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Executive Summary

Background

The construction industry is known as one of the most dangerous industries. Numerous safety incidents, injuries and fatalities could be prevented by improved communication and information flow and analysis in all phases of the asset lifecycle. The use of Building Information Modelling (BIM), a technology enabling the digital representation of physical and functional characteristics of a building or infrastructure project offers the means of improving Work Health and Safety (WHS) outcomes in the construction industry. Yet, its application to WHS management, particularly in Australia, has been varied and inconsistent and the extent to which it can improve WHS outcomes in construction is unclear. The project “Work Health and Safety Management using Building Information Modelling” examines the opportunities to achieve WHS objectives through application of BIM in major construction projects.

This Technical Report presents the outcomes of Phase 1 of four phases and identifies solutions for integrating the WHS aspect in BIM-enabled project planning, design and delivery. Specifically, this includes understanding how and to what extent BIM is used and can be used for WHS management, including different options of implementation and the associated barriers, enablers, limitations and consequences for WHS risk reduction for the industry, the government and the regulator.

The outcomes of Phase 1 provide the theoretical and practical context for Phase 2, which aims to identify preferred procurement models and best practices to evaluate WHS management in BIM-enabled project proposals and develop recommendations for government clients.

Method

Literature review

The literature review aimed to identify BIM use cases focussed on WHS management for the construction industry in both ‘grey’ and academic literature, and to evaluate Australian and international examples through a comparative analysis. Since the duty to ensure safe practices on the worksite is a shared responsibility, the purpose of this review was also to understand, from both an industry and client perspective, how BIM can support WHS management across all phases of the construction process, inclusive of procurement as a critical point for the specification of WHS standards. The literature review explored five key areas:

• Utilisation of BIM for WHS management
• Solutions for integrating WHS management in BIM-enabled project planning, design and delivery
• Barriers and enablers for BIM adoption
• Comparative analysis of international BIM use cases for WHS management
• Procurement frameworks to initiate WHS management in a BIM-enabled environment

Empirical study

An empirical study was conducted with selected expert key stakeholders associated with Australian and international exemplars to gain more in-depth knowledge of implementation that may not have been published. The purpose was to strengthen findings from the literature review and to confirm the premise that specificity on decision making during the tendering process and subsequent construction phase monitoring would make a valuable contribution to theory and practice. While the interview selection was driven by a strategic sampling approach, further data collection and analysis and future model development are needed in Phase 2 to assure of generalisabiity of findings.

The empirical study involved nine semi-structured interviews with practitioners from the domains of BIM and/or WHS in Australia, Singapore and the United Kingdom. The research participants were asked to reflect on the use of BIM in the construction industry, the use of BIM for WHS management and strategies to promote adoption.

Interview transcripts were then analysed using a four-staged, qualitative technique: first-level thematic coding, second-level categorisation, a third cycle of analysis to map findings against main points of the literature review and a fourth level of analysis to develop narratives.

Discussion

Benefits of BIM for WHS management

Using BIM from the onset of a project supports early identification of WHS risks and enables preventative and elimination strategies to be explored, analysed and implemented in the virtual world, before any physical work commences. While there is increasing evidence of the importance of considering WHS in the preplanning, design and delivery stages, the WHS benefits can extend to all stages of the structure’s lifecycle. Benefits of using BIM for WHS management can be summarised in six thematic areas across the design, construction and operational phases: (1) Scenario planning, (2) Requirements briefing, (3) Risk assessment, (4) Education and training, (5) Monitoring, surveillance and reporting and (6) Analysis. Integration of novel information technological systems (such as collaborative robotics, automation, virtual reality, and cloud computing) with BIM is visionary and holds promise. Trends in mobility and technological convergence were described as enablers as these have led to increasingly sophisticated technologies, but interviewees also noted the importance of simple, intuitive technologies and interfaces that could broaden BIM uptake across the supply chain.

Barriers to BIM for WHS management

Empirical findings confirm that key barriers to widespread BIM adoption in Australia are the lack of a nationally consistent approach alongside a culture that is resistant to change and to new technologies. A contractual agreement with a government client appears to be a strategic way to catalyse increased BIM adoption in ways that address or bypass these barriers. Findings also suggest that a government client mandating WHS management at procurement in BIM-enabled projects would address entrenched challenges, including fragmented approaches to WHS management and the failure to plan WHS management initiatives early. Capacity building strategies are critical if this approach to BIM for WHS management is to be implemented on a large scale. Findings suggest that the two most important elements of capacity building are the development of a foundation of integrated information as well as training in the use of information and specific BIM technologies. Future directions include developing tools that will support decisions related to (1) defining WHS management information requirements at tender; (2) evaluating tenders; (3) addressing differences in BIM for WHS outcomes and strategies across difference procurement models and (4) monitoring the main contractor with respect to supply chain performance.

Client leadership

Australia has lagged in adopting BIM for WHS management in comparison to countries like the United States (US) and the United Kingdom (UK). While numerous studies have examined the  adoption of BIM in the US and UK, and related barriers and drivers, there is a dearth of studies addressing the WHS management in a BIM environment in the Australian context. Although there are numerous Australian BIM guidelines that assist adoption, one also questions how well they are utilised. There are three potential reasons for this lack of attention. First, although there are numerous state-based guidelines, there is a lack of a BIM-enabled WHS strategy, guideline and attendant standards that are nationally harmonised. Second, is the lack of adoption by major clients in both the private and public sectors, and third is the maturity and viability of the construction industry as a whole to adopt a BIM enabled environment. Underpinning the three is a lack of awareness, understanding and perceived awareness of the value of the benefits of a BIM-enabled environment for WHS management. The value of BIM is a contestable concept as anecdotal evidence suggests that the majority of adopters assume there are business benefits or have conducted internal organisational analysis that evidence benefits. Empirical findings confirm the literature, with data pointing to the lack of a strong nationally consistent approach alongside a culture that is resistant to technological change as key barriers to BIM adoption. Empirical findings also confirm that more attention should be paid to the tendering phase in terms of criteria, evaluation, expectations and monitoring the supply chain. The government client could play a catalytic role in stimulating the resistant culture and developing rigour in policy mandates, ensuring WHS management in BIM is considered during design, implemented and monitored during construction, and used for asset management upon completion. It is important to note that there are varying levels of adoption still and that it is beyond the scope of this study to pursue an industry wide approach to the adoption of BIM for WHS management. Instead, the focus of this study is to develop targeted recommendations across the following criteria: project type (civil, commercial, residential, etc.), client type (public vs. private) and tendering approach (traditional design-and-construct, PPP, etc.).

Key recommendations for Phase 2

Both the literature review and empirical findings have laid a robust foundation for the next phase of the project:

• Phase 2: Evaluation of WHS management in BIM-enabled project proposals, as part of a procurement process

Identify preferred procurement models and best practices to evaluate WHS management in BIM-enabled project proposals and recommend best way for government agencies to evaluate the quality of WHS management in BIM-enabled project proposals.

The main deliverable for Phase 2 is a Decision Making Framework that will support information management leading to more effective decision-making and to a more clearly-articulated strategy for BIM for WHS management.

It is not the aim of Phase 1 to define specifics of the Phase 2 Decision Making Framework contents. Past research on BIM adoption frameworks indicates that contents can be very flexible and can encompass a broad swathe of tools: roadmaps, checklists, assessment tools, flowcharts (London et al., 2010). The specifics of the proposed Framework can only be determined through further empirical work in Phase 2 and analysis and critique of existing frameworks. There are Australian guidelines for BIM, however, they do not include WHS. The UK PAS (Publicly Available Specifications) and EIR (Employer’s Information Requirements) are useful as they present well-developed existing integrations of BIM and WHS. An analysis on their potential for adaptation for the NSW context will therefore be explored. Through interviews in Phase 2, we will also critique other decision frameworks currently in use.

Based on Phase 1 findings, the proposal is that the Framework will explore the following propositions with respect to adaptations of existing exemplars:

Best practice

• Identifying exemplars in Australian major public and private sector client-led projects
• Identifying key decision areas in exemplars with respect to Project Information Integration Requirements

Client leadership

• Establishing WHS management requirements prior to tendering as a priority, based on best practice
• Developing clear alignment to six knowledge domains of WHS management: scenario planning, requirement briefing, risk assessment, education and training, monitoring/surveillance and reporting, and analysis.
• Ensuring client expectations on BIM for WHS management are clearly developed prior to tendering to enable client leadership
• Developing Client Information Expectations/Requirements and Responsibility Matrices for BIM for WHS management

Tendering proficiency

• Ensuring tender criteria and evaluation are transparent and authentic with respect to BIM for WHS management, to ensure clear communication and expectation-setting
• Framing BIM for WHS management outcomes and strategies across different procurement strategies
• Analysing and assuring supply chain capacity to deliver as well as appropriate supply chain monitoring during other project phases

Supply chain monitoring

• Identifying key areas of capacity building across all levels of stakeholders for implementing BIM for WHS management in Australia
• Monitoring the main contractor to ensure that the supply chain is delivering to the original expectations, a function critical to implementation.