Maintenance of construction safety: riding on ISO 9000 quality management systems

Abstract

Quality and safety are two important issues in the construction industry. The industry not only looks for good quality buildings but is also keen to promote a safe working environment on construction sites. Quality management systems (QMS) as well as safety management systems (SMS) are already in place in many countries where quality and safety issues are dealt with respectively. Unfortunately, both systems are frequently considered separately. It is the contention of this paper that there are similarities between both systems and that it is technically possible and desirable to integrate a SMS within a QMS to achieve an integrated quality and safety management system (QSMS). The paper highlights the relevant safety elements and quality requirements and, by means of surveys and interviews with quality managers and safety managers, confirms that there are similarities between a SMS and a QMS, making it possible to integrate these two systems, to achieve better co-ordination and utilization of scarce resources.