Building Inspection and Certification Services by SGS in Japan

Online, November 17, 2009 (Newswire.com) - The Building Standard Law (BSL) of Japan aims to safeguard the life, health, and property of people, by providing codes concerning the site, structure, equipment, and use of buildings. In conjunction with the BSL, a building owner is required to undergo a procedure called "building confirmation" which basically involves the verification of the building design before construction work begins. The building design has to be in accordance with current Japanese building laws and regulations in order for construction work to commence.

A building certificate is a verification of design conformance, and can be issued either by a building official from local government or a private building inspector from any of Japan's designated confirmation and inspection bodies.

Once work has started, the project must undergo building inspections in certain stages of construction, and will depend on factors such as building size, structure and intended use. Aside from these interim inspections, all buildings are required to undergo completion inspections by the relevant building official or private building inspector when construction is finished. Unless the building passes the completion inspection, the owner is not allowed to use the building.

SGS is proud to announce that the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) accredited SGS Japan Inc. on October 30, 2009, to conduct building inspection and building certification services. SGS is authorized to perform the verification of building plans, as well as interim inspections and completion inspection services. SGS is also authorized to issue the final building certificate of confirmation.

This accreditation clearly demonstrates SGS's capabilities in the construction industry. After gaining board in Italy and Spain, where construction approval procedures are similar, SGS is now one of the designated confirmation bodies in Japan.

From the design verification, construction supervision and quality control, health, safety and environment coordination (QHSE) of a construction project, right through to the commissioning of the completed building or piece of infrastructure, and through the entire servicing period, SGS is the preferred partner for all issues related to construction around the globe.