Construction work can be defined as any work done in connection to alteration, maintenance, construction, commissioning, conversion, repair, renovation, dismantling, demolition or decommissioning of a structure or even preparation of a building site (Global Voices). There is nothing more rewarding to construction managers than seeing their projects getting completed (Safe Work Australia). However, before reading the completion stage, they must pass through several challenges despite the job being interesting. Construction managers do lead and oversee some projects from the beginning to the end within the construction industry (Construction Executive).
Construction industry in Australia has undergone a remarkable growth over the past few years, and it is predicted to continue growing. However, despite the increase in the production, construction managers are faced with several challenges. This essay is a close analysis of some of the problems that are met by the managers in their work. This essay will primarily discuss the environmental sustainability and the safety requirements.
Safety requirements
In construction sites, there is always the presence of massive machines and vehicles. Therefore, cooperation, consultation, and coordination are essential in this industry to ensure health and safety of every employee on site is guaranteed (Safe Work Australia). Workforce and labor is the force behind the construction companies and the most affected area regarding safety requirements. A profile industry carried in 2015 found work-related injuries to be as follows;
Ø Muscle conditions or chronic joint -16 percent
Ø Strains and sprains – 21 percent
Ø Open wounds and cuts – 31 percent
Ø The report further shows that the injuries were as a result of;
Ø Being hit by an object 31 percent
Ø Pulling, lifting, or pushing objects 30 percent
Ø Falls from a height 15 percent
In health and safety guidelines at construction sites, the PCBU ensures that the contractors meet the requirements that include preparation, keeping and complying with the health and safety standards. Lawmakers and contractors have been making efforts to drive safety practices on construction sites.
The Australasian administration of Occupational Safety and Health has established a set of safety standards; the country has made significant alignment in safety and regulations across the states (Safe Work Australia). On the other hand, the managers are being held accountable thus forcing them to ensure health and safety regulations are followed. In Queensland, laws have been introduced that holds the construction managers responsible in any case their negligence may lead to a workers death. However, a report by Global Voices, indicates that more need to be done as people working in the in the industry works under pressure to complete projects before deadlines, this pushes site employees to work faster to finalize the plans resulting to a higher number or increased accidents at the sites. The graph below shows the types of accidents experienced in construction sites and their levels (Construction Executive).
In regards to this, LafargeHolcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction, states that in order to reduce accidents at the construction sites, it is important to observe safety rules such as putting on helmets, and other protective gears while at work, availability of first aid tools and first aider to attend to minor injuries and also a medical facility should be nearby to administer medical services to ailing employees at the site. There should be regular safety inspection to ensure everything is in order (Construction Executive).
Environmental sustainability
Currently, organizations and states are addressing global warming which is contributed to by human activities. Reports by Construction Executive, shows that construction companies are the biggest global polluters and energy consumers and also plays a significant role in the Australian economy. Despite using heavy machinery contributing to global warming, the industry has begun adopting advanced and designed relevant policy and regulations that help in environmental sustainability. Construction companies are expected to comply with the policies and rules to ensure they practice ecological sustainability. This can only be done by minimizing the damages they cause or emit into the atmosphere (Global Voices).
Despite the positive changes in the construction industry, there are still more questions if the measures undertaken are sufficient enough to handle the severity of the climate change. An analysis by the Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council (ASBEC), shows that with the guidelines provided to the construction industry, the sector has got the potential to be carbon neutral by 2045 (Safe Work Australia). This is a clear indication that the industry is somehow away from meeting the requirements on global change. However, the president of Per Green Building Council of Australia and the CEO of the Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council says that they are using the cheapest and fastest means for reducing their amount of emissions (Global Voices).
The sector is set to sustainable tools for construction as they focus on renewable energy, carbon emissions, energy efficiency operation, material use and design. These tools have been developed to help reduce environmental pollution (Construction Executive). The most recommended way of practicing sustainability is the reduction of emissions into the atmosphere. Technologically, the industry has gone far by use of advanced technology whereby the managers use mobile apps to compile and keep data. Through technology, the companies have been able to manage their fleets by using GPS tracking system which is placed in each vehicle. The 3-D printers have been used in conjunction with the Robotic constructors where the robots are used for demolitions and perform other tasks such as excavation, and placing of bricks (Construction Executive).
In conclusion, the construction sector has also managed to come up with solutions to help managers carry out their work smoothly and efficiently. The introduction of technology has reduced the workload they faced earlier since some of their work can be handled by machines. While on health and safety, there has been an improvement by the introduction of safety gears and site first aiders who offer first aid to minor injuries. However, as things advances, so the managers are also able to find better solutions to their problems.
Works Cited
Construction Executive. "Construction Executive." Construction Executive, Construction Executive, 10 Jan. 2017, constructionexec.com/article/how-technology-is-changing-the-construction-industry. Accessed 30 Apr. 2018.
Global Voices. "Ensuring Responsible and Sustainable Construction for Our Future Built Environment." Global Voices, 17 Oct. 2016, globalvoices.org.au/journal/caleb-adams. Accessed 30 Apr. 2018.
LafargeHolcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction, [email protected]. "Understanding Sustainable Construction." LafargeHolcim Foundation Website, 18 Aug. 2017, www.lafargeholcim-foundation.org/about/sustainable-construction. Accessed 30 Apr. 2018.
Safe Work Australia. "Construction." Safe Work Australia, Safe Work Australia, 6 Feb. 2018, www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/construction. Accessed 30 Apr. 2018.
