Reducing Reworks

In Australia, work that needs to be redone on construction projects equates to 35% of the costs. Furthermore, 50% of projects run over budget. Similarly in the USA and Nigeria, reworks form up to 20% and 30% of the price of a construction project. Locally, it costs six times more to fix a problem at the end of a project than to address it as it happens.

According to GVK-Siya Zama Quality Co-Ordinator, Nicola Turner, “Off site, the root causes of reworks include a lack of planning, poor human resource co-ordination, insufficient focus on quality and an absence of forward communication to the site staff of end-user requirements. On site, the causes involve weak site supervision, poor standards of workmanship, poor application of materials as well as the incorrect interpretation of information pertaining to the client’s needs and failure to inform management of problems being experienced.”

To reduce reworks spending by 25% and improve the group quality average to over 85%, GVK-Siya Zama has implemented an Integrated Management System. This influences the quality, health and safety as well as environmental practices of the company and is based on the ISO 9001 framework, OSHAS 18001 and ISO 14001. The company is one of only a few construction firms and the only one of their size in South Africa to have this system in place.

To achieve its aims, GVK-Siya Zama conduct monthly audits of each of their projects, including office based departments. “Sites perform at their best when the support departments do too,” explains Turner. The audits proactively monitor operational criteria, the applicable legislation and regulations and the quality of workmanship standards. They also reactively measure the quality of site works, documentation and management whilst recording data in order to reveal trends. From this, corrective and preventative actions can be determined.

Since implementing the system, the specialists in the construction, renovation, restoration and recycling of buildings and their clients have reaped numerous benefits. These have included saving costs and time, enhancing the company’s reputation, earning repeat clients and additional contracts. Most importantly, this System has had a positive effect on the health and safety of the company’s employees. GVK-Siya Zama prides itself on having a Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate of 0.74 – well below the industry norm of 2.6. In addition, the company has won several regional health and safety competitions and has done exceedingly well in national competitions.

“The Integrated Management System, which is applied to all aspects of our business, ensures that we are constantly improving – a must in the highly competitive construction industry,” concludes Turner.