About 85 per cent of work on updating Fiji’s National Building Code (FNBC) has been completed, with major inclusions made to improve safety, standards and environmental impact of construction in the country.
At a public consultation in Suva this week, planning consultant Janis Fedorowick said they welcomed all ideas, comments and suggestions from the public.
“We’re really looking forward to your comments to see what other good ideas we can incorporate into the code,” she said.
Ms Fedorowick said the second draft would be completed in about a month’s time while the final draft would be completed in about two months.
“We are asking everyone here and everybody online and in Fiji to provide us with your comments and responses by June 10 because that will give us enough time to consider it for the second draft that we hope to put out.”
Construction Industry Council of Fiji (CIC) president Gordon Jenkins also welcomed updates to the FNBC, which had been in place since 2004. Mr Jenkins said construction was an ever-changing industry and needed a code to reflect the times.
“CIC has been trying to promote this thing for five years and it’s very gratifying to see it happening,” he said.
“We do realise that there’s a lot of money involved in it and we are very grateful.
“However, it needs to be reviewed constantly and from a CIC point of view, we need regulation too.”
He said the code should be reviewed every five years.
In response, Ms Fedorowick said they were trying to ensure a review took place every five years.
However, they also had to factor in finances and resources before making such a decision.
