Key considerations for the Community Construction Stage
How will skilled tradespeople and local labourers gain sufficient training and practise in new
techniques, so as to not fall back into traditional practices?
Skilled tradespeople and labourers who have engaged in construction for many years may struggle
with new techniques. Training should include hands-on exercises and on-site apprenticeships to
change behaviour. These techniques can be reviewed at the start of each construction workday.
Safety and
capacity
building
What level of construction oversight will be needed to ensure construction follows the
school hazard-resistant school design?
If the local community does not have appropriate technical experts who can monitor the construction
process, the program manager will need to support an external construction monitoring process
coupled with community monitoring.
How will construction safety be addressed?
Construction of safe school buildings includes safe construction practice. Workers should
understand and practise health and safety procedures. The construction site should be properly
secured and guarded to ensure community members, especially children, cannot injure themselves.
Do communities have a mechanism for monitoring construction and reporting problems?
Use of mobile technology makes it possible to have effective, daily construction monitoring.
Community members, such as the school management committee, can instantly report problems or
wrongdoings using SMS or other mobile technology. Inspectors or agency representatives can then
be dispat ched to the site. Yet while communities can support construction monitoring, they rarely
have the expertise to ensure construction is in compliance with the design and national standards. It
is the program manager’s duty to ensure construction compliance. This is typically done through a
system of third-party construction monitoring.
Is the transfer of funds sufficiently tied to independent construction monitoring?
Transparency
Accountability on the construction site is crucial for school safety. Payment for the next stage of
construction should occur only after an independent inspection shows that construction meets
the design intent and is of high quality. Be sure all stakeholders – construction workers, the school
management committee and the program manager – agree on what requirements need to be met for
payment at each stage and who will certify that these requirements have been met.
Field experience shows that withholding the last 15 percent of the contract until the final inspection
provides sufficient leverage, even during the last stage of construction when roof connections and
other important activities are completed.
Can the hazard-resistant features that will be incorporated into the school be displayed for
site visitors using signs or even a small model of the school?
SECTION III: CONSTRUCTION
Orientations can educate the wider community about hazard-resistant construction techniques and
explain how these techniques can be transferred to other projects, such as housing. Construction
site displays can help visitors and students review safety concepts as they watch the school building
take shape.
What strategies are in place for recognising and rewarding skilled labourers who become
trained in hazard-resistant techniques during and after the project?
Sustainability
If trained tradespeople are not properly recognised or motivated, they may not continue hazardresistant construction techniques. Certifications and support in promoting their new skills can
encourage their continued use of the techniques.
Can hazard-resistant features in the schools be highlighted or remain visible to the
community as a reminder of the school’s safety features?
Painting braces, connectors and ring beams bright colours or labelling these hazard-resistant
features can turn a safe school into a permanent teaching tool on hazard-resistant construction.
85