Evaluation of Fatalities on Construction Sites Tswane Metropolitan Municipality
Conference: 8th Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) Postgraduate Conference, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa,
The aim of the study was to evaluate the major risks faced by semiskilled labourers on building sites in Tshwane metropolitan municipality which mostly lead to serious fatality. Recommendations are made to mitigate the adverse impact thereof.
This study explored these elements of risk by using interview and observation approach to collect data from 83 semiskilled labourers from five different construction companies; semiskilled labourers in construction are more prone to risks especially falling from building heights which is basically the motive of this study. This could be classified as a safety risk which this particular grouping is exposed to.
Labour risks in building industry are one of the issues that cannot be envisaged at the commencement of projects, labour risks differ from one project to another. Based on the data collected during compilation of this study, it was observed;
- That incompetency of safety personnel employed by the main-contractors who are supposed to ensure that all stakeholders on the project comply with the safety regulations.
- Poor communication among the project team was also observed as one of causes of workers accidents on site, workers nonchalant attitude towards safety contributed to workers fatality on site.
- Poor erection of scaffolding or ladders used on site which mostly expose the workers to fall was also evaluated as cause of this risk.
One of the suggested recommendations was that main contractors should employ competent safety personnel that will enforce safety regulations on sites.
Tshwane University of Technology, Pretoria
