Environmental Management Practices on South African Construction Projects

Construction projects are usually associated with an adverse impact on the natural environment. Furthermore, there is a range of environmental legislation and regulations that regulate aspects relative to the environment.

A quantitative study was conducted among general contractors (GCs) in South Africa to determine: the status of construction environmental management practices; general perceptions of contractors with regards to environmental management, the role and influence of project stakeholders in a project environmental management system, and the benefits that accrue. Construction Industry Development Board (cidb) contractors registered in grades 2 to 9 constituted the sample stratum.

Findings include: inadequate environmental management knowledge, and noncompliance with environmental regulations predominate in terms of the causes of environmental degradation on projects; provision for environmental rehabilitation, and implementation of the project’s environmental management plan on site predominate in terms of the frequency at which environmental issues are dealt with on sites; a range of environmental management practices can be deemed to be undertaken; clients and principal contractors predominate in terms of the extent to which the various project stakeholders influence environmental management practices on sites; reduction in environment incidents and legal compliance predominate in terms of the benefits that accrue due to an environmental management system being implemented on a project.

Conclusions include: contractors realise that environmental management is a key project parameter; environmental management interventions are implemented; environmental degradation occurs on site, and there is a need to improve environmental management on projects.

Recommendations include: the role of each project stakeholder should be identified; employer and professional associations should evolve environmental guidelines; environmental management should be embedded in tertiary built environmental programmes, and professional associations and statutory councils should evolve and / or promote environmental continuing professional development (CPD).