Muscat: The Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MOCI) has announced new guidelines for companies responsible for importing building materials, including cement, steel, and dyes, as part of the efforts to ensure the quality of buildings constructed in Oman.
The new guidelines will come into effect from February.
It may be noted that the ministry recently seized a number of imported building and construction materials (cement, dyes, and paints) for non-conformity with standard specifications.
Dr Ahmed bin Salem Al Shammakhi, Director of the Conformity Department at MOCI, said that the new procedures will include intensified examinations and tests on all incoming shipments to the Sultanate from various countries to ensure that these products are not circulated in the local market without a "full verification of their conformity."
Shammakhy said, "MOCI is amending the procedures for importing building materials products to ensure the safety of imported products offered in the local market, noting that the first stage of these procedures will be applied to all kinds of cement products, iron rods, and paints."
He added that the regulation for the inspection and testing of building materials products stipulates that “the importer is obliged to submit a test report to the competent authority once a year provided that each consignment is accompanied by a conformity certificate, and in the absence of a conformity certificate, the consignment is subject to examination and testing by a registered laboratory with the importer bearing all costs of these procedures."
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