Housing in Southern Africa October 2015

Cement & Concrete

R813 bn for infrastructure

A ccording to Aspasa director, Nico Pienaar, planning needs to be done in conjunction with all role players so that ma teri- als such as sand and aggregates are available where required. Depending on the grade and type of aggregates required, materials may need to be sourced from different areas which might complicate or drive the prices of projects up. “Sand and aggregates in concrete, bitumen or as bedding material are the building blocks of almost all our infrastructure from roads to railways, building andpipelines. Yet fewpeople realise howdifferent the requirement is for each and every application. Materials may need to be trans- ported over long distances in order to ensure it is to the correct speci- fication and quality. Alternatively contractors may be tempted to use unsuitable material from make-shift excavations or may source materials from illegal suppliers who could be practicing unsustainable quarrying to the detriment of its workers, sur- rounding communities, as well as the environment. “Last minute planning has been responsible for badly thought-out borrow pits along our roads and rail- A lthough changes are designed to streamline and simplify the system, it will be implemented over a period of three years to comply with the new ISO9001:2015 standard. Addressing members of the Concrete Manufacturers Association (CMA) recently, standards expert Christel Fouché, CEO of Advantage ACT and AGO Certification, said that Significant updates to the I n t e r n a t i o n a l S t a n d a r d s Organisation(ISO)ISO9001quality management standard, this year, will haveamajor effect on theway quality ismeasuredandmanaged within companies. Changes to Standards

As Government gears up to spend R813 billion on infrastructure development over the next three years the Aggregate and Sand Producers Association of Southern Africa (Aspasa) is cautioning role players to begin consulting with building material suppliers in order to ensure availability and quality.

ways in the past and these are still visible along our freeways where they have been left to scar the landscape forever. Borrow pits also jeopardise the sustainable employment of those in the quarrying industry as the bor- row pits take away from surrounding quarries and make them less viable in the short term. In tough economic times this may be all that is required to close down marginal local quar- ries,” says Pienaar. He explains that by working with all the relevant industries, plans can be made in each industry to bolster supply tomeet demands. Where local suppliesmay be an issue, the industry may even be able to work together to stockpilematerials or source newand sustainable sources closer towhere it is required. This will also prevent collusion as all possible suppliers can be identi- fied and terms, conditions and pric- ing obtained beforehand to ensure among the most significant changes will be a shift of responsibility to se- nior management rather than being the domain of companies’ quality management representatives. “Auditors will also have to adapt and will be required to interview se- nior management at CEO and similar level inorder to ensure that standards are being upheld. While this may seem an onerous task, it is an abso- lute necessity for businesses as it is very difficult to do business without ISO9001 certification” said Fouché. The new ISO 9001:2015 standard has been developed on the founda- tion of the new Annex SL document. This document will set the new qual- ity standard in line with ISO14001 environmental and OHSAS 18001 health and safety standards and pave the way for easier implementation of integrated SHEQ management systems. Fouché recommends that qualitymanagement representatives be maintained and work hand-in- hand with senior management to implement quality requirements.

Nico Pienaar

fairness. “Wewant to ensure that Gov- ernment’s projects are a success and benefit the population. In addition wewant to ensure that our industry is ready and also stands to benefit from governments bold plans,” concludes Pienaar. For further information con- tact ASPASA on 011 791 3327 or go to www.aspasa.co.za ■

Christel Fouché

Likewise, she recommends that qual- ity manuals also not be thrown out even though it is no longer a require- ment. “Remember, when you are out of quality you are out of business,” she concluded. For further information contact the Concrete Manufacturers As- sociation on 011 805 6742 or visit www.cma.org.za ■

October 2015