BRIEFS. construction

Building materials do not meet standards

The concrete blocks sold by the majority of businesses in Panama, and which government authorities have recently inspected, do not meet industry standards.

Officials from the Autoridad de Protección al Consumidor y Defensa de la Competencia measured the size of the blocks and found that only 15 of 129 of the businesses that they inspected offer a product that complies with industry regulations.

The Autoridad did not disclose the names of the companies selling those blocks that call into question the safety of the structures they were used in. It did disclose the names of the others, however, which are Cochez, Novey, Panablock, La Fortuna and Fábrica de Bloques Destria, among others.

Most of the deficiencies discovered during inspections were in the height of the blocks. The defects may be attributable to problems with the machinery used to make them. Authorities said that the factories lack adequate supervision.