One the 17th of May 2024, Managing Director of WWISE, Muhammad Ali sat down with eNCA to discuss the tragedy of a construction building collapsing on sixty-two workers on the 6th of May 2024 in George, Western Cape and how standards such as SANS 10400 were created to prevent these types of tragedies.
South Africa’s Reputation
The discussion started on how South Africa has consistently had a positive reputation in construction. This reputation came from long standing strict regulations and standards that our construction industry follows. South Africa has even been used in case studies which highlighted our infrastructure.
However, this reputation is taking a hit recently with contractors intentionally cutting down on costs, time spent in construction and even opting not to conform to the SANS 10400 to save costs.
What is SANS 10400?
SANS 10400 is the South African standard which ensures the quality during the construction of buildings, minimising risks, accidents, and overall structural hazards.
The True Costs of Non-Conformance
Muhammad Ali touched on how cutting time and costs can lead to tragedies such as the construction building collapsing on workers. When buildings are built focusing on making and saving money instead of quality and assurance, we see the actual cost of not conforming to these standards which is the loss of life.
Who is Responsible?
Responsibility of regulatory bodies were also discussed and how contractors are not being held responsible or accountable for their actions. Currently there is no consequence management in cases where SANS 10400 is not being followed.
Cutting corners
With the push and pull of clients and contractors has led to various corners being cut that lead to unsafe construction buildings and eventually unsafe buildings.
Some of the ways contractors are cutting costs include:
- Not having a safety agent on site
- Not following SANS 10400
- Not keeping a risk register
- Ensuring all workers on site are competent.
- All workers need to be aware of all risks and policies.
When contractors are only focusing on maximising profits these are the things that they could potentially be cutting from the process.
What Will the Department of Labour Do?
Although we do mourn the tragedy that has happened, we also need to look to the Department of Labour and what they will do to ensure this does not happen again. Currently the standards and regulations are not being enforced and there need to be consequences put into place where the standards are not being implemented.
The Next Steps for South Africa
Although we have various bodies in place to ensure engineering, electrical installations and plumbing are up to standard, South Africa is lacking in the safety department.
Although we do have the South African Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (SAIOSH) there are not enough spot checks or inspections being done. Contractors need to have systems in place and following the SANS 10400 standard.
Watch the full interview here: https://youtu.be/KtjipSWfvLY