CERC 2017: New Frontiers in Applied Construction Research

The University of Washington's Center for Education and Research in Construction (CERC) hosted their annual New Frontiers in Construction Conference on March 16, 2017. The annual CERC conference highlights research and its relevance for pressing issues facing the Construction Industry. This year over 120 attendees were eager to learn about the newest construction safety and health research.

ERC Faculty member, Dr. Noah Seixas discussed the mission of the Northwest Center for Occupational Health and Safety with conference attendees. Dr. Seixas highlighted new Spanish language OSHA training initiatives, intended to provide essential safety training to one of our most vulnerable worker populations. Dr. Seixas also discussed the Safety and Health Empowerment for Women in Trades (SHEWT) Project, and recent findings on barriers and risk factors for women in construction.

Several students shared their research findings at the CERC conference, including Christopher Mak, current Northwest Center ERC trainee in the Construction Management Occupational Safety and Health Program (CMOSH), and Miriam Clakins, 2015 Exposure Science MS graduate. Christopher talked about his findings in a study on LED lighting on construction sites, while Miriam discussed heat-related illness among construction workers.

The day also featured great talks from Diane Davies from PACE, a pre-apprenticeship program dedicated to training underserved communities, and Dr. Katharina Klemt-Albert, Director of the Department of Construction Management and Digital Solutions at Leibniz University in Hannover.

ERC Student Summer Internship at UW's Major Capital Projects Division

Construction Management Safety and Health (CMOSH) Trainee, Christopher Mak, spent his summer interning for the University of Washington's Major Capital Projects Division, where he participated in a case study on Temporary LED Construction Lighting at the UW Animal Research and Care Facility Construction Site.

Temporary LED lighting
at the project site
(Photo: Chris Mak)

Mak’s research focused on UW’s implementation and utilization of low-voltage LEDs for temporary construction lighting, and understanding why it was chosen over other options. His case study built off of previous research conducted by Yi Jie Huang in 2014, where Huang studied temporary construction lighting at the UW's Bothell Phase 3 Project.

Key findings from his case study included more consistent compliance to the lighting requirement, better maintenance of lights when LEDs were used. He also found that there is a need for a temporary construction lighting schedule to understand energy costs, and a material cost database for better access to cost data. These findings will help inform the University of Washington on how temporary LED lighting can be used to its full benefit.

Over the course of 8 weeks, he spent 15 hours a week on-site participating in site walk throughs, safety meetings, and even follow-up procedures of a near-miss incident that occurred during his internship, in addition to conducting his case study. While nobody was injured in the near-miss incident, the follow-up meetings and investigative reports provided Chris with a unique learning opportunity and gave him a taste of the day-to-day life of an EH&S professional. The internship also gave Mak the opportunity to shadow Skanska's EH&S officer, Chiung-I Hwang.

CMOSH Trainee Christopher Mak

"Through this internship I was able to see the daily operations of a multimillion dollar, publicly owned construction project. I witnessed safety and health practices through 'morning stretch and flex', job site safety meetings and announcements, and CPO's campus-wide safety meeting and site walks."

New Frontiers in Construction

Since ​2011, ​The ​University ​of ​Washington’s ​Center ​for ​Education ​and ​Research ​in ​Construction ​(CERC) ​has ​created ​a ​venue ​to ​highlight ​research ​and ​its ​relevance ​for ​pressing ​issues ​facing ​the ​Construction ​industry through the New Frontiers in Construction Conference. CERC ​and ​their partners demonstrate ​the ​application ​and ​benefits ​of ​applied ​research, ​and participants ​receive ​timely ​information ​that ​can ​be ​put ​into ​practice ​right ​when ​they ​return ​to ​the ​office.

This year's event, held on March 4, 2016, drew a large crowd all interested in learning about innovative research that can increase safety, health, and productivity for the construction industry. Topics this year included:

• ​Safety ​& ​Health, specifically exposure, on construction sites - presented by the Northwest Center for Occupational Health and Safety

• ​Project ​Delivery ​& ​Management 

• ​ ​Virtual ​Design ​& ​Construction​ (i.e., ​Asset ​information ​exchange, ​BIM ​in ​Operations, ​BIM ​for ​Design ​and ​Construction ​of ​Data ​Centers) 

• ​ ​Lean ​Construction ​(i.e. ​Integrated ​Project ​Delivery, ​Contracting ​for ​Lean ​Delivery, ​and ​agent-based ​modeling) 

• ​ ​Sustainability ​in ​Construction ​

• ​ ​Infrastructure ​Development ​

Chris Mak, a Northwest Center ERC Trainee, presented during the poster session at the conference. Chris is pursing an MS in the new Construction Management Occupational Safety and Health (CMOSH) program. CMOSH is an exciting new track within the Master of Sciences in Construction Management degree program at UW. The track aims to produce future construction leaders who will have the knowledge and skills to integrate project management and occupational health and safety for true project success. Learn more about the CMOSH program, and other ERC programs here.

Two New Academic Research Training Programs - Funding Opportunities for Students

The NWCOHS is proud to announce that two new academic research training programs have been funded by NIOSH and we are now accepting applications for traineeships that include student funding.

Construction Management Occupational Safety and Health (CMOSH) is a new track within the Master of Science in Construction Management degree program at the University of Washington. The track aims to produce future construction management leaders who will have the knowledge and skills to integrate project management and occupational health and safety for true project success. CMOSH students will have a well-rounded and interdisciplinary learning experience covering subjects from construction management, occupational health and safety, and industry practices. Contingent upon funding from the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, the CMOSH track will provide tuition waivers and monthly stipend benefits to highly qualified applicants who are U.S. citizens or U.S. Permanent Residents. Applications for the 2015 autumn enrollment are due on/before September 1 and candidates are strongly encouraged to contact the track faculty as early as possible to express their interests. For more information, please click here. The applications form can be downloaded here.

The Occupational Health at the Human-Animal Interface (OHHAI) research training program will support students in the development of new competencies for research and provision of preventive occupational health services to workers in a wide range of animal contact settings, ranging from research facilities to veterinary hospitals, zoos, and agriculture using an innovative and interdisciplinary “One Health” paradigm. OHHAI trainees will complete the requirements for the MPH in Environmental and Occupational Health in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Science, and take supplemental coursework in zoonotic infectious disease, ergonomics, and safety principles.