THE Incorporated Masterbuilders Association of Jamaica (IMAJ), an umbrella group of builders, is blaming flood damage to homes and roadways on what it says is the shoddy work of construction engineers.

The building contractors now say they will be demanding of government that strict engineering standards be applied to public infrastructure.

“We are not pleased with the quality of some of the infrastructure. We believe that there are too many engineering flaws, and that public officials are sometimes not doing their jobs by approving bad engineering work,” said IMAJ president Don Mullings in an Observer interview Saturday.

The IMAJ will be requesting an early meeting with transport and works minister Robert Pickersgill to discuss the matter.

“The masterbuilders will be taking up these cases with government on Monday (today) and will be making recommendations as to what we believe must be done immediately to prevent occurrences of engineering flaws,” Mullings said.

He was referring specifically to the recent flooding of housing schemes in Kennedy Grove, Clarendon, and Nightingale Grove in St Andrew, and Mandela Highway, St Catherine.

“For example, dumping on the right side of Mandela Highway going out of Kingston speaks volumes. That should never be allowed to happen, that was a serious engineering flaw and I believe that is responsible for the flooding there,” he said.

The IMAJ president also advocated Saturday that public officials and professionals who approve flawed engineer’s work plan should be fired for dereliction of duty.

Mullings, who spoke to the Observer at a seminar on Construction safety and health insurance at the Jamaica Conference Centre, Kingston, said the public must ensure that their built environment functions the way it should.

The construction industry has a labour force of some 90,000.

Mullings warned masterbuilders to reject the notion that injury and disease go with the job, saying the industry recorded about 700 accidents per year, the highest of all occupational groups.

A new occupational and safety law is being drafted, which will force companies to ensure safe environments for their workers.

Mullings said, however, that while construction was high risk, the industry had only one death per year.

Labour ministry statistics indicate that since January, there have been six workplace deaths.

whytetk@jamaicaobserver.com