BMAJ president stresses the importance of block making standards

ONE ESSENTIAL material used in construction is blocks. From foundations of multistorey buildings to retaining walls and sidewalks, blocks and their integrity are fundamental to any infrastructure.

The Block Makers Association of Jamaica (BMAJ) is an organisation that was formed to look at the common problems within the block making industry and to jointly find solutions.

President of the BMAJ Delroy Christie explained in a recent sit-down with The Gleaner that the association works closely with the the Bureau of Standards Jamaica and is active within the committees.

“In recent years, everyone has become a block maker with little or no knowledge of the intricacies of block making. I therefore, the standards have fallen,” he said.

“We are trying to restore the standards in a broadbased way. We are now partnering with HEART, the Caribbean Cement Company Limited and the Bureau of Standards to add the whole science of block making to the HEART curriculum.”

Christie said the association has members from across the entire island and mainly comprises older, more established block makers, some of whom are secondgeneration block makers.

He said the BMAJ was formed about 12 years ago out of an older organisation and indicated that their goals remain the same. He stressed the importance of developing a programme that caters to block makers.

“Like any profession, one should be trained formally and reach a standard that demonstrates that [one] can effectively perform in one’s chosen field. Pharmacists have to go to school for pharmacology and a doctor has to go to med school,” Christie said.

“Once this programme is established, we are lobbying the bureau – that before anyone can register as a block maker they must have at least one person in the team who is certified by HEART. People interested can attend HEART and learn block making formally.”

The block making programme is scheduled to begin September of this academic year.