The South African Council for the Project and Construction Management Professions (SACPCMP) has issued an urgent call for the mandatory employment of registered building inspectors on all construction and infrastructure projects.
The call follows the collapse of a building in Ormonde, south of Johannesburg, on Monday, which resulted in nine construction workers losing their lives, with others sustaining injuries.
In a statement on Wednesday, the council said the incident emphasises the importance of appointing properly registered professionals to safeguard public safety and ensure compliance with national building standards.
SACPCMP President Sharon Shunmugam stated that registered professionals possess the necessary experience and skills to ensure projects are completed to standards that uphold sustainability and structural safety.
“The only lawful way to ensure that structures are built in accordance with proper and procedural building standards is to appoint registered building inspectors on projects to monitor progress and identify risks or deviations in building standards,” Shunmugam said.
Initial investigations uncovered multiple breaches of building regulations and procedures. It has also been reported that the building plans for the structure were missing, as stated in media briefings last week by the Mayor of Johannesburg, Dada Morero.
Shunmugam stated that the council has consistently warned both industry stakeholders and the public about the risks related to non-compliance.
“The safety of the public is a priority. Where construction and related processes fail to adhere to the regulated standards of safety and construction management, the breakdown or collapse of structures is a likely eventuality,” Shunmugam said.
She emphasised that employing qualified professionals in the construction sector is vital to ensure that standards are upheld and that the highest quality of outputs in the built environment is achieved.
She said the council is deeply saddened and immensely concerned that, to date, the construction sector is still experiencing incidents where the most basic lawful construction requirements are flouted, and lives are lost.
According to the SACPCMP, appointing a professional, registered building inspector in such cases would have highlighted irregularities and identified risks, thereby helping to safeguard infrastructure and personnel on site.
“It is a travesty that once again, we see lives lost in an event where this could have been fully prevented if regulations were properly followed. Our thoughts and prayers go out to those who have lost loved ones due to this tragedy, and we are, as a council, ready to assist the relevant authorities in their investigation of this incident,” Shunmugam said.
