Lack of professionalization in masonry puts structures and workers’ lives at risk in Ecuador

Carlos Suárez says that his father, who lives in the Unión de Bananeros cooperative, in the south of Guayaquil, built the second floor of his house without any type of permits or security measures. He comments that several of the workers, who live in the same neighborhood, used rudimentary techniques for construction.

When they welded iron beams for the roof, they connected the machine to the high voltage cables and others immersed them in a bucket full of salted water: “They told us that this saves light because welding draws a lot of energy, but it does it seemed risky, ”he says.

Additionally, the masons did not wear helmets or safety harnesses. They also did not verify whether the base of the house could support a second story. Carlos also has doubts about the quality of the pillars that support the walls: “My dad hired them because they were cheap and because they would take care of throwing out all the waste. There was another man, who has worked on large works, but he paid us a very high price”.

That is one of the problems of informality in construction in Ecuador. People by “saving” costs do not look at the quality of the materials, the good procedures when building and assessing the qualified workforce.

This informality was demonstrated by what happened in the Manabí earthquake in 2016, says Henry Yandún, spokesman for the collective Constructores Positiva. Houses that became buildings, use of beach sand for the construction of buildings, Yandún details. All those buildings collapsed with the earthquake.

“In the country 70% of the constructions are informal. The formal ones are regulated under a standard with international criteria“, Add.

Masonry is a trade that is usually learned by doing. Currently, there are no institutes in the country that teach how to be a bricklayer. Eduardo Andrade has been working as a bricklayer for more than 20 years. He says that the knowledge and techniques were learned from his father.

“He had been working with me since I was 15 years old. First I started passing tools and mixing. I was his assistant and now I’m a teacher”. He says that he tries to do his “jobs” correctly, but that people always haggle over the price so, on some occasions, he changes materials or procedures to lower the price of the work. He acknowledges that he does not use protective equipment.

He points out that competition is complex, since there are foreign citizens who charge a “gift” for building. He would like to train and learn more about the trade.

The World Health Organization recommends allocating between 2% and 3% of the project cost to finance security measures, which include training against possible risks.

A study by the Ecuadorian Observatory of Safety and Health at Work of the Universidad Espíritu Santo (UEES), carried out in the period 2014-2019, indicates that 5,927 work accidents were reported in the construction sector to the General Insurance of Work Risks of the Ecuadorian Institute of Social Security. The number includes administrative, operational and office personnel.

64% corresponded to workers (3,807), that is, those who had an accident in the middle of the works. In fact, 167 workers died due to these incidents in the six years analyzed. In 2020, a year marked by the pandemic due to COVID-19, work accidents in construction decreased 60% compared to 2019. These figures only respond to the formal sector, so the numbers would increase considerably if the claims registered in informality were added.

There are private companies that manage training for construction workers in both safety and construction techniques. For example, Unacem has the Safe Master program. More than 8,000 workers have participated in this initiative since 2012.

Karina King, the company’s communication chief, confirms that although there is an underreporting in the accident figures due to informality, the construction sector continues to have a high accident rate.

“The Ministry of Labor already obliges construction companies to train workers on safety issues. So, we have supported in that sense”, It indicates. This program before the pandemic was face-to-face. Unacem staff went to the works and gave talks of 45 minutes or a maximum of one hour and gave critical content. A certificate was delivered.

When the pandemic arrived, the program was suspended. Currently they decided to resume it, but virtually. Together with the Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja (UTPL) they carried out a study to determine which were the platforms most used by workers in Ecuador. The investigation determined that WhatsApp and YouTube are the most widely used.

A worker had a foot amputated after being crushed by a two-ton beam in the middle of a construction and then he was fired

“We decided to resume the program through videos on WhatsApp and text in PDF format for support. There will be three modules. In the first, there will be an analysis of risks in construction so that workers know how to mitigate them. There is also the issue of order and cleanliness. In the module two specific topics such as work at height, in confined areas. For the third, we place environmental care issues such as the correct disposal of waste”, It indicates.

In each module there is an evaluation. By passing the test, the workers get the certification. According to King, this improves the knowledge of the masons and combats, in a certain way, the risks of informality.

“We work with bricklayers in formal works, but these, in turn, also have their independent jobs where they put what they have learned into practice. Let’s remember that in cities like Quito construction is 70% informal because people want to save costs. He has his land and begins to build without the help of an engineer and an architect to carry out the structural calculations and look for the ‘masters’ as they are popularly known ”, he indicates.

In 2018, Unacem also promoted the Selvalegre Training School. Where bricklayers were trained in more technical content. The program was aimed at “older teachers”, that is, workers who have more experience and who can even read plans. 49 students, in four classes, graduated from this school. Due to the pandemic, they had to suspend the initiative, since this type of training requires tests in laboratories, but it is expected to resume it in 2022.

Roberto Beltrán, executive director of the Foundation for Business and Social Development of the UTPL, indicates that the bricklayers are very interested in receiving training despite the fact that most of them only have basic education levels.

It indicates that the UTPL suggested that Unacem use the microlearning in your training campaign. Virtuality would help this knowledge to be imparted at the national level and no longer specifically in a locality as it was done in person.

“We analyze how to reach this population in greater numbers and impact. That is why we decided to apply learning to commonly used devices such as a mobile phone. Our job was to adapt the contents to an understandable language and that this learning is taken in as long as the person can”, He says.

One thousand construction workers are reactivated in about 30 projects in Ecuador

He adds that masons seek this type of certification not only for the professional issue, but there is a social component: “They are proud to show their families a certificate and that is why there is a high degree of commitment in completing the training.” The specialist considers it important that more companies carry out this type of program.

Both King and Beltrán affirm that construction workers are very important in the national economy. So much so that “the burden” of the post-pandemic reactivation falls, in part, on their shoulders. Although they also suffered, in a harsh way, the impacts of the current economic crisis that was deepened by the virus.

According to the Chamber of the Construction Industry (Camicon), only between January and February of this 2021 6,000 people were unemployed in this sector and between March 16, 2020 and April 8, 2021, the Ministry of Labor received 83,390 settlement records.

Those interested in registering for Unacem initiatives can go to their profiles on social networks.

Carpentry Training

There are Ecuadorian companies that offer workshops or trade training as part of their social responsibility programs. For example, Mueblerías El Bosque in alliance with Fundación Acción Solidaria carry out the social program Aprender para Emprender. An integral initiative focused on the training of techniques in productive skills associated with the furniture business, such as assembly, painting, upholstery and repairs, with the aim of providing the necessary tools to generate micro-enterprises and a network of complementary services to its clients.

The initiative is open to all types of people who want to learn the trade. Training will begin with families living in the vicinity of the Prosperina sector, in Guayaquil. Registration began on November 15 and will last until the end of December 2021. The registration and selection phase of participants will be in charge of the foundation. The program will offer 80 hours of training. (I)