CONSTRUCTION HEALTH AND SAFETY (H&S) PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT: ARE CLIENTS AND CONSULTANTS PLAYING THEIR PART?

Abstract

Performance improvement of Health and Safety (H&S) in the construction industry is invariably a result of a joint effort of the project team members. Clients and their consultants play an important role in ensuring that H&S is addressed throughout the project stages. The objective of the paper is to assess the roles of clients and consultants in improving H&S in the construction industry at the tendering and construction stages, and the pre-requisites thereto. Respondents were randomly selected from delegates of the Construction Industry Forum and data was collected using self-administered questionnaires and a review of literature. Findings indicate that with the exception of the role of ensuring that the contractor
is complying with the H&S plan during construction, which is often done, other roles are fulfilled less frequently. Furthermore, it was revealed that those respondents that were more experienced in terms of H&S were more involved in H&S and contributed more to the improvement of H&S than those who were less experienced. The paper concludes that many consultants and their clients are not fully participating in H&S. The paper therefore recommends that current laws and regulations be reviewed and amended to include duties of clients and consultants, and that clients and consultants to be sensitized and empowered to fulfill their roles.