CIB Keith Hampson ECR-Industry Award 2023 winner announced

CIB is pleased to announce the winner of the CIB Keith Hampson ECR-Industry award 2023 is Huey Wen Lim who is a McKenzie Postdoctoral Research Fellow within the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning at the University of Melbourne. Wen will use the award to further explore how work practices in prefabrication construction influence the wellbeing of the construction workforce.

The award is generously endowed by Keith Hampson, CIB President from 2019 to 2022, and aims to encourage industry collaboration by ECRs. This is the second awarding of the prize which was first announced during the World Building Congress 2022 hosted by RMIT in Melbourne.

Presenting the award, Keith said

Research into practice is my mantra. CIB’s core business is providing a global network for international collaboration in research and innovation in building and construction. So, after almost 30 years of CIB engagement, it was a logical step to support this award to encourage and celebrate collaboration between early career researchers and industry in the global built environment sector

I was delighted with the industry focus and enthusiasm of each of the four Award finalists – however the research led by Dr. Huey Wen Lim from The University of Melbourne received a unanimous vote of support from the judges. Wen’s research initiatives, award application and presentation to the judges was excellent!

The focus of her research – Building Wellbeing in Construction 4.0: The Influence of Prefabrication Construction Practices on Mental Health – addressed a critical current issue in our industry. With construction workers’ higher risk of suicide and mental illness in comparison to other industries, and the drive to secure advantages from prefabrication and off-site manufacture – Wen’s research will identify and compare key prefabrication work practices that may reduce work stress.

I look forward to hearing the outcomes of this important research and how it can be a key step in developing strategies to promote healthier work practices.

CIB congratulates all the finalists, with their work reflecting a broad research base

• Botao Gu, Tsinghua University – AI and construction safety management
• Mohammad Hossein Heydari, Virginia Tech – Diversity, equity and inclusion in construction
• Salman Shooshtarian, RMIT University – Recycled construction and demolition waste in infrastructure

The CIB Keith Hampson ECR-Industry award aims to recognise and encourage industry collaboration by Early Career Researchers (ECRs), with the inaugural recipient being Nazanin Kordestani from Massey University, New Zealand, with her research on the Work-Life Balance (WLB) of Women Professionals in the New Zealand Construction Industry and Potential Opportunities for Improvement.

Below is a summary of the research Wen is undertaking and a brief biography

Building Wellbeing in Construction 4.0: Unveiling the Influence of Prefabrication Construction Practices on Mental Health

The construction industry, as one of the largest employers globally, presents a high prevalence of mental health issues and suicide. Research has revealed that mental health issues can arise from stress related to construction work. Despite efforts, current studies have focused primarily on stressors without identifying harmful work practices perpetuating mental health issues. As the industry transitions into the Construction 4.0 era, the adoption of technologies and innovative construction methods, particularly prefabrication, proposes the potential to enhance wellbeing of the construction workforce.

Therefore, this study aims to explore how work practices in prefabrication construction influence the wellbeing of the construction workforce by (1) identifying key prefabrication work practices that influence work stress and (2) comparing their impacts on construction professionals and workers. A rapid ethnographic study will collect qualitative data through interviews, shadowing, and non-participant observation at prefabrication worksites. This study will be the first to establish links between mental health and work practices and enable comparisons between different construction methods.

The finding will provide industry stakeholders with valuable insights and pave the way for transformative changes prioritising the mental health of the construction workforce through the transition to Construction 4.0. This dual focus on mental health and industry advancement holds social significance for improving the mental health of the construction workforce and the potential economic benefits by reducing mental health compensation claims and mitigating the looming skill shortage in the construction industry. 

A short video outlining Wen’s research is available here

Biography

Dr Huey Wen Lim is a McKenzie Postdoctoral Research Fellow within the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning at the University of Melbourne. Her academic background in Psychology and Engineering has made her committed to exploring broader interdisciplinary themes prioritised by human factors and behaviour towards occupational and environmental hazards. While she is interested in issues involving construction safety (physical hazards) and community disaster resilience (environmental hazards), her current research specifically focuses on exploring mental health issues (psychosocial hazards) in the construction workforce to improve work health and safety in the construction industry. Dr Lim can be contacted at [email protected]

 Dr Huey Wen Lim (unimelb.edu.au)