Accreditation is delivering confidence in construction

Accreditation can support the sector to meet its need for smarter, cleaner and safer construction by providing assurance into the safety of the workforce on-site

June 9, 2017 marks World Accreditation Day as a global initiative, jointly established by the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC), to raise awareness of the importance of accreditation. This year’s theme focuses on how accreditation can support professionals in the construction industry, raining from contractors, manufacturers, designers, architects, civil engineers, to regulators. 

Standards and accredited conformity assessment are market-based tools that can be used in the construction sector to cover construction products and materials, building techniques and practices, onsite Health & Safety, environmental impact, to even the use of digital technology in smart buildings. 
The construction sector is complex and highly competitive, and provides challenges for companies seeking to improve margins, and reduce costs whilst improving build quality and ensuring a safe environment on site. Accreditation supports the construction sector to control risk help drive efficiency, demonstrate regulatory compliance, and provide supply chain confidence. 
What are the issues? Are the buildings we live or work in safe?  Are there measures in place to ensure that construction sites are safe places to work?  What reassurance is there that raw materials and construction products meet specification and are of suitable quality?  How do we know that buildings are capable of withstanding fire, storm, water, collapse, subsidence, vibration?  How can we trust claims made about the environmental impact and sustainability of construction projects?
The building sector is important for economic development, employment creation and the environment. The volume of construction output is forecast to grow by 85% to $15.5 trillion worldwide by 20301. This growth will be driven by developed countries recovering from economic instability and emerging countries continuing to industrialize. With a growing world population, and around half of that population living in urban areas, the need for commercial and domestic construction and infrastructure increases. At the same time, there are diminishing natural resources, pressures on public and private finances pressures, and requirements placed on the environmental impact and long-term sustainability of construction projects. 
Accreditation can support the sector to meet its need for smarter, cleaner and safer construction by providing assurance into the safety of the workforce on-site, the quality and origin of construction products and raw materials, the energy efficiency of buildings, the quality of design and architecture, the safe installation of electrical and gas networks, and the long-term sustainability of buildings.
In Northern Ireland, all construction works contracts procured by a Centre of Procurement Expertise (CoPE) include a requirement that all main contractors seeking to tender shall have and maintain an Environmental Management System (EMS) certified by an accredited third party. The department has taken this step to minimize the impact that construction has on the environment and to ensure that contractors comply with applicable laws and regulations. Central Procurement Directorate (CPD) in conjunction with the CoPEs will approve and accept third party certification of an EMS provided that: it is based on a recognized standard – for example, ISO 14001, and it is construction focused incorporating site inspections and the third party certification body is accredited.
The Swedish authority Boverket – the Swedish National Board of Housing, Building and Planning uses accredited certification bodies accredited to ISO/IEC 17024 to certify persons to ensure that they are competence according to: Expert in Energy consumption in buildings according to regulation BFS 2011:9 Expert in Quality assurance during construction of buildings according to regulation BFS 2011:14 Expert in Ventilation system in buildings according to regulation BFS 2011:16 Expert in Fire protection in buildings according to regulation BFS 2011:17 Expert on Culture values for buildings according to regulation BFS 2011:16 Expert in Accessibility in buildings according to regulation BFS 2011:18.
Local regulators, the Public Health & Safety Department & Building Department in Dubai require that lifting equipment including cranes and lifts are periodically inspected by accredited inspection bodies. This helps supports the regulator, as well as ensure a safer working environment.
The Hong Kong Housing Authority builds an average of 20000 flats per year for the public sector in Hong Kong. The quality of building materials and components is a prime concern to both the Authority and to industry as rework of any non-complying building products would have time, cost, safety and reputational implications. The Housing Authority fully recognizes that product certification is an upstream quality control process and it offers higher quality assurance through regular rigorous audits by a competent third party certification body. As a result, the Housing Authority specifies the requirement of using certified products for ten major building materials in its construction projects. Other than those building materials specified by Housing Authority, more construction product certification schemes have also been developed or are being developed (e.g. steel reinforcement, paints, mechanical couplers, aggregate products, etc) per the requirement of various stakeholders. Product certification provides a reliable means for assuring production quality throughout the whole production process from incoming raw materials, production, inspection, sample selection and testing, traceability, etc thus making available certified construction products of quality for use in building projects.
Building Consent Authorities (BCAs) in New Zealand that carry out building consenting and inspection must be accredited to demonstrate their competence and impartiality. Accreditation is awarded against standards and criteria published by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE). Accreditation aims to improve the control of, and encourage better practice and performance in building 
design and regulatory building control. 
In Japan, Testing Laboratory Accreditation System based on the JIS Law (Japan National Laboratory Accreditation System, JNLA) for concrete strength testing and metallic materials tensile testing are adopted in specifications or guidance documents issued by local governments and public agencies as part of requirements for third party testing facility. Based on these requirements, for example in the ready-mixed concrete and building material industries, testing facilities are accredited according to ISO/IEC 17025 as testing laboratories so that they can deliver confidence in their test results and contribute in ensuring the safety of public construction and built environment.
The Minister of the Department of Labor (DoL) of South Africa recognizes the use of Risk Based Inspection (RBI) implemented by those responsible for pressure vessels and steam generator in industries. 
These regulations are enacted through an accreditation programme that recognizes that certification bodies will certify risk based inspection management systems. Industry benefits through reduced downtime of equipment, and potentially lower insurance premiums.
In the United Kingdom, testing laboratories operate in the fields of construction materials (such as concrete, aggregates, cement, soils, bituminous materials, roofing materials, rock and natural stone, masonry, steel), manufactured construction products (such as Road Signs & Lighting Columns, Floors, Non Electrical Cutlery and Domestic Kitchen Tools, Windows, Glazing and Doors, Pipes, Ducts and Fittings, Plumbing Components, Valves, Fittings and Water Meters, Vehicle Light Fittings, Bulbs and reflectors, paints and coatings, Road Signs & Lighting Columns, ceramics, tools, and artificial sports and playground surfaces), geo textiles, NDT, engineering materials, machinery and structures, acoustics, and air leakage testing to deliver supply chain confidence. Calibration laboratories specialize in acoustics, dimensional, mass, density, volume, force, torque hardness, electrical, pressure, fluids, temperature and humidity testing.

The writer is Director General, Bangladesh Accreditation Board
[email protected] 

Accreditation is delivering confidence in construction

Accreditation can support the sector to meet its need for smarter, cleaner and safer construction by providing assurance into the safety of the workforce on-site

June 9, 2017 marks World Accreditation Day as a global initiative, jointly established by the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC), to raise awareness of the importance of accreditation. This years theme focuses on how accreditation can support professionals in the construction industry, raining from contractors, manufacturers, designers, architects, civil engineers, to regulators. Standards and accredited conformity assessment are market-based tools that can be used in the construction sector to cover construction products and materials, building techniques and practices, onsite Health Safety, environmental impact, to even the use of digital technology in smart buildings. The construction sector is complex and highly competitive, and provides challenges for companies seeking to improve margins, and reduce costs whilst improving build quality and ensuring a safe environment on site. Accreditation supports the construction sector to control risk help drive efficiency, demonstrate regulatory compliance, and provide supply chain confidence. What are the issues? Are the buildings we live or work in safe? Are there measures in place to ensure that construction sites are safe places to work? What reassurance is there that raw materials and construction products meet specification and are of suitable quality? How do we know that buildings are capable of withstanding fire, storm, water, collapse, subsidence, vibration? How can we trust claims made about the environmental impact and sustainability of construction projects? The building sector is important for economic development, employment creation and the environment. The volume of construction output is forecast to grow by 85% to $15.5 trillion worldwide by 20301. This growth will be driven by developed countries recovering from economic instability and emerging countries continuing to industrialize. With a growing world population, and around half of that population living in urban areas, the need for commercial and domestic construction and infrastructure increases. At the same time, there are diminishing natural resources, pressures on public and private finances pressures, and requirements placed on the environmental impact and long-term sustainability of construction projects. Accreditation can support the sector to meet its need for smarter, cleaner and safer construction by providing assurance into the safety of the workforce on-site, the quality and origin of construction products and raw materials, the energy efficiency of buildings, the quality of design and architecture, the safe installation of electrical and gas networks, and the long-term sustainability of buildings. In Northern Ireland, all construction works contracts procured by a Centre of Procurement Expertise (CoPE) include a requirement that all main contractors seeking to tender shall have and maintain an Environmental Management System (EMS) certified by an accredited third party. The department has taken this step to minimize the impact that construction has on the environment and to ensure that contractors comply with applicable laws and regulations. Central Procurement Directorate (CPD) in conjunction with the CoPEs will approve and accept third party certification of an EMS provided that: it is based on a recognized standard for example, ISO 14001, and it is construction focused incorporating site inspections and the third party certification body is accredited. The Swedish authority Boverket the Swedish National Board of Housing, Building and Planning uses accredited certification bodies accredited to ISO/IEC 17024 to certify persons to ensure that they are competence according to: Expert in Energy consumption in buildings according to regulation BFS 2011:9 Expert in Quality assurance during construction of buildings according to regulation BFS 2011:14 Expert in Ventilation system in buildings according to regulation BFS 2011:16 Expert in Fire protection in buildings according to regulation BFS 2011:17 Expert on Culture values for buildings according to regulation BFS 2011:16 Expert in Accessibility in buildings according to regulation BFS 2011:18. Local regulators, the Public Health Safety Department Building Department in Dubai require that lifting equipment including cranes and lifts are periodically inspected by accredited inspection bodies. This helps supports the regulator, as well as ensure a safer working environment. The Hong Kong Housing Authority builds an average of 20000 flats per year for the public sector in Hong Kong. The quality of building materials and components is a prime concern to both the Authority and to industry as rework of any non-complying building products would have time, cost, safety and reputational implications. The Housing Authority fully recognizes that product certification is an upstream quality control process and it offers higher quality assurance through regular rigorous audits by a competent third party certification body. As a result, the Housing Authority specifies the requirement of using certified products for ten major building materials in its construction projects. Other than those building materials specified by Housing Authority, more construction product certification schemes have also been developed or are being developed (e.g. steel reinforcement, paints, mechanical couplers, aggregate products, etc) per the requirement of various stakeholders. Product certification provides a reliable means for assuring production quality throughout the whole production process from incoming raw materials, production, inspection, sample selection and testing, traceability, etc thus making available certified construction products of quality for use in building projects. Building Consent Authorities (BCAs) in New Zealand that carry out building consenting and inspection must be accredited to demonstrate their competence and impartiality. Accreditation is awarded against standards and criteria published by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE). Accreditation aims to improve the control of, and encourage better practice and performance in building design and regulatory building control. In Japan, Testing Laboratory Accreditation System based on the JIS Law (Japan National Laboratory Accreditation System, JNLA) for concrete strength testing and metallic materials tensile testing are adopted in specifications or guidance documents issued by local governments and public agencies as part of requirements for third party testing facility. Based on these requirements, for example in the ready-mixed concrete and building material industries, testing facilities are accredited according to ISO/IEC 17025 as testing laboratories so that they can deliver confidence in their test results and contribute in ensuring the safety of public construction and built environment. The Minister of the Department of Labor (DoL) of South Africa recognizes the use of Risk Based Inspection (RBI) implemented by those responsible for pressure vessels and steam generator in industries. These regulations are enacted through an accreditation programme that recognizes that certification bodies will certify risk based inspection management systems. Industry benefits through reduced downtime of equipment, and potentially lower insurance premiums. In the United Kingdom, testing laboratories operate in the fields of construction materials (such as concrete, aggregates, cement, soils, bituminous materials, roofing materials, rock and natural stone, masonry, steel), manufactured construction products (such as Road Signs Lighting Columns, Floors, Non Electrical Cutlery and Domestic Kitchen Tools, Windows, Glazing and Doors, Pipes, Ducts and Fittings, Plumbing Components, Valves, Fittings and Water Meters, Vehicle Light Fittings, Bulbs and reflectors, paints and coatings, Road Signs Lighting Columns, ceramics, tools, and artificial sports and playground surfaces), geo textiles, NDT, engineering materials, machinery and structures, acoustics, and air leakage testing to deliver supply chain confidence. Calibration laboratories specialize in acoustics, dimensional, mass, density, volume, force, torque hardness, electrical, pressure, fluids, temperature and humidity testing. The writer is Director General, Bangladesh Accreditation Board [email protected]