Self-regulation amongst South African contractors in achieving legislative requirements on occupational health and safety

The study examines how self-regulation helps construction contractors in South Africa to achieve legislative requirements relating to national and international standards of Occupational Health and Safety (OHS). Despite considerable studies on OHS, self-regulation and its impact on health and safety performance on construction projects are under-researched. In this paper, we report a critical review of literature on OHS in the South African construction industry. The review identifies the various forms of self-regulation practices within construction organisations in South Africa. A mixed method approach was used in determining the relationships between self-regulation of construction organisations in relation to OHS and health and safety performance of projects undertaken by the observed construction organisations. Findings suggest, although there is a high level of self-regulation amongst South African construction organisations, construction organizations are still poorly incentivised. The implication of this is significant, in that businesses loose motivation to succeed in a course unless they are incentivised appropriately. Recommendations are drawn on the forms of strategic incentives that are likely to work in South Africa and in other developing countries.