Concrete industry gets tough
Tightening specifications for readymix concrete has led to substantial growth in the membership of the Southern Africa Readymix Association (SARMA) from companies seeking formal accreditation of their plants and processes.
The Association advocates using quality concrete only from suppliers that have been audited and accredited to have adequate safety, health, responsible road usage, environmental protection and quality systems in place. This would ensure that concrete delivered on site meets requirements and minimises the risk of failures.
Recent high-profile building collapses and the dismal state of certain low-cost housing developments have improved the construction industry’s awareness of the importance of using accountable suppliers and of procuring concrete only from accredited companies.
General manager Johan van Wyk said that the association is engaging with all relevant role players to make specifying SARMA-accredited readymix concrete mandatory.
“Already several organisations, municipalities and mines have started stipulating use of SARMA-approved readymix on their sites. As a result, more companies are joining SARMA and undergoing our annual audits.
“Based on internationally recognised ISO standards, our systems establish minimum standards for our industry. SARMA also has its own requirements and all members are bound to uphold our codes of conduct and abide by all relevant legislation governing the industry.
“As a result, readymix concrete quality in South Africa is higher than ever before and, provided SARMA-accredited members are used, customers are assured of receiving concrete complying with our very high minimum standards. Unregistered readymix companies do not comply with these standards and concrete quality can thus be hit-and-miss,” said Van Wyk.
Unannounced audits on members’ sites will be instituted in 2015 to ensure plants comply with requirements at all times, preventing any “window-dressing” around audit times. Training workshops for members will be increased and skills development within the industry remains a top priority.
“We are planning to join readymix bodies in the USA and Europe, to introduce fast-response teams to clean up concrete spillages and to become the registering authority for concrete technologists in South Africa.
“We will continue working to ensure that the quality of readymix can compete with the best in the world,” concludes Van Wyk.
More information from Johan van Wyk, Tel: +27(0)11 791 3327 / www.sarma.co.za
