A new standard which is expected to redefine workplace culture on major infrastructure building projects has gone live on trials across five sites.

The Construction Industry Culture Taskforce has announced that trials of the new Culture Standard are underway on five project sites across New South Wales and Victoria.

Developed by the NSW and Victorian Governments in conjunction with Australian Constructors Association and industry/academic partners, the standard aims to drive uptake of best practice strategies across the construction sector.

It focuses on three areas – time for life, wellbeing and diversity and inclusion.

Companies who are following the standard will be expected to:

• Provide reasonable working hours and flexible working arrangements.
• Support worker mental health, assess and manage workplace mental health risks and provide schedules which facilitate worker wellbeing.
• Foster workplace diversity by ensuring that all workers are welcome and valued, providing suitable amenities and addressing gaps in pay and representation

(Mulgoa Road Upgrade project)

The standard aims to respond to long-held concerns regarding industry culture and practice.

According to a fact sheet on the Culture Taskforce website:

• Almost two-thirds of construction employees report working 50 hours per week or more
• The industry suicide rate is twice the national average
• High stress and burnout are reported among three quarters/almost half of workers
• Women account for only 12 percent of the construction workforce and less than two percent of onsite roles.

It is expected that the Culture Standard will form part of tender evaluation criteria for major projects.

When bidding for work on these projects, contractors will need to outline evidence of their current performance against the standard along with any plans to improve their performance on the project in question.

(Wentworth Point High School project in NSW)

The trials are underway at five project sites.

These include:

• The upgrade of Narre Warren-Cranbourne Road in south-east Melbourne being undertaken by Major Road Projects Victoria (contractor McConnell Dowell) which will see an extra lane being added in each direction between Thompsons Road and the South Gippsland Highway.
• The Brunt Road Level Crossing Removal Project in Melbourne’s south-east being undertaken by Level Crossing Removal Project (contractor: Fulton Hogan).
• A project to construct a new high school in Wentworth Point (Sydney) being led by School Infrastructure NSW (contract not yet awarded).
• Stage 1 of the project being undertaken by Transport for NSW to upgrade Mulgoa Road at Jamisontown and add an extra lane in each direction between Jeanette Street and the M4 Motorway off ramps (contract not yet awarded).
• A study of the experiences of infrastructure trainees in NSW under the NSW Government Infrastructure Traineeship program which commenced in 2021 (not an actual specific site).

The pilot project research is to be conducted by a team of workplace academics led by RMIT’s Professor Helen Lingard and including input from University of Melbourne, ANU and UTAS, together with Frontier Economics.

It will include gathering input from affected workers, cost benefit analysis modelling and project data analysis to help test the impact of the Standard on the workers, worker families, the project and the broader industry and community.

(Brunt Road Level Crossing Removal Project)

Construction Industry Culture Taskforce Chair Gabrielle Trainor AO welcomed the start of the projects.

Trainor said the projects will build on existing research and create a strong evidence base for the standard’s adoption by testing its implementation on the ground.

Thus far, she said evidence suggests that flexibility and capped hours increase productivity and improve mental health without negatively impacting project timeframes or budget.

“Flexible and capped working hours are enabling elements of the Standard to reduce stress, improve wellbeing and safety, and, equally importantly, the family lives of construction workers and the attractiveness of the industry as a place to work,” Trainor said.

“Improved industry culture is vital at a time when we need at least 105,000 new workers to fulfil the infrastructure pipeline and a drastic lift in productivity.”

(NSW Government Industry Traineeship Program)

Jon Davies, CEO of the Australian Constructors Association said the industry, is witnessing unprecedented alignment about the need for change across government, industry and unions.

“The current universal agreement on the need for change provides an opportunity to transform our industry to one that represents global best practice and is an industry of choice,” Davies said.

If you or someone you know needs help, call:

Mates in Construction 1300 642 111

Lifeline 13 11 14

BeyondBlue 1300 224 636

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