If shelter forms an essential part of the tripod, food, clothing and shelter very crucial to human existence, definitely making the structure an enduring edifice warrants carrying out necessary tests to avoid the incidence of building collapse, This expose will attempt to proffer guidelines and methodological approach to guard against incessant building collapse in Nigeria.
The premise of this article follows from the catalogue of structural failure leading to building collapse which had been traced to a lot of factors ranging from substandard materials to poor workmanship.
Thus, to curb the incessant building collapse and the attendant consequences of loss of lives and properties as well as the economic and emotional drain being experienced, the article will attempt to advance the panacea which will reduce to barest minimum the incidence of building collapse in Nigeria.
One of the ways to ensure buildings meet the required standard of construction is to make it undergo quality control and assurance processes. While quality control makes sure the end product meets the quality requirement, quality assurance makes sure that the process of manufacturing the product, that is, construction of the building adheres to the standards. Therefore, quality assurance can be identified as a proactive process, while quality control can be noted as a reactive process.
A cardinal objective of this write up is to advocate for the establishment of materials testing laboratories, and or resuscitate moribund laboratories in all the states of the federation with the exception of Lagos State, where the operations of the laboratory have gained wide coinage,
Construction materials testing is essential when a project for building a new structure or amending and improvising an existing structure is undertaken. This type of testing service helps to determine the quality, safety, efficacy and endurance of the materials used for the project.
A corollary of the above is that the availability of a functional materials testing laboratory will be a focus point towards quality control and quality assurance on the application of materials viz:
Concrete, cement, water, aggregate, reinforcement| steel and develop material code.
Developing a material coding is as important as in material testing to fast track the process. When all items are coded, it is easier to identify errors and make corrections quickly.
NwokeAgulu
