The quality of construction work is one of several vital issues that should be considered before construction can start on major projects, as this eliminates the risks of facing challenges later on in the building phase, construction industry trade association Master Builders Association (MBA) North construction health and safety manager Doug Michell states.

He cites the recent collapse of the Tongaat Mall, north of Durban, which left two people dead and 29 injured, as an unfortunate case of bringing the entire construction industry into disrepute.

“As construction health and safety practitioners, we tend to look mainly for noncompliance legal issues which, in this incident, appear to be [numerous]. But we should also be looking deeper into the root causes, such as the issues of designer competences, construction programmes, selection of contractors and the competence and extent of authority of construction supervisors,” Michell explains.

“A tragic event like this will have repercussions on how quality issues are dealt with in general and the possible long-term safety of the tenants of other completed buildings.”

After the mall’s collapse, the Department of Labour established the Tongaat Mall Commission of Inquiry to investigate events that led to the collapse. Department of Labour occupational health and safety for construction manager Phumudzo Maphaha was appointed Presiding Inspector for a Section 32 hearing last year. Section 32 hearings are instituted by government against parties whose negligence results in occupational injuries and the death of workers.

“According to reports, the developer, when interviewed after the accident, suggested that it was ‘normal’ practice for developments to begin before proper permissions are secured. However, until the findings of the high-level government investigations are published, we can only speculate regarding the causes of the accident; but there have been reports that suggest that construction continued despite a procedural work stoppage ordered by building inspectors,” says Michell.

The proposed amendments to government’s construction regulations will require that a client applies for a construction work permit before work can start, notes Michell.

“But the question remains whether the municipal, building and construction regulations and permits now in place will avert a similar incident in future,” he says, adding that, owing to the additional prescriptive requirements, unscrupulous contractors may be encouraged even more to avoid bureaucratic red tape by providing generic documentation that will not address the relevant issues the regulation calls for.

“The intention of the construction work permit is for relevant baseline risk assessments and specific health and safety specifications to be submitted with the application for the construction permit,” Michell adds.