Building Collapse: Experts Canvass Periodic Audits Of Material-Testing Laboratories

As building collapses continue to take their toll on the nation’s built environment, technical experts from the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) and the Building Collapse Prevention Guild (BCPG) have stressed the need for periodic audits of accredited material-testing laboratories to nip the problem in the bud.

The professionals, who joined the Lagos State Materials-Testing Laboratory (LSMTL), led by its General Manager, Engr (Mrs) Olayinka Abdul, to inspect 12 accredited material-testing laboratories across Lagos State, said the exercise was part of efforts to strengthen material-testing standards.

The three representatives of COREN-Engr Olayinka Alli, Engr (Dr) Mojirade Oloruntoba and Engr Tomide Akinnawo- brought to the fore the importance of professionalism in the process of examining the quality of materials to be used for construction projects.

They assessed personnel competence, laboratory capacity, equipment and calibration, documentation, professional certification, and compliance with technical requirements.

A member of the BCPG delegation and former Head of the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Lagos, Engr (Prof) Ewaen Ikponmwosa, stressed the need for regular, independent scrutiny of testing laboratories.

He said it was important to carry out periodic assessments of testing laboratories, especially private ones, to ensure that the equipment used for tests was in good condition, regularly calibrated, and that tests were conducted and analysed by qualified personnel.

Another BCPG delegate, Engr Ebenezer Ologuntoye, who is the immediate past Chairman of the Nigerian Institution of Geotechnical Engineers, Lagos State Chapter, situated the exercise within the wider need for stronger oversight of geotechnical practice.

He stated that since a sub-soil investigation or soil test report is an essential requirement for obtaining building plan approval in Lagos State, the need for the LSMTL to assist in sanitising the geotechnical sector could not be over-emphasised.

According to him, this should be considered a precautionary measure against building foundation failures.

The Secretary of the BCPG Ayobo-Ipaja Cell, Builder Opeyemi Badmos, who also took part in the inspection, linked the exercise to resolutions from the cell’s Workshop on Maintaining the Quality of Sandcrete Blocks, held on December 4, 2024, in Ipaja, Lagos.

He stated that at the Sandcrete Blocks Workshop, the Standards Organisation of Nigeria and the Lagos State Materials-Testing Laboratory assured members of the National Association of Block Moulders of Nigeria and built environment professionals in attendance that a mechanism for regular random testing of blocks would be instituted, with laboratories using mobile testing devices to conduct on-site quality checks at block manufacturers’ premises.

According to him, the approach was aimed at eradicating substandard sandcrete blocks from the construction sector. He therefore urged SON and LSMTL to jointly commence the exercise.