Comprehensive Building Code Being Developed

The Government of Jamaica is in the process of developing a modern comprehensive national Building Code that will among other things, address the peculiarities of high-rise buildings, and ensure that no single disaster can damage the island’s building stock, which would make providing shelter and medical attention difficult in such an event.
Minister of Commerce, Science and Technology, Phillip Paulwell made this disclosure yesterday (October 11) while addressing a meeting of the Jamaica Institute of Engineers (JIE) at the Knutsford Court Hotel in New Kingston.
“All aspects of the code are being revised,” Mr. Paulwell stated, further noting that the planned revisions would, “involve areas not previously included such as Mechanical Equipment Code, Plumbing Code, Energy Conservation Code, Performance Code, Sewage Code, the Urban Wildlife Code, Interface Code, the existing Building Code, and Residential Code”.
According to Mr. Paulwell, construction would be monitored more rigorously under the new Code. “This will include the inspection of plumbing, electrical, mechanical and structural engineering,” he explained. Updating the engineers as to the current status of the Code, the Minister said that to date, some 20 to 30 per cent of the overall extent of the process had been completed.