DTI clamps down on substandard steel bars

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is clamping down on substandard steel bars following warnings by local architects about the proliferation of such products that could endanger the lives of unsuspecting home and building dwellers.

About 10 tons or 5,000 pieces of uncertified deformed steel bars worth nearly P500,000 is set to be destroyed by the DTI.

According to Trade and Industry Secretary Peter B. Favila, uncertified deformed steel bars are likely to be substandard when they do not bear manufacturer’s identifying mark or logo and the bar size.

Such markings are required in the Philippine National Standard (PNS) for steel bars.

"The absence of such labels means the steel bars did not undergo the requisite safety tests of the Bureau of Product Standards (BPS) and makes the sale of these products illegal," Favila said.

The DTI recently seized uncertified deformed steel bars during a monitoring operation in Malolos, Bulacan in October last year.

The seized steel bars were properly inventoried and sealed-on-site by the DTI Special Monitoring Assistance to the Regional Operations Group Team (SMART).

BPS Director Jesus L. Motoomull said that the retailer selling the uncertified steel bars has settled its case with the BPS and has paid the administrative fine.

The DTI-BPS, in partnership with the Philippine Iron Steel Institute (PISI), will destroy the seized uncertified products to ensure that such products are not be sold again.

"We are destroying these untested products because it compromises consumers’ safety," Motoomull said.

Steel bars are require mandatory certification. It is used in building homes, offices, schools, and other infrastructure.

The DTI regulates the manufacture and distribution of these products in the market because it greatly affects the life, health and safety of consumers.

In order to protect the public from purchasing substandard steel bars, the DTI-BPS, through its Product Certification Scheme requires all manufacturers, importers and distributors of steel bars to have their products tested at the BPS Testing Center or at any BPS-accredited or recognized laboratory prior to its sale.

Only those manufacturers and importers whose products pass the requirements of the PNS 49:2002 - Steel bars for concrete reinforcement - Specification and PNS 211:2002 - Re-rolled steel bars for concrete reinforcement - Specification, are issued with a PS License and ICC for locally-made and imported products, respectively.

These manufacturers and importers are also required to register their logo with BPS.

The logo should be embossed in the product together with the size of the steel bar.

"When buying steel bars, consumers are advised to look for the embossed logo of the manufacturer and the bar size such as 6, 7, 10 to 40 mm, to be assured that the product is of good quality and is not undersized," explained Motoomull.

As part of its intensified market monitoring activities on construction and building materials in preparation for the coming construction season, the Bureau conducts spot inspections on various steel bar manufacturers, importers and hardware stores to check the quality of construction materials being sold to the public.

The DTI enjoins the buying public to patronize only PS and ICC-marked products in the market.

Consumers can report or file a complaint against substandard products through DTI’s consumer hotline (751-3330), text DTI <space> message and send to 2920, i-reklamo website (www.i-reklamo.ph), e-mail address ([email protected]), or visit DTI at 361 Sen. Gil Puyat Ave., Makati City.