Workplace building design and office-based workers’ activity: a study of a natural experiment

Objective: This opportunistic natural study investigated the effects of relocation of office workers from a 30-year-old building to a new purpose-built building. The new building included an attractive central staircase that was easily accessed and negotiated, as well as breakout spaces and a centralised facilities area. The researchers aimed to determine the impact of the purpose-built office building on the office workers' sedentariness and level of physical activity. Method: In 2013, a natural pre-post study was undertaken with office-based workers in their old conventional 1970s building and on relocating to a new purpose-built ‘activity permissive’ building. Objective movement data was measured using accelerometers. Anthropometric and demographic data was also collected. Results: Forty-two office-based workers significantly decreased their percentage of daily sitting time (T1 = 84.9% to T2=79.7%; p<0.001) and increased their percentage of daily standing time (T1=11.2% to T2 17.0%; p<0.001) in the new building. Moderate activity significantly declined (T1=3.9% to 3.2%=T2; p=0.038). There was a significant decrease in mean minutes of sitting time (19.62 minutes; p<0.001) and increase in standing time (22.03 minutes; p<0.001). Conclusions: The design of a building can influence activity. This opportunistic study on the impact of workplace relocation on office-based workers' activity showed modest positive outcomes in sitting and standing. Evidence is required to inform building design policy and practice that supports physical activity and reduces levels of sedentariness in the workplace

Investing in adaptive capacity

Companies and other entities face a range of both threats and opportunities from climate change; this is not a matter of conjecture. The impacts of climate change will vary by company, industry and location. Adaptive capacity is a component of economic capital. Economic capital is the smallest amount that can be invested to insure the value of a firm's net assets against a loss in value relative to the risk-free investment of those net assets. The disclosure and reporting task under the adaptation framework sits squarely within the firm's corporate governance duties. Building adaptive capacity directly impacts asset values, depreciation, future insurance costs, expected losses and financing costs. Using the adaptation framework of West and Brereton (2013) as a guideline, firms can better consider the strengths and weaknesses of the various approaches for assessing adaptation options.Griffith Business School, Department of Accounting, Finance and EconomicsNo Full Tex

Analysis of the transition effects of building codes and regulations on the emergence of a low carbon residential building sector

© 2017 Elsevier B.V. It is now established that energy use in buildings is a significant source of global greenhouse gas emissions and that abatement by the building sector can provide significant social, economic and environmental benefits. This paper examines the application of socio-technical transition theory to the building sector with Australian energy policy as a case study. The relatively high level of local building construction offers significant opportunities for market transition with appropriate policy settings so this national case has international implications. Evolution of building energy efficiency standards through the Australian National Construction Code is scrutinized by benchmarking the building energy code against international best practice. The benchmarking underscores the contribution high performance energy efficient buildings could make to a low carbon transition with appropriate policy settings. Specifically government intervention in the building sector through direct regulation was shown to have substantial potential to effect this transition. Nevertheless, such intervention has proven to be politically controversial in Australia. The paper provides a twofold contribution to research in the domain of building energy policy. Firstly, by making the connection between transition theory and the role of building energy codes; secondly, by demonstrating the practical application and utility of a structured building code benchmarking process

Delaying voiding, limiting fluids, urinary symptoms, and work productivity: A survey of female nurses and midwives

© 2019 John Wiley & Sons Ltd Aim: To examine the relationships between workplace bladder practices, urinary symptoms, and work productivity. Design: Cross-sectional observational survey. Methods: Surveys were distributed June–November 2016 to at least 600 female nurses and midwives at three urban hospitals in New South Wales, Australia. Nurses self-reported restricted workplace access to toilets, delaying voiding, limiting of fluid intakes and urinary symptoms at work. Logistic modelling was used to examine whether nurses’ bladder practices impaired their time management, ability to concentrate or perform physical demands. Results: Of 353 useable surveys, one in five nurses (22.4%; N = 79) reported restricted access to toilets at work, most (77.1%; N = 272) delayed voiding and one in four (26.9%; N = 95) limited fluid intakes to delay voiding at work. Almost half the sample had urinary symptoms at work (46.7%; N = 165); delaying voiding increased the likelihood of impaired mental concentration and limiting fluid intakes increased the likelihood of impaired time management. Conclusion: As workplace access to toilets and related bladder practices are modifiable, associated urinary symptoms and productivity loss may be preventable. Impact: Nurses’ often experience restricted accesses to amenities due to job demands and workplace environments. The impact of nurses’ poor bladder practices in the workplace is not known. In this study most nurses delayed voiding and many purposefully limited fluid intakes at work. These behaviours impacted a nurse's ability to manage time and/or concentrate at work. Results have implications for nurses’ personal health, the design of workplace environments, workforce management, occupational health policy, and patient care