As the BSJ grows its capabilities, it’s strategically upgrading its resources and standards to meet the demands of Jamaica’s evolving industries.“One of the biggest projects we’re working on is the acquisition of major equipment to improve our testing capacity,” Dr. Gooden explains. These acquisitions will meet current needs while future-proofing the lab’s operations with built-in redundancy.“We’re acquiring equipment that will allow us to offer some overlap in services, ensuring we can handle high demand without delay.” These enhancements are particularly crucial for emerging industries like cannabis and psilocybin. Testing in these sectors requires specialized instruments to detect heavy metals—cadmium, lead, mercury, and others—down to the parts-perbillion level, a precision that’s especially important for pharmaceutical-grade products. With new, highly sensitive equipment like the recently acquired ICPMS (Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry), BSJ can meet these exacting standards. In addition to equipment, Dr. Gooden acknowledges that BSJ’s facilities are overdue for an upgrade. “We’ve been around since 1969, and many of our buildings have been around just as long,” he says. July marked BSJ’s 55th anniversary, and plans are underway to complete significant building upgrades by the agency’s 60th milestone.These improvements will modernize the infrastructure and create an environment more suited to today’s technological needs, further supporting BSJ’s capacity to serve Jamaican industries with world-class standards. STANDARDS FOR TOURISM As tourism continues to flourish in Jamaica, the BSJ has actively aligned the industry with international standards. Tourism, the island’s largest economic driver, involves diverse stakeholders, from large resorts to small boutique hotels and local attractions. Recognizing this, the BSJ has prioritized engaging directly with the sector and meeting business owners and managers where they are across various locations on the island. “Last year, we focused on going out into the community, especially working with some of our smaller hoteliers,” Dr. Gooden explains. 21 BUSINESS VIEW CARIBBEAN VOLUME 11, ISSUE 11 BUREAU OF STANDARDS JAMAICA
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