Postgraduate Diploma in Construction in Health and Safety Management

Purpose

The primary purpose of the qualification is to enable working professionals to undertake advanced reflection and development using a systematic survey of current thinking, practice and research methods in an area of specialisation.

This qualification provides learners with the competencies to meet the prerequisites for statutory registration with the South African Council for the Project and Construction Management Professions (SACPCMP) as:

• A Learner Health and Safety Manager and Professional Health and.
• Safety Manager terms of the Project and Construction Management Profession Act 2000 (No 48 of 2000).

The Postgraduate Diploma focuses on providing learners with the required vocational knowledge, skills and competencies required by the SACPCMP for purposes of registration, appropriate to the vocation of health and safety in the construction industry. The content of the study aligns with the learning outcomes prescribed by the SACPCMP. The qualification aims at a learner who shows mastery in advanced Construction Health and Safety techniques and services and as the foundation for learners who may opt to study further in related Built Environment fields. The qualification also aims to enhance the career of the learner by providing economic opportunities and a choice of career paths, any one of which can result in professional status.

The qualification aims at producing learners who can contribute to the economy of South Africa as employable Learner Health and Safety Managers or Health and Safety Agents, well-equipped with the required knowledge base demanded from the Professional Health and Safety Professional. Learners will have acquired a thorough knowledge and skills base to adequately manage all health and safety aspects of construction projects from inception to completion. Learners will have a thorough understanding and knowledge of health and safety in the broader social context, to the benefit of the built environment and broader community.

The qualification introduces explicitly an excellent knowledge base of the technological, financial, economic, environmental and legal frameworks within which health and safety managers operate and contribute extensively towards the organised, sensitive and appropriate development of projects in the construction industry and the built environment.

The qualification provides

• Postgraduate studies for primary careers in Construction Health and Safety, and various related fields within the built environment that potentially benefit from a combination of building, construction, project management, property development, and management skills, thus contributing to the economic and national development of the country substantially.
• The educational foundation required for further study and eventual registration as a Professional Health and Safety Agent/Manager with the South African Council for the Project and Construction Management Professions (SACPCMP).

Rationale

Developing this qualification in construction will open up a new path for learners involved in construction. The new qualification is a step towards aligning all the technology-based construction programmes offered by the department with the new requirements of the professional bodies.

The process of professional development towards qualifying as a Professional Construction Health and Safety Manager starts with the attainment of an advanced qualification that focuses on the practice of health and safety management. The qualification, which focuses on health and safety management, offers such a qualification.

In order to attain the competencies for registration as a full Professional Health and Safety Officer/Agent/Manager, there is a requirement a programme of training, further study and knowledge development with structured work experience in compliance with statutory regulatory councils after graduation.. Professional registration is not mandatory, though, for industry participation, the learner can advance to the highest levels in the industry in practising health and safety management after gaining the necessary work experience. Various career opportunities for learners of the programme exist in the built environment. These include, in addition to health and safety management, building construction, building maintenance, building restoration and asset management. Learners may become part of a design or development team as a health and safety professional, be self-employed or act as consultants in the health and safety field within the construction industry.

The qualification entails theoretical, practical and administrative elements appropriate to low-rise and high-rise construction work. Upon completion of the qualification, learners can work at the industry, contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, manufacturers and they can obtain job profile and titles that are not limited to Health and Safety Agent/Manager. The qualification aims to enhance the career prospects of the learners by providing them with economic opportunities and a choice of career paths, any one of which can result in professional status and recognition in the community of practice.

The aim of the qualification is to produce learners who can contribute to the economy of South Africa by producing employable Learner Health and Safety professionals. Learners will have acquired the knowledge and skills to implement an understanding of the control of production and design in the construction industry from the health, safety and well-being perspective. This qualification develops a broad range of essential skills appropriate to a person who would be advancing from the technical to Professional Health and Safety Management. It combines theoretical, practical and administrative elements appropriate to general and advanced Health and Safety work in the construction industry. Learners of this qualification would have acquired a well-developed knowledge of the technological, administrative, financial, and economic and construction production principles required for Professional Registration, thus enabling them to practice as Health and Safety Professionals within various built environment disciplines. The qualification provides entry to further advance qualifications such as an industry-related Masters in Health and Safety Management.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) demonstrates competency for admission to this qualification. This qualification achieves in part through Recognition of Prior Learning processes. RPL must comply with the institutional policy on RPL.

Within the department, Recognition of Prior Learning links to the following process

• Learner indicates the reason for applying for recognition of previous learning (this could be the entrance to a qualification or exemption from specific modules in the programme).
• The RPL committee determines the criteria for the Recognition of Prior Learning based on the request (could be admission requirements of the qualification, assessment of Exit Level Outcomes of modules for the requested exemption or approved guidelines required by the professional body/industry).
• The learner must submit a portfolio of evidence of learning in place (what the learner knows).
• The RPL committee assesses the evidence of previous learning supplied by the learner against the criteria. It makes a recommendation to the Faculty's quality committee in a full report describing the process followed.
• The Quality Committee will make a recommendation to the Faculty Board to ratify the decision.

Entry requirements

The minimum entry requirement for this qualification is

• Bachelor of Construction, Level 7.

Or

• Advanced Diploma in Construction Health and Safety, Level 7.

This qualification consists of the following compulsory and elective modules at NQF Level 8 totalling 178 Credits.

Compulsory Modules at Level 8,162 Credits

• Construction Treatise, 30 Credits.
• Construction Safety Management, 12 Credits.
• Health and Safety Issues, 12 Credits.
• Construction Project Management, 24 Credits.
• Fundamentals of Industrial Hygiene, 8 Credits.
• Construction Ergonomics, 8 Credits.
• Professional Business Management, 16 Credits.
• Safety Management Systems, 12 Credits.
• Safety Management Systems Auditing, 12 Credits.
• Statutory Construction Law, 12 Credits.
• Health and Safety Practice, 16 Credits.

Elective Modules at Level 8, 16 (Choose one)

• Lean Construction, 16 Credits.
• Facility Management, 16 Credits.

1. Skilled in the investigation, analysis and problem-solving during the day-to-day work of the health and safety manager.
2. Use of numerical data for investigating, analysing and resolving design, costing, budgetary and financial aspects of construction projects from a health and safety perspective.
3. Compile of health and safety technical contract documentation and reports during the design and implementation phases of construction projects.
4. Compile of financial and cost statistics for assessment of construction project proposals from a health and safety perspective.
5. Use of health and safety management systems for conducting professional health and safety services.
6. Guide clients, the consultant team and contractors on health and safety matters about construction projects.
7. Apply appropriate technologies for resolving challenges (hazards/risks) about health and safety within imposed external constraints and project financial value parameters.
8. Guide and direct project team members on construction health and safety matters.
9. Access, collect and interpret data and information within a changing business environment and initiate change in systems and techniques as a result of new developments impeding on past practices, methods and systems.
10. Set boundaries and protect the interests of all project participants in construction projects during the conducting of health and safety services.
11. Demonstrate an understanding of workplace practices to solve construction related problems from a health and safety perspective.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 1

• Apply construction principles to diagnose and solve well-defined construction health and safety problems systematically.
• Analyse construction design elements and components from a health and safety perspective.
• Design construction health; safety administrative; production methods and systems for problem-solving.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 2

• Apply the knowledge of mathematics and natural sciences to construction procedures, processes, systems and methodologies to solve well-defined construction health and safety problems.
• Analyse construction elements, components, procedures and methods.
• Design procedures, methods and systems for quantifying and costing construction health and safety measures.
• Design procedures, methods and systems for analysing the financial implication of health and safety measures of construction project proposals.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 3

• Analytically assess the design of components, elements, systems, works, products or processes from a health and safety perspective to meet desired requirements and needs within applicable standards, codes of practice and legislation.
• Analyse construction elements and components from a technical and financial perspective.
• Design appropriate methods, procedures and systems for preparing construction project health and safety cost budgets, financial, cost, technical and contract documents and reports.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 4

• Conduct health and safety investigations of well-defined construction problems through locating and reviewing relevant economical, market and social statistical data, cost information, codes, technical catalogues, standards, experiments, measurements and production methods.
• Analyse property and construction markets.
• Design methods, procedures and systems for obtaining and maintaining technical, financial, cost and economic data about health and safety of construction projects.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 5

• Use appropriate techniques, resources, and modern construction tools including information technology for seeking solutions to well-defined construction health and safety challenges and problems, with an awareness of the limitations, restrictions, premises, assumptions and constraints.
• Analyse the design and constructability of construction elements from a health and safety perspective through the use of analytical and computer software tools and models.
• Solve contract documentation, contract procurement, production planning and control procedures with appropriate health and safety methodologies, tools, and procedures.
• Apply and critically assess standard health and safety practice documents and procedures.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 6

• Communicate effectively, both orally and in writing within the construction context.
• Compile health and safety reports for projects under planning.
• Compile health and safety reports for projects under construction.
• Communicate, present and defend health and safety reports amongst inter-disciplinary design consultants and clients.
• Prepare consulting and professional health and technical safety reports throughout all project stages.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 7

• Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the impact of construction activity on the society, economy, industrial and physical environment, and address issues by defined procedures.
• Prepare project health and safety reports.
• Present and demonstrate innovative project health and safety design and production solutions.
• Apply health and safety knowledge for seeking innovative, cost-effective and appropriate design solutions to socio-economic development issues involving physical development.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 8

• Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of construction health and safety principles and apply these as a member and/or leader in a technical team to manage projects effectively.
• Work within a team as a team member.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the requirements for effective team management.
• Communicate effectively on technical, cost, financial and contractual project aspects with all project team members.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the required project cost, technical, financial and contractual information at the different construction project stages.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 9

• Engage in independent and life-long learning through the application of well-developed learning skills.
• Write technical reports on innovative and appropriate construction health and safety solutions.
• Demonstrate the health and safety impact of current and advanced construction tools and techniques.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the need to improvise and develop existing techniques, systems and methods through systematic diagnostic analysis of changing external influencing health and safety conditions in construction.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 10

• Understand and commit to professional ethics, responsibilities and norms of construction practice.
• Adopt ethics, responsibilities and norms associated with professionalism.
• Develop a chart for the inculcation of professional ethics.
• Apply norms and standards to adhere to professional ethics and responsibilities.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 11

• Demonstrate an understanding of workplace practices to solve construction health and safety problems.
• Develop effective administrative systems.
• Develop comprehensive project reporting systems.
• Demonstrate workplace efficiency, procedures, safety rules and practices.
• Demonstrate a strategic vision of the health and safety management profession and future role in construction and development.

Integrated Assessment

Formative assessment refers to assessment that takes place during the process of learning and teaching.

The use of summative assessments are to make a judgment about the level of competence of learners about the outcomes of a unit, module and qualification. The results of such formal assessment (e.g. tests, assignments, projects, presentations, creative production or traditional examinations) are a mark reflecting an achievement or a fail. The department uses various integrated assessment strategies, depending on the focus of the subject. Apart from class tests and the traditional examination where appropriate, learners are continuously assessed through assignments, research projects, practical work, work-based projects, case studies.