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The researchers have delivered 10 funded studies (£700,000), 50+ peer-reviewed publications and five knowledge transfer conferences (750+ delegates). The samples presented led to materials being delivered to 100,000+ industry practitioners. Further, the international reach of UK OSH guidance is substantial, influencing Australia, Hong Kong, South Africa, and North America. The research helped improve Occupational Safety & Health (OSH) practices in major construction companies, with global reach, e.g. MACE (3,700 employees, over 69 countries, turnover £1bn), who implemented developed practices, resulting in 30% drop in accident rates. Our 'OSH communication images' are used in CITB training, delivered to over 100,000 workers.
The research portfolio of the Construction Management Group included construction law and management of legal relationships for performing construction contracts. Outputs in this area of research have included peer-reviewed papers, textbooks and online newsletters. Through this research construction industry organisations have improved the effectiveness of their workplace practices with respect to contract management and dispute resolution. The work has also stimulated and informed practitioner debates on contentious matters concerning contract provisions and new legislation. Such debates have resulted in some changes to legal frameworks or decisions to consult on such changes.
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.
Research at Teesside University has enhanced sustainability and productivity in construction and related sectors. Between 1998 and 2008, Professor Dawood's research team developed a range of advanced multi-constraint and multi-dimensional visual construction planning and coordination approaches and tools. The global commercial application of this work in Architectural, Engineering and Construction (AEC) organisations has generated a substantial economic impact. For five indicative organisations used as examples in this case study, the impact amounts to more than £1,500,000 in the form of increased turnover, cash injection from technology funds and a spin out company.
Governments and major construction clients face significant challenges procuring and delivering large infrastructure projects. Robust and defendable infrastructure procurement is therefore increasingly important for addressing these challenges to deliver value (at minimum risk). Public- Private Partnership (PPP) research within the Grenfell-Baines School of Architecture, Construction and Environment (the unit of assessment, UoA) is led by Akintoye and Liyanage. Their work has made a direct positive impact on some of these issues, the extent of which has benefited several sectors — from construction and transportation, through to the water industry (e.g. Naismiths, iBE Partnerships; WDA Project Ltd; Navigant Consulting); and its reach and significance is evidenced through international engagement at the highest levels (e.g. Queensland Government Australia; Constructing Excellence; CIB; University of Hong Kong China).
Professor Mark Addis of the School of English undertook pioneering collaborative interdisciplinary work with David Boyd (Professor of Construction at Birmingham City University) to engage with an area of business where the humanities are not usually valued. The philosophy of expertise assisted three major construction companies, Mouchel, Rider Levett Bucknall and Thomas Vale Construction, to better understand their practices. These new perspectives into construction management challenged existing practices and stimulated practitioner debate in the industry. The impacts were for individuals, who made more effective interventions in their practice especially in terms of skill development and project organisation; company groups, who gained insights which developed their practice; and the wider industry through presentations to leading national construction representative organisations.
Building Information Modelling and Management (BIM(M)) research at the University of Salford has contributed to the concept and development of an integrated approach to improved efficiency in the construction sector:
Building Information Management (BIM) involves the creation and use of digital information about built assets. Mandated by UK and other governments because of its potential to reduce waste and optimise efficiency, its successful exploitation requires changes in construction technology and process. This research has had a transformational impact on both. Our technical research forms the basis of the National Library of BIM objects, as well as technological solutions and product developments for many organisations. Our work with UK and overseas governments has shaped industry's uptake of BIM. We have founded a centre of excellence to introduce BIM to practitioners and organisations, and created a commercial joint-venture consultancy company.
Loughborough University's Construction Accident Causality (ConCA) framework has:
Research has linked employee wellbeing to employee motivation and engagement, which can in turn drive increases in productivity and improved levels of product/service delivery. This case study illustrates how academic research and enterprise-based activity, through a university spinout company, has helped to create a significant positive impact on promoting and improving employee wellbeing. This has been achieved across a variety of national and international organisations, including several high profile private and public organisations, involving over 50,000 employees across Europe. This has resulted in a number of positive outcomes such as national and international awards in the area of HR as well as increased employee engagement and reduced employee absenteeism.