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Contact:
Claudia Monlouis
Thursday, April 29, 2004 - The Ministry of Communication, Works,
Transport and Public Utilities has taken up the mantle to educate the
construction sector and other interest groups on the essentials of Managing
Construction Risks in the Caribbean,, through a two day workshop which begun at
their Union Offices, Wednesday morning. Minister Honourable Felix Finisterre
says there was a glaring need for the workshop, as there are perennial problems
in that sector that can no longer be ignored.
The Minister cautioned that the demand for accountability from contractors was
growing and this may well lead to increased litigations against them. The
Minister drew attention to the Materials Testing Lab at the Ministry of
Communications and Works, which he says was under utilized by contractors. Mr.
Finisterre urged contractors to see the long term advantage in testing the
materials they will use during projects from the outset, as this will help
minimize risk in the final output.
He also raised the issue of certain negligent practices, which flies in the face
of safety and of the law, citing electrical and wiring practices in particular.
He hoped that the two day seminar would be comprehensive and address the several
issues outlined in the programme, including unclear contract language and
specifications in drawing, failure to provide access to site, and delay or
acceleration of work schedule, among many other topics.
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