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BSI Abu Dhabi general manager Ahmad Al Khatib recommends iso9001 for quality.

The recent collapse of a newly constructed building in Dubai has brought build quality to the fore and in particular the adherence to recognised standards and certifications. What is expected of construction firms and is this likely to change? Construction Week investigates.

The collapse of an eight-storey building in Deira in mid-August hit the headlines across the region. The fact that it was a new built property and there was no immediate reason for the collapse, such as a fire, heightened concern over why it had happened.

The results of an investigation by Dubai Municipality into the collapse are expected to be announced within the next few weeks. However, initial statements from the investigating committee have confirmed that aspects being included within their scope are whether suitable building materials were used in construction; whether the design of the structure was flawed; and the operational aspects of the project. One of the main ways to gauge all of these factors is whether they met approved standards and certifications.

But what does gaining recognised certifications actually mean and are the authorities likely to increase the stringency of their requirements following this latest incident?

Standard practice

There are a wide number of standards and certifications applicable to firms operating within the construction industry. Those that must be adhered to by law vary according to discipline and the local authority regulations, however, certain standards are now recognised globally and widely used throughout the industry.

"From a certification perspective, I would say that ISO14,001 for environment; OHSAS 18,001 for occupational health and safety; in addition, ISO9001 for quality [are among the main standards that must be adhered to in GCC countries]," states BSI Abu Dhabi general manager Ahmad Al Khatib.

In general, the certification of firms to such standards shows that they adhere to recognised methods of working that have been set out within the listed standard. The aim of doing so is to improve performance, efficiency and safety, with the certifications demonstrating the firm's achievements to outside parties. Although standards are voluntary and separate from legal and regulatory systems, they can be used to support or complement legislation.

Some of the other standards that are applicable within the industry relate to specific materials or products. "For reinforcing steel the product standard mainly used is the British Standard BS 4449: 1997," explains UK Cares executive director Ben Bowsher. "The standard requires either steel supplied by a company that has a valid accredited product certificate, which is normally supplied by Cares, or there should be a product testing regime applied, which approved each batch of steel from a non-certified source," he adds.

Such stringent quality control over products is imperative in the construction of buildings. The absence of approved and properly installed products can create major issues warns Passive Fire Protection Federation  (PFPF) chair David Sugden: "[In the case of passive fire systems] you can't test the installed system you need to have the products tested in a lab in a test rig.

But unless you install the materials and products in a building to the same standard as they were in the test rig then they won't perform in the same way," he warns.

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