Standards development has significant benefits according to Amanuel Gebremeskel, CEO of The Southern African Institute of Steel Construction (SAISC), which is the custodian of steel industry development and knowledge across Africa.
“The ultimate reason that the SAISC exists is to develop and write standards, bringing the South African steel industry to the forefront of development and making it competitive,” Gebremeskel explains.
He and colleague Dennis White of the SAISC’s sub-association, SAMCRA (SA Metal Cladding and Roofing Association) – are assisting with redrafting the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) specifications for steel. Completion is imminent – which, in standard-setting terms, means these are likely to be published within the next two to three years.
This timescale is not always beneficial for the steel industry, which does not always receive the much-needed updates as quickly as they are needed.
Again, though, the SAISC plays a proactive role: “People who are trying to do something that is not in the current standards, call us. We then source the information relating to more advanced standards required to get the job done,” he says.
Investing in standards
One of the SAISC’s historical mandates has been the development of steel sector standards, in partnership with the SABS.
The SABS relies on various technical committees – comprising experts in different areas – to compile the necessary standards documentation, to which it holds the copyright.
As Chairperson of the committee that recently began redrafting the new steel standards, Gebremeskel attributes a pause of several years to organisational changes within the SABS as well as to the need to comply with new Pan-continental trade agreements.
Gebremeskel explains that standards typically work in cycles. In the US, for example, they follow six-year cycles, which reflect those of building regulations. In South Africa, these extend for 10 to 15 years – and are not only influenced by local industry developments but international changes, including new WTO (World Trade Organisation) rules.
“Therefore, standards are long-term investments – and require quite a sustained effort. That is why people who are involved in steel construction stay on standards committees for several years,” he remarks.
Keeping pace with international steel standards
Gebremeskel says that the SAISC has considerable exposure to steel standards around the world: “We choose which types to adopt and how to modify them for local conditions. We understand our industry relatively well, and what kind of capabilities we have.”
SAISC members have direct access to other standards-setting bodies including the International Standards Organisation (ISO), of which the SABS is a member. Members of the SAISC also chair or serve on sister institutes and standards organisations.
“We are highly integrated into global standard setting. I used to work at the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) which sets that country’s standards for steel construction. We have many people who sit on committees in Europe. We use very similar, if not identical, formats. There has been a high degree of standardisation,” he continues.
Because standards are a very important component of world trade, Gebremeskel explains that harmonising them is important: “If you want to make a car in China and sell it in the US, there has to be a minimum set of standards with which to comply. However, there is also still a legacy issue in different parts of the world, which have their own standards development histories. So, regional and in-country standards bodies are still very key.”
He adds that, because South Africa has been industrialised for many decades, its standards are accepted globally. “When we do structures in other jurisdictions, many clients accept the use of our standards. When it comes to mining, standards used in other countries – including ISO – were developed here in South Africa as we are the leaders in steel standards development for mining.”
South Africa has built up considerable expertise in drafting standards and many countries – including developed nations – actually request assistance with writing standards from South Africa.
A new set of standards
Gebremeskel says that while the new steel standards are founded on existing ones, they also incorporate new products and developments: ”The bulk of what we do is to introduce new developments in steel construction, better ways of design, new and different materials, new construction techniques – and even new ways of producing steel. The use of software in design is evolving. To integrate that into standards means people can start using it.”
The new standards will also cover harsher weather conditions. Despite having had earthquakes of magnitudes between 3 and 6.2 locally, there was initially no South African standard for how to design steel to withstand them.
“Now, we have provided a standard that people can use to design steel structures that may be exposed to earthquake loading in South Africa. I have been involved in this for almost a decade.
“Many studies have been published and are being used. This approach also applies to other weather conditions such as wind, flooding and hurricanes. For example, we have invested a lot of time and effort into developing standards to counteract the impact of fires on steel structures – which is why we have the national centre for fire research at Stellenbosch University,” Gebremeskel concludes.
Mad Kid
James Endersby has grown research and insights agency, Opinium Research, from a small London start-up to an international insight agency with clients all over the world, including South Africa. His business grew 50 percent last year, and won an international research award for its work with the London School of Economics measuring democratic engagement around the world. Endersby helps build better futures for children from the poorest countries in the world in his postition as Interim Chairman for Street Kids International.