By Ayman Adly/Staff Reporter
Epoxy-coated iron should be used with extra care and multiple precautions to derive the maximum benefit from it in construction works, Dr Mohamed bin Saif al-Kuwari, assistant undersecretary for laboratories and standardisation in the Ministry of Environment (MoI), has observed.
He was speaking yesterday at the regular session of the Central Municipal Council (CMC), which hosted officials from the MoE, Public Works Authority (Ashghal), Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation (Kahramaa) and Qatar Metals Coating Company (Q-Coat), to discuss the various aspects and benefits of using epoxy-coated iron in construction projects, particularly major public ones.
Dr al-Kuwari said the approved standards in Qatar are stringent, which are sometimes quite hard to meet at construction worksites, and are also in line with those prevalent in the US and Europe.
“Handling epoxy-coated iron at worksites requires highly qualified engineers, contractors and workers who are able to store and use it properly without affecting its desired qualities. This makes most contractors and engineers avoid its use and they prefer normal iron,” Dr al-Kuwari explained.
Khalid Mohamed al-Emadi, Ashghal’s manager of Quality & Safety, said the importance of a project and its desired longevity should dictate which type of iron should be used. The type of iron is only one determinant in the durability and reliability of a construction project.
Similarly, Jafar al-Alusi, Ashghal expert of engineering designs in the building design department, said the use of epoxy-coated iron entails the use of around 20% more iron in a project compared to normal iron. Also, there are many alternatives that can be utilised due to the technical difficulties involved in using it at worksites.
Officials at Q-Coat gave a detailed presentation on the benefits and advantages of using epoxy-coated iron in building construction. It improves the durability of a building and doubles the life span, thereby enhancing safety for major projects such as bridges.
Ahmad Abdulaziz al-Ansari, commercial division manager at Q-Coat, stressed that this type of iron has been successfully used in a number of private and public projects in the country and the factory helps its clients properly handle and use it. There is a need for greater awareness efforts, it was observed.
CMC chairman Saud al-Hinzab said there are various complications and misunderstandings involved in the local community over the use of epoxy-coated iron and these need to be addressed by spreading technical knowledge among interested parties.
Jassim al-Malki, CMC vice-chairman, stressed that Q-Coat’s efforts are praiseworthy but the issue needs to be further looked into to devise the best ways for deriving maximum benefit from the product.