Thinking of having your own building? Or even a house? Having the right contractor is a must if you want your structure built properly.

The integrity of any structure depends heavily on contractors, as they are the experts largely responsible for turning project plans into reality.

This was according to Choi Cruz, a Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) occupational safety and health consultant, who emphasized the significant influence contractors have on construction quality.

"Structural integrity does not rely solely on the contractor, though they bear the heaviest burden for physical execution," Cruz said.

A contractor’s influence on the quality of a structure lies in execution, workmanship, and subcontractor oversight, he stressed.

"The contractor is responsible for turning paper concepts into physical reality, ensuring concrete is mixed, poured, and cured correctly, and managing specialized trades (plumbers, electricians) to avoid structural damage during installation," he explained.

Architects and engineers also play critical roles in construction by defining structural parameters and establishing the project's safety baseline, which contractors are expected to follow.

He likewise said that "ensuring the correct materials are used is a shared, multi-tiered process of checks and balances." However, the primary responsibility lies with the contractor and, secondarily, with the engineers, he added.

On managing construction workers and ensuring their welfare, as well as complying with the Building Code and labor safety regulations, Cruz said these are among the contractor’s principal responsibilities.

"The contractor is legally and operationally primary in charge of workforce management and site safety," he pointed out.

"When an owner hires a general contractor, they typically pass site control to them via contract. The contractor is legally responsible for Labor Rules, Site Safety, and Building Code Execution," he added.

Cruz further explained that a property owner generally cannot be held responsible for the structural integrity of a project "unless the owner gave explicit instruction to affect the structural integrity of the project."

"Owners are generally protected from structural liability if they hire licensed professionals (architects, engineers, contractors) and do not interfere with their technical decisions because the owner is not an expert but a client seeking a quality service," he emphasized.

For architect Josua Cruz, "design takes equal responsibility as the execution," but the duty of ensuring quality workmanship and the use of appropriate materials largely falls on the contractor and the project management team.

The experts shared their views on structural integrity following the collapse of a building in Barangay Balibago, Angeles City, on 24 May, which claimed six lives.

Search, rescue, retrieval, and clearing operations at the site continued as of 31 May.

Golden Years Construction and Steelworks has been identified as the project's contractor, while Ernest Jackson Lim was named as the property owner.

National and local government agencies have since launched investigations into the incident.