Demands and resources of workers in the Australian construction industry: Identification and exploration using Q methodology

Workers of the Australian construction industry experience demands, such as long working hours, irregular work schedules and geographically isolated work locations. Research has indicated a clear relationship between excessive work demands and work-life conflict, which has negative impacts for workers’ health and wellbeing. Coupled with work demands, workers also experience demands originating from their family and community domains, which are often driven by life stage and individual preferences of workers. In order to fulfil work, family and community demands, workers often call on resources such as supervisor support, flexibility of work schedule, and childcare. However, it is not clear how workers experience demands and resources, and what configuration is required so that workers can function effectively in multiple roles. Research is underway to: (i) identify the demands and resources relevant to workers of the Australian construction industry; and (ii) identify the demand-resource profiles of different worker groups within a diverse construction workforce. An innovative Q-sort method will be used to explore workers’ experience of demands and resources, and profiles of different worker groups will be identified. The innovative q-sort methodology using demands and resources unique to an Australian construction workforce is discussed

Improving the health of male, blue collar construction workers: a social ecological perspective

Construction workers are a high risk group for poor health and occupational disability. A participatory action research (PAR) project was undertaken at construction sites in Queensland, Australia. Using the PAR framework, a needs-based health promotion planning model was implemented. Health promotion measures were designed to address the 'SNAPO' health risk factors (i.e. smoking, nutrition, alcohol consumption, insufficient physical exercise and overweight/obesity). At the largest site participating in the research, preliminary health assessments revealed levels of physical health that were comparable with those of the general Australian population. The construction workers' mental health was poorer than that of the general Australian population. A consultation workshop with a representative group of workers at the site identified healthy eating, smoking cessation and physical exercise as priority areas for intervention. Several health promotion measures addressing these issues were implemented, including a quit smoking programme, a 'healthy options' menu in the site canteen, healthy eating and cooking workshops and onsite yoga and stretching sessions. A subset of workers at the site reported their health behaviour in weekly 'logs'. The log data revealed fluctuations in health behaviour over a 14-week period. Evaluation interviews and a focus group revealed environmental impediments to the adoption of healthy lifestyle behaviours. Workers identified the need to provide a work environment that is supportive of healthy behaviour as critical to the effectiveness of specific health promotion measures

Work time demands, work time control and supervisor support in the Australian construction industry: an analysis of work-family interaction

Purpose - This research aims to explore the relationship between work time demands, work time control and supervisor support in the Australian construction industr

Work-life strategies in the Australian construction industry: implementation issues in a dynamic project-based work environment

A participatory work-life balance intervention was implemented in a medium-sized construction contracting organization based in Melbourne, Australia. Weekly data capturing the number of hours worked, satisfaction with work-life balance and capacity to complete required tasks at work and at home were collected for 25 consecutive weeks. Data was subjected to time series modeling procedures and weekly work hours were found to significantly predict participants' overall satisfaction with work-life balance, and capacity to complete tasks at work and at home. The occurrence of 'long weekends', i.e., a period of three days away from work arising as a result of a public holiday coinciding with a 'rostered day off', was also found to predict workers' capacity to complete tasks at home. An evaluation workshop explored workers' experiences of a work-life intervention. Participants' were generally positive about the organization's support of their work-life balance, however areas for improvement were identified, such as the need for better communication of work-life strategies and to address the 'long hours' culture within the organization. The research presents a participatory framework for improving the work-life balance of project-based construction workers

It's about time: the impact of fluctuating work hours on the work-life balance of project-based construction workers

A diary data collection method was used to collect data from project-based construction workers in a large civil engineering construction project in Melbourne, Australia. Data capturing the number of hours worked and satisfaction with work-life balance were collected for 21 consecutive weeks. A strong correlation was found between hours worked each week and participants' work-life experiences. Weekly work hours were found to be significantly negatively correlated with satisfaction with work-life balance. Work intensification leading up to a major project milestone coincided with a dramatic reduction in participants' satisfaction with work-life balance, suggesting that project events have a significant impact upon the work-life experiences of project-based workers. Further, recovery opportunities in the form of regular Rostered Days Off coincided with higher levels of work-life balance satisfaction. It is proposed that construction organizations use the naturally fluctuating workloads implicit in project work to 'build' recovery opportunities into project schedules

Work-family conflict in construction: Case for a finer-grained analysis

A multidimensional work-family conflict WFC scale was tested using a sample of 169 workers in the Australian construction industry. The construction sample showed higher mean scores for time-based, strain-based, and behavior-based work-interference with family WIF than scores reported in international studies that have used the multidimensional scale. Waged construction workers, who work on-site in direct construction activity, reported higher levels of time-based and strain-based WIF than salaried workers, who work predominantly in office-based roles. Mean levels of family-interference with work FIW in the construction sample were generally comparable to levels reported in previous research. A principal components analysis revealed four clear dimensions of WFC. These dimensions were significantly correlated with other variables of theoretical relevance indicating acceptable criterion validity. The experience of WIF varied by workers employment situation, sex, and work location, while the experience of FIW varied by workers¿ age. The results suggest that the use of global measures of WFC might mask important differences in construction workers' experiences at the work-family interface

Growing pains: work-life impacts in small-to-medium sized construction firms

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to compare the quality of work-life experiences of workers in construction firms of differing sizes and explored the work conditions and circumstances that impact upon the work-life experiences of workers in small-to-medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Australian construction industry. Design/methodology/approach - Data were collected in two stages. First, data from a sub-set of construction industry workers were extracted from a large scale survey of workers in Victoria, Australia (the VicWAL survey). The survey measured work-life interference using the Australian Work and Life Index (AWALI). Next a subset of survey respondents was identified and interviewed to gain more detailed explanatory information and insight into work-life experiences. Findings - The survey results indicated that respondents who reported working for a construction firm with between 16 and 99 employees reported significantly higher AWALI scores (indicating high work-life interference) than workers in organisations employing 15 or less or more than 100 workers. The follow-up interviews revealed that workers in small construction organisations were managed directly and personally by the business owner/manager and able to access informal work-life supports that were provided on an "as needs" basis. In comparison workers in medium-sized firms perceived higher levels of work pressure and an expectation that work would be prioritised over family life. Research limitations/implications - The research shows that the findings of work-life balance research undertaken in large construction organisations cannot be generalised to SMEs. Organisation size should also be treated as an important variable in work-life balance research in construction. Practical implications - The research suggests that a better understanding of how workers in SME construction firms experience work-life balance is important in the design and development of work-life balance programs

The Effects of Varying Doses of Caffeine on Sports Skill Related Performance and Reaction Time

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Eddy covariance measurements of sea spray particles over the Atlantic Ocean

International audienceMost estimates of sea spray aerosol source functions have used indirect means to infer the rate of production as a function of wind speed. Only recently has the technology become available to make high frequency measurements of aerosol concentration suitable for direct eddy correlation determination of the particle flux. This was accomplished in this study by combining a newly developed fast aerosol particle counter with an ultrasonic anemometer which allowed for eddy covariance measurements of size-segregated particle fluxes. The aerosol instrument is the Compact Lightweight Aerosol Spectrometer Probe (CLASP) ? capable of measuring 8-channel size spectra for mean radii between 0.15 and 0.35 ?m at 10 Hz. The first successful measurements were made during the WASFAB (Waves, Air Sea Fluxes, Aerosol and Bubbles) field campaign in October 2005 in Duck (NC, USA). The method and results are presented and comparisons are made with recent sea spray source functions from the literature

Using Loose Coupling Theory to Understand Interprofessional Collaborative Practice on a Transplantation Team

Background: A central paradox dwells at the heart of interprofessional care: the tension between autonomy and interdependence. This report uses an ethnographic study to understand how this tension shapes collaborative practice on a distributed, interprofessional transplant team in a Canadian teaching hospital.Methods & Findings: Over four months, two trained observers conducted an ethnography through 162 observation hours, 30 field interviews and 17 formal interviews with 39 consented participants. Data collection and inductive analysis proceeded iteratively. Loose coupling theory was used as a resource to make sense of key themes. We describe the transplant team as a constellation made up of core, inter-service, and outside hospital dimensions. Next, we trace the nature of coupling activities within and across these dimensions of the team constellation, focusing on recurring communication challenges which can signal the relationship between autonomy and interdependence in collaborative acts.Conclusions: We conclude that coupling is fluid and subject to human agency, and that the tension between autonomy and interdependence can be highly productive. Team members, including patients, may negotiate and construct their relations on an autonomy/interdependence axis for strategic purposes. Far from being trapped in a paradox, team members use autonomy and interdependence as resources to achieve complex goals in collaborative settings.&nbsp