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Clients of the construction industry, an important segment of the project management (PM) discipline, can make an important contribution to the occupational health and safety (OHS) performance of the construction projects they procure. This practice note aims to describe an initiative of the Office of the Federal Safety Commissioner in Australia.

A model client framework was developed to assist Australian Government agencies to embed OHS into their procurement and PM practices.

The model client framework establishes principles for the management of OHS in construction projects and establishes processes for client involvement in OHS through the planning, design and procurement, construction and completion stages of construction projects. Within each project stage, key management actions are established for Australian Government agencies.

The model client framework will enable Australian Government agencies to operate in a consistent framework and on a similar footing, with respect to the management of OHS in their construction projects. This practice note describes the key components of the framework.

The model client framework is the first comprehensive set of tools and resources to support construction clients to integrate OHS into their procurement and PM processes. The life‐cycle approach ensures that OHS information is transferred throughout the construction supply chain from the client, through the designer, constructor and ultimately to the end‐user. The Framework shows how the integration of OHS into all aspects of project decision making (led by the client) can significantly improve the OHS performance of construction projects.

Online hate speech (OHS) is becoming a serious problem worldwide including in Bangladesh. This study aims to understand the nature of OHS against religious groups and explore its impact on their social life and mental health.

A qualitative approach was followed and 11 in-depth interviews (IDIs) were conducted with the selected OHS victims. This study conducted a semi-structural interview using Google Form following the design questionnaire for selecting IDIs participants.

This study found that religious minorities experience online hatred through online media by the major religious group in Bangladesh. Natures of OHS are commenting on social media posts, sharing hateful memes and sending private messages using slang language targeting religious identity, religious food habits and ethnic identities. Victims were offended, abused and bullied by unknown persons, their university friends and colleagues. Victims of OHS did not take any action against it due to fear of insecurity. Victims of OHS felt low-minded, helpless and anxious after the experience of OHS; they felt more insecure and vulnerable socially and mentally.

The findings of this study suggest that policymakers identify the nature of OHS and take proper steps for reducing the frequency of OHS in Bangladesh. To combat the OHS, authorities have to make legal enforcement equal for everyone.

This study aims to develop a facile ligand-exchange strategy to promote nano-sintering of oleylamine (OAM)-capped silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). By using ligand exchange process with NH₄OH to remove OAM from the surface of AgNP, this study reports effectively reducing the sintering temperature of AgNPs to achieve low-temperature nano-sintering. Compared with untreated AgNPs of OAM-capped, NH₄OH-treated AgNPs possess superior sintering performance that could be applied to a fractional generator device as conductor and in favour of the fabrication of flexible circuit modules.

First, oleylamine is used as reductant to synthesize monodisperse AgNPs by a simple one-step method. Then ligand exchange is used with NH₄OH at different treating times to remove OAM, and micro-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and contact angle test are applied to clear the mechanism and structure characteristics of these processes. Finally, NH₄OH-treated AgNPs sediment sintering is used at different temperatures to test electrical resistivity and use ex situ scanning electron microscopy combined with in situ X-ray diffraction to study changes in microstructure in the whole nano-sintering process.

The AgNPs are always capped by organic ligands to prevent nanoparticles agglomeration. And oleylamine used as reductant could synthesize desirable size distributions of 8–32 nm with monodisperse globular shapes, but the low-temperature nano-sintering seemed not to be achieved by the oleylamine-capped AgNPs because OAM is an organic with long C-chain. The ligand exchange approach was enabled to replace the original organic ligands capped on AgNPs with organic ligands of low thermal stability which could promote nano-sintering. After ligand exchange treated AgNPs could be sintered on photo paper, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and polyethylene terephthalate flexible substrates at low temperature.

In this research, the method ligand exchange is used to change the ligand of AgNPs. During ligand exchange, NH₄OH was used to treat AgNPs. Through the treatment of NH₄OH, the change of hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties of AgNPs was successfully realized. The sintering temperature of AgNPs can also be reduced and the properties can be improved. Finally, the applicability of the AgNPs sediment with this nano-sintering process at low temperature for obtaining conductive patterns was evaluated using PDMS as substrates.

The purpose of this paper is to examine why companies are placing increasing importance on implementing occupational health and safety (OHS) practices, and to analyse their reasons for adopting these practices. Specifically, it is asked whether OHS practices are introduced as a result of coercive pressures. The different ways companies respond to these pressures is also explored.

A quantitative data analysis technique was used to analyse the relationship between the reasons for implementing OHS in a sample of 3,005 Spanish firms, using the responses to a survey from the Institute for the Prevention of Risk at Work.

The results revealed three different groups of companies in terms of their reasons for implementing OHS practices; it was also found that employer involvement in OHS is higher when the main reason for implementing OHS practices is a real concern to improve working conditions, not simply coercive pressures.

The results of the study demonstrate the importance of moving from reactive to proactive management. Practitioners should consider employees’ health and safety not only in terms of an institutional pressure, but as a part of their social responsibility and integral to their business practice. Public administration should work to reward positive behaviours and not only punish noncompliance.

This paper contributes to a better understanding of the reasons to implement OHS in an early stage of institutionalisation of these practices, providing an empirical analysis of the reasons behind employer involvement. This paper is highly relevant for researchers, governments and practitioners.

To study the learning processes and mechanisms involved in sustainability-oriented supplier development (SSD), including how knowledge is transmitted by the buyer and how it is received, understood and internalised by the supplier.

An exploratory longitudinal multi-case study approach is adopted. The research context is a social SSD project focusing on occupational health and safety (OHS) management at four supplier factories. The paper draws on the constructs of absorptive capacity and boundary objects.

The development of a supplier's absorptive capacity for OHS management is triggered by the transfer of boundary objects that are created by the buyer. Findings suggest that each supplier starts explorative learning in a similar and passive way in order to accept the knowledge, but then each supplier proactively transforms and exploits the knowledge through continuous sensing, seizing, and reconfiguring loops that develop the boundary objects in a way that fits their own needs and contexts, incorporating the objects into organisational structures and routines.

The research furthers the understanding of the development of supplier absorptive capacity for sustainability via SSD projects, including how it is triggered and sustained. The impact of ostensive and performative aspects of boundary objects on knowledge transfer is presented. Finally, insight is provided into how absorptive capacity and dynamic capabilities are linked in the context of SSD.

Buying firms should seek to develop boundary objects that can trigger and maintain learning momentum for sustainability at supplier organisations in addition to effectively transferring SSD-related sustainability knowledge. There is also a need to allow for sufficient flexibility in the design of the boundary objects, and to pay sufficient attention to how suppliers contextualise and embed them into their own organisations, providing support for this process where necessary. For the supplier, establishing structures and routines for OHS management can help to prepare for future audits, thereby reducing audit fatigue.

The paper contributes to the supply chain learning literature by exploring the development of supplier absorptive capacity for sustainability triggered by the focal buying firm. It sheds new light on the role of boundary objects for facilitating knowledge transfer and learning between supply chain members in the context of SSD projects.

The purpose of this research is to analyse the problems for occupational health and safety (OHS) regulators posed by agency work/leased labour (also known as labour hire in Australasia), using Australian evidence.

The analysis is based on an examination of prosecutions involving labour hire firms along with other documentary records (union, industry and government reports and guidance material). The study also draws on interviews with approximately 200 regulatory officials, employers and union representatives since 2001 and workplace visits with 40 OHS inspectors in 2004‐2005.

The triangular relationship entailed in labour leasing, in combination with the temporary nature of most placements, poses serious problems for government agencies in terms of enforcing OHS standards notwithstanding a growing number of successful prosecutions for breaches of legislative duties by host and labour leasing firms.

Research to investigate these issues in other countries and compare findings with those for Australia is required, along with assessing the effectiveness of new enforcement initiatives.

The paper assesses existing regulatory responses and highlights the need for new regulatory strategies to combat the problems posed by labour.

The OHS problems posed by agency work have received comparatively little attention. The paper provides insights into the specific problems posed for OHS regulators and how inspectorates are trying to address them.

Many facility managers are now required to deal directly with small firms engaged in the maintenance, alteration and cleaning of physical infrastructure. Increasingly the performance of small firms reflects on the manager of the facility, and so an understanding of their operation is required. It is mandatory for all firms to provide a safe working environment for their workers and subcontractors. Consequently, occupational health and safety (OHS) is a major issue for companies mainly due to the fear of prosecution. The introduction of Zero Tolerance by the Victorian government WorkCover Authority in 1999 provided even higher OHS safety standards for the construction industry. This has placed an increased burden on construction and maintenance companies especially small firms that are not in a position of financial strength. The size of the company has been found to be a major contributing factor to the OHS performance of construction contractors. This research is based on a benchmarking study of 44 construction companies in Victoria, Australia. The results show that the major factors influencing safety performance were; company size, and management and employee commitment to OHS.

In Australia, national harmonisation of occupational health and safety (OHS) regulation was pursued through the development of model Work Health and Safety legislation. The model Work Health and Safety Regulations specify that construction works above a threshold cost of AU$250,000 are deemed to be construction projects requiring the appointment of a principal contractor with duties relating to OHS planning and coordination. The purpose of this paper is to explore the effectiveness of the monetary threshold as a suitable trigger for specific OHS planning and coordination duties.

Interviews were conducted with 46 Australian construction industry stakeholders, including union representatives, employer groups, construction firm representatives and regulators, as well as four international construction OHS experts, to explore perceptions about the effectiveness of the monetary threshold. Two construction scenarios were also modelled to test for variability in operation of the threshold by geographical location of works and design conditions.

The monetary threshold was perceived to be subject to two forms of capture problem, reflecting inadvertent capture of low risk works or failure to capture high risk works. Organisations were also reported to deliberately split contracts to avoid capture by the threshold. The cost-estimate modelling revealed inequalities and variation in the operation of the monetary threshold by geographic location and design specification.

The analysis suggests that limitations inherent in the use of a monetary threshold to trigger duties relating to OHS planning and coordination in construction works. Opportunities to use more sophisticated risk-based mechanisms are considered.

The study explores a fundamental challenge of risk-based OHS regulation, i.e., how to ensure that workers’ health and safety are adequately protected without creating an unnecessarily high regulatory burden. The research provides evidence that using a monetary value as a proxy measure for OHS risk in construction projects may be problematic.

The purpose of this paper is to integrate the notions of management control systems (MCS), mindfulness and sustainability, and introduce a framework demonstrating how sustainability outcomes – specifically occupational health and safety (OHS) improvements – can be accomplished by incorporating mindfulness-based interventions (or mindfulness-based training) as an effective MCS enabler.

The authors have conducted an integrative literature review to synthesize the knowledge of the mindfulness, sustainability and MCS literatures with a specific focus on OHS.

The findings revealed that there is a dearth of research that has investigated the potential linkages between mindfulness, MCS and sustainability. While some studies have explored the role of MCS in promoting sustainability and corporate social responsibility concepts, as well as the linkages between mindfulness and sustainability, this paper specifically looked at how mindfulness-based interventions can be applied in the organizational context to enhance OHS sustainability outcomes.

This paper introduces a framework that shows how mindfulness-based interventions, as a means of MCS, can be used to enhance desired OHS sustainability outcomes.

This paper extends the sustainability, mindfulness and MCS literature by explicating how mindfulness-based interventions can be used as one of the key MCS enablers that support sustainability and OHS outcomes. Accordingly, the authors argue that this is one of the few early review papers that have investigated the potential connections between mindfulness, sustainability and MCS in the OHS context.

To review the literature and identify research gaps in the role and influence boards of directors of companies have in occupational health and safety (OHS).

This was done in a scoping review built on a structured search in MEDLINE (PubMed), EMBASE, PsycINFO, Sociological Abstracts, CCInfoWeb, EconLit, Web of Science, CINAHL and gray literature. Citations and reference lists were tracked. Inclusion criteria were publication in English. Exclusion criteria were studies covering companies using subcontractors to arrange OHS, or with <250 employees.

Forty-nine studies were included. The majority contained empirical data (n = 28; 57%), some were entirely normative (n = 16; 33%), and a few contained normative claims far beyond empirical data (n = 5; 10%). Empirical studies gave no insight into the scope of impact of board activities on OHS, and no studies assess the causal mechanisms by which board activities influence OHS outcomes. Most studies focused on both health and safety (n = 20; 41%) or only safety (n = 15; 31%). Context might explain the focus on safety rather than health, but is not clearly elucidated by the studies. Several studies are describing leadership behavior, although not framed as such. A narrative summary is presented to facilitate future research.

Future research should include: (1) which board activities influence OHS, (2) how board activities influence OHS, (3) the influence of context and (4) the leadership role of boards of directors.

This study identifies a total lack of research on the basic mechanics of the relationship between boards and OHS.