefit of readers who missed it.
I have been longing for some standards to not only transform our quality of living in this country, but ensure for the long haul, that we are on par with first world ones.
There is nothing wrong with dreaming big for this country.
GNBS has a critical role to play. It needs to constantly assess itself as the regulator for standards and move to hire the necessary staffers to effectively carry out the tasks of this entity.
Hand in glove with this would have to be the update of laws to increase fines to deter persons from breaking them in the first place.
Last week, GNBS reported that it seized over 300 scales countrywide after finding that they were measuring incorrectly and that customers were being robbed blind.
We each have our grocers or shopkeepers who we have a good relationship with. How does one view that shopkeeper after learning that his scale had been fixed? That the two pounds of sugar that was ordered is really one and half pounds?
This is what I am talking about.
However, the reality is that we will be wasting time if the fines are low and the seizures of the scales are all that happens.
I can say without fear that we have become a dumping ground for goods – including electronics and other things – here.
Just walk into any grocery and one can find knock-offs of almost anything from ‘Head and Shoulders’ dandruff shampoo to sardine to soaps.
We have shoes entering Guyana that have the Nike signs but are mere imitations, some of them poor ones at that.
We have televisions that say they are a particular brand, but are merely something else.
We know of the level of knock-offs in the clothing department.
And guess what? Guyana is the perfect target. Nobody complains, as we are getting something affordable.
Little taxes are paid, as there are indications of smuggling and Customs fraud.
We have to be the ones to lift our standards and say no, we are not tolerating any illegality.
With regards to the proposed Building Authority, it is more than needed.
Sad to say, many of our hardware stores stock materials that are a total disrespect to our consumers, to put it mildly.
How many of you have graced the doors of a hardware supplier to purchase a three-quarter-inch pipe and in one year, it becomes brittle due to exposure to the weather?
We have lumber yards that sell you nice wood, and after it is taken to the site, a few days later they are all twisted.
We have different types of electric cable. When you ask the attendant, they say you have a choice of an English-made one or a Chinese one. Which one is better? Well…
There are people who insist on building too close to the fence, inconveniencing their neighbours and in contravention to the by-laws.
We have contractors who say they are contractors but have never themselves built anything alone. Rather, they were labourers who worked with someone else.
How did they become a contractor?
The Building Authority will have to address this, making more spot checks and sudden inspections, with large fines and suspension of licences involved.
All contractors will have to be licensed.
The work site will have to prominently display a copy of the building permit. The workers have to be NIS-compliant or at least insured. They must produce tax information.
Yes, the Building Authority has its work cut out.
GNBS has its job cut in a fast-changing environment. We have to demand better quality goods entering Guyana and that under a working regulated environment, consumers have a place to complain about poor quality. Also, those complaints must be addressed in a timely manner.
Our systems must work. We have to start abiding by the rules we have asked our law-makers to introduce. It is the only way that Guyana will emerge and be seen as a serious country that is concerned about the well-being of its people.

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