Ghana Standards Authority develops conformity assessment scheme for precast concrete products
The Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) has developed a Conformity Assessment Scheme to regulate the precast concrete industry in the country.
The Scheme is expected to help tackle the long-standing issue of the collapse of buildings and the influx of substandard precast concrete products on the local market.
It comprises initial inspection of manufacturing facilities; initial testing of precast products; certification of precast product manufacturers; factory surveillance of manufacturing facilities; provision of national standards to manufacturers; and training of staff of manufacturing facilities.
In view of the above, the GSA has organised a training for certified manufacturers of precast concrete products at its head office in Accra.
The training equipped the manufacturers with the right competence to be able to produce standard precast concrete products for the construction industry as well as distribute the standard for blocks and guide to quality standard sand Crete block manufacturing to the participants.
Mr George Omane Twumasi, the Director of Physical Science at the GSA, said the training would enable the participants to comply with the right standards for the industry.
He noted that housing was one of the basic needs of man, and as such, manufacturing or trading of precast concrete products were essential to ensure the safety of Ghanaians.
“This training will equip you all to meet the right standards to enable you to produce to meet the increasing demands for concrete products in the country,” he added.
Mr Emmanuel Obeng, the Quality Coordinator for the Physical Science Directorate of the GSA, indicated that the training would be replicated in other parts of the country to sensitise all manufacturers to good practices for producing quality precast concrete products.
The manufacturers were grateful to the GSA for the training and appealed for more of such encounters to produce according to the requirements.
“We appreciate your support, and we are appealing to you to provide us with handouts and more trainings to help us produce according to standards and also keep us abreast with new trends in the construction industry,” Rev. Daniel Nortei Nortey of Sparrow Line Enterprise, said.
Some of the certified manufacturers that attended the training included Brothers Blocks, Mercy Mat, Brighter Days Ventures, Cosmos Blocks, Anaybo Ventures, Mambota Block Factory, Winbril Ventures, Crystal Ground, Joseph K. Tamim Enterprise, Olives Block Factory, and Sparrow Line Enterprise.
GSA’s mission is to contribute towards the growth of industry, protect consumers and facilitate trade through standardisation, metrology, and conformity assessment.
Activities of Conformity Assessment are inspection, testing, and certification.
These activities ensure that products or goods and services produced in Ghana, whether for local consumption or for export, are safe, reliable and are of good quality.
Source: GNA