International conferences highlight Centre research

The 31st Annual Conference of the Association of Researchers in Construction Management (ARCOM), hosted by the University of Lincoln, 7–9 September, welcomed delegates from 33 nations who delivered 127 research papers. The conference covered topics as diverse as sustainability, productivity, building information modelling, and health and safety. 

RMIT researchers contributed papers including: 

• ‘An image-based tool for work health and safety (WHS) risk perception communication’ (Rita Peihua Zhang, Helen Lingard, Nick Blismas, Ron Wakefield and Brian Kleiner)
• ‘Perceptions of façade risks: a preliminary analysis towards presentation of knowledge graphically’ (Ruwini Edirisinghe, Andrew Stranieri, Nick Blismas and James Harley)
• ‘Proactive evaluation of occupational health and safety performance in construction projects using the hierarchy of controls concept’ (Payam Pirzadeh, Helen Lingard, Nick Blismas, Thomas Mills and Brian Kleiner).

Papers from the 2015 ARCOM conference are available for download.

Following ARCOM, Centre staff travelled to Ulster University in Northern Ireland to attend the International Council for Research and Innovation in Building and Construction (CIB) Health and Safety Conference. 

The conference theme was ‘Benefiting workers and society through inherently safe(r) construction’.

Dr Gerry Ayers, a member of CCWHSR's Industry Advisory Group and the Occupational Health, Safety and Environment Manager with the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union, presented a conference keynote address. 

Centre researchers contributed to four papers on the conference program:

• ‘What is risk? Construction activity near hazardous infrastructure’ (Jan Hayes, Vanessa McDermott and Helen Lingard)
• ‘Perceptions of the relative importance of job control and support factors, as moderators of workplace stress, among South African construction professionals: preliminary findings’ (Paul Bowen, Peter Edwards and Keith Cattell)
• ‘Identification of demand and resource typologies within a systems framework’ (Michelle Turner and Helen Lingard)
• ‘Exploring the potential for using video to communicate safety information to construction workers: case studies of organisational use’ (Ruwini Edirisinghe, Helen Lingard and David Broadhurst).

Centre members regularly attend the ARCOM and CIB conferences held annually, providing important opportunities for the Centre to strengthen engagement and build strategic connections with industry practitioners and academics in the field.