Construction industry concerned about accidents

Deon Bester

"Recent articles in the media have incorrectly quoted figures regarding injury statistics, which paint the construction industry in a very poor light," says Deon Bester, occupational health and safety manager for the Master Builders Association of the Western Cape (MBAWC). "Although we have seen some improvement in the number of accidents and fatalities, these figures are still disturbingly high. One accident or one fatality is one too many."

A call for action to ensure health and safety

Bester continues, "It is interesting to note that on average, half of the fatalities experienced in the industry are as a result of motor vehicle accidents. These are accidents that occur when people are being transported to site or from one site to another with the use of a company vehicle and are not accidents directly related to actual construction activities. These need to be policed by the traffic department, but this does not appear to be happening, as one simply needs to drive on our roads and observe the way in which people are transported on the backs of open vehicles. However, we, as an industry, must take responsibility for our actions and inactions."

The Occupational Health and Safety Act clearly defines the duties of the employer, employees and chief executive officer as well as acts or omissions by employees, in terms of upholding health and safety at work. Furthermore, in 2012, government, organised labour and organised business came together and wrote the Construction Health and Safety Accord, the purpose of which was to promote better occupational health and safety in the construction industry by having this tripartite agreement in place. "Unfortunately, it seems that to date, the only party doing anything towards improving health and safety is organised business. Despite this, the employer is continuously blamed when accidents happen," states Bester.

He explains, "While there are employers who ignore the basic health and safety requirements, as set out in the Act and Construction Regulations that are currently under review, anecdotal evidence indicates that 80% of accidents are caused by employees acting unsafely. This, after companies have spent hours training and informing employees on safety procedures and have paid vast sums of money to provide personal protective equipment which is simply not used. Furthermore, employees ignore basic health and safety rules. All of these contribute to the high number of incidents recorded. The MBAWC has tried on many occasions to engage the unions and the Department of Labour on this issue but to no avail. We need to work together to improve the situation."

"Health and safety is a collective concern and I call on all parties and relevant departments to step up and take action," concludes Bester.

For more information, go to www.mbawc.org.za.