… Warns Consultants on Inaccurate Test Results
The General Manager of the Lagos State Materials Testing Laboratory Agency, Engr. Olayinka Abdul has called for absolute caution on results emanating from its Technical Consultants to be valid and directed at aligning techniques in averting building collapse across the Lagos Metropolis.
Speaking during a training programme held on Friday at the Conference Hall of the Lagos State Public Works Corporation for Technical Consultants of the Agency in collaboration with the Association for Consulting Engineers of Nigeria (ACEN), Engr. Abdul disclosed that with the teaming population of Lagos State, it was imperative to deploy strategic standards to ensure professionalism in its materials testing processes to eradicate building collapse in the State.
She said, “Lagos is a global city with opportunities for improved service delivery. That is why this training is designed to enhance your reporting techniques and your Laboratory scrutiny procedures on Materials Tests to randomly check for faults in buildings. It is pertinent to have valid data collation; otherwise, if litigation arises you will be blacklisted”.
“Be credible and professional because you have to always defend every result from your office as our partners to ensure a stronger backup process. Remember, you do not proffer any remedy so you need not misinform. Just conduct credible tests for building materials”, she added.
While urging for a stronger backup process on its test results, Engr. Abdul appealed for accurate data collation, reiterating that raw data will help to enhance the built industry and guide LSMTL in developing a position paper which would enact guiding codes for the development of durable structures to stand the test of time.
In her keynote address, the Managing Director of the Association for Consulting Engineers of Nigeria (ACEN) Engr. Funmi Kadiri applauded the Lagos State Government’s ability to meet the highest benchmark in the built industry, nationwide.
She said, “This training is a deliberate effort to effectively avert disasters associated with buildings’ collapse across the State in particular and Nigeria in general. Particularly, the mission of investigative testing, your core job is targeted at safer and more reliable projects in Lagos State”.
Engr. Kadiri underscored the purpose of ensuring a built environment that fosters progress and upholds integrity, considering quality as non-negotiable.
She opined, “This training focuses on innovative materials testing techniques and methodologies that have been recognized worldwide, ensuring that our practices are not just effective, but also at the cutting edge of what the global Engineering community has to offer. By embracing these international best practices, we empower ourselves to tackle the variety of challenges that our industry faces today. Throughout this training, I encourage each participant to engage fully”.
Also speaking, Engr. Olusola Sanni, Director, Sanni, Ojo & Partners Consulting Limited, one of the facilitators, advocated that Non-Destructive Tests (NDT) should be conducted on all standing buildings, for durability.
He said, “Cracks appear on buildings because something is pushing the concrete apart due to rusting of iron rods used. Oftentimes, chloride contaminated sand and when such interacts with concrete, it forms a crack. To ascertain the extent to which cracks have affected the edifice, it is imperative to have Non-Destructive Tests (NDT) conducted using specialised equipment”.
While recounting the various specialised equipment to be used for efficiency, Engr. Sanni advised that the selected equipment must have their certification of calibration.
“Ensure you have a full understanding of the appliance by reading through the manual for good interpretation. Remember, you have to shed off the extra surface to fully access the building area in its natural form”, he stated.
Engr. Kemi Oluwasegun, a Civil and Project Engineer and facilitator at the forum, said results obtained from tests must correlate with the truthful interpretation of what was obtained from the site.
She averred, “There is no perfect technique, however, all data given during tests must be accurate, not feeble or insipid. When proper collation is conducted, this will curb episodes of building collapse and help measure details accurately.
“Remember, Engineering is like medicine, so many lives are dependent on its success, as any form of mis-normal will result in disaster. Thus, all equipment being used must be consistently calibrated to have aligned results. Upon calibration, the equipment must be well tagged”, Oluwasegun stated.
