BuildSafe extends its gaze beyond SA’s borders - 2012-02-08

Nonprof it organisation BuildSafe South Africa (BSA) would be keen to expand its support and guidance beyond South Africa’s borders to the rest of Southern Africa, administor David Bass said at the foundation’s launch earlier this month. “Many of the contractors and companies BSA deals with operate in Southern Africa, the rest of Africa, as well as abroad; therefore, we can definitely see the organisation working with other countries in the Southern African region,” he stated.

Founded by construction companies Sasol Technology, Aveng Grinaker-LTA, Murray & Roberts, Fluor and Foster Wheeler, BSA affords member companies and individuals registered on its website the opportunity to submit and access information that would assist them in improving the overall health and safety of workers at construction cites. “Members will be able to share safety information, which will be revised by a qualified technical committee and sent out as safety alerts to other members,” said Aveng MD Graham McCaig.

Safety alerts, best practice bulletins and requests for information are sent to members on a regular basis, while they also have access to the latest safety statistics and updates regarding provincial and international law. He emphasised that improved communication among industry players would hold great incentives for construction companies, as it would not only lower the high work-related injury, fatality and disability rates in South Africa, but also improve companies’ profitability and productivity.

McCaig said BSA was expected to outper for m the success achieved with BuildSafe Dubai, which was launched in 2007 and closed shop in 2010. While the Dubai organisation was contractor-led, the South African one would be led by the local construction industry as a whole. “We already have 116 individuals registered on our website, and we hope to have about 18 companies signing up after today.

These numbers will hopefully grow as we hold informationsharing sessions every 12 weeks,” Bass said. He added that various committees would be created to address specific matters such as sustainability, health and wellness. Meanwhile, BSA’s registration and legislation process is well under way, with the company’s memoranda having been submitted to the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission, while auditors and public officers have been appointed.

BSA’s member charter had also been completed and its constitution is in its final stage. “We hope to have a registered entity by the end of February,” Bass noted.