RBS to tighten construction sector laws to stop use of substandard materials

Selling or using asubstandard building materials could soon become an expensive affair when the Rwanda Bureau of Standards tightens regulations for the construction sector.“Anybody found building using substandard materials, especially cement, bricks, blocks, pavers, blocks and electric wires will be charged and fined heavily,” Samuel Mporanzi, the standards lead officer at RBS, said.The move by the standards body is aimed at ensuring quality and safety in the construction industry.“The issue is not the lack of standards, but sector stakeholders who don’t want to comply with standards, putting people’s lives at risk. Once the new tough standards are published, we hope to achieve total compliance as far as these challenges are concerned,” Mporanzi said. The law targets local manufacturers and importers of building materials, he added.Liliane Mupende Uwanziga, the director of urban planning and One Stop Centre, called for more punitive penalties to deter the practice. She noted that blacklisting engineers found contravening guidelines would ensure professionalism, ethics and efficiency in the construction industry. Currently, if one is convicted for contravening sector standards, they pay Rwf1m.Under the new guidelines, manufacturers will be required to state on delivery the type and sizes of building materials supplied with a trade mark and a certified copy of test results. They will also provide a certificate stating that the construction materials have been tested for compliance by the standards body and provide certified copies of test results. The certificate will include a statement indicating that the consignments covered by the certificate is similar to the samples tested.Mporanzi noted the standards body would soon sign an agreement with the Rwanda Institute of Engineers as one of the measures that will ensure adherence to the regulatory framework of construction standards.“We believe they also owe the public an explanation when buildings collapse and kill people. The fact that engineers are like doctors, a simple mistake can cause a lot of damage and loss of lives,” Mporanzi said.According to Mupende, engaging supervisory companies which are tasked with a checklist of these standards will enhance total compliance “The companies would then be tasked with tracking the source of the materials used, but also the qualifications of engineers on a given site,” she said.Bernard Kabera, the material testing laboratory officer at RBS, urged developers to always seek guidance from the standards body before starting on any projects“We would, for instance, guide them on specific performance requirements related to dimensional accuracy, density, strength, water absorption, shrinkage and moisture movement for hollow blocks and solid cement blocks and bricks among others,” Kabera said.