Malta's consumer affairs watchdog carried out around 50,000 tests on construction materials in 2019.

The tests were carried out by the Laboratory Services Directorate within the Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority.

They included analyses of the quality of new roads and social housing, as well as tests on more than 250 kilometres of pavements.  

Tests were also carried out on materials used in major road projects such as the Marsa Junction project, Buqana road project, Santa Luċija bypass project or works to rebuild Triq Ġorġ Borg Olivier in Rabat. The latter road had to be repaved after tests found that the material originally used was not up to standard. Parts of Buqana road were also found to be lacking in quality, Infrastructure Malta had said in August. 

Consumer protection minister Julia Farrugia Portelli visited MCCAA labs on Friday and noted that the 50,000 tests managed last year was nearly double the number reached in 2018. 

The lab, which is accredited by the National Accreditation Board, is equipped to run 41 different tests related to construction material. It will soon be equipped with new machinery allowing for better testing, the minister said. 

Photo: DOI/Kian Bugeja

Apart from roads and pavements, the labs test concrete samples from existing structures to establish the strength and quality of the material and analyse the chemicals used. The labs also test uniforms and industrial shoes.
 
Parliamentary Secretary Deo Debattista thanked the workers whose job was to guarantee the success of projects through their tests. He highlighted the fact that the labs were continuously getting positive results when compared to other accredited ones.