Occupational Health Research Award
Our Occupational Health Research Award offers a £25,000 grant to carry out research aimed at improving the occupational health of people in construction.
Applications for the 2021/22 Occupational Health Research Award will open in November 2021
Who should apply
We invite applications from researchers at UK based organisations and are keen to hear great ideas that’ll:
- make a significant difference to the occupational health of construction workers
- help tackle occupational health issues in construction
- help make an important scientific contribution to the construction industry.
To apply, you should be part of a non-governmental research organisation – for example:
- charities with a focus on occupational health
- occupational health practitioners
- accredited research organisations.
We’ll provide more information on the grant and who can apply when the award re-opens in November 2021.
Current Occupational Health Research Award holder
Mates in Mind, in partnership with the Institute of Employment Studies, won the 2020/21 Occupational Health Research Award to research online tools to support the mental health of self-employed construction workers.
Mates in Mind and Institute of Employment Studies (IES) – 2020/21 Occupational Health Research Award winners
“It’s incredibly important for us to receive this award, because without it we would be limited to the amount of evidence-based research that we can do. During our four years of existence, we have touched the lives of thousands of workers but we have still got a long way to go and there are millions working in the sector.” James Rudoni, Mates in Mind
Dr Zofia Bajorek, Research Fellow, Institute for Employment Studies
Stephen Haynes, Head of Programme, Mates in Mind (research lead for MinM)
James Rudoni, Managing Director, Mates in Mind
Previous Occupational Health Research Award winners
Find out which research institutions have received our Occupational Health Research Award in the past and how they’ve used their £25,000 grant to support research into occupational health in construction.
University of Lincoln – 2019/20 Occupational Health Research Award winners
“Several empirical studies have identified work-related stress as one of the root causes of unsafe behaviours in construction. Other major social problems such as high absenteeism, alcoholism, drug abuse and suicide have also become increasingly reported as consequent to occupational stress in construction. This is a timely study given that the UK regulations for managing occupational health have not been updated for many years in response to the rapid changes in the way we procure, design and deliver construction projects.” Dr Saad Sarhan, University of Lincoln
This research is currently in progress. A report will be published here when ready.
Loughborough University – 2018 Occupational Health Research Award winners
“Occupational ill-health costs UK construction employers hundreds of millions of pounds every year and musculoskeletal disorders account for more than three-quarters of the total. A considerable proportion of that cost is believed to be from lost productivity through presenteeism and this work will make an important contribution to increasing understanding of MSD presenteeism, for the benefit of workers and employers alike.” Professor Alistair Gibb, Loughborough University
The University of Manchester & UWE – 2017 Occupational Health Research Award winners
“Whilst design for health and occupational health management in construction in general have received limited attention, research-wise and in industry, this research will shed light and provide much needed guidance on this important subject.” Dr Patrick Manu, The University of Manchester
Professor Alistair Gibb (Loughborough University)
Dr Carolyn Drake (Loughborough University)
Dr Abdul-Majeed Mahamadu (University of the West of England)
Professor Michael Behm (East Carolina University)
Read Manchester and UWE’s case study
Loughborough University – 2016 Occupational Health Research Award winners
“Health often ends up as the poor relation of safety in construction, and it can be particularly difficult for smaller companies that don’t always have the right expertise, or who have limited budgets, to get the right arrangements in place. This research found that some small and micro employers are improving their management of hazards such as dust and musculoskeletal disorders as a result of working on major projects such as the building of the DNRC (Defence and National Rehabilitation Centre), which the research was centred on.” Dr Wendy Jones, Loughborough University
Read Loughborough’s case study
Download the summary report (pdf)
