The Department of Employment and Labour is to meet construction industry to share measures to enhance construction industry health and safety landscape.

The Department is meeting industry stakeholders because the construction industry has been identified as one of high hazard industry. The industry also present opportunities and challenges.

The construction industry is huge and constitute a range of activities from design, construction, plans, maintenance, repair and demolition of buildings, civil engineering works, mechanical, electrical and related works.

The industry is estimated to contribute about three percent to the gross domestic product. It is one of high employers in the economy and faces a number of challenges some of whom poses risks and uncertainty to the survival of the industry. 

The 2024 Construction Health and Safety conference will be held under the theme: “Enhancing construction health and safety".

The conference will bring together officials of the Department, the Council for Built Environment (CBE); Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB); South African Council for the Project and Construction Management Professions (SACPCMP); Master Builders Association of South Africa (MBSA); Association of Construction Health and Safety Management (Achasm); International Labour Organization (ILO); LochRoux; Compensation Fund; Sasol; Nactu; Grashyo Health and Safety; Federated Employers Mutual Assurance (FEM);  and South African Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (SAIOSH).

The speakers will among themselves address issues such as: injury and illness prevention, relevance of an occupational hygiene programme in the sector, draft infrastructure plan 2050, contractors compliance, the importance of competence to ensure professionalism in construction health and safety, organised perspective of the construction industry, structural collapses and safety, decent work in construction, OHS strategy, a critique of the construction industry in South Africa, compensation for injuries and diseases (including statistics), machinery safety in the construction sector, OHS compliance in the construction industry, construction site observation, safety culture on site and professional designations within the built environment.

For media RSVP contact Siyabulela Dzanibe at Siyabulela.Dzanibe@labour.gov.za or 072 028 1072.

Media is invited and the conference will be held as follows:

Venue: Premier Hotel, Kempton Park in Gauteng Province

Date: 14-15 October 2024

Start time: 08:30am

For enquiries contact:

Teboho Thejane

Departmental Spokesperson

082 697 0694/ Teboho.Thejane@labour.gov.za

-ENDS-

Issued by: Department of Employment and Labour

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