DOI: 10.5176/2301-394X_ACE18.140
Authors: John Smallwood
Abstract:
In recent years, there have been a spate of collapses in South Africa, in terms of buildings, slabs, and support work. Given this, a study was initiated to determine, inter alia, the importance of factors relative to preventing the collapse of RC structures during construction, and optimum support work and formwork and the integrity of structures under construction. The study reported on entailed a self-administered survey of a convenience sample of six (6) ‘better practice H&S’ general contractors (GCs), a construction project management practice, as well as alumni of a South African university. In terms of preventing the collapse of RC structures during construction, and optimum support work and formwork and the integrity of structures under construction, it can be concluded that the requisite ‘cocktail’ of factors must be in place and to an optimum extent. Competencies, design, registration of built environment professionals, HIRAs, supervision, quality management, H&S management, risk management, planning and H&S planning in various forms; integration of design and construction; the construction work permit; a range of support work aspects; inspections, circumspect loading, and conformance to requirements are all important as clusters or individually. Recommendations include that conformance to requirements is the key, that such recommendations be scientifically evolved and communicated, a pre-requisite being that the required competencies exist, which can only be assured through a formal registration process, including that of contractors. Ideally, multi-stakeholder project H&S, quality, and risk plans should be evolved, and design and construction must be integrated. Then, general construction management and H&S planning must be a hallmark of all projects, and then optimum management and supervision to ensure execution of such planning.
Keywords: collapses, construction, structures
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