ACW Baseline Report: Built Environment

Abstract

This paper was presented at the Adapting Canadian Work and Workplaces (ACW) International Workshop in Toronto, Canada, November 2015. The goals of the paper are: 1. To establish the current state of knowledge about the contribution of the workforce to ‘greening’ the construction industry; 2. To assess the potential of labour to shape the industry’s carbon footprint. 3. To identify barriers to the successful participation of the workforce in developing pathways to low carbon construction and develop strategies to circumvent these barriers. 4. To identify needed modifications to employment, employment conditions, working practices and the overall organization of construction work that will improve the capacity of the workforce to implement low carbon construction (effective health and safety provisions, integrated team‐based work practices, improved vocational education and training (VET), union representation and a greater say for the workforce in shaping the industry’s future). 5. To examine the current and potential role of unions and professional organizations in advancing this process. 6. To analyze the workforce implications of widely used policy tools, such as energy efficiency targets, building codes and contract procurement requirements in facilitating the transition to low carbon construction. 7. To carry out research on the role of workers and the organizations that represent them in implementing specific, innovative low carbon projects which can serve as models for wider application in the building industry.