News Release Archive
HOUSING/MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS--OPEN WEB STEEL JOISTS ----------------------------------------------------------------- The Department of Housing and Municipal Affairs is reviewing a list of 1,500 buildings in Nova Scotia that have open web steel joists supplied by Robb Engineering between 1970 and 1985. After two roof failures under heavy snowload in Newfoundland, the department was notified by the Government of Newfoundland about concerns regarding this Robb Engineering product. In cooperation with the Department of Transportation and Public Works and the Association of Professional Engineers of Nova Scotia, the Department of Housing and Municipal Affairs will work to assure the safety of all buildings in the province. "We wish to assure owners that we are taking appropriate action to advise them as quickly as possible if their building is among those on the list provided by Robb Engineering," said Ted Ross, building code coordinator. "Simply because a building is on the Robb Engineering list does not mean there is a problem." "To our knowledge there are no buildings in Nova Scotia that are in any danger. We feel there is no cause for alarm," said Mr. Ross. The buildings on the list range in age from 12 to 27 years old. The Department of Housing and Municipal Affairs will organize the list into a manageable form, and then advise all owners identified from the list that they have Robb Engineering product in their buildings. "The province is here to provide information," said Mr. Ross. "The list is lengthy and not as detailed as we hoped it would be. It will take some time to organize the information." Staff will have to identify the current property owner from the information provided. Once this is done the owner will be notified directly. The Department of Transportation and Public Works is also reviewing the list to identify any public buildings. If there are buildings that cannot be identified from the list then a general notice will be issued through the media on what to look for in terms of marks or tagging that may be present on the individual joists. The department will prepare and send notices to all private owners listed individually. Once this has been completed the department will release the list to the general public. -30- Contact: Dave Darrow 902-424-6642 trp Mar. 11, 1997 - 3:45 p.m.