RMIT researchers have developed the training materials for the Design Safety Workshop, which will be launched by Victorian Minister for Roads and Ports Tim Pallas this Wednesday at the CIB W099 International Conference on Construction Safety. The workshop, which will be delivered nationally by Engineering Education Australia, forms a key part of the “Guide to Best Practice for Safer Construction”, a joint initiative of Engineers Australia and the Cooperative Research Centre for Construction Innovation.Lead researcher Professor Helen Lingard – from RMIT’s School of Property, Construction and Project Management – said clients, designers and builders needed to work together to maximise safety on construction sites.“With a rate of 7.8 compensated fatalities per 100,000 employees, compared with 2.5 across other industries, construction remains one of the most dangerous sectors to work in,” she said.“Making occupational health and safety a priority from the earliest stages of a project, when it is still on the drawing board, could be the vital difference that can help protect construction workers and prevent work-related injuries or fatalities.”Lingard is chairing the CIB W099 International Conference on Construction Safety, which will look at how collaborative approaches in planning, designing and building can improve occupational health and safety in the construction industry.The conference is being held from October 21-23 at Rydges Melbourne.
