The visit of Hurricane Felix, and fears over last weekend's Luis which caused terrible destruction to islands in the south, has once again concentrated public awareness on the importance of well-built structures.

Bermuda's insistence on the use of high-quality building materials as well as strict compliance with its building codes has, over the years, ensured a high degree of public safety.

Bermuda's Building Control Officer, Mr. Richard Krolak, was brought from the US five years ago to update the existing building codes and to introduce modern practices for the Department of Planning.

He says the construction industry has generally supported of his efforts.

"Unfortunately, we have not had as much success in getting the information out to the general public. We've produced brochures, etc. but there still seems to be some confusion as to which projects require building permits.

People still don't seem to realise, for instance, that a permit is required for substantive interior alterations as well as for exterior changes.'' Mr. Krolak has nothing but praise for his team of inspectors -- "a wonderful bunch, who work very hard in a very difficult, sometimes thankless job''.

And he says, "I like to tell people that at Building Control we never say `no' - we prefer to say `yes - but you have to do or change certain things'.

Some people don't seem to realise that it is the owner who is responsible for what happens on his property, and that it is a legal requirement to obtain a Building Permit, to arrange for regular inspections during construction and to obtain a `sign off' approval document when the building is completed. Of course, some prefer to get the contractor to deal with it all, but it is up to the owner to see that it is done. Unfortunately, it's the very small percentage of the population who ignore the law, who refer to us as `ogres'.

In fact, we are ensuring the health, safety and welfare of the public, as well as saving them money in the long run. Bad building practices are not only dangerous -- they can land the owner with the expense of having to rectify faults and damage. A certification of completion also protects the owner when arranging insurance for a building.'' Commenting on hurricanes, Mr. Krolak observes that, unlike most of the buildings in the Caribbean, Bermuda uses concrete masonry, which is very tough.

"You could see from the TV coverage that most hurricane damage comes from roofs being blown off -- most roofs here are of slate which is very heavy.

When I came here I made a review of old Bermuda houses, and they are very substantial indeed! It's a good thing that Bermuda prohibits any kind of corrugated roofs -- they're extremely dangerous in a high wind.'' He points out that buildings here have to be designed to withstand a minimum wind speed of 100 mph.

Mr. Krolak is also impressed with the strict requirements laid down by the Fire Department -- an attitude, he says, which has evolved out of several serious hotel fires in the past.

Although he is generally impressed with building standards in Bermuda, he expresses some reservations about the electrical trades.

"There are some excellent firms, and excellent electricians here, but I think that of all the technical trades here, this is the most problematical. There are the very good artisans who went to technical and trade schools but there seems to have been a void in properly trained people over the last ten to 15 years.'' Mr. Krolak is surprised that there are no licensing requirements in Bermuda.

"I have discovered that anyone can get himself a truck, paint a sign on it and say `I am an electrician'! Now that tends to scare me!'' Bermuda's Building Control Officer denies that the process of obtaining permits is a long one. "It usually takes a week to ten days, sometimes only one.'' He comments on the rumour that a permit is not required for interior alterations. "That was never the case! I think in the past, the Department was under-staffed and it was never enforced.'' Soon after his arrival here, he remembers walking down the road and seeing a major alteration being carried out on a Front Street building: "There was a gaping hole through which you could see these huge structural alterations, moving supports and electricals, etc. and no-one checking to see if it was being done safely and in accordance with the codes, because they thought they didn't need a permit.'' Sometimes, people ring up and ask for progress reports on builders -- even though they haven't acquired a permit.

"Then we have to gently remind them that we are not quality consultants. We advise them to get a permit, even though a late application doubles the price of the permit. That's because internal work will often have been covered up by plastering, so that means they have to be opened up again for inspection.'' Most of the problems encountered, however, fall in the area of boundary and retaining walls. "Many of these have been built without Planning permission and a lot are now falling down. Unless there's a clear and present danger, we do not have the authority to just go out and repair a wall -- we can advise the owner. But unless they repair it voluntarily, the only course we have is to go to court. We have to have the Minister's approval for an action of that kind, and we do have an enforcement officer. But, to my knowledge, under the new Building Act, we've only had four or five actions against people.'' Building inspections are divided into several divisions which embrace all the Act's Codes and include building, mechanical, electrical, plumbing (provided on Planning's behalf by the Health Department) and fire which is handled by the Fire Department.

Mr. Krolak emphasises his team is responsible for inspecting all Government work as well as private.

A total of 8,500 inspections were carried out last year, with 1,500 permits and revisions and 600 certificates of completion issued.

"My inspectors travelled a combined total of 38,000 miles, and carried out an average of 140 inspections per month. We also investigated 260 complaints from members of the public, and did 110 elevator inspections,'' says Mr. Krolak.

Mr. Steven Every, one of the two electrical inspectors, and a graduate of the Technical Institute, shares Mr. Krolak's concern about the quality of work performed by some of the Island's electricians. He points out that most of Bermuda's fires are caused by electrical faults.

"We have a lot of `fly-by-night' people passing themselves off as electricians,'' he claims. "I think this began to be a serious problem after hurricane Emily, when there was so much work to be done that everyone rushed out and set up as an `expert'. Everywhere else in the world there is a licensing system to ensure that work is of an acceptable quality. We have a `grandfather clause', where people may have learned as they go along, but the problem with that is that they may have been making the same mistake for 20 years!'' One of the "nightmare'' aspects of his job is the standard of electrical work on swimming pools. "So many of the guys simply don't understand the principles of `grounding' and, obviously, this can be very dangerous.'' Another problem he frequently encounters is in the installation of water-heaters in residences.

"The size of the wiring is often inadequate for the size of the heater, which leads to the overloading of circuits.'' In older houses, much of the wiring is of lead and he feels this should be substituted for modern materials.

"It's difficult to keep tabs on every single worker, but we do discover who to watch out for -- we have our own little `black book'!'' Mr. Every is also responsible for inspecting Bermuda's elevators and escalators which have to be re-licensed every year. Again, he says, it is the owner who is responsible for ensuring that licences do not expire. Describing this job as "time-consuming, dirty and dangerous'', Mr. Every says that some licences are three years out of date.

"Sometimes, we are asked why we haven't checked a lift, and we have to point out that it's not our responsibility to remind people!'' Mr. Austin Simons, Jr. is the building inspector who covers the central area of Bermuda. A carpenter by trade, he has also worked in the Virgin Islands as a carpenter foreman and has been at the Department for nine years.

"Only a very few people resent us,'' he insists. "Most people understand we're looking out for the safety and welfare of the community. But some of the contractors don't have a clue what they are doing so we have to keep a very close eye on them! I went to one property, for instance, where they had a rain water pipe coming through the chimney. Only a couple of days ago, I came across a roof that was being supported by an iron jack! If that was removed, the whole roof would collapse. A few try to pull the wool over our eyes, try to see if we are knowledgeable and they risk taking short cuts, making their profit margins by not observing the building codes.'' He strongly advises that anyone hiring a building contractor should check credentials "before signing on the dotted line. It's a case of `Buyer Beware'!'' At the east end, Mr. George Morton Sr. is the building inspector. Also a carpenter by trade, he had his own construction business for 29 years before joining the Department seven years ago.

He finds that the main offenders against the building codes are small contractors who are basically disorganised and fail to read the appropriate documentation.

"You have to watch out for the one who operates out the back of a truck,'' he says. "That's the fellow I usually have trouble with. They arrive on site without a permit number, might get the OK to go ahead verbally, but never bothers to follow up with the documentation which might require special conditions such as the protection of existing trees. So before they know it, they've run afoul of the law. I try to help them by giving them a chance to redeem their mistakes before it's too late. I try to make contractors understand it's better to work within the frame of the law.'' This attitude has earned Mr. Morton, the nick-name of "Merciful George'' by his fellow-workers. "If you can't get a break from Merciful George, you won't get a break from anyone!'' says Mr. Krolak.

One of the prevailing problems in dealing with the public, says Mr. Morton, is the perpetual mix-up between the Development Applications Board (DAB) and the Planning Department.

"People seem to think that once a project has been approved in principle, they can just go steaming ahead,'' he said.

AN INSPECTOR CALLS -- Part of the Planning Department's team of inspectors which ensures that building codes are observed. Pictured at the site of the new secondary school at Prospect, is (left to right): Mr. Austin Simons, Jr., Ms Dominique (Nicky) Curret, senior building inspector Mr. Gerald Tuzo and Mr.

George Morton, Sr.