USAID/OAS Post-Georges Disaster Mitigation Project

Building Inspectors Training Workshop
Antigua, 15-26 January 2001

Workshop Recommendations

Note: These recommendations were taken from the final report of the Building Inspector Training workshop (MSWord 150k).

Training

a) There is a great need for the training of all Inspectors to allow them to do their job with confidence. There is a common complaint that the Inspectors do not carry out their duties properly and show lack of interest in their work It is apparent that lack of knowledge of the tools of their work does have a negative impact on motivation and on performance.

b) In general, the answers to the questions in the workbook showed that much more training in the building inspection is needed by at least 50% of the participants. It is therefore recommended that a regime of training in construction or architectural engineering be established for the Building Inspectors at technical schools in Barbados or Jamaica or Trinidad which offer such courses.

c) It is recommended also that the post secondary institutions in Antigua and in St. Kitts provide training in building subjects, making use of the Building Guidelines as the principal reference material, rather that the texts emanating from the UK sources. Representatives of the Antigua State College were present for part of the workshop and agreed to make use of the Guidelines in their program. This has to be followed up and encouraged as there is at present a disconnect between the DCA in Antigua and the technical schools. The technical school (the Antigua State College) has also stated that there is a difficulty in obtaining the documents. The DCA should use its influence to ensure that the State College has an adequate supply of the Building Codes and Building Guidelines for teaching purposes.

Workshops for Building Inspectors

There should be similar workshops planned annually for Building Inspectors.

The workshops can be of 5 days duration rather that the 10 days duration of the January 2001 workshop. Emphasis should be placed on the exercises for plan reviews and field inspection of construction. The presentations which were designed (for the January workshop) to provide background information on disaster mitigation may not be required, but the detailed discussions on safe building techniques as given in the Guidelines must be discussed at length. One problem is that there is very often new and untrained persons appointed as Building Inspectors. The training workshop for these officers and for the more experienced officers will be invaluable.

Workshops for Builders.

An annual three day workshop for builders of dwelling houses and other buildings within the scope of the Guidelines should also be planned.

This can best be done by the regulatory institutions, as the builders will respond to the need for discussions on the Guidelines only if the officers of the regulatory institutions use the Guidelines as a source of their decisions, and only if the builders are aware that this process will be in place.

The pace of building in St. Kitts and Nevis and in Antigua and Barbuda encourages many artisans to become builders. There is a great need for training not only in the requirements of the Building Guidelines but in the basic contractual skills needed to ensure safe housing at affordable costs. Inexperienced builders often find that the contract prices quoted are inadequate and then tend to cut corners which may then lead to unsafe situations.


USAID/OAS Post-Georges Disaster Mitigation: http://www.oas.org/pgdm

Page last updated on 07 Jun 2001