Experts seek standards for steel reinforcing materials

To curtail human and non-human carnages on construction sites, building professionals have been urged to intensify their monitoring role of building and engineering projects in the country.

Accordingly, the Council for Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) and the Council for Registration of Builders in Nigeria (CORBON) regulatory bodies have also been tasked to ensure that steel materials found on site are tested and appropriate action taken if they fall short of minimum standards.

These were recommendations by experts that attended a Steel Seminar organized by Building Collapse and Protection Guilds (BCPG), Ikorodu Cell, Lagos.

Specifically, a Past President of the Nigerian Institution of Structural Engineers, Dr. Victor Oyenuga stressed that since construction industry contribute sizably to the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and ranked as the 9th out of 19 sectors considered in the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) 2016 Report, COREN and CORBON as professional bodies in the built environment must enforce the minimum steel strength in the country.

For the Managing Director, Vasons Concept Consultants Limited, professional engineers must be the one who will issue a strength of certificate for every batch of steel leaving the factory stating clearly their net weight per kilogramme’, the steel diameter which should be measured from plane to rib and the actual stress of the consignment measured; diameter by diameter.

Speaking on: “The Importance Of Quality Flat Sheet and Steel Reinforcement Materials In The Construction Industry”, the Civil engineer stated that it is the sole responsibility of the Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON) to set up a specialized section to handle the construction industry materials alone.

He lamented that while it is the responsibility of COREN and CORBON to monitor building projects across the country, funding and logistics might be a major bane of the exercise. He therefore called on Governments at all levels to assist in this regard.

Earlier, the Chairman, Organising Committee of BCPG Ikorodu cell, Jide Olayinka said the idea originated from the Ikorodu Cell coordinator, Late Kayode Beckley’s ingenuity on the need for a collapse free environment in the country.

According to him, the workshop was meant to be an event where most of the Steel Manufacturers in Ikorodu, Odogunyan and Ogijo were expected to show case their products and the production processes bearing in mind the place of quality control of their production to meet the World Steel Reinforcement Standard (WSRS).

“This theme came out of the great impart of flat sheet and reinforcement materials in construction industry to guarantee its strength and stability against natural hazard and external forces. In the same vein, a number of Steel Manufacturers are established in Ikorodu Industrial Area concentrated in Odogunyan and Ogijo general area. The concentration of Metal Construction Works Enterprises in Ikorodu and it’s environ right from Owode Onirin to Agbowa, Odogunyan to Ogijo is of a sizeable recognition”, he stated.