A considerate industry?

It is fair to say that the Maltese construction industry needs to work on its image and move from what is currently perceived as a speculative entity that seeks to exploit and disrupt our islands’ limited resources to one that is perceived to be key contributor in positively shaping and improving our built environment. In the UK similar ‘image’ issues have since 1997 been addressed through the Considerate Constructors Scheme (CCS – https://www.ccscheme.org.uk) which in the CCS’ own words ‘If all construction sites and companies presented an image of competent management, efficiency, awareness of environmental issues and above all neighbourliness, then they would become a positive advertisement, not just for themselves but for the industry as a whole.’ Words that surely resonate with the image that needs to be presented by the Maltese construction industry.

The CCS scheme is in essence very simple. Any stakeholder in the construction industry registers with the CCS and agrees to abide with the Code of Considerate Practice when undertaking construction work. The Code of Considerate Practice covers the following five principles 1. Care about appearance 2. Respect the Community 3. Protect the environment 4. Secure everyone’s safety and 5. Value the workforce. Adherence to these principles is monitored as construction works progress by CCS inspectors who give a score out of 10 to reflect adherence to each principle. It is quite common in the UK for clients to make achieving a minimum CCS score (e.g. 35/50) a requirement of the construction contract.

Given the inherent simplicity of this scheme, key stakeholders within the Maltese construction industry have a great opportunity to show leadership by embracing and promoting the CCS principles above. Some implementation ideas that come to mind include