This edition first published 2019
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Library of Congress Cataloging‐in‐Publication DataNames: Lingard, Helen, author. | Wakefield, Ron author.Title: Integrating Work Health and Safety into Construction Project Management / Helen Lingard, RMIT Distinguished Professor, School of Property, Construction and Project Management, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia, Ron Wakefield, Professor and Dean, School of Property, Construction and Project Management, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia.Description: Hoboken, NJ, USA : Wiley‐Blackwell, [2019] | Includes bibliographical references and index. | Identifiers: LCCN 2019000828 (print) | LCCN 2019001355 (ebook) | ISBN 9781119159940 (AdobePDF) | ISBN 9781119159957 (ePub) | ISBN 9781119159926 (hardcover)Subjects: LCSH: Building–Safety measures.Classification: LCC TH443 (ebook) | LCC TH443 .L56 2019 (print) | DDC 624.068/3–dc23LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019000828
Library of Congress Cataloging‐in‐Publication Data applied for
ISBN: 9781119159926
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This book presents a synthesis of more than a decade of research conducted by a small, multidisciplinary team of researchers at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia. The idea for the book grew from our reflections about lessons learned from the research and, in particular, the way our own thoughts about work health and safety (WHS) in the construction industry have developed and changed over time.
From the outset, our collaborative research activity was driven by a shared belief that something different needed to be done to prevent the relatively high incidence of work‐related death, injury, and illness experienced by construction workers. Together with Professor Nick Blismas (a significant contributor to several chapters in this book), Helen Lingard and Ron Wakefield initiated a programme of research to better understand and directly address the barriers to improving WHS in the construction industry. Our earliest work, undertaken at the Tullamarine‐Calder Interchange Alliance, was strongly supported by Pat Cashin, General Manager of Baulderstone Pty Ltd. This work grew into a multipronged programme, involving many different partner organizations and guided by an active Industry Advisory Group chaired by former National President of Engineers Australia, Peter Godfrey.
The backdrop to the programme of research presented in this book was a growing international focus on the role to be played by clients and designers in identifying and addressing WHS risks in their decision making. Prompted by the recognition that some WHS risks experienced by construction workers could be traced back to planning and design choices, the RMIT research team was engaged by the Cooperative Research Centre for Construction Innovation to develop a voluntary Guide to Best Practice for Safer Construction. The Guide was commissioned by Engineers Australia and its development was led by an industry task force consisting of peak bodies representing contractors, design consultants, and public and private sector construction clients. The Guide established a set of principles to drive collaboration and sharing of WHS responsibility between clients, designers, and constructors, and also suggested WHS management practices for each stage in the project lifecycle, from planning and design through to construction and completion.
However, the Guide did not reflect the social and technical complexity of construction projects. It treated WHS as something that could be managed through a mechanistic process of risk identification, assessment, and control within each project stage. The Guide established simplistic roles and responsibilities for clients, designers, and constructors without acknowledging the heterogeneous nature of client organizations, or the complex web of designers and constructors involved in project delivery. Neither did the Guide adequately reflect the fact that construction project participants' actions and decisions are shaped by broader forces in regulatory, economic, and policy contexts.
Our understanding of the factors at play in shaping client behaviour and safety in design effectiveness became more nuanced as we considered the impact of organizational complexity, procurement policy, supply network fragmentation, and the segregation of product and process design. Our work also expanded into new areas. We investigated how aspects of an organizational culture impact WHS, and we considered how workers' health and wellbeing are shaped by the work practices and the quality of work in the construction industry.
In 2009, Helen was awarded an Australian Research Council Future Fellowship to undertake a four‐year programme of work investigating the importance of integration to protecting construction workers' WHS. The Future Fellowship programme of work, titled ‘Differentiation not disintegration: Integrating strategies to improve occupational health and safety in the construction industry’ (ID number FT0990337), has provided a strong backbone for this book.
While each chapter of this book can be read as a standalone presentation of our work on a particular topic, we encourage readers to explore and reflect on the points of connection between the information contained in different chapters. For example, the issue of workers' health and wellbeing cannot be properly understood without considering the timelines established for delivering projects and the implications of tight project schedules for hours of work, the quality of work–family interactions, and wellness in the workforce.
In writing this book our overarching aim was to explore many topics in construction WHS through the theme of integration. We suggest WHS needs to be an integral part of managing construction organizations and projects, such that it constitutes a serious consideration in everything that is done.
We do not favour glib statements that WHS should be an organization's ‘number one priority’. Indeed, such statements are cynically received when workers are fully aware that managers are rewarded for performance on multiple competing priorities. However, WHS does need to be firmly embedded in decisions made about all aspects of business and project management. WHS should not be treated as an afterthought, to be considered once important decisions have already been made. Unfortunately, managerial decisions with the potential to impact WHS are sometimes post‐rationalized, with the result that the most effective forms of risk control are not realized.
It is also vital that we remain alert to the main aim of managing WHS, which is to protect the health and safety of workers. In this book we sought to provide insights gleaned from our research to suggest ways to more effectively integrate WHS into management decision making for the purpose of making workplaces and systems of work safer and healthier.
The book represents a team effort. Our colleagues have played a key role in working on specific topics or research projects. These team members have significantly contributed to the development of our thinking and, in this book, they are acknowledged as co‐authors of chapters about topics they have worked on. We extend warm and very grateful thanks to these colleagues, whose ideas, passion, and hard work have greatly enriched the collective research programme.
We also gratefully acknowledge the important groundwork provided by researchers whose formative contributions helped shape the research presented in the book, in particular, Tracy‐Lee Cooke and David Jellie.
Last, but certainly not least, we acknowledge the support of organizations and agencies that have funded components of the research, including (in alphabetical order):
Helen Lingard and Ron Wakefield