Introduction to Construction Health and Safety

There has been increasing emphasis by the Department of Labour on improving the overall health and safety performance of the construction industry in South Africa to acceptable levels comparable with those of countries such as Sweden, Australia and the United Kingdom. This emphasis has led to the recent revision of the Construction Regulations 2014 and registration of construction H&S practitioners with the South African Council for the Project and Construction Management Professions (SACPCMP). The national construction H&S improvement initiative is dependent on suitably and adequately trained H&S practitioners driving H&S within their spheres of influence in the industry. There are limited construction H&S training programmes and qualifications available in South Africa to ensure this outcome. This particular short programme addresses this shortage in the KZN province.

The programme will provide participants with a well-rounded, broad educational experience that will equip them with the knowledge base, competences and skills, underpinned by the theories, methodologies and principles essential to the effective management of construction health and safety on construction projects (both private and public).

• Manage construction health and safety through understanding the legal requirements for construction health and safety at work
• Implement health and safety management systems
• Identify workplace hazards
• Apply methods of hazard control and practical application of knowledge and understanding
• Understand the principles and procedures of effective construction risk assessment, hazard identification and risk mitigation and effective construction health and safety management
• Apply, analyse and evaluate the principles and procedures of effective construction risk assessment, hazard identification and risk mitigation and effective construction health and safety management

• Legal principles
• Responsibilities of construction process stakeholders
• Culture and leadership
• Managing construction health and safety
• Health hazards including HIV and AIDS
• Safety hazards
• Hazard identification, risk assessment and mitigation
• Construction health and safety management systems

• Anyone from the construction industry who will either already be working in the construction H&S field or interested in working in that field
• Matriculants or school leavers desiring an intensive introduction to construction H&S for purposes of increasing their employability. This programme will be their first formal academic exposure to construction health and safety.

• Minimum qualification of matric or NQF 4 equivalent

12 days

* This programme is only available for a full cohort of a minimum of 20 delegates