Box 5: The social dimension of green buildings: implications for decent work and poverty reduction23
The building sector has high potential for pro-
poor economic growth through its high labour absorption capacity in developing countries. The sector employs a wide range of workers with different levels of education and has the ability to absorb the excluded (de Souza 2000). This has strong implications for income generation and poverty reduction. Take the example of the Johannesburg Housing Company project in South Africa (Keivani et al. 2010). This project involves the introduction of energy-efficient light bulbs and day-night sensors, solar energy systems for heating water and the insulation of boilers. It provides jobs for over 1,000 contractors in maintenance, cleaning and security services and even more in specialised functions such as plumbing and electrical services. The Watergy Soweto project for the rehabilitation of plumbing fixtures has provided 1,500 temporary jobs.
Despite this potential, workers of the construction industry are often subject to poor working conditions. High informality, low wages, instability, gender discrimination, frequent accidents and occupational diseases characterise the working conditions of a large share of workers in the building sector around the world, especially in developing economies where construction work is more precarious and less formalised.
Where the employment relationship of contractors, subcontractors and workers is casual or informal, workers’ rights are often unclear and they enjoy less protection from the law than those directly employed. In recent years it has become the norm for workers to be employed on a short-term basis, and instability of work is one of the major problems facing the building industry.
Construction is also one of the most dangerous occupations. Workers in this sector are 3-4 times more likely than other workers to die from accidents at work. Many others suffer and die from diseases arising from exposure to dangerous substances at the workplace, such as asbestos. In regard to social
sound materials, products and renewable energy. A study conducted by ADEME (2008) in France displays the number of jobs directly involved in carrying out
23. This Box was prepared based on contributions from ILO to this chapter. 356
protection, there is evidence that many employers do not pay into social security funds for workers who are on temporary contracts, depriving them from health care, holiday pay, and compensation owing to unemployment, ill health, accidents or old age.
For a long time the ongoing dialogue with employers as well as the government has been a successful approach for workers to collectively negotiate better wages and working conditions. However, nowadays a large workforce of temporary, casual, informal and unemployed workers find it very difficult to organise themselves to engage in such dialogue. The greening of buildings may provide a new opportunity for social dialogue. Many employers and government authorities have shown enthusiasm for green construction. This may open a new door to dialogue with workers on labour issues in the context of greening of the industry, involving workers in green management, resource efficiency and safety improvements.
In the area of working conditions, greening the building sector will have an impact on health and safety. Green construction is however not safer per se, as is shown in research by the American Society of Civil Engineers. With data collected through a structured questionnaire survey, the study tested the presence of a difference in Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recordable incident rates (RIRs) and lost time case rates (LTCRs) between green and non-green projects. There was suggestive, but inconclusive evidence of a statistically significant difference in the RIRs of the green and non-green building projects that were examined. Also, no statistically significant difference was found between the respective LTCRs.
These considerations provide further cause to turn the role of labour inspectors to one of education and prevention, as opposed to mere inspection and prosecution. The greening of the industry brings the opportunity to create synergies between inspection about the environmental and the health & safety components of construction.
insulation work of opaque walls, which involve interior insulation of the walls, ceilings and floors and the use of associated materials. In 2006 the industry accounted for 9,700 jobs related to these activities and 7,150 jobs related to the production and application of related