Given the increasing unemployment rate and the challenges faced by construction contractors when employing local labour on projects awarded to them, this article seeks to address the benefit of training site supervisors, managers and foremen.

According to Statistics South Africa (SATSSA), South Africa’s unemployment rate in the third quarter of 2021 increased by 0,5 of a percentage point to 34,9%. This is the highest official unemployment rate recorded since the start of the Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) in 2008.

In November 2021, Mr Bongani Dladla Dladla Acting Chief Executive of Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) said that: “Employment in the construction sector has grown by 17% over the past year with more than 156 000 new jobs created in the 12 months leading up to Q2 2021. However, this improvement or growth is coming off a low base in Q2 2020 when there was a lockdown and very low activity taking place. These are encouraging signs that construction and engineering is recovering from the economic downturn and the impact of the pandemic, benefiting from expected higher levels of investment in infrastructure.”

Construction is one of the industries that have higher employment shares relative to its contribution to the gross domestic product (GDP) with the sector accounting for 8% of total formal employment while its share of nominal GDP is 2.5%. The employment of local labour on construction projects seeks to address the quandary of rampant unemployment, but this comes with the challenge of working with teams unfamiliar to the contractors. How is this challenge overcome? Education and training of site supervisors, managers, and foremen have proven to increase the productivity of the construction team, reduce losses and increase profitability.

Typical functions assigned to a Supervisor of Construction Processes/Foreman are:

• Procurement of labour, monitoring the performance of team members including disciplinary action and providing on-job training and coaching.
• Developing, implementing, and monitoring a Health and Safety site plan, identifying specific hazards related to the construction environment, supervising the implementation of steps to limit damage to persons and property, identifying and applying procedures related to transmittable diseases.
• Implementing a quality management system, assisting in establishing and implementing a quality improvement process, assisting in establishing and implementing a construction project quality plan, and implementing a process control quality system and conforming to quality acceptance control requirements.
• Complying with the legal requirements of a construction contract.
• Interpreting and applying a range of contract documentation, Codes of Practice and professional Ethics.
• Reading, interpreting, and using construction drawings and specifications.
  Understanding and implementing environmental initiatives during all phases of the construction process.
• Measuring and reporting on construction activity production and resource cost and deciding on and implementing productivity improvement measures on a construction project.
  Calculating quantities for the purpose of computing quantities of materials required to complete a job cost-effectively, identifying plant and human resources required and using these calculations to develop a work plan.
• Applying basic setting out of works in the building construction industry using basic survey equipment such as measuring tapes, ranging rods, levels and a theodolite.
  Procuring, receiving, using and storing materials in accordance with site procedures and safety and manufacturer specifications.
• Builders KwaZulu-Natal is a CETA accredited training provider and is accredited to provide such training interventions. Do not delay training to meet tender requirements or your BEE spend.
  Contact the Association to advise on your B-BBEE, Employment Equity and to implement your training requirements.

Contact us on 031 831 3238 or training@masterbuilders.co.za for assistance on the entire package.

Victor Smith

References:
1. Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS), 3rd Quarter 2021
2. https://www.statssa.gov.za/?p=14922