Structural safety 1 | Column VNconstructeurs

The following column by Paul Rijpstra recently appeared on the website of VNconstructeurs.

More than two years after the fatal collapse of the parking garage at Eindhoven Airport, the construction sector faces major changes in thinking about and working on construction safety. And this in the broadest sense of the word.

The Dutch Safety Board investigated the process of collapsing the garage and issued a report in October 2018 with an unusual call. Namely a call to the entire construction sector to make serious efforts now to increase and guarantee safety.

VNconstructeurs have also received a recommendation from the OVV. Together with Bouwend Nederland, The Client Forum in the Construction Industry and the Governance Code Safety in the Construction industry, supplemented by Royal NL engineers, work was carried out in the past year on a plan to actually increase safety in construction. The content of the plan has been discussed with the OVV and will be announced shortly.

For many years, VNconstructeurs has been committed to strengthening the craftsmanship and entrepreneurship of the manufacturer. Courses and training are offered in the area of ​​craftsmanship and knowledge development and sharing are being worked on. The past two years have been dominated by the analysis of the causes of the collapse and the sharing of all information regarding the controls of the relevant broad slab floors. Work is being carried out with the Structural Engineers Register to position the register to safeguard the craftsmanship of the structural engineer.

The OVV calls for a reply, or professional contradiction. Being able and daring to discuss this with your clients and chain partners is a crucial skill! This is where the logical relationship with entrepreneurship arises for VNconstructeurs. As an entrepreneur you not only have to be expert, but you also have to ensure that you are able to properly practice your profession and take acceptable risks.

Strengthening and guaranteeing craftsmanship and entrepreneurship will be of great importance in the coming years and will make a difference in improving structural safety.

Paul Rijpstra
Chairman VNconstructeurs