Construction Health and Safety Culture in South African Demolition Enterprises

Transcription

1 ASOCSA Construction Health and Safety Culture in South African Demolition Enterprises Justus N. Agumba¹; Theo Haupt² ¹ Department of Construction Management and Quantity Surveying, University of Johannesburg corner Siemert and Beit Streets, Doornfontein, 2028, Johannesburg, South Tel No ² Department of Building Construction Science, College of Architecture, Art and Design, Mississippi State University 899 College view, 128 Giles hall, P.O. AQ, Mississippi State MS 39762; ABSTRACT AND KEYWORDS Purpose Construction health and safety (H&S) culture within demolition enterprises has received little attention in South Africa, in terms of either research or support for preventive initiatives. This sector has serious problems exacerbated by limited access to human, economic and technological resources, hence the need to investigate the H&S culture in demolition enterprises. Methodology This exploratory study is based on a descriptive survey using semistructured and structured questionnaires, and non-probability sampling to give an overview of the characteristics of H&S culture and practices in demolition firms in the South African construction industry. Findings The findings indicate that leadership in H&S is not comprehensive as is the enhancement of a positive H&S culture within demolition contractors. Internal and external communication is sometimes used to address health and safety matters.

2 442 Value The results will be used to make an initial evaluation of demolition enterprises H&S culture and practices to design and evaluate future interventions and research. Keyword Construction Industry; Health and Safety Culture; Demolition Enterprises 1. INTRODUCTION The construction sector in developing countries plays a significant role as a major employer of the employable labour force. There are challenges to increase the productivity of the sector in developing countries. These challenges include low levels of macroeconomic performance, limited resources, reliance on institutional structures and procedures largely inherited from developed countries which once ruled them and poor infrastructural development (Gibb & Bust 2006). In the wake of these challenges, it is not surprising that construction in developing countries contributes majorly to occupational accident statistics. In comparison with developed countries, construction sites in developing countries are ten times more dangerous (Hämäläinen et al. 2006). The construction industry in South Africa has the third highest rate of fatalities per 100,000 workers and ninth highest number of permanent disabilities per 100, 000 workers (Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB, 2009)). Given the manner in which statistics are captured and produced in South Africa, it is unclear how many of these fatalities and injuries occur on demolition sites. The demolition process requires a great amount of skill, knowledge and safety. These processes are often hazardous, dangerous and harmful to workers involved (Anumba, Marino, Gottfried, Egbu, 2004). In South Africa, near Stellenbosch in Onder Pappegaaiberg the bodies of three workers were trapped beneath a large slab of concrete which fell from the first floor of a two-storey building that was being renovated (Cape Argus, 2008). The building accidentally collapsed while workers were operating on the ground floor. Sections of the building which did not collapse were supported by props (De Vries, Williams and Sapa, 2008). According to the employer he was unsure about why the slab had collapsed as it had been propped up. Apparently, the the slab had been propped up by almost four times the amount necessary (Sokopo, 2008). Accidents like these provide the motivation for this study.

3 BACKGROUND TO OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY MANAGEMENT IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES According to Kheni, et al. (2007) the rate of industrialization in developing countries require effective Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) administrative systems to control hazards and to provide decent working environments that meet international standards. High rates of occupational accidents, particularly in construction in developing countries suggest that they might be poor at managing the risks of hazards at workplaces. Studies by Peckitt et al. (2004) and Gibb and Bust (2006) confirm that in developing countries this is the case. Their findings revealed weaknesses in occupational health and safety administration, economic conditions, climatic conditions and the characteristics of the construction industry of developing countries influence H&S at construction sites. Also, the effective implementation of H&S programs is absent in most construction businesses. Haupt and Smallwood, (1999) indicated that the construction industry in South Africa shares in many of these problems of H&S management. 2.1 Occupational health and safety culture derived from literature review The term safety culture first made its appearance in the International Atomic Energy Agency s (IAEA) initial report following the Chernobyl disaster (IAEA, 1986). Since then inquires into major accidents such as the King s Cross Fire (Fennell, 1988) and Piper Alpha (Cullen, 1990) have found faults in organizational structures and H&S management systems, bringing the importance of H&S culture into the spot light. The Human Engineering Research Report (2005) found a wealth of information, articles and reports relating to H&S culture. However, there is still no universally recognized and respected definition or model. In many cases the term H&S culture has emerged with a meaning that appears to be very similar to that for H&S climate (Human and Safety Commission (HSC, 1993) and, as noted by Cox & Flin (1998), the terms are often used interchangeably in many areas of literature. The H&S culture of an organization is the product of the individual and group values, attitudes, perceptions, competencies, and patterns of behaviour that determine the commitment to, and the style and proficiency of, the health and safety management of an organization (HSC, 1993). On the other hand, Zohar (1980) and Gonzalez-Roma et al. (1999), describe [health and] safety climate as a construct that captures the perceptions of employees of the role that [health and] safety play within the organization. It is a descriptive measure reflecting the perceptions and attitudes of the workforce towards health and safety within the organizational atmosphere at a given point in time.

4 444 A review of literature identified elements associated with successful health and safety management, namely commitment by management, effective management systems, risk management and control of hazards, auditing of both management systems and physical hazards, training and education, communications and consultation (National Occupation Health and Safety Commission (NOSHC, (1999). 2.2 Health and safety culture within South African construction industry The Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) 1993 and the Construction Regulations of 2003 set out a legal framework for South African workplace H&S. Specific sections of the Act apply to the development of policies and procedures, and employers general duty of care, namely to: provide and maintain so far as is practicable for employees a working environment that is safe and without risks to health (OHSA, (1) pp12). Occupational health and safety should be seen as a value and not driven by a legal framework. Despite isolated reports of improvement, there is very limited commitment to comply with basic requirements, let alone promote a culture of H&S. Employers view, H&S as a cost in the system. Small contractors can barely maintain tools and regard safety equipment as luxury items. Even where protective clothing and equipment are provided, workers often avoid their use, including the use of safety goggles and masks when working with grinders and asbestos. Aside from the direct compensation and medical costs associated with accidents the costs to the economy are immense and include rework, lost time, damage to plant and equipment, disruption, productivity loss and loss of skills to the economy (CIDB, 2004). Compliance with construction legislation, codes and standards such as the Construction Regulations (2003) in South Africa, presents significant challenges involving cost, compliance, design and implementation capacity. Clients such as the Department of Public Works (DPW) and consultants agree that implementation would require better understanding on the implications and importance of H&S (CIDB, 2004). These views highlight the importance of determining the leadership of H&S and H&S culture in the construction industry among the demolition contractors. 3. PROBLEM STATEMENT Employees of small demolition contractors are exposed to hazards which cannot be ignored, as international funding bodies and some clients of the construction industry demand that demolition contractors demonstrate

5 corporate social responsibility in respect of a decent working environment and physical environment. The South African government needs to address these issues to increase productivity and safe working environment. To address these problems and concerns this study aims to: Establish the sample composition of the respondents; To determine leadership in health and safety of demolition enterprises; and To determine the health and safety culture of demolition enterprises in the construction industry. This paper reports on the findings of an exploratory survey of health and safety culture conducted among the upper and middle management personnel of demolition contractors in-charge of H&S RESEARCH METHODOLOGY A review of the literature led to the identification of eight (8) elements of health and safety culture. A descriptive survey method was adopted, which involved the use of a semi-structured and structured questionnaire to explore the constructs underlying the research topic. Systemic random sampling was used where the researchers selected sample members to conform to some or other criterion in this case demolition contractors. The respondents were involved in construction activities of demolition. Since 14 usable completed questionnaires were received out of 20 distributed, the response rate was 70%. This sample size was sufficient to meet the statistical test requirements for group statistical testing of an exploratory study. The structured questions were analyzed using statistical formulae to calculate the mean values of the statements as shown in Tables 2 to 9. This means were used to rank the responses to statements. 5. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 5.1 The sample composition of the respondents Table 1 Profile of sample Type of position Respondents % Director % General Manager % Senior Supervisor % Supervisor % General Worker 0 0% Other( Specify) %

6 % Education qualification Respondents % Grade 11 and below 0 0% Grade 12(Matric) Senior Certificate % Post Matric Diploma or Certificate % University Degree Qualification % Post Graduate Degree % % Gender Respondents % Male % Female % Continuation: Table 1 Profile of sample Type of infrastructure/building demolished Respondents % Domestic i.e. housing % Industrial % Commercial % Civil % Other(Specify) % % Number of years in the construction industry Mean number of years in the construction industry 6.75 years As evidenced from Table 1, of the 14 respondents, 35.71% were involved at top management level, 42.86% were at middle management as senior supervisors and supervisors. Males dominated employment in these demolition enterprises. The type of infrastructure and buildings demolished by these enterprises ranged from commercial (57.14%), domestic i.e. housing (35.71%), industrial (42.86%) and civil projects (35.71%), respondents had been involved in the construction industry for mean of 6.75 years and 85.72% had a post-matric qualification. 5.2 Health and safety leadership in demolition enterprises in the construction industry. Table 2 Health and safety leadership Influence the perceived importance of H&S among staff and other management Demonstrate commitment to H&S Informs workers on how best to respond to unsafe behavior Actively listen to employees on issues of H&S Influence the perceived importance of H&S among people 3.29

7 447 outside the organization 4 Recognize and reward appropriate H&S behaviors Show a caring and humanistic attitude of H&S to their employees Consult with stakeholders inside and outside the organization on H&S matters The findings in Table 2 relate to the roles of management relative to H&S in their organizations. The mean scores suggest management do not demonstrate leadership in H&S. The range of mean scores, namely 3.00 to 3.71 suggest that respondents were not fully convinced that there was H&S leadership in their enterprises. 5.3 Health and safety culture in demolition enterprises in the construction industry. Table 3 Commitment of leadership Involved directly in the review of serious incidents Involved directly in decisions to remedy the causes of serious incidents Take proactive steps to plan and organize work to maximize health and safety, minimize production health and safety conflicts, rather than only intervening when conflicts arise Accept responsibility for H&S on equal basis as any other area of management responsibility Demonstrate visible and positive commitment to H&S throughout the management style Actively involved in formal safety deliberations such as safety policy formulation Take explicit and continuing steps to ensure that their interest in, and commitment to health and safety is known to all personnel Receive reports and publicly comment upon them The results in Table 3 suggest that respondents agreed that management was committed to health and safety. The results further indicate that reports on health and safety were not received and were not publicly commented upon.

8 448 Table 4 Support given by leadership Provide a safe working environment that suits the activity and tasks of their workers Ensure that staff are adequately trained, instructed and motivated to follow H&S procedures Provide their staff with technology suitable for their activities and tasks Ensure staff are released from their commitments and participate in H&S training Assess the quality of training and general usefulness, relevance and applicability of H&S training Provide training and operating instructions on H&S taking into account non-literate workers The findings in Table 4 suggest no adequate support for health and safety by leadership. Training is not comprehensively provided on H&S including taking into consideration non-literate workers. There might be resistance to releasing workers to participate in H&S training Table 5 Goal setting and review of leadership H&S Have clear goals and objectives for their H&S performance Regularly review compatibility of their safety performance goals The results in Table 5 suggest disagreement about leadership regularly reviewing compatibility of their H&S performance, despite setting goals and objectives to achieve their H&S performance, hinting that goals are set to improve health and safety performance but they were not regularly reviewed. Table 6 Creating structure and process that promote H&S Ensure feedback on the safety performance of the organization and its management Remove excessive layers of management and empower people to make decisions within their area of authority

9 Management agreed that they did not promote H&S culture by creating structures and processes that were friendly and reachable among their employees as indicated in Table 6. Management did not ensure feedback on the safety performance of the organization. They had excessive layers of management and did not empower people to make decisions within their areas of authority. Table 7 Reviewing leaders performance/self improvement Incident investigation are used as opportunities to review and learn constructively about leadership issues Leaders received feedback on how others, including their staff, perceive their commitment to H&S The results in Table 7 indicate that respondents disagreed that management received feedback on their H&S performance (mean=2.79). Further, incident investigation was not necessarily used as a feedback process to enable them to improve their performance. 5.4 Health and safety communication The results in Table 8 suggest that internal communication was not comprehensively used to address H&S issues. Management often responded swiftly to concerns and queries raised by the workforce and /or other managers and communicated with managers from other sites on H&S (means > 3.50). Table 8 Internal communication Respond swiftly to concerns and queries raised by the workforce and/or other managers Communicate formally with managers and workforce Communicate informally with managers and workforce Discuss health and safety matters with the workforce, 4 listening concerns and queries 3.21 Keep staff informed about outcomes of any meetings 4 regarding H&S matters 3.21 Provide quick and effective action to complaints from their workforce regarding their working environment, health and safety Explain clearly H&S goals and objectives to staff Participate in setting H&S targets and explaining this to staff Communicate directly with health and safety practitioners Communicate with managers from other sites on H&S matters

10 450 The results in Table 9 indicate that external communication was sometimes done. Management tended to respond to any queries pertaining to poor performance on H&S and sometimes participated in dialogue with regulators on health and safety matters. Similarly, management seldom imposed inappropriate control over who may communicate with inspectors due to fear of what might be revealed to them. Table 9 External communication Respond to queries or complaints about the health and safety performance of the organization Participate in dialogue with regulators on health and safety matters Develop a constructive and open relationship with external organizations on H&S Communicate effectively the approach and commitment to safety of the organization to external organizations by means of publications and applying for awards Impose inappropriate control over who may communicate with inspectors due to fear of what might be revealed to them CONCLUSION This study confirmed that majority of the respondents had a tertiary qualification. Leadership in H&S was not comprehensive resulting in poor H&S culture within demolition contractors. Leadership in H&S was compromised. Measured against the elements identified in literature suggests no outright commitment to H&S, support of H&S, goal setting and review of H&S, creating structure and process that promote H&S and reviewing leaders performance/self improvement are undertaken in most of the organizations. Internal and external communication elements were sometimes used to address H&S issues. Internally management responded swiftly to concerns and queries raised by the workforce and/or other managers, often communicated with managers in different sites, whereas externally management imposed inappropriate control over who may communicate with inspectors due to fear of what might be revealed to them.

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