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.

scholarly journals Unconventional Labour: Environmental Justice and Working-class Ecology in the New South Wales Green Bans

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 458-474
Author(s):  
Paul Bleakley
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Justice ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Social Issues ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
New Left ◽  
Left Wing ◽  
Union Movement ◽  
South Wales ◽  
1960S And 1970S

The New South Wales union movement embraced the principles of heritage and conservationism in the 1970s through the imposing of “green bans” – a strategy wherein union members refused to work on construction projects that were a threat to the state’s natural or built environment. Led by radicals like Builders Labourers’ Federation leader Jack Mundey, the green bans were seen in several sectors as a departure from the traditional “Old Left” priorities of securing workers’ wages and conditions. Rather than a hard shift towards radicalism, this article proposes that the green bans were instead reflective of an already existing conservationist tradition in the New South Wales union movement. This reinterpretation is predicated on a content analysis of extant historical material such as contemporaneous news articles, personal memoirs, transcripts of political speeches and archival documents related to the policing of left-wing activism in the 1960s and 1970s. The results show that an existing tradition of engagement with a broad spectrum of social issues in the New South Wales union movement predates the emergence of the New Left, including the commitment to environmental justice principles that underpinned the green bans.

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.

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.

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