Building Collapse: Lagos Demands Integrity Test On Buildings
Piqued by frequent cases of building collapse and unnecessary loss of lives and properties, the Lagos State Government has advised property owners, especially distressed and dilapidated buildings in the state to ensure that integrity and stability tests are conducted on their building to prevent tragedy.
The acting general manager, Lagos State Materials Testing Laboratory (LSMTL), Rasheed Teslim Balogun, who stated this during a visit to the site of a partially collapsed building at Alli Close, Mile 12, Ketu at the weekend stated that the agency will conduct a non-destructive test on the building.
According to him, a study of the structural elements of the building will help to examine and confirm the stability and the integrity on the remaining structures of the partially collapsed building.
He urged all builders in the state to work with the agency by conducting necessary tests before embarking on construction and ensure that standard materials are used for construction.
Balogun who implored all builders in the state to abide with standard specification for the construction of any building, maintained that the ongoing integrity test on all buildings at the Lekki Gardens as directed by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode will be completed this week.
The LSMTL boss said his agency has issued ‘stop-work’ orders to some site contractors and engineers across the state until necessary certifications were done on the various materials used for their construction works.
Balogun said he gave the order while inspecting some construction sites and requested for the result of a soil test on the site from contractors handling the projects.
He appealed to all stakeholders in the built industry to do the needful by complying with all laws guiding construction processes especially the certification of building materials by the agency, reiterating the administration’s stance on accountability.
