Every year the International Labour Organisation (ILO) observes the World Day for Safety and Health at Work on 28 April.
Professor John Smallwood, Professor of Construction Management at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, has compiled the following article for SA Builder, highlighting the need for a paradigm shift from compliance to better practice in the construction sector.
Mobilising a paradigm shift from compliance to better practice
By Professor John Smallwood, Professor of Construction Management, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University
John Smallwood, Professor of Construction Management, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University
The World Day for Safety and Health at Work is intended to focus international attention on promoting and creating a safety and health culture at work and to help reduce the number of occupational-related fatalities, injuries, and diseases.
It is significant that the 28 April is the day after the day on which South Africa celebrates the anniversary of the first democratic elections. Significant, because there is no real freedom, including security and human rights, till the threat from injury and disease is removed from workplaces.
South African construction continues to receive unfavourable media coverage due to trench collapses, building, deck, and slab collapses, fatalities, injuries, disease, and damage to public property. Furthermore, the focus is still on safety, health and ergonomic issues receiving limited or no attention. Although there is a need for a paradigm shift from compliance to better practice, including the addressing of primary health issues, there is still the elementary need for basic compliance.
Based upon extensive research, publishing, course, seminar, and workshop development, the author advocates the following to realise substantial change in South African construction health and safety (CHS):
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The value ‘People are our most important resource’ (value = constituent of CHS culture);
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Leadership in terms of CHS;
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Management commitment, participation, and involvement in CHS;
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Multi-stakeholder contributions to CHS – architects, clients, contractors, engineers, interior designers, landscape architects, material manufacturers and suppliers, project managers, quantity surveyors, and unions;
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Optimum CHS culture, among other, a vision of fatality, injury, and disease free projects, and a goal of zero deviations as opposed to incidents or accidents;
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Comprehensive CHS education and training of all stakeholders (designers included);
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Competence accompanied by, among other, appropriate values and an exacting philosophy – the core competencies (self-image, traits, and motives) differentiate between superior and average performance i.e. at best the surface competencies (knowledge and skills) can only realise average performance;
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Optimum status for CHS – greater than or at least equal to that afforded cost, quality, and time;
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Sound construction management (bona fide as opposed to pseudo) i.e. management of construction by construction managers;
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Integration of design and construction in general, but especially in terms of CHS;
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Implementation of documented quality management systems in design and construction;
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Implementation of documented CHS management systems in design and construction;
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Focus on CHS regardless of circumstances – CHS is a value, not a priority;
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Elimination / Mitigation of ‘excusitis’ (mind deadening thought disease manifested in excuses), and
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Consciousness and mindfulness – constant cognisance with respect to the surrounding environment, attention relative to CHS, and mindful with respect to the implications of actions or omissions.