2016-09-09CONSTRUCTION HEALTH AND SAFETY:

The Role of the Construction Management Team

Discussion Leader: Claire Deacon PhD (CM) Pr CHSA

Introduction

Introduction

Regulating construction health and safety (H&S)

Competence of Stakeholders, H&S and stages of work

H&S and Stakeholder involvement

Procurement and H&S

Discussion points with the participants

Proposals emanating from discussion

Introduction

There is greater influence over project standards where

H&S involvement from project inception

Leadership and collaboration in H&S during design,

planning, and procurement across the life cycle reduces

risk (CIB W099, 2013)

Despite multi-stakeholder responsibilities being

entrenched in South African legislation, there appears to

be a lack of commitment to the inclusion of H&S in

projects (cidb, 2009; Windapo, 2013; Goldswain, 2014)

Regulating construction H&S

The poor performance of the construction sector suggests

a poor compliance culture among construction

stakeholders

The Construction Regulations (CRs) (2014) were enacted

through the Department of Labour (DoL) to safeguard lives

and to improve product and process quality (cidb, 2009;

Windapo, 2013):

increased level of competence and accountability among

stakeholders: clients and designers (RSA, 2014), and

the implementation of a Client construction work permit

(CWP)

Competence of Stakeholders, H&S and

stages of work

Those practicing construction H&S in South Africa to be

registered with a statutory council

High level of resistance by clients and designers regarding their

revised roles, involvement and responsibilities for H&S (Smallwood

and Haupt, 2008; cidb, 2009; RSA, 2014; Deacon, 2016)

H&S responsibilities among Construction Managers have been

noted as limited in South Africa

Knowledge relative to H&S has been identified in many

undergraduate and post graduate education programmes

H&S and Stakeholder involvement

The term ‘competence’ in the CRs, includes

qualifications, experience, and knowledge of H&S

Contract documentation makes minimal, if any, reference

to H&S, other than a cursory note that requires statutory

compliance (cidb, 2009; Wells and Hawkins, 2010)

Procurement practices in the public sector are set by the

Department of Public Works (DPW), applicable at

national, provincial, and district level

Procurement H&S

The use of procurement to promote improved H&Spractices has received minimal attention

Limited attention to improving H&S standards throughprocurement (Wells and Hawkins, 2010)

H&S problems during construction stage and life cyclecould be avoided if H&S if addressed during design stage(The Office of Government Commerce (OGC), 2007; Wells and Hawkins, 2010;RSA, 2014)

Adequate provision for H&S needs to be addressed indesign and assessed during the adjudication process (Wellsand Hawkins, 2010; RSA, 2014)

DISCUSSION POINT: 1

How can the CM work within the requirements of National

Treasury with strict controls and still be responsible for

complying with the Construction Regulations?

DISCUSSION POINT: 2

How can the CM ensure the resources needed to apply

H&S across the construction life cycle are applied during

stages 1-3 for adequate H&S during construction?

DISCUSSION POINT: 3

What can CMs do that would increase their knowledge and

competency relating to H&S practices on site?

DISCUSSION POINT: 4

What are the critical aspects that the CM can do to ensure

that H&S is appropriately managed during a contract?

References

REFERENCES

Alharthi, A. Soetanto, R. and Edum-Fotwe, F. (2014) The changing role of the public client in

construction procurement. In: Proceedings, 30th Annual ARCOM Conference. Association of

Researchers in Construction Management. Edited by Raiden, A, B. and Aboagye-Nimo, E, 1-3

September, Portsmouth, UK, pp. 403-412.

Construction Industry Development Board (cidb). (2009) Construction Health and Safety in South

Africa, Status and Recommendations. Pretoria. Construction Industry Development Board.

Council for the Built Environment (cidb). (2015) Final Research Report on Academic Curriculum

on Health and Safety. Johannesburg.

Gambatese, J. A. (2013) Prevention through Design (PtD) Project 1: Benchmarking Management

Practices related to PtD in the US and UK Final Report – Activity 2: Assess the Effects of PtD

Regulations on Construction Companies in the UK. National Institute for Occupational Safety and

Health (NIOSH).

Goldswain, C.C. (2014) Architectural Design Interventions toward Improvement of construction

Health, Safety and Ergonomics in South Africa. Unpublished PhD thesis. Department of

Construction Management. Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Port Elizabeth

References (2)

Office of Government Commerce. (2007) Health and safety. Achieving Excellence in Construction Procurement Guide. 2010. Available from: http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20110601212617/http://www.ogc.gov.uk/documents/CP0070AEGuide10.pdf (Accessed 22 November 2015).

Plantinga, H. E. C. Voordijk, J. T. and Dorée, A. G. (2014) Assessing Qualification systems: The relevance of replicating implicit reasoning. In Proceedings: 30th Annual ARCOM Conference. Association of Researchers in Construction Management. Edited by Raiden, A. B. and Aboagye-Nimo, E. 1-3 September. Portsmouth, UK, pp. 393-402.

Republic of South Africa. 1993. The Occupational Health and Safety Act. Number. 85. Pretoria.

Republic of South Africa (2014) No. R. 84 Occupational Health and Safety Act, 1993 Construction Regulations 2014. Government Gazette No. 37305. Pretoria.

Smallwood, J. J. and Haupt, T. C. (2008) Competencies Required to Manage Construction Health and Safety. In Proceedings of the Rinker International Conference ‘Evolution of and Directions in Construction Safety and Health’, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA, 9-11 March, pp. 227-24.

References (3)

Smallwood, J. J. (2013) Construction health and safety (H&S): Key issues. African

Newsletter on Occupational Health and Safety. Construction. Finnish Institute of

Occupational Health, 23(3), pp. 59-62.

Windapo, A. 2013. Relationship between Degree of Risk, Cost and Level of Compliance to

Occupational Health and Safety Regulations in Construction. Australasian Journal of

Construction Economics and Building, 13(2), pp: 67-82.

Watermeyer, R. B. (2012) Changing the construction procurement culture to improve project

outcomes. Keynote Address: Joint CIB W070, W092 and TG72 International Conference on

Facilities Management, Procurement Systems and Public Private Partnerships, Cape Town,

23-25 January.

Wells, J, and Hawkins, J. (2010) Promoting Construction Health and Safety through

Procurement: A briefing note for developing countries. Engineers against Poverty. Institute

of Civil Engineers.