INSIGHT
THE NEED FOR
ACCREDITATION OF READY-MIX CEMENT
By Johan van Wyk , director of Sarma
In southern Africa , the only organisation that is able to audit and accredit ready-mix concrete suppliers , is the Southern Africa Ready-mix Association ( Sarma ).
In the construction industry , specification of accredited and professional services is rife , like accredited electrical installers , SABS-certified products , professionally registered engineers and / or architects , and registered builders . All of this is done under the guise of getting a better-quality product . If quality is what we are after , why is Sarma-accredited ready-mix concrete not specified by everybody ?
There is no legal requirement to produce quality ready-mix concrete in South Africa , but the contractor relies on project specifications to govern the quality of concrete . Specifying concrete from accredited plants and suppliers means that contractors are specifying not only quality-assured concrete , but also legal compliance .
For this reason , ready-mix firms that have been audited and found to comply with quality , safety , health , environment , and road transport standards in line with ISO 9002 ( standardisation ), 14001 ( environmental ), 39001 ( road transport and safety management system ), OHSAS 18001 ( legal ), and SANS 878:2004 ( quality ), are being preferred to non-compliant ready-mix suppliers — for obvious reasons .
In southern Africa , the only organisation that is able to audit and accredit ready-mix concrete suppliers , is Sarma . It has developed a strict accreditation process that requires member companies to undergo rigorous auditing processes at least annually to ensure compliance with local legislation , as well as pass its own ISO-based safety , health , road transport , environment , and quality standards .
Sarma quality assured
When developing infrastructure , building roads , houses , shopping centres , or any other structure , it is important to specify concrete from an accredited Sarma member . In this way , users have peace of mind that the plant has been audited by external auditors and has passed the strict requirements to be able to produce qualityassured concrete .
In South Africa , there is no law to govern the quality of ready-mix delivered and this means that supply is open to abuse by unscrupulous companies .
Eamonn Ryan
However , Sarma represents quality suppliers only and has made it our mission to self-regulate the industry and thereby ensure that quality is upheld .
All audits are done by third-party auditors with no allegiance to individual companies and , unlike uncertified suppliers , Sarma members cannot simply hide behind untested , unaudited claims . Sarma has been working closely with construction industry bodies representing civil engineering contractors , consulting engineers , municipal engineers , road pavement authorities , mining developers , and many others to highlight the importance of compliance with standards and the importance of dealing with Sarma-accredited members .
Converting specifications
Communication between these bodies has also begun to bear fruit and in recent months , a number of large construction companies , municipalities , and mining houses have been converting their tender documentation to specify concrete from Sarmaaccredited suppliers only . And it is easy to see why they are doing this when one looks at the spate of structural collapses we have seen recently .
By specifying Sarma-approved concrete suppliers , users are assured that they will get ethical concrete products that are made according to the correct specification for the requirements — every time . In addition , members can offer insurance against concrete failure , which will come into force if concrete is found to be defective and the ready-mix producer was at fault . In such instances , the special insurance available to Sarma members will come into force and ensure that the faulty concrete is removed and replaced at no cost
Johan van Wyk urges contractors to support a programme of using only Sarma-accredited ready-mix cement . to the user .
These and other benefits are in line with our commitment to leave a positive legacy wherever we are asked to deliver concrete throughout southern Africa . ■
40 _ QUARRY SA | SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2018