A study of the causes and effects of contractors' non-compliance with the health and safety regulations in the South African construction industry

Abstract

Construction is a dangerous and risky industry. This could be attributed to the nature of its activities and the high resultant accident rates. The Health and Safety (H&S) Act, specifically the Construction Regulations, are stated to eliminate the potential hazards during the design and construction phases and to reduce the consequential risks thereof. However, the importance of the construction regulations seems to be overlooked in South Africa. Accordingly, the number of accidents and fatalities witnessed has been rapidly increasing. This article aims to investigate the causes of contractors’ non-compliance with the H&S procedures and the subsequent effects of such non-compliance on the construction project as well as the country's socioeconomy. A research methodology is designed to achieve this aim. Firstly, literature is used to review the H&S Act, policies used to promote and ensure compliance within sites, hazard and prevention methods, and management systems for safe construction. Secondly, survey questionnaires are used to define the causes and effects of non-compliance with H&S procedures from the industry perspective and determine practices on site. Finally, interviews are conducted with the relevant professionals to assess the practicality of their plans and investigate their view towards eliminating contractor's non-compliance with H&S procedures.