Reply to Memorandum of Grievance From NUM
 BACKGROUND INFO (CLICK HERE)
Dear Sir,
We refer to your memorandum, and in particular the section addressed to the Construction Federations and Associations. At the outset we would like to say that the issue of safety is one that is on our minds and close to our hearts. We feel that all life is valuable, and that nobody whatsoever should die, or be injured, at work.
We also need to point out at the outset that we are a voluntary organization representing around 700 member enterprises across the spectrum – small and large, established and previously disadvantaged. Although we pride ourselves on the fact that our good work filters out to the industry at large, we can only really speak on behalf of our members, and can only directly influence such members.
More specifically we would like to draw your attention to the following:
1. General Commitment to Health & Safety
This Association subscribes to the observance and support of Occupational Health & Safety legislation and best practice at many levels. At the level of this organization, it is a Constitutional requirement that all of our members observe all legislation including health & safety legislation and in particular we refer to Clause 9.4 which states:
“The member is required to maintain healthy and safe working conditions for all its employees and to respect and protect the environment”.
At the next level the Association is a member of Master Builders South Africa (MBSA) and this Federation too is committed to occupational health & safety. Master Builders South Africa, through its membership to Business Unity South Africa (BUSA), also is directly represented on the Advisory Council for Occupational Health & Safety (ACOHS) and proactively participates in legislative reform and the formulation of best practice. MBSA has a National Health & Safety Committee which meets regularly to discuss mechanisms to foster and encourage observation of occupational health & safety legislation and best practice.
2. Regional and National Occupational Health & Safety Competitions
The Association conducts a Health & Safety Competition every single year which is open to all members and well supported. The competition is a site specific initiative and aims to engender a culture of occupational health & safety at all levels of our member enterprises from general workers through to management.
The Regional Occupational Health & Safety Competition feeds into a National Competition along the same guidelines, which seeks to recognise achievements in occupational health & safety excellence in enterprises throughout the country. It is noteworthy that the KwaZulu Natal Master Builders Association has dominated this competition for many years, walking away with the majority of awards.
3. Master Builders South Africa Occupational Health & Safety System
This is a comprehensive system which is available to members who are encouraged to purchase it. It is a systematic method by which construction enterprises can ensure occupational health & safety on every level and with every type of construction related endeavor. The bulk of our members have such a system and we encourage those who don’t to obtain the system. The system is reviewed and updated regularly.
4. Occupational Health & Safety Service
The Association maintains an extensive occupational health & safety department comprising no less than seven officials who focus on occupational health & safety throughout the province. The services are available from all four of our service centre’s in Durban, Empangeni, Pietermaritzburg and Margate. Occupational health & safety service is provided to our members free of charge and any member can call on our highly qualified staff at any time to assist them with any issues relating to observance of occupational health & safety legislation and best practice. The level of qualifications of the officials involved here are among the highest of any such Association in the Republic of South Africa.
5. Safety Check
Each new member applying for membership receives a “courtesy visit” from one of our Health and Safety team which will ascertain the levels of safety compliance. Additionally, our existing members also undergo such safety checks to ascertain the levels of compliance and we will assist members with any interventions required to get them up to speed should they not be at this level already.
6. Safebuild Dvd
The Association has produced The SafeBuild DVD series, which was borne out of a need to provide the South African Construction Industry with a locally produced Occupational Health & Safety training aid to assist in educating and informing those working with, or affected by, safety in construction
At the commencement of the project there was no single comprehensive, up-to-date video training resource for the South African Construction Industry. The resources that were available focused largely on individual elements of Health & Safety and were imported from overseas, where working conditions and legislation are often very different to that in South Africa. These DVD's are often very expensive, putting them out of reach of the people that needed them most.
With the above in mind, Master Builders KwaZulu-Natal put together a technical team of experts and sourced a local video production company to produce the SafeBuild DVD series. The brief was to ensure that the material was comprehensive, based on local legislation and regulations and easy to understand.
Another critical consideration was that the DVD should be available in 5 official languages; English, Afrikaans, Xhosa, Zulu and Sotho. An easy-to-use facility on the discs enables viewers to watch the DVD's in their own language.
The final goal was to make the DVD available at an affordable price. This will enable the greatest possible uptake of the SafeBuild DVD throughout South Africa, which will mean that more workers and Industry Stakeholders are taught how to work safely and how to create a safe working environment.
We are confident that the SafeBuild DVD will assist in lowering the frequency of incidents and accidents on South African construction sites, and create a greater depth of understanding of safety issues across the board. As one project team member put it, “If just one life is saved through the lessons and guidelines contained in the DVD, we will feel that we have made a positive contribution to the Industry.”
7. Conclusion
We trust that the detail provided above demonstrates the deep commitment, by both the Association and its members, to the all important task of saving lives and averting injuries and incidents in the building industry in KwaZulu Natal and beyond.
Yours Faithfully
Brandon Abdinor
Executive Director
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