(Jamaica Observer) Jamaica’s engineers have been advised to do all they can to prevent “quacks” from being allowed to practise engineering.
According to University of Technology President Professor Errol Morrison, a number of other professionals including architects, doctors, dentists are being “besieged by ‘quackery'”, and it was critical that standards be upheld and care be taken “in order to keep out cowans and intruders”.
He was addressing guests at the recent Jamaica Institution of Engineers (JIE) annual awards dinner at the Jamaica Pegasus themed “Engineering Standards for Development”.
The event saw the honouring of chairman of the National Building Code Committee Noel DaCosta.
Noting that in the absence of standards, it is left to anybody’s interpretation as to how and where they want to build, Professor Morrison said that it was “welcome news that finally Jamaica will have the relevant legislative framework to enforce the required international standards for modern building construction”.
Comparing the magnitude 7.0 earthquake that devastated Haiti in January 2010 and the more powerful magnitude 8.8 earthquake that hit Chile later that year, which resulted in far less damage to that country, he said that “mindful of the risks and impact that adequate standards pose to any profession, we are happy to see this development”.
New JIE President Omar Sweeney, in his first address since being installed, said that the JIE has for some time been concerned about issues related to the number, types and quality of graduates which continue to affect the quality of service in the profession.
In this regard, he said, the JIE will be establishing a student chapter at the University of Technology (UTech) “to increase its visibility to youth and expose them more to this chosen career”.
The JIE 2011 Council, Sweeney noted, will focus on engineering education, continuing education for practitioners, the exploitation of new opportunities such as processing and food product manufacturing which offer possibilities for the development of the mechanical, chemical and industrial disciplines of engineering.
Praising engineer Noel DaCosta, chairman of the Building Code Committee, and his various sub-committee chairmen, Sweeney said that while the passing of the Building Code into law is now imminent, it would have to be properly promulgated to building professionals and used by practitioners.
There was also a need now, he said for review and standardisation of the long-standing specifications currently being used to develop bridges, roads and water supply systems.
The JIE, he said, would tackle these and other issues in his Council year 2011/2012 as they work “to engineer standards to further Jamaica’s development”.
