Billy Hare

Although, there have been studies on silica dust practices in the construction industry generally. Specific attention has not been given to construction project leadership (CPL) perceptions of Silica dust safety culture within the social housing sector. A two-stage multi-method qualitative participatory exploratory action research approach was adopted. The first stage involved a mixed-method survey (qualitative and quantitative), with a sample of 64 mid-level management representatives. The second stage involved 8 semi-structured interviews with leaders within social housing organisations. Participants included Senior executives, Project Managers, Asset Managers, Safety Managers and Compliance Managers. Data analysis employed thematic and statistical analysis. The study discovered three key themes (Senior management; Human resource; Technical Safety) and identified nine key challenges, barriers and drivers (including economics, risk taking behaviours, project pressures, skills shortages/gaps) facing CPLs’ current “strategic, tactical, and operational” silica dust approaches. Whilst, the findings highlight that silica dust safety culture is a complex construct, which is difficult to define, even for experts in the organisation. The results of the study have identified some of the shortcomings in project leadership practice in the UK social housing sector which will spur changes that promote greater achievement of the sector to improve silica dust management approaches.

Studies on mental health are increasingly complementing those on safety and physical health within the construction research community, with suicide numbers being an indicative measure of mental health. In the UK, deaths by suicide are approximately 470 per year, which dwarfs fatal accident numbers. The aim of this paper is to review the evidence base about suicide and construction workers. The methods consisted of two approaches: combining secondary data from UK statistical databases to create a suicide rate per 100,000 for construction occupations; and a systematic literature review to help explain the suicide rates observed. Trend analysis of suicide rates, from 2015 to 2021 shows construction occupations to be approximately three times that of the combined non-construction occupations, and steadily rising, whereas non-construction rates have remained relatively steady. Unskilled workers have the highest rate, around seven times managers and professional occupations. Potential reasons for this, found in the literature, included managers/professionals' greater propensity to shift beliefs about suicide stigmas, and skilled workers being more likely to report substance abuse;-rather than hide it, thereby increasing opportunities to discuss and resolve such issues to reduce suicide risk. However, the socioeconomic risk associated with unskilled workers means being poor is certainly not good for their mental health. The analysis presented in this paper informs industry policy and practice by uncovering a previously unknown upward trend in suicide rates among UK construction workers, along with a focused list of evidence-based factors to inform further research on why this phenomenon is occurring.

The challenges of improving efficiency and safety is a daunting task as workers are squeezed with an ever-dwindling resource pool and yet expected to deliver construction projects at optimum capacity. Improving efficiency and safety using telescopic cranes for the construction of Off-Site Manufacturing (OSM) timber kit homes is a viable option for the speedy delivery of new homes. An action research evaluated the maximization of the build and process efficiency and safety using a crane to erect wall panels, floors, and roofs. Data collection through direct observation assessed the labor uptime and downtime, including crane usage. A balanced score card was used by management for strategic organizational decision-making regarding the crane erection. The use of the crane reduced workplace manual handling of OSM panels, minimized the exposure of operatives to work at height risks, and eliminated alterations to scaffolds. However, the manual loading of thermal-insulated plasterboards to floor decks impacted the process efficiency and speed of installing the fixtures and increased the risk of musculoskeletal disorders. High labor downtimes were associated with the adverse weather conditions, which slowed the efficiency of the workforce during construction. The management’s inability to adequately plan the work program further hindered aspects of lifting operations and the speed and number of houses built.

Research has shown that up to half of construction accidents in the UK had a link with design. The UK’s Construction, Design and Management Regulations, (CDM, 2015) place duties on designers of construction projects to consider the health and safety implications of their designs. However, the majority of designers fail to recognise the impact on health and safety that they can make. Previous work shows that visual methods have been used to develop shared mental models of construction safety and health hazards in construction and design teams. Potentially, these methods could also include links to alternative construction processes that may be utilized by designers to reduce the inherent hazards in the design, thereby enhancing their knowledge of construction and maintenance processes from the very people who are affected by the designs. The study reported in this paper aims to improve how designers involved in construction projects learn about how their design influences the management of occupational health and safety at the construction stage. The proposed approach involves the development of a multi-media digital tool for educating and assisting designers on typical design-related hazards. This prototype tool was used in an intervention study with novice and experienced designers, split evenly between experimental and control groups. These groups were assessed via a novel hazard test using fictitious Computer Aided Design (CAD) drawings. The results showed all experimental groups outperformed control groups, with the novice groups demonstrating the greatest increase in both hazards spotted and quality of alternative options recommended. Current research in this area promotes automated design systems for designers using Building Information Modelling (BIM). However, the research presented here advocates keeping the ‘human’ in control while supplementing designers’ knowledge with tacit knowledge gained from interaction from the developed digital tool, so that they can make informed design decisions potentially leading to safer designs.

This paper reports on a study undertaken to identify levels of MSD in relation to methods of waste collection. The need to quantify and eliminate ill health arising out of work is vital to reduce workplace absence leading to debate on associated relationships between the methods of waste collection and musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). Body mapping is a participatory research tool that has been successfully used to investigate workplace ill health problems. Participatory body mapping exercises were carried out using staff at a UK District Council 2 years before and after the move from boxes and baskets to a wheeled bin recycling service. The study introduces the concept of Average Pain Count (APC). The data support previous studies showing that wheeled bin-based services (APC 2.07 & 2.80) are associated with less MSD outcomes than services including boxes, baskets and sacks (APC 4.02). The surveys provided compelling evidence to suggest that there are associations between age and self-reported pain, although there appeared to be no patterns with regard to length of service. These findings should help Local Authorities better understand critical factors regarding waste collection strategies and self-reported pain. There are recommendations regarding the use of body mapping and for industry practice.

The training, development and routes to charteredship of building design engineers have undergone a major transformation in recent years. Additionally, the duration and quality of site experience being gained by designers is reducing. While accident causation is often complex, previous research shows a potential link between design and construction accidents. The effectiveness of the UK’s Construction (Design and Management) (CDM) Regulations is being questioned, and designers regularly do not recognise the impact they can make on site safety. A newly developed hazard perception test was used to determine if students and design practitioners are able to identify hazards in designs and to establish if site experience impacts hazard identification. The results of the tests show an association between the ability to identify and mitigate hazards and possession of site experience. The results provide empirical evidence that supports previous anecdotal evidence. The results also question if the design engineers of today are suitably equipped to fulfil the designer’s responsibilities under the CDM Regulations.

Purpose: – The purpose of this paper is to consider design engineers’ perception of health and safety and its impact on their behaviour during design activity. The study presents three types of design engineers each, exhibiting particular tendencies when faced with health and safety considerations during design. The discovery of these tendencies pose important implications for education and professional institutions and practical measures are suggested to help design engineers manage their tendencies to be more conducive to ensuring improved health and safety performance. Design/methodology/approach: – An exploratory design method was used – grounded theory, to include 13, in-depth, one-to-one interviews with design engineers, representing junior staff, middle and senior management. Findings: – The paper provides empirical insights about how designers think and behave when asked to consider health and safety issues during the design process. It identifies three group types of designers: doers, receivers and givers, who will exhibit their particular tendencies based on how they view and understand the term health and safety. Research limitations/implications: – The data obtained were from design engineers only, and therefore the research results may lack generalisability. Therefore, researchers are encouraged to test the proposed propositions. Practical implications: – The paper includes implications for those involved in the creation and development of designers e.g., educators and professional bodies. The data forms the basis for helping designers to manage their perceptions towards the term health and safety and thus, their tendencies exhibited in their behaviour. Originality/value: – This paper contributes to new understanding of designers’ behaviour and considers the significance of how designers’ views of health and safety will influence their behaviour.