Distinguished Professor Helen Lingard

Distinguished Professor Lingard's research has been funded by government agencies and public and private sector construction organisations, and she has been a chief investigator in five ARC Linkage Projects and one Discovery Project. She was also awarded an inaugural ARC Future Fellowship to deliver a program of research titled “Differentiation not disintegration: Integrating Strategies to Improve Occupational Health and Safety in the Construction Industry”.

In 2007, Distinguished Professor Lingard was an author of The Guide to Best Practice for Safer Construction. This guide documented the first industry-wide agreement on allocating responsibility for occupational health and safety (OHS) in construction projects. The guide won the Engineers Australia National Engineering Excellence award in 2010.

Research interests

Since joining RMIT in 2005, Distinguished Professor Lingard has delivered collaborative research projects in the fields of:

• improving health and safety by design
• supply chain integration of health and safety
• safety climate/culture
• health and safety performance measurement and benchmarking,
• occupational health and wellness
• work-life balance.

Honours and awards

• RMIT College of Design and Social Context Research Excellence Award, 2009

• Best Research Paper, International Council for Building Achieving Sustainable Construction Health and Safety Conference, Lund, Sweden, 2014

• The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) Prize for Best Research Paper, 27th Annual Association of Researchers in Construction Management (ARCOM) Conference, Bristol, UK, 2011.

• Best Research Paper, 28th Annual Australian Universities Building Education Association (AUBEA) Conference, Geelong, Australia, 2003

• Best Research Paper, 26th Annual Australian Universities Building Education Association (AUBEA) Conference, Adelaide, Australia, 2001.

Editorial board memberships

• Member of the editorial board, Construction Management and Economics, January 2007–present.

• Member of the Editorial Advisory Group, Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers, Journal of Construction Management, Procurement and Law, January 2010–2012

Other

• Visiting Professor, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University’s Faculty of Construction and Environment, August 2014.
• Visiting Professor, Glasgow Caledonian University's School of Engineering and Built Environment, 2016 (three-year term).

Distinguished Professor Lingard leads a program of research in the field of construction occupational health and safety and work-life balance. Her work balances theoretical, applied and translational research and focuses on addressing the practical challenges inherent in improving workers’ health, safety and wellbeing in the construction industry.

Distinguished Professor Lingard was the reipient of an ARC Future Fellowship in 2009. She currently supervises a number of higher degree by research (HDR) students undertaking research in health and safety and/or work-life balance in the construction industry. She recently completed a five-year international benchmarking study of construction health and safety.

See a full list of Distinguished Professor Helen Lingard's grants and publications (PDF 353 KB)

Recent projects

Australian Constructors Association, Health and Safety Culture. This 129 page report reviews the latest research concerning workplace health and safety culture. Nine components of a culture for health and safety are identified. The development of culture that is supportive of health and safety is described using these components at varying levels of organisational maturity. The report also includes a preliminary safety climate assessment tool. Centre for Construction Work Health and Safety – Health and Safety Culture Report

Australian Constructors Association, Safety in Design. This 100 page report describes the state of the art relating to construction hazard prevention through design (CHPtD). The report summarises international literature and provides practical case studies and recommendations about how to design for construction workers' health and safety more effectively. Centre for Construction Work Health and Safety – Safety in Design

Queensland Department of Justice and Attorney General. A participatory action research project was used to develop, implement and evaluate health promotion strategies for manual/non-managerial construction workers in the Queensland construction industry.

Distinguished Professor Lingard is regularly invited to speak at industry conferences and meetings on the subject of occupational health and safety.

Recent presentations include:

• 2016, 1 March, Workplace Health and Safety Queensland, Construction Health Forum, Brisbane
• 2016, 23–24 February, Annual Workers’ Compensation Summit, Sydney
• 2015, 13 October, Safe Work Australia Virtual Seminar Series (see live recording of panel discussion)
• 2015, 17 September, Safety Institute of Australia, National Safety Convention, Melbourne
• 2015, 10 August, Lend Lease Australia Region Health and Safety Peer Group, Sydney
• 2015, 30 July, Inaugural Workplace Wellness Conference, Sydney

Distinguished Professor Lingard leads a program of research in the field of construction occupational health and safety and work-life balance. Her work balances theoretical, applied and translational research and focuses on addressing the practical challenges inherent in improving workers’ health, safety and wellbeing in the construction industry.

Distinguished Professor Lingard was the reipient of an ARC Future Fellowship in 2009. She currently supervises a number of higher degree by research (HDR) students undertaking research in health and safety and/or work-life balance in the construction industry. She recently completed a five-year international benchmarking study of construction health and safety.

See a full list of Distinguished Professor Helen Lingard's grants and publications (PDF 353 KB)

Recent projects

Australian Constructors Association, Health and Safety Culture. This 129 page report reviews the latest research concerning workplace health and safety culture. Nine components of a culture for health and safety are identified. The development of culture that is supportive of health and safety is described using these components at varying levels of organisational maturity. The report also includes a preliminary safety climate assessment tool. Centre for Construction Work Health and Safety – Health and Safety Culture Report

Australian Constructors Association, Safety in Design. This 100 page report describes the state of the art relating to construction hazard prevention through design (CHPtD). The report summarises international literature and provides practical case studies and recommendations about how to design for construction workers' health and safety more effectively. Centre for Construction Work Health and Safety – Safety in Design

Queensland Department of Justice and Attorney General. A participatory action research project was used to develop, implement and evaluate health promotion strategies for manual/non-managerial construction workers in the Queensland construction industry.

Distinguished Professor Lingard is regularly invited to speak at industry conferences and meetings on the subject of occupational health and safety.

Recent presentations include:

• 2016, 1 March, Workplace Health and Safety Queensland, Construction Health Forum, Brisbane
• 2016, 23–24 February, Annual Workers’ Compensation Summit, Sydney
• 2015, 13 October, Safe Work Australia Virtual Seminar Series (see live recording of panel discussion)
• 2015, 17 September, Safety Institute of Australia, National Safety Convention, Melbourne
• 2015, 10 August, Lend Lease Australia Region Health and Safety Peer Group, Sydney
• 2015, 30 July, Inaugural Workplace Wellness Conference, Sydney

• Doctor of Philosophy in construction health and safety, The University of Hong Kong, 1995

• Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in politics, The University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK, 1990

Employment experience

• Distinguished Professor, School of Property, Construction and Project Management, RMIT University. (2016–2015)
• Professor, School of Property, Construction and Project Management, RMIT University (2009–present)
• Associate Professor, School of Property, Construction and Project Management, RMIT University (2005–2008)
• Principal OHS Consultant, ARK Consulting Group Pty Ltd. Occupational health and safety and risk management consulting (2003–2005)
• Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Architecture Building and Planning, The University of Melbourne (2003)
• Lecturer, Faculty of Architecture Building and Planning, The University of Melbourne (1999–2002)
• Lecturer, Department of Building and Construction Economics, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. (1996–1998)
• Senior OHS Consultant, Zeal Consulting Pty Ltd. (1997–1998)
• Area Occupational Health and Safety Advisor, Costain Building and Civil Engineering Ltd, Hong Kong (1995–1996)
• Researcher/Senior Researcher, Department of Civil Engineering and the Department of Surveying, The University of Hong Kong (1990–1994)
• Consultant to the Hong Kong Government Housing Authority and Public Works Branch (1992–1995)

Professional interests

• Fellow of the Safety Institute of Australia
• Australasian Coordinator of the International Council for Building (CIB) W099 Working Commission on Construction Occupational Safety and Health.