Improving Standards and Practice in the Built Environment and Related Industries
Submitting Institution
University of BoltonUnit of Assessment
Architecture, Built Environment and PlanningSummary Impact Type
SocietalResearch Subject Area(s)
Medical and Health Sciences: Public Health and Health Services
Education: Specialist Studies In Education
Studies In Human Society: Policy and Administration
Summary of the impact
In response to the University's strategy on improving standards in
professional practice, several research projects were undertaken in health
and safety management, procurement, transport planning, energy management,
and professional practice. These focused on improving standards of
professional practice in construction management, energy management,
facilities management, and sustainable transportation planning. Two
projects resulted in sector guidance, whilst two others had a direct
impact on practice in the University. Another has influenced the way
cycling use data is collected by the two leading organisations in this
sector. This case study demonstrates the impact on professional practice
linked to the university's vision.
Underpinning research
This case study involved 8 cross-disciplinary academics: Dr Peter
Farrell, Reader in Construction Management; Dr Fred Sherratt, Lecturer
Construction Management; Neil Davies, Senior Lecturer Health and Safety
(left 31/03/13); David Walker, Senior Lecturer Health and Safety; Dr
Margaret Nelson, Reader in the Built Environment; Prof Danny Morton,
Professor of Engineering; Prof Rob Ranyard, Professor of Psychology; Prof
John Parkin, Visiting Professor; Rosie Middlemass, Research Assistant
(left 30/11/05); 3 PhD students Andrew Arewa, Grainne Gordon (completed)
and Mohammad Tammo; and one MSc student, Jason Challender.
Farrell led a £90,000 (£40,000 in-kind contribution) research project,
ABECAS (2004-06). This identified barriers to education and employment for
persons with disabilities in built environment disciplines, and made
recommendations about reasonable adjustments to be made for students and
employees.
Doctoral research by Sherratt (2007-12) established new insights through
a constructionist approach into how operatives and managers view health
and safety on construction sites. Further doctoral work (RAE2008 funded)
by Arewa (2010-14), found a link between the application of best practice
in construction site safety and corporate profits. Construction companies
have been reluctant to spend on health and safety, seen as a cost and a
`drain' on profit. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and others have
frequently argued, without evidence, that sensible spend on health and
safety is quite the reverse; and spending on safety is an investment that
has spin off into many areas of production and thus increases profits.
This research sought the evidence for these assertions.
As a member of the FMW1 Facilities Management sub-committee of the
British Standards Institute, we undertook research to support the review
of the BSi Standard BS8210 Guide to Facilities Maintenance Management
(2011-12, in-kind contribution). Walker and Davies contributed to the
development of health and safety in the guidance, whilst Nelson led the 2nd
review committee and authorship. Doctoral research by Walker was
translated into material for the guide.
Research by Farrell and Challendar (2013) investigated the application of
partnership principles in a period of market austerity with Leeds City
College. It identified that some large companies are returning to
competition, whilst others still procure projects under the partnering
banner; but indeed, resort to competitive and sometimes `unfair' market
practices. Whilst these practices may indicate the possibility of
short-term savings in capital costs, findings from the research identified
a long-term detrimental effect on project outcomes.
Parkin, Ranyard and Gordon investigated improvements to standards in
cycling measurement. This research (2009-13) undertaken in partnership
with Sustrans and the Department for Transport (DfT) identified key issues
in missing data leading to poor quality of data used in calculating
cycling use for transport planning.
Morton and Nelson were part of a university-wide project ECCILES
(2008-10) which investigated energy management in computer intensive
buildings. This led to the development of a detailed model for energy
consumption factors around computer use on campus, development of a costed
plan for optimising temperatures in computer rooms, equipment planning now
included in course development planning, and better awareness of energy
consumption issues by staff and students.
References to the research
2. Letter from British Standards Institute
3. Letter from Leeds City College
4. University agreement with Sustrans for EPSRC cycling project
Details of the impact
Research activities on improving standards in professional practice have
resulted in the developments in health and safety and risk management,
identification of improvements to techniques in cycling measurement and
data collection, improvements in teaching practice and support for
students with disabilities, improvements in procurement practice at Leeds
City College, and improvements in the energy performance of computer
intensive buildings in Higher Education.
Research by Walker and Davies informed the development of a new section
on health and safety in the 2012 BSi BS8210 standard in facilities
maintenance management (see Ref 3.2). This sets the standard for good
practice in health and safety management in facilities maintenance
management. The guidance is used by organisations and individuals to
conform to best practice.
Sherratt's health and safety doctoral work supervised by Farrell, and
sponsored by Laing O'Rourke and the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB)
(£9, 000 and £8,000.00 respectively) fed into policy development at Laing
O'Rourke, her previous employer, and provided the platform for a recently
awarded contract from Routledge for a practitioner's textbook. It also led
to her appointment to the CIOB health and safety committee where her work
is influencing the development of new policy in health and safety.
Arewa's doctoral study supervised by Farrell has developed a
classification system for assessment of investment in health and safety
practice. The research further identified a causal link between health and
safety and company profitability in SMEs. The potential impact of this
research lies in its findings of the evidence required by the HSE in
justification of its emphasis on investment in health and safety.
Research on improvements to methodologies and techniques for cycling
measurement is being applied by Sustrans who developed and undertook the
Sustainable Transport project in conjunction with the University. The
research revealed serious problems with data quality, and in particular,
large amounts of missing data. There are also problems with the
representativeness of count sites. These findings will lead to improvement
of standards in data collection, both how and where collected. Sustrans
have recently changed the way they select sites and have implemented a new
data collection and analysis system which will go some way towards dealing
with the problem of missing data. A new classification system has been
developed and groups of counters have been modelled to provide parameter
estimates for day of the week, month of the year and bank holidays. There
is potential for these to be developed into expansion factors which could
improve the accuracy of the estimates currently being produced by both
organisations. New profiles for analysis of data developed through the
research can be applied to existing incomplete data sets to improve
quality of analysis.
Improvements to curriculum in the Built Environment were impacted on by
the Accessible Built Environment Careers for all Students (ABECAS) project
in terms of driving changes to the delivery of programmes from the
recommendations to HEIs. Improvements to curriculum implemented on the
recommendations of the ABECAS project include:
- An audit of programme specifications
- Removing barriers from learning outcomes and assessment
- Making reasonable adjustments in teaching and learning
- Making reasonable adjustments to equipment and laboratories
- Making reasonable adjustments to land surveying equipment
- Agreeing reasonable adjustments in tutorials with individual students
- Ensure options are available at all levels of study
- Appointing a built environment tutor as an accessibility specialist
- Providing staff development opportunities
- Providing electronic learning material in accessible formats
These resulted in a more accessible study environment for students with a
disability, and the highest increase in the numbers of students with
disabilities undertaking built environment programmes in 2006. The results
were disseminated through the Centre for Education in the Built
Environment (CEBE) and the project webpage http://www.bolton.ac.uk/Subjects/Civil-Engineering-Construction/Research/ABECAS/ABECAS.aspx.
Academic publications were also published and presented at conferences.
Joint research with Leeds City College through a Masters dissertation
(Farrell and Challender) led to improvements in procurement practice at
the host organisation. The research identified the need to adopt
non-adversarial partnering methods of procurement, and ensure compliance
with key performance indicators. This is presently implemented through the
procurement of £50M of construction work over the next five years by Leeds
City College (see Ref 3.3).
Impact from the ECCILES project on the University has been focussed on
improvements to our green credentials. It has included a reduction in
energy consumption, change to programme development process including
equipment planning now included in course development planning and a
change in behaviour towards energy use by staff and students. These have
resulted in cost savings and improved carbon footprint for the University.
Sources to corroborate the impact
- Inclusive and Sustainable Environments Research Group http://www.bolton.ac.uk/Subjects/Civil-Engineering-Construction/Research.aspx
- Mrs Stephanie Kosandiak, Secretary FMW/1 Facilities management
Committee Manger, Construction Standards Development, Telephone: 0208
996 7268, Email:
stephanie.kosandiak@bsigroup.com
- ABECAS Project http://www.bolton.ac.uk/Subjects/Civil-Engineering-Construction/Research/ABECAS/ABECAS.aspx
- Mr Tom Harte, Estates Manager Physical Resources, Leeds City College,
Telephone: 0845 045 7275
- ECCILES Project http://www.bolton.ac.uk/Projects/JISC/ECCILES/Home.aspx