A new list of mandatory construction standards has taken effect

On August 1, 2020, government decree No. 985 took effect, approving a new list of mandatory Codes of Practice, GOSTs, and National Standards in the construction industry.

According to Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin, this document was meant to make life easier for builders, as it reduces the number of construction standards by 30%.

But is that really the case?

The former list had 76 items; the new one has 78.

Among the changes, some updated Codes of Practice from 2016-2019 were approved. This drew a positive response from the National Roofing Union, because in the area of roofing design the 2011 Code of Practice had been mandatory while the more modern 2017 Code of Practice was only voluntary, leaving designers required to use the outdated 2011 edition.

But most of the Codes of Practice remained 2011-2012 editions with minor cuts. This raises questions about the updated SP 14.13330.2018 (construction in seismic zones). Seismic standards have been raised for 15 regions (previously this was done only on a case-by-case basis).

According to Anvar Shamuzafarov, Vice President of the Russian Union of Builders, this forced the Russian Ministry of Construction to suspend all construction in those regions and carry out additional redesign work, which will increase construction costs by 15-20% on average.

In an interview with ANCB, Anvar Shamuzafarov speaks about the need to change the procedure for adopting regulatory documents:

«We need to reform the system of technical regulation in construction — and it should be done by professionals, not „adventurers in construction“. We have long been saying that we need to build a new system in which all regulatory documents — Codes of Practice and national standards — are approved by the Russian Ministry of Construction in coordination with other ministries and agencies, which would be responsible for them, including criminally. Then they will be obliged to involve the professional community and experts to ensure that the documents are of high quality and do not lead to disastrous consequences for both facility safety and public spending.»