Bureau of Standards launches code of standards

World Standards Day dates back to 1946 when it was first established in London. But Belize didn’t join until 2003 when CARICOM, as a regional body, signed on. And while little is known of it, the Belize Bureau of Standards is putting World Standards Day on the local map. It is launching a code for standards under the theme, “Intelligent and Sustainable Buildings” to create awareness on safety measures in commercial, governmental and residential buildings. The overall objective is to ensure that structures are safe for the general public. According to the presenters, they are targeting students studying in related areas to get the information out.

Douglas Morrison, Chairperson Engineering Department, U.B.
“Here at the University we are training technicians, which will eventually be the engineers of this country. And therefore, if they don’t understand standards, construction standards, how to put it together then this country will not develop.”

Jose Trejo, Acting Director, Belize Bureau of Standards
“Standards is something we have to build on in this country and we have to make sure it is at the tip of the tongue of every Belizean. It is more to promote, to have some public awareness of what standards is all about. Today’s session is basically a spin-off of what is going to be the Caribbean Development Bank Funding for a budget for regional building standards. So what we hope to achieve at the end of the day is a harmonization of standards across the region in terms of a building code.”

Phillip Waight, Chairman, Central Building Authority
“What happen is when you establish standards, there is basically two aspects: one, from the workmanship as well as the material you’re being utilized. So basically, it’s marrying the engineering aspect along with the workmanship. If you look at areas where they have substandard structures then you have disasters occurring to both people living there and everybody surrounding. If we do not adhere to standards, if we do not build according to a code, then you find you’re creating problems not only just for the people directly who live there but overall. So if you look at the Belama structure, it’s not just the building that you should take in but the whole comprehensive thing—drainage, roads, elevations, filling up and all that.”