scholarly journals PSYCHOSOCIAL HAZARDS AND RISKS IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY IN NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Rezaeian ◽  
◽  
L. Tang ◽  
M. Hardie ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
Psychosocial Problems ◽  
Construction Companies ◽  
Employment Conditions ◽  
Psychosocial Hazards ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Psychosocial Influences

The construction industry faces many challenges, one of which is the difficult to define psychosocial influences. The construction sector has highly demanding employment conditions, long working hours and sometimes unfeasible terms of project execution. Psychosocial influences represent emotional as well as physiological characteristics which impact the immediate environment. Some construction personnel face psychosocial problems that can lead to depression or suicide. The research conducted in this paper focuses on the psychosocial status of personnel working in construction companies, in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. A questionnaire survey was conducted to investigate the psychosocial hazards observed in the construction industry in NSW. Practitioners in two private construction companies and one government department having construction project management experience in NSW were involved in the survey. The data analysis indicates that most workers experienced being pressured to stay back and work long hours. This led to workers being ‘very frequently’ tired. Regarding bullying, Respondents reported that the frequency of they experienced ‘exclusion or isolation from workplace activities’ was ‘monthly’. Being ‘Subjects of gossip or false, malicious rumours’ was reported as happening ‘weekly’ and ‘Humiliation through gestures, sarcasm, criticism or insults’ was said to happen ‘almost daily’. This study's findings indicate that construction projects could have unaddressed psychosocial hazards and risks, each of which may be a potential factor for accidents and occupational and psychological injuries. The data displayed from this research could help understand psychosocial hazards. Spreading awareness on the issue can hopefully be a step towards improving the mental health of construction workers while decreasing the overall suicide rate.

Intensification of teachers’ work under devolution: A ‘tsunami’ of paperwork

2018 ◽  
Vol 61 (5) ◽  
pp. 613-636 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott Fitzgerald ◽  
Susan McGrath-Champ ◽  
Meghan Stacey ◽  
Rachel Wilson ◽  
Mihajla Gavin
Keyword(s):  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
The State ◽  
School Level ◽  
Relative Advantage ◽  
Neoliberal Reforms ◽  
South Wales ◽  
High Workload ◽  
Work Intensification

Australian public school teachers work some of the longest weekly hours among Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries, particularly in the state of New South Wales where average hours are officially in, or near, the statistical category of ‘very long working hours’. These reports of a high workload have occurred alongside recent policy moves that seek to devolve responsibility for schooling, augmenting teacher and school-level accountability. This article explores changes in work demands experienced by New South Wales teachers. As part of a larger project on schools as workplaces, we examine teaching professionals’ views through interviews with teacher union representatives. Consistent with a model of work intensification, workload increases were almost universally reported, primarily in relation to ‘paperwork’ requirements. However, differences in the nature of intensification were evident when data were disaggregated according to socio-educational advantage, level of schooling (primary or secondary) and location. The distinct patterns of work intensification that emerge reflect each school’s relative advantage or disadvantage within the school marketplace, influenced by broader neoliberal reforms occurring within the state and nation.

Negotiating labour standards in the gig economy: Airtasker and Unions New South Wales

2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 438-454 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kate Minter
Keyword(s):  
Trade Unions ◽  
Business Models ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Digital Platforms ◽  
Minimum Standards ◽  
Employment Conditions ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Gig Economy ◽  
Labour Standards

The ‘gig economy’ uses digital platforms to bypass many of the regular responsibilities and costs of employment. Ambiguity as to whether gig-economy workers are independent contractors, dependent contractors or employees allows the undermining of traditional labour standards governing minimum wages and other legislated employment conditions. Labour law and institutions need to catch up to the new reality of this form of work and develop new tools to protect and enhance minimum standards for workers in digital platform businesses. Unions, business and government all have a role to play in the long term. Meanwhile, direct engagement between these new firms and workers’ advocates can also help to mitigate the risks posed to labour standards by digital business models, by addressing regulatory gaps. This article is a case study of innovative negotiations between one platform business (Airtasker) and Unions New South Wales, a peak trade unions body in New South Wales, Australia, in order to establish agreed minimum standards for engagements negotiated through this platform.

scholarly journals The Impact of a Suicide Prevention Strategy on Reducing the Economic Cost of Suicide in the New South Wales Construction Industry

Crisis ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 121-129 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher M. Doran ◽  
Rod Ling ◽  
Jorgen Gullestrup ◽  
Sarah Swannell ◽  
Allison Milner
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Economic Cost ◽  
Workplace Safety ◽  
Relative Risk Ratio ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Self Harm ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. Background: Little research has been conducted into the cost and prevention of self-harm in the workplace. Aims: To quantify the economic cost of self-harm and suicide among New South Wales (NSW) construction industry (CI) workers and to examine the potential economic impact of implementing Mates in Construction (MIC). Method: Direct and indirect costs were estimated. Effectiveness was measured using the relative risk ratio (RRR). In Queensland (QLD), relative suicide risks were estimated for 5-year periods before and after the commencement of MIC. For NSW, the difference between the expected (i.e., using NSW pre-MIC [2008–2012] suicide risk) and counterfactual suicide cases (i.e., applying QLD RRR) provided an estimate of potential suicide cases averted in the post-MIC period (2013–2017). Results were adjusted using the average uptake (i.e., 9.4%) of MIC activities in QLD. Economic savings from averted cases were compared with the cost of implementing MIC. Results: The cost of self-harm and suicide in the NSW CI was AU $527 million in 2010. MIC could potentially avert 0.4 suicides, 1.01 full incapacity cases, and 4.92 short absences, generating annual savings of AU $3.66 million. For every AU $1 invested, the economic return is approximately AU $4.6. Conclusion: MIC represents a positive economic investment in workplace safety.

scholarly journals Drivers of Applying Ecological Modernization to Construction Waste Minimization in New South Wales Construction Industry

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sulala Al-Hamadani ◽  
Temitope Egbelakin ◽  
Willy Sher ◽  
Jason Von Meding
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Ecological Modernization ◽  
Environmental Damage ◽  
Construction Waste ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Agents Of Change ◽  
Supply Chain Dynamics

The application of ecological modernization (EM) (to delink industry growth from environmental damage) to minimize construction waste has not been explored within the construction industry in general, and the New South Wales (NSW) construction industry in particular. This study seeks to identify the drivers of applying EM to construction waste minimisation (CWM) in the industry. Also, to determine the CWM measures that are critical for each of the drivers. A survey was adopted in this study to target stakeholders engaged in the delivery of construction projects in NSW from design to completion. The survey was selected to reach a large number of respondents within a manageable period. A pilot study was conducted to ensure the reliability of the research design before a full-scale data collection was launched. The data from 240 valid responses was analysed using factor analysis, relative importance index and descriptive statistics. The results revealed five important drivers for EM’s application to CWM. These are agents of change, government policies, supply chain dynamics, skill-building and technological innovations. The CWM measures that are critical for each of these drivers were also identified. The study provides insights into the application of EM to address the construction industry problem of waste generation as by-product of its growth. It also shows the ability to protect the environment while enabling continuous economic growth. Furthermore, it demonstrates the applicability of EM to minimize the construction waste of NSW construction industry.

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