By CHIDA SAKALA –
THE Engineering Institution of Zambia (EIZ) has established that most people employed to carry out engineering jobs in the country are not registered with the body.
This is in reaction to the latest incident where five children were killed after a boundary fence collapsed on them during a heavy downpour in Lusaka last week.
EIZ chief executive officer Henry Mwale said yesterday that the incident was a wake-up call for the institution and members of the public.
Mr Mwale said when such incidents happen in the country, it was a sign that building contracts were not being awarded to professionals.
He said this was because many people engaged in building structures were not registered with EIZ and as such, the institution was not aware of their qualifications.
He said members of the public should be careful with the people they engaged to carry out engineering works to prevent accidents.
“By registering with EIZ, the institution is assured that the people employed have undergone training and are qualified and competent enough to build standard structures to avoid accidents,” he said.
Mr Mwale said a registered company with the EIZ would be committed to upholding and fostering the integrity of the engineering profession.
He urged members of the public to ensure that the people they engaged to perform engineering jobs were duly registered with EIZ.
Mr Mwale said those registered with EIZ would ensure safety standards were adhered to so that people’s lives were protected.
EIZ expressed condolences to the families of the five people who died in the rainstorm in the capital city.