KINGSTON, Jamaica JIS – Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Noel Arscott, says he will be seeking Cabinet approval shortly for the tabling of the revised Building Act in Parliament.

He was speaking at the launch of Earthquake Awareness Month 2016 at the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) offices on January 5.

The revised Bill will facilitate the adoption and efficient application of the National Building Code.

It aims to create an efficient structure for issuing building permits and certificates of occupancy; establish a fair system for the resolution of building disputes; regulate training and certification standards; licence building practitioners; and establish procedures for recognising building professionals.

The National Building Code will enable application of internationally recognised building standards as well as the accreditation of building products, construction methods, building components and systems.

It will address a variety of development issues including areas of insufficiently planned development, illegal occupation of and construction on private and public land, among other things.

Arscott said the Building Act and Code “are critical to the effort to prevent new settlements from being built….and the establishment and enforcement of internationally accepted building standards and rules.”

He said that once approved “the public can be assured that the Ministry, through the local authorities and the Bureau of Standards, will be enforcing the provisions.”

Meanwhile, Earthquake Awareness Month is being celebrated from January 1-30, 2016 under the theme: ‘Earthquake Safety: Don’t Be Scared…. Be Prepared’.

Among the activities scheduled for the month include a media marathon from January 10-16; Earthquake Awareness Day for Schools on January 13; Earthquake Awareness Day for Businesses on January 14; Earthquake Awareness Open Day on

January 20; and Seismic Youth Forum in February 2016.

Jamaica’s location along the northern margin of the Caribbean Plate and the presence of very active faults on the island makes it vulnerable to earthquakes. As such, earthquakes can occur at anytime and anywhere on the island.