Giving something back matters, and when you’re a passionate activist for the betterment of the safety of construction workers all over the world, it really matters. Volunteer service has always been a part of who Fred is. From back when she had muddy boots to the rather-less-muddy world of academia, Fred’s service continues to this day.
Fred is currently a joint coordinator of CIB Working Commission W099 focused on construction worker safety, health and wellbeing.
The CIB is the International Council for Research and Innovation in Building and Construction. It was established in 1953 with the assistance of the United Nations and holds special UN consultative status. It is an international network of construction and built environment experts, collaborating to improve the quality of research and innovation across the industry.
Fred has co-led the coordination of W099 since 2019 with her close colleague Professor Billy Hare of Glasgow Caledonian University. Together, they were awarded the inaugural CIB Dr Wim Bakens Best Coordinator Award in 2022 for their international leadership of W099 and its successes.
CIB W099 is a lively group of international researchers. We host an annual conference that brings together many of the most famous names in construction safety peer-reviewed research. Most recently, our philosophy has been to take the conference to the researchers who usually have to deal with the biggest burdens of travel costs and visas. We were delighted to bring W099 and our collaborating commission W123 (People in Construction) to the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in the city of Kumasi in Ghana in 2024. This was the first CIB conference ever held in East Africa and was a real celebratory milestone for the CIB.
You can find out more about CIB W099 and its objectives and scope here .
The CIB also interviewed Fred as part of their ‘In Conversation With…’ series, so you can also find out more about Fred’s backstory and what makes her tick.
In addition, Fred is active in the collective efforts of researching and disseminating the latest construction safety knowledge worldwide. To that end she regularly peer-reviews papers for Safety Science, Construction Management and Economics, Journal of Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, the ASCE Journal of Construction and Engineering Management, the ICE’s Proceedings of Management, Procurement and Law, among others.
Fred also sits on many Scientific Committees and Organizing Committees for international conferences, including for the Association of Researchers in Construction Management .
She has also undertaken service for her Professional Bodies based in the UK. Fred was a member of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) Safety. Health and Wellbeing Community of Practice and the Chartered Institute of Building’s (CIOB) Health and Safety Special Interest Group. Both institutions have Royal Charters in the UK, and are highly influential in the development of UK governmental policy and practice.
Your support of Straight Talk Safety enables Fred’s volunteer service to construction safety to continue, and we are grateful for that.