Qatari version of ASTM standards officially launched

11/17/2015 8:10:23 AM

(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Minister of Environment H E Ahmed Amer Mohamed Al Humaidi with Dr Mohamed Saif Al Kuwari and other officials looking at a project of Qatar Industrial Manufacturing Company yesterday.

Doha: Minister of Environment H E Ahmed Amer Mohamed Al Humaidi yesterday announced the official launch of Qatari version of the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards.

The agreement signed with ASTM has made Qatari specifications and their American references available to all researchers and practitioners in Qatar and the rest of the world he said.

Qatar is determined to build its urban development on clear bases of quality through commitment to construction specifications compatible with Qatar’s cultural heritage environment and Arab identity the Minister said in his opening speech at the Second Conference on Qatar Construction Specifications.

He said: “An important milestone has been achieved in the march of Qatar Construction Specifications (QCS) with the adoption of the first edition of QCS in 2002.”

The fifth edition was launched last year and became obligatory in May 2015 for the government and private sectors.

The Minister said QCS was adopted as a Qatari obligatory technical regulation in line with the overall boom in the state under the leadership of Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

He said the march will continue with an optimistic outlook to the future and keenness to further develop the experience.

A large number of executives and consultants will conduct dialogues and discussions on some chapters of QCS to achieve better understanding of means of implementation and developing constructive recommendations on how to “move forward to meet the commitment”.

QCS is a set of technical guidelines that should be adhered to by the public and private sectors. The companies concerned need to invest more in training and attach more importance to communicating with government agencies to inquire about any specification and its application the Minister said.

He stressed the importance of training and qualifying national cadre to oversee implementation of QCS and praised the adherence of all sectors to QCS since its implementation in May 2015.

Specifications and standards are constantly renewed and amended in line with global developments said the Minister.

Dr Mohammed bin Saif Al Kuwari Assistant Undersecretary Laboratories and Standardization said many changes have been made to the fifth edition of QCS since its first launch and there are plans to launch the global version of specifications in 2018.

He said there are challenges facing implementation of specifications which need deeper understanding training and the most important of all is to admit its importance.

He called on concerned entities to invest more time and train their engineers and officials to ensure proper understanding of specifications as these are linked to the future development of construction in the state.

Al Kuwari pointed out that the committee concerned is ready to support companies and engineers in the private and government sectors.

The Peninsula

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