Giving back: applications now open for B&CE Occupational Health Research Award

B&CE’s Charitable Trust is an organisation which is proud to give back to construction.  One of the key ways we do this is to provide substantial grants towards occupational health and safety initiatives to help others work towards a safer future for Britain’s construction industry.

We are pleased to announce that applications are now open for the Occupational Health Research Award 2017. Now in its second year, the £25,000 award is given to a non-governmental research organisation in support of occupational health research that aims to make a significant difference to the safety of construction workers.

Nicola Sinclair, Charitable Trust Manager, said:

“Granting this award gives us the opportunity to contribute to solving an industry problem, as well as engage with a wider group of stakeholders.  We are proud to give back to the industry through initiatives such as this, and we look forward to receiving this year’s applications.”

Last year, the inaugural award was granted to Loughborough University’s School of Architecture, Building and Civil Engineering, to support their research into how high profile projects can lead the way in improving occupational health risk management in SMEs.

Alistair Gibb, Professor of Construction Engineering Management at Loughborough University, said:

“The financial support from B&CE is essential in helping us provide evidence-based guidance for the industry on the essential topic of addressing the occupational health management challenges for smaller organisations.  Much good practice is developing amongst the larger organisations and projects, but it will only really have impact when it is appropriated by the very large number of SMEs working in construction.”

How to apply

Prospective applicants should explain in 1,000-1,500 words how their organisation would aim to use the £25,000, with a clear focus on potential (or ongoing research) that will help promote occupational health and safety in the construction industry.

Submissions should be sent as a Word document along with any supporting visuals or graphs to: charitabletrust@bandce.co.uk  Please note that the maximum attachment size is 5MB. Submissions must reach us by Tuesday 31^st October.

The winner will be notified in mid-November following a review of the submissions by the Charitable Trust trustees.

Eligibility criteria

• The organisation must be a private, non-governmental research organisation (or company involved in research) which has made, or aims to make, a significant difference to construction workers
• It must be an accredited research organisation operating in the United Kingdom
• The submission should explain appropriate justification for the proposed research, provided through literature citations, data from other sources or from investigator-generated data
• The submission should provide an overall impact outcome and the likelihood for the project to make an important scientific contribution to the construction industry
• The organisation must have an ongoing relationship with the B&CE Charitable Trust and be able to give regular updates on its work and the use of the monies
• This relationship must be ongoing for at least twelve months from the award being granted.

Notes to editors

B&CE is a not-for-profit organisation – we operate for the benefit of our members and their dependents. We were founded in the construction industry back in 1942. Now we offer a workplace pension, employee accident cover and employee life cover.

We tweet as @bandce and you can find more about the Charitable Trust at https://bandce.co.uk/corporate-responsibility/the-charitable-trust/

B&CE’s Charitable Trust was set up in 1991 to give back to the community. To date, it has given out over £3 million, providing financial help for people in need.

-ENDS-

For more information, contact Samantha Wilding, Communications and Public Affairs Manager at B&CE – Construction Services on 01293 766674 or samanthawilding@bandce.co.uk