project managers on construction health and safety
TRANSCRIPT
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THE IN FLUEN CE OF PRO JECT M AN AGERS O N CON STRUCTION HEALTH AN D SAFETY IN SOU TH AFRICA
THE AU STRALIAN JOU RN AL OF CO N STRUC TION ECON OM ICS AN D B UILDIN G VOL.2 NO .1 57
THE INFLUENCE OF PROJECT MANAGERS ON CONSTRUCTIONHEALTH AND SAFETY IN SOUTH AFRICA
John Smallwood and Danie Venter
University of Port Elizabeth, South Afr ica
INTRODUCTIONConstruction occupational fatalities, injuries
and disease result in considerable hum an
suffering and affect, not only the w orkers
directly involved, but also their fam ilies and
com m unities and contribute to the national
cost of m edical care, and rehabilitation
(Sm allw ood, 1996).
H ow ever, occupational fatalities, injuries
and disease also contribute to variability of
resource, w hich increases project risk. Such
risk can m anifest itself in dam age to the
environm ent, reduced productivity, non-
conform ance to quality standards and tim e
overruns, and ultim ately in an increase in
the cost of construction. Other possible
m anifestations include dam age to client
property and, or im paired production proc-
esses, and a poor client and contractor im -
age as a result of accidents (Sm allw ood,
1996).
Literature reviewG iven that all project stakeholders cli-
ents, designers, project m anagers (PM s)
and contractors influence and contribute
to construction health and safety (H & S),
PM s, in their capacity as project leaders and
co-ordinators, are uniquely positioned to
integrate H & S into all aspects of the design
and construction processes (Sm allw ood,
1996; H inze, 1997). H ow ever, only one of the
nine project m anagem ent know ledge areas
in the Project M anagem ent B ody of Know l-
edge (PM B O K) m akes any reference to H & S(and that is perfunctory), nam ely project
hum an resource m anagem ent (Project
M anagem ent Institute, 1996). G iven that oc-
cupational fatalities, injuries, disease, and
accidents in general increase project risk, it
is significant that a further know ledge area,
nam ely project risk m anagem ent does not
m ake reference to H & S.
Traditionally PM s have focused on cost,
quality and tim e. H ow ever, this traditional
approach has not been successful, w ith the
greater percentage of projects not beingcom pleted w ithin budget, or to quality and
tim e requirem ents (Allen, 1999). The need
for a paradigm shift and focus on H & S is
am plified by the com plem entary role of H & S
in overall project perform ance cited by vari-
ous authors H & S enhances productivity,
quality, tim e and ultim ately, cost (H inze,
1997; Levitt and Sam elson, 1993).
G iven the docum ented im pact of accidents,
the influence of H & S on other project pa-
ram eters, the need for a m ulti-stakeholder
approach to H & S, the m inim al status af-forded to H & S by the P roject M anagem ent
B ody of Know ledge and the unique position
and role of PM s in projects, the objectives of
this study are to determ ine:
PM perceptions relative to the im portance
of H & S and other project param eters
the frequency at w hich P M s consider and
refer to H & S during the design and devel-
opm ent, and im plem entation or construc-
tion phases
the frequency at w hich P M s consider andrefer to H & S relative to various design and
related activities
the frequency at w hich various procure-
m ent related situations and interventions,
w hich affect H & S, are encountered and
taken by P M s respectively
the aspects or actions w hich PM s perceive
can im prove or contribute to an im prove-
m ent in H & S perform ance
the perceived im pact of inadequate or the
lack of H & S on other project param etersand project risk.
Project life-cycleG iven that projects are unique and involve a
certain degree of risk the PM B OK recom -
m ends that projects be subdivided into sev-
eral phases to provide for better
m anagem ent control. These phases, w hich
are collectively referred to as the project life
cycle (Project M anagem ent Institute, 1996),
are:
concept and initiation
design and developm ent
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JOHN SM ALLW OOD AND DANIE VENTER
60 THE AUSTR ALIAN JOU RN AL OF CO N STRU CTION ECO N OM ICS AN D BU ILDIN G VOL.2 N O.1
of general contractors (GCs) and SCs on
H & S by clients and GCs respectively. The
purpose of pre-qualification in the H & S
sense is to provide a standardised m ethod
for the selection of contractors on the basis
of dem onstrated safe w ork records, H & S
com m itm ent and know ledge, and the abilityto w ork in a healthy and safe m anner. This
w ill ensure that only H& S conscious con-
tractors are selected.
Construction phasePM s can im plem ent processes, strategies
and undertake various interventions that
can com plem ent H & S, during the construc-
tion phase.
Partnering is a process that brings the vari-
ous stakeholders involved in a project to-
gether, i.e. client, designers, generalcontractor, subcontractors and suppliers.
The process includes the developing of m u-
tual goals and m echanism s for solving
problem s. There are tw o reasons for ex-
pecting partnering to reduce accidents: first,
the im provem ent in all-round relations on
the project, w hich in turn, according to re-
search, results in reduced accidents; sec-
ond, the perform ance objectives, w hich form
part of the partnering charter, usually in-
clude a specific m ention of H & S (Levitt and
Sam elson, 1993).
The prior research conducted in South Af-
rica included a structured interview
(Sm allw ood, 1996). H addon, a P M , says:
PM s should not turn a blind eye, and if nec-
essary issue site instructions, as H & S is an
integral part of working on site.He rec-
om m ends that PM s refer to H & S during ini-
tial site inspections and site handovers (due
to the effects of the project on the im m edi-
ate environm ent), at site m eetings (if the G C
or SCs are not addressing it), and during
site inspections and discussions (as H & S isthe m ost im portant aspect on site.)
Other research findings are that the m ajor-
ity of PM s alw ays or often m ade reference to
H & S during site handovers, site m eetings,
site inspections and site discussions.
O osthuizen (1994) m aintains PM s w ill be
successful in their endeavours if they adopt
a holistic approach as H & S, productivity and
quality are inextricably intertw ined. Ideally,
PM s should m ake frequent reference to
H & S on all occasions during the construction
phase, nam ely site handovers, m eetings,inspections and discussions, to ensure that
the project environm ent is conducive to and
com plem entary to the synergy betw een
H & S, productivity, quality and tim e
(Sm allw ood, 1996).
Risk
D uring the prior research conducted inSouth Africa, 95.8% of PM s m aintained that
inadequate H & S, or the lack of it, increased
project risk (Sm allw ood, 1996). Although
inadequate, or non-existent H & S results in
variability of resource output, and conse-
quently an increase in risk, it also results in
the probability of an accident. G iven that,
firstly, risk is a function of probability and
im pact, and secondly, that the outcom e of
accidents is largely fortuitous, the potential
risks that are a result of inadequate or non-
existent H & S are substantial.
Generic tools and techniques to
engender H&SAccording to K erzner (1992), oral com m uni-
cation, w hich is preferred by m ost people in
the construction industry is a m ajor source
of com m unication breakdow n. H ow ever,
O osthuizen (1994) m aintains this problem
can be circum vented by form alizing the
process of com m unication and recom m ends
the use of checklists and the im plem enta-
tion of a docum ented quality m anagem ent
system (Q M S).
H ood (1994) concurs, and says problem s
related to H & S, productivity and quality can
frequently be traced to substandard, incon-
sistently applied or non-existent operating
procedures and practices. Standard operat-
ing practices and procedures, and safe w ork
procedures (SW Ps), are the core com ponent
of both QM Ss and H & S m anagem ent sys-
tem s as they guarantee uniform ity of opera-
tion throughout an organisation. They
effectively ensure that each tim e a task is
perform ed, it is done consistently, correctlyand in a healthy and safe m anner.
The need for QM Ss is not constrained to
construction according to C ornick (1991)
there are a num ber of incentives for design
practices to im plem ent QM Ss in their prac-
tices, e.g. reduced liability risk because of a
reduction in professional indem nity insur-
ance prem ium s. This occurs as a result of
the system atic discipline dem anded of any
process by the application of a QM S client
requirem ents are clearly defined and
agreem ent thereof is recorded, sources of
inform ation pertaining to any design decision
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THE IN FLUEN CE OF PRO JECT M AN AGERS O N CON STRUCTION HEALTH AN D SAFETY IN SOU TH AFRICA
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are clearly defined and docum ented, re-
sponsibilities for project quality are clearly
defined and docum ented, and there is re-
duced supervisory responsibility relative to
the construction process.
Consequently PM s should endeavour to pro-
cure the services of designers and contrac-
tors that have docum ented Q M Ss, and, in
the case of contractors, docum ented H & S
m anagem ent system s that include SW Ps.
Prequalification of designers and contrac-
tors on the basis of docum ented QM Ss, and
contractors on the basis of docum ented
H & S m anagem ent system s including SW Ps,
w ill engender the im plem entation of such
system s and procedures.
RESEARCH
Sample frameThe sam ple fram e w as intended to consist
of constructionPM s, w ho w ere m em bers
of the P roject M anagem ent Institute of
South Africa (PM ISA). H ow ever, the P M ISA
w ould not provide the researchers w ith a
m em bership directory, as they w ere con-
cerned about the confidentiality of their
m em bership. Provision of the directory
w ould have enabled the identification and
sole inclusion of the construction PM s in the
survey. Consequently 489 questionnaires
w ere m ailed by the PM ISA on behalf of theresearchers to a sam ple fram e, w hich sup-
posedly consisted of construction PM s.
H ow ever, a response w as received from
both an inform ation technology (IT) PM , and
a general contractor PM m em ber. Further,
it is significant to note that the total m em -
bership of the m ore recently established
Association of Construction Project M anag-
ers (ACPM ), established by the construction
PM s that seceded from the PM ISA, is 95.
Therefore, although the 30 responses re-
ceived constitutes a response rate of 6.2%(30/487), the theoreticalresponse rate is in
the order of 31.6% (30/95). H ow ever, the
form er level of response reflects the gen-
eral level of response to national construc-
tion related surveys conducted am ong
various sam ple fram es in South Africa. Fur-
ther, it should be noted that the possibility
exists that the respondents m ight constitute
the m ore com m itted P M s in general, and
particularly w ith respect to H & S, and con-
sequently a degree of bias exists the per-
ceived bias m ay overstate the im portance of
param eters, the frequency of consideration
or reference to H & S on various occasions
and relative to various design related as-
pects, the potential contribution to im -
provem ent in H & S by various aspects and
actions, and the im pact of inadequate H & S
on various project param eters, and the level
of risk.
Importance index (II)G iven that respondents w ere required to
respond in term s of frequency and im por-
tance, it w as necessary to com pute an im -
portance index (II) w ith a m inim um value of
0, and a m axim um value of 3 or 4, to enable
a com parison of, and to rank various as-
pects/actions, param eters, occasions, and
situations/interventions. The II is calculated
using the form ulae:
4n1+ 3n
2+ 2n
3+ 1n
4+ 0n
5
n1+ n2+ n3+ n4+ n5
w here n1= Very im portant/alw ays
n2= Im portant/often
n3= N eutral/som etim es
n4= N ot really im portant/rarely
n5= N ot im portant/never and
dont know
or
3n1+ 2n2+ 1n3+ 0n4
n1+ n2+ n3+ n4
w here n1= Very im portant/often
n2= Im portant/som etim es
n3= Fairly im portant/rarely
n4= N ot im portant and unsure/
never and dont know
It should be noted that dont knowre-
sponses have been consolidated w ith not
im portantand neverresponses on the ba-
sis that not know ing the degree of im por-
tance of a param eter, or w hether H & S is
addressed on various occasions or relativeto various aspects, is tantam ount to H & S
not being im portant or never addressed, i.e.
if H & S w as im portant, or if it w as addressed,
then respondents w ould know .
FINDINGSThe responding PM s w orked for practices,
w hich em ployed an average of 5.7 PM s.
The greater percentage of practices, repre-
sented by PM s, m anaged projects as follow s:
A$ 16.7m per annum (36.7% ),
A$ 8.3m
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JOHN SM ALLW OOD AND DANIE VENTER
62 THE AUSTR ALIAN JOU RN AL OF CO N STRU CTION ECO N OM ICS AN D BU ILDIN G VOL.2 N O.1
A$ 4.2m
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THE IN FLUEN CE OF PRO JECT M AN AGERS O N CON STRUCTION HEALTH AN D SAFETY IN SOU TH AFRICA
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R espondents w ere also asked to rate eleven
project param eters on a scale of 1 (very im -
portant) to 5 (not im portant). Table 2 indi-
cates the resultant rankings based on an II
w ith a m axim um value of 4.0 and a m ini-
m um value of 0.0. It is significant that the
values of all the IIs are above the m idpointvalue of 2.0, w hich indicates that all the pro-
ject param eters can be deem ed to be per-
ceived as im portant by PM s. It is also
significant that the II values of the top seven
ranked project param eters are above 3.0,
w hich indicates that these project param e-
ters can be deem ed to be perceived as very
im portant, or close thereto. Client satisfac-
tion achieved a ranking of first, follow ed by
the traditional project param eters of quality,
cost and tim e. It is notable that project H & S
and public H & S achieved rankings of fifthand sixth respectively.
Table 3 presents the frequencies at w hich
PM s consider or refer to construction H & S
on various occasions in term s of the fre-
quency range: alw ays, often, som etim es,
rarely, never and dont know . The fourteen
occasions are ranked based upon an II w ith
a m axim um value of 3.0 and a m inim um
value of 0.0. It is significant that the values
of all the IIs are above the m idpoint value of
2.0, w hich indicates that the consideration of
or reference to H & S on various occasionscan be deem ed to be prevalent. It is also
significant that the II values of the top six
ranked occasions are equal to or higher
than 3.0, w hich indicates that H & S is al-
w ays/oftenconsidered or referred to on
these occasions. Site m eetings achieved a
ranking of first; follow ed by site handover,
site inspections/discussions, constructabil-
ity review s, pre-tender m eeting, and pre-
qualifying contractors. It is notable that the
highest ranked upstream occasion, con-
structability review s, achieved a ranking offourth, follow ed by prequalifying contrac-
tors, sixth. H ow ever, preparing project
docum entation and detailed design, w hich
achieved rankings of seventh and eighth,
follow ed closely.
Table 3: Frequency at which PMs consider, or refer to construction H&S on various occasions
Frequency (%)
Occasion Always Often Some-
times
Rarely Never Dont
know
II Rank
Site m eetings 56.7 26.7 13.3 3.3 0.0 0.0 3.37 1
Site handover 63.3 13.3 16.7 6.7 0.0 0.0 3.33 2
Site inspections/discussions 53.3 26.7 16.7 3.3 0.0 0.0 3.30 3
Constructability review s 46.7 23.3 26.7 3.3 0.0 0.0 3.13 4
Pre-tender m eeting 43.3 26.7 23.3 6.7 0.0 0.0 3.07 5
Prequalifying contractors 40.0 36.7 6.7 16.7 0.0 0.0 3.00 6
Preparing project docum entation 43.3 20.0 20.0 13.3 0.0 0.0 2.97 7
D etailed design 26.7 36.7 30.0 6.7 0.0 0.0 2.83 8
Client m eetings 26.7 33.3 30.0 10.0 0.0 0.0 2.77 9
Evaluating tenders 33.3 30.0 20.0 10.0 6.7 0.0 2.73 10
Concept (design) 23.3 36.7 26.7 13.3 0.0 0.0 2.70 11D esign coordination m eetings 23.3 33.3 30.0 13.3 0.0 0.0 2.67 12
W orking draw ings 23.3 30.0 10.0 26.7 6.7 0.0 2.38 13
D eliberating project duration 16.7 20.0 33.3 20.0 10.0 0.0 2.13 14
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64 THE AUSTR ALIAN JOU RN AL OF CO N STRU CTION ECO N OM ICS AN D BU ILDIN G VOL.2 N O.1
Table 4 presents the frequencies at w hich
PM s consider/refer to construction H & S
relative to various design related aspect in
term s of the frequency range: alw ays, often,
som etim es, rarely, never and dont know .
The sixteen aspects are ranked based upon
an II w ith a m axim um value of 4.0 and am inim um value of 0.0. It is significant that
the values of all the IIs are above the m id-
point value of 2.0, w hich indicates that the
consideration of or reference to H & S rela-
tive to various design related aspects can be
deem ed to be prevalent. It is significant that
only specification achieved an II value equal
to or higher than 3.0, w hich indicates that
H & S is alw ays/oftenreferred to relative
thereto. Type of structural fram e and
m ethod of fixing achieved rankings of sec-
ond and third respectively, follow ed closely
by position of com ponents and design (gen-
eral). Given that certain m aterials contain
hazardous chem ical substances it is notable
that content of m aterial achieved a ranking
of sixth. G iven that m aterials handling, and
m ore specifically the m ass of m aterials,
contributes to m anual m aterials handling, itis also notable that m ass, edge, texture and
surface area of m aterials achieved rankings
from thirteenth to sixteenth respectively.
H ow ever, finishes and schedule, w hich en-
capsulate m aterials and processes,
achieved rankings of eleventh and tw elfth
respectively. Plan layout, site location, ele-
vations and details achieved II values of 2.62
and higher.
Table 4: Frequency at which PMs consider / refer to construction H&S relative to variousdesign related aspects
Frequency (%)
Aspect Always Often Some-times
Rarely Never Dontknow
II Rank
Specification 33.3 43.3 10.0 6.7 3.3 0.0 3.00 1
Type of structural fram e 43.3 23.3 16.7 6.7 6.7 0.0 2.93 2
M ethod of fixing 26.7 46.7 16.7 10.0 0.0 0.0 2.90 3
Position of com ponents 30.0 33.3 20.0 10.0 0.0 0.0 2.89 4D esign (general) 33.3 30.0 26.7 3.3 6.7 0.0 2.80 5
Content of m aterial 33.3 23.3 26.7 10.0 6.7 0.0 2.67 6
Plan layout 23.3 33.3 26.7 10.0 3.3 0.0 2.66 7
Site location 33.3 26.7 20.0 10.0 10.0 0.0 2.63 8
Elevations 23.3 33.3 23.3 13.3 3.3 0.0 2.62 9=
D etails 20.0 36.7 26.7 10.0 3.3 0.0 2.62 9=
Finishes 30.0 30.0 6.7 23.3 6.7 0.0 2.55 11
Schedule 23.3 30.0 20.0 20.0 3.3 0.0 2.52 12
M ass of m aterials 30.0 16.7 23.3 20.0 6.7 0.0 2.45 13
Edge of m aterials 16.7 20.0 43.3 6.7 6.7 3.3 2.28 14
Texture of m aterials 20.0 26.7 13.3 20.0 10.0 3.3 2.21 15Surface area of m aterials 13.3 23.3 33.3 26.7 3.3 0.0 2.17 16
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Table 5 presents the frequencies at w hich
PM s achieve/encounter/use various pro-
curem ent related situations/interventions in
term s of the frequency range: often, som e-
tim es, rarely, never and dont know . The
eight aspects are ranked based upon an II
w ith a m axim um value of 3.0 and a m ini-m um value of 0.0. It is significant that the
values of all the IIs are above the m idpoint
value of 1.5, w hich indicates that the achiev-
ing/encountering/use of the situations/
interventions can be deem ed to be preva-
lent. It is also significant that the top four
ranked situations/interventions are cited by
literature as having a negative influence on
H & S are clients revise their requirem ents,
com petitive tendering, draw ings are revised,
and variation orders. Sim ilarly, w ith respect
to the sixth ranked situation, design is sepa-rated from construction. Although the situa-
tions/interventions w hich com plem ent H & S
achieved rankings of fifth, seventh and
eighth (i.e. optim um project period, pre-
qualification of contractors, and design is
com plete w hen construction com m ences)
their II values are all above the m idpoint
value of 1.50.
Table 6 indicates the extent to w hich PM s
perceive various aspects/actions can con-
tribute to an im provem ent in H & S perform -
ance. R espondents could respond relative toyes, noand unsure, as opposed to scaled
responses. W ith the exception of choice of
procurem ent system , prequalification of
contractors on quality, partnering, optim um
project program m e, the m ajority of PM s
responded in the affirm ative to the various
aspects/actions. It should be noted that the
level of affirm ative support relative to theaforem entioned is in conflict w ith the litera-
ture (D reger, 1996; Oosthuizen, 1994; Levitt
and Sam elson, 1993; H inze, 1997). The level
of unsureresponses relative to choice of
procurem ent system , partnering, optim um
project program m e and project specific plan
for quality is possibly attributable to a lack
of know ledge and/or fam iliarity therew ith.
The level of affirm ative response relative to
the top three ranked aspects/actions is sig-
nificant. It is also significant that tw o of the
top three are solely design related, and thatthe third aspect/action, project specific plan
for H & S and quality requires both designer
and contractor input. Various authors ratify
the perceived potential contribution by cli-
ents and contractor program m ing, includ-
ing, H inze (1997) and Levitt and Sam elson
(1993). The fifth to seventh rankings
achieved by QM S, prequalification of con-
tractors on H & S, and contract docum enta-
tion, reflect the potential contribution
expressed in the literature (H ood, 1994;
Levitt and Sam elson, 1993; Sm allw ood and
R w elam ila, 1996).
Table 5: Frequency at which PMs achieve/encounter / use various procurement r elatedsituations/interventions
Frequency (%)
Situation/intervention Often Some-times
Rarely Never Dontknow
II Rank
Clients revise their requirem ents 83.3 16.7 0.0 0.0 0.0 2.83 1=
Com petitive tendering 83.3 16.7 0.0 0.0 0.0 2.83 1=
D raw ings are revised 73.3 23.3 3.3 0.0 0.0 2.70 3Variation orders 70.0 20.0 10.0 0.0 0.0 2.60 4
O ptim um project period 60.0 23.3 16.7 0.0 0.0 2.43 5
D esign is separated form construction 46.7 33.3 13.3 6.7 0.0 2.20 6
Prequalification of contractors 33.3 46.7 16.7 3.3 0.0 2.10 7
D esign is com plete w hen construction
com m ences
36.7 23.3 30.0 10.0 0.0 1.87 8
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Labour productivity, cost of construction and
project program m e predom inated in term s
of the extent to w hich project param eters
are perceived to be negatively affected by
inadequate or non-existent H & S (Table 7).
Less than half of the P M s identified quality,
environm ent, client satisfaction and de-signer satisfaction.
Possible responses to the question: Does
inadequate H & S increase overall project
risk?included yes, noand dont know .
93.3% of PM s responded in the affirm ative.
D uring the prior research conducted in
South A frica, 95.8% of PM s responded in the
affirm ative (Sm allw ood, 1996).
63.3% of PM s responded that H & S should
be afforded status equal to that of the tradi-
tional project param eters of cost, quality
and schedule. Those respondents w ho re-
sponded in the negative w ere requested to
qualify their response. N ine of the ten re-
sponses w ere different, ranging from
Should alw ays have higher statusto H & S
goes hand in hand w ith qualityand H & S
can be delegated to contractors under PM s
supervision.
Table 6: Extent to which var ious aspects/actions can contr ibute to an improvement in H&Sperformance according to PMs
Response (%)Aspect/actionYes No Unsur e
Rank
Project specific plan for H & S, and quality 96.7 3.3 0.0 1
D esigner prioritization / consideration 86.7 0.0 10.0 2=
Constructability review s by designers 86.7 6.7 3.3 2=
Client actions 73.3 13.3 10.0 4
Quality m anagem ent system 70.0 13.3 10.0 5=
Prequalification of contractors on H & S 70.0 16.7 10.0 5=
Contract docum entation 66.7 26.7 3.3 7=
Contractor program m ing 66.7 23.3 10.0 7=
Project specific plan for quality 63.3 13.3 23.3 9
Optim um project program m e 46.7 26.7 23.3 10Prequalification of contractors on quality 40.0 43.3 10.0 11
Partnering 36.7 33.3 26.7 12
Choice of procurem ent system 33.3 36.7 26.7 13
Table 7: Extent t o which inadequate or the lack of health and safety negatively affects otherproject parameters
Parameter Response (%) Rank
Labour productivity 83.3 1
Cost of construction 73.3 2
Project program m e 66.7 3
Quality 43.3 4
Client satisfaction 40.0 5=
Environm ent 40.0 5=
D esigner satisfaction 23.3 7
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CONCLUSIONThe conclusions, based upon the literature
and descriptive surveys, have been pre-
sented relative to the objectives of the study.
The importance of H&S and other
project parameters to PMsThe descriptive survey reflects the findings
of literature, nam ely that quality, cost and
tim e are the m ost im portantparam eters.
Although these param eters achieved rank-
ings of second, third and fourth, the first
ranked, client satisfaction, is a function of
satisfactory perform ance relative to quality,
cost and tim e. Project H & S, w hich is the
subject of this paper, and a directly related
param eter, public H & S, achieved rankings
of fifth and sixth respectively. Labour pro-
ductivity which im pacts substantially on costand tim e, and w hich is influenced by H & S
and quality, only achieved a ranking of sev-
enth. A sim ilar analogy applies to w orker
satisfaction, w hich achieved a ranking of
ninth. H ow ever, the values of all the IIs for
the param eters are above the m idpoint
value of 2.0, w hich indicates that they can be
deem ed to be im portant to PM s.
R elative to this objective it can be concluded
that PM s prioritise the traditional project
param eters of cost, quality and tim e. H ow -
ever, alm ost the m ajority of PM s recognisethe need for H & S to be afforded status
equal to that afforded to cost, quality and
tim e.
The frequency at which PMs consider
and, or refer to H&S during the design
and construction phasesG iven that the values of the IIs for all the
occasions w ere above the m idpoint value of
2.0, it can be concluded that H & S can be
deem ed to be considered and/or referred to
by PM s on all occasions. H ow ever, the topthree ranked occasions are all construction
related, i.e. site m eetings, site handover,
and site inspections/discussions, w hich in-
dicates a preference by PM s to address H & S
during construction. The top ranked design
occasion, constructability review s, w hich
achieved a ranking of fourth, indicates a
preference by P M s to filter, rather than
influence the design of designers. U lti-
m ately, how ever, this occasion represents
the optim um occasion for PM s, as opposed
to detailed design, w hich achieved a rankingof eighth. The subsequent rankings of
pre-tender m eeting, prequalifying contrac-
tors and preparing project docum entation
indicate an appreciation for and the use of
procurem ent related occasions to engender
H & S.
R elative to this objective it can generally be
concluded that PM s consider and refer to
construction H & S m ore frequently during
construction, than during procurem ent and
design.
The frequency at which PMs consider
and, or refer to H&S relative to various
design related activitiesG iven that the values of the IIs for all the
various design related activities w ere above
the m idpoint value of 2.0, it can be con-
cluded that H & S can be deem ed to be con-
sidered and, or referred to by PM s during all
the design related activities. Although no
particular category of design related activi-
ties predom inate, assem bly (including type
of structural fram e, m ethod of fixing and
position of com ponents) achieved substan-
tially higher rankings than m aterials related
aspects such as m ass, edge, texture and
surface area.
The frequency at which various
procurement related situations or
interventions, which affect H&S,are encountered or taken by PMs
respectivelyG iven that the II values for all the various
procurem ent related situations and inter-
ventions are above the m idpoint value of 1.5,
it can be concluded that the situations or
interventions are encountered or taken by
PM s.
R elative to this objective it can be generally
concluded that situations or interventions
that negatively affect H & S, are encounteredor taken m ore frequently than those that
positively affect H & S. The form er being cli-
ents revise their requirem ents, com petitive
tendering, draw ings are revised, and varia-
tion orders and the latter being optim um
project period, prequalification of contrac-
tors, and design is com plete w hen construc-
tion com m ences.
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68 THE AUSTR ALIAN JOU RN AL OF CO N STRU CTION ECO N OM ICS AN D BU ILDIN G VOL.2 N O.1
The aspects or actions, which PMs
perceive can improve or contribute to
an improvement in H&S performanceThe m ajority of PM s identified nine out of
thirteen aspects/actions identified in the
literature as having the potential to im proveor contribute to an im provem ent in H & S
perform ance.
The top four ranked aspects or actions
clearly indicate the necessity for a m ulti-
stakeholder approach to H & S, i.e. project
specific plan for quality, designer prioritisa-
tion/consideration, constructability review s
by designers, and client actions.
The level of negative, and particularly un-
sure responses relative to certain aspects
or actions indicates that PM s m ay not be
fam iliar w ith, or do not appreciate the po-
tential influence of the follow ing aspects or
actions: choice of procurem ent system ,
partnering, optim um project program m e,
project specific plan for quality, and pre-
qualification of contractors on quality.
R elative to this objective it can generally be
concluded that various design, procurem ent
and construction related aspects and ac-
tions have the potential to im prove or con-
tribute to an im provem ent in H & S.
The perceived impact of inadequate
or non-existent H&S on other project
parameters and project r iskAlthough PM s appreciate the extent to
w hich inadequate or non-existent H & S
negatively affects labour productivity, cost of
construction and project program m e, they
do not do so relative to the other project pa-
ram eters. D espite the latter status quo, PM s
do appreciate that inadequate H & S in-
creases overall project risk.
RECOMMENDATIONSThe follow ing recom m endations are sug-
gested based on the findings of the study:
H ealth and safety should be afforded
status equal to that afforded the traditional
project param eters/perform ance m easures
of cost, quality and tim e by clients, design-
ers, PM s and contractors.
The PM B OK should be am ended so that it
presents H & S as an individual know ledge
area, and so that H & S is included in the
know ledge area of project risk m anagem ent.
Consequently project m anagem ent pro-
gram m es should include H & S education.
PM s should consider or refer to H & S
m ore frequently during the upstream
phases of design, nam ely concept design,
preparation of w orking draw ings and design
coordination m eetings. A sim ilar recom -
m endation applies relative to evaluating
tenders and deliberating project duration.
R elative to design related aspects, PM s
should consider or refer to H & S m ore fre-
quently in relation to elevations, details, fin-
ishes and schedules, and various
characteristics of m aterials.
PM s should endeavour to integrate design
and construction, realise an optim um client
brief, finalise design before construction
com m ences, discourage client changes,pre-qualify contractors on H & S and quality,
include a specific m ention of, and a financial
allow ance for, H & S in contract docum enta-
tion, avoid com petitive tendering, and real-
ise the im plem entation of QM Ss in design
and construction.
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