The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE


Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamas Bureau of Standards (BBS) should adopted “at least” five national standards by early 2015, a CARICOM executive said yesterday.

Speaking with Tribune Business, Fulgence St Prix, the CARICOM Regional Organisation for Standards and Quality’s (CROSQ) technical officer for standards, said yesterday’s National Standardisation Forum was intended to develop a five-year action plan for the Bahamas.

He added: “We want to show what CROSQ is as an organisation, and give the relevant stakeholders an idea of what CROSQ is doing and how we are able to assist the Bahamas Bureau of Standards.

“We have identified certain standards that we would like to get adopted as national standards. In preparation for that I will be doing some workshops with potential technical committee members, taking them through the standards development process, their responsibility and basically getting the action in motion.

“Hopefully, by the end of this year or March of next year, we should have at least five national standards adopted by the Bahamas Bureau of Standards.”

The Standards Bureau, which has to be established as part of the Bahamas’ commitments to membership in the rules-based trading regimes of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), is designed to both protect consumers and facilitate trade.

It will both seek to ensure that imported products into this nation meet Bahamian and international health/safety and other standards, will also providing similar certification for this nation’s exports.

Legislation to create the Standards Bureau was passed in 2004, but its implementation - and the entity’s creation - are only being moved on now due to the impending accession to WTO full membership.

There are some, though, who opposed a Standards Bureau, viewing it as an unnecessary expense and cost, and believing the Bahamas should adopt international standards as its own.

CROSQ was established in 2002 to seek the “harmonisation of standards” across CARICOM, and enhance efficiency and improve quality in the production of goods and services. The Bahamas signed on to become a member of CROSQ in 2006 under the first Christie administration.

CROSQ is hosting the three-day National Standards Forum along with the Bahamas Bureau of Standards.
 Mr St Prix said: “At the end of my visit here we’re supposed to come up with a plan of action for the minister in terms of the next five years really.

“One of the activities of this forum is to identify priority areas for standardisation. I have administered a survey which I want all of those in attendance to fill out, and in addition to that they will discuss the list that they have come up with in their groups and prioritise that list. They would make a presentation as to justification, and that would set the basis for standardisation for the next five years.”