BSJ revises standards for building blocks and ready-mixed concrete

The Bureau of Standards Jamaica (BSJ) has revised two standards that stipulate specifications for building blocks and ready-mixed concrete, two key construction components.

The JS 25 2011 Jamaican Standard Specification for hollow concrete blocks and the JS 133 2015 Jamaican Standard Specification for ready-mixed concrete were launched during a digital ceremony on Tuesday, under the theme 'Building Solid Foundations with Standards'.

Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Aubyn Hill, who has portfolio responsibility for the BSJ, said the launch was timely, against the background of data from the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) indicating an estimated 6.4 per cent increase in construction activities for the October to December 2021 quarter.

Hill also highlighted data showing a 16.4 per cent increase in the sales of construction-related inputs, including hardware, building supplies and electrical goods.

“This is confirming what we are seeing all over this country every day, [that] there is significant growth in the construction sector of our economy,” he stated.

He said the buildings will be homes to many, and thousands of persons will conduct business in those designated for commercial use.

“The health and safety of every individual who lives, works, or undertakes transactions in these spaces depend on whether the construction items and materials meet required specifications. The standards for blocks, concrete, aggregates, and steel [therefore] form the foundation for everything else,” he added.

Hill maintained that standards impact organisations and economies and are integral to the nation's growth and development.

“It is critical that at every level of our society, we incorporate best-in-class standards to enhance our planning, project implementation and safety requirements. The value of standards is immeasurable. They allow people from all across the world to confidently produce items that can be utilised anywhere under internationally agreed guidelines and conditions,” he said.

The industry minister argued that as Jamaica seeks to engage more foreign investors to do business locally, everything done must be established on a “common language and way of doing business” to ensure integrity, fair play and expected good results.

Against this background, he commended the BSJ for its ongoing efforts to “carefully scrutinise the catalogue of current standards and for prioritising the development and review of standards to support various industries and business sectors”.

Hill encouraged construction industry stakeholders to use the latest BSJ Standards “[and] not to cut corners with the process of making these hollow concrete blocks or with the ready-mixed concrete”.

- JIS News

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