Construction World January 2023

Another positive contribution to the upliftment of the local labour force was achieved by first undertaking a skills assessment from which training needs were identified and a structured skills development plan put into action. Training was provided for flag-persons (17), banksman (1) and three workers were given training in first aid, basic firefighting and the responsibilities of health & safety representatives. In addition to this training Civils 2000 sent five ‘Go for Gold’ students on first aid and health & safety representative training courses. SANRAL provided further training opportunities for the local community through onsite training in environmental aspects by the Environmental Control Officer (ECO), providing first aid training (8), basic firefighting (10), stone pitching (12), brush cutter operations (11) and arranged for 12 places on a ‘Manage Personal Finances’ training course. For local SMMEs five subcontract work packages were tendered by Civils 2000 and approved by the client for award. These five work packages were successfully completed by two 100% black female owned SMMEs, two 100% black owned SMMEs and a 51% black owned SMME. Ultimately 29% of the contract spend went to targeted enterprises and 6% to local labour, exceeding the Client requirements. Design Innovation C2KMPI JV were not required to carry out design of any permanent works. Designs required were for temporary works only although the large access scaffolding was significant and risks from strong winds and falling risks presented some challenges to the scaffolding supplier. Consideration of Environmental Impacts SANRAL appointed an Environmental Control Officer (ECO) who conducted frequent environmental site audits and monitored the impact of construction activities and compliance with statutory requirements. In addition to these duties the ECO also trained workers on various environmental aspects including environmental impacts (actual or potential) caused by work activities and prevention and mitigation measures.

concerns. Access was difficult due to the steep terrain and because there are no access tracks above the cutting. An innovative solution was arrived at by employing rope access experts. Establishment of access scaffolding from road level to the upper slopes provided access to the top of the cuttings where abseiling lines were installed. Catch walls with water barriers were installed along the mountain ridge. The climbers were able to hook into the lines and descend to the cut faces where they dislodged the loose boulders and material. To enable construction of the stone pitched drains high up the slope we utilised a cargo netting system to transport two tons of gabions stone at a time to a height of 36 metres from the road surface and up 20 metres away from crane. To assist with the requirements of 24-hr traffic management the traffic accommodation team utilised Dashcam video devices to capture a full record of traffic conditions on site at all times. Corporate Social Investment SANRAL are committed to promoting the sourcing of local services and the participation of women and youth through subcontracting, training and employment on road construction and maintenance projects across South Africa. To assist that process SANRAL provided a 14-point plan for structured engagement with stakeholders and local communities. In addition, both Civils 2000 and GeoCiv both have substantial experience of working with local communities and the site management team worked with an existing local project liaison committee (PLC) and project liaison officer to identify opportunities for local SMMEs and job opportunities. For this project a two-month mobilisation period was provided by the client at the beginning of the project to allow time for engaging with the local communities, negotiating work packages with local SMMEs and appointing workers. Despite this contract requiring a large proportion of the work to be done by specialists a number of jobs were created with 40 people from the local Sir Lowry’s Village and Lwandle communities employed (17 female, 23 male), of which 28 were youth appointments.

27 CONSTRUCTION WORLD JANUARY 2023