Evaluating the Effectiveness of Virtual Reality Construction Safety Training and Lessons Learned

This research investigated the potential of immersive Virtual Reality (VR) technology as an assistive teaching tool for construction safety and similar courses that require hands-on training. The most significant advantage of VR technology is creating real-life experiences without exposing the students to the dangers of a jobsite. Earlier studies recognized the need to develop customized VR content for construction safety courses that incorporates specific OSHA standards; hence, this study was conducted with a focus on this objective. After in-depth discussion with two construction firms, the research team identified three most needed areas for safety training namely confined space safety, scaffolding safety, and jobsite clean-up safety. A conceptual framework for VR content design, execution, and method of delivery was designed. Then a storyboard was created for each identified area to graphically depict the concept and workflow for the VR programing. Unity® gaming engine was used as the developing platform and VR modules were created for Oculus Go® head mounted display. Each module contained demonstration of the hazards and mitigation methods based on the OSHA standards. Questionnaire survey and SWOT analysis are used as tools to collect feedback and assessment data from undergraduate and graduate students and industry experts. The survey results indicate that the VR based safety education can play a positive role in improving students’ understanding, knowledge retention, and interest in the subject matter. It can help construction firms to conduct enhanced safety training without the need for physical mockups. The paper explains the strategies and lessons learned as well as provides directions for future research.

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A Conceptual Framework for Construction Safety Training using Dynamic Virtual Reality Games and Digital Twins

10.22260/isarc2021/0084 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Aparna Harichandran ◽

Karsten W. Johansen ◽

Emil L. Jacobsen ◽

Jochen Teizer

Keyword(s):

Virtual Reality ◽

Conceptual Framework ◽

Construction Safety ◽

Safety Training ◽

Digital Twins

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Active personalized construction safety training using run-time data collection in physical and virtual reality work environments

Construction Innovation ◽

10.1108/ci-06-2021-0113 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Emil L. Jacobsen ◽

Alex Solberg ◽

Olga Golovina ◽

Jochen Teizer

Keyword(s):

Virtual Reality ◽

Active Learning ◽

Data Collection ◽

Construction Industry ◽

Construction Safety ◽

Safety Training ◽

Work Environments ◽

Time Data ◽

Content Type ◽

And Training

Purpose Accidents resulting from poorly planned or setup work environments are a major concern within the construction industry. While traditional education and training of personnel offer well-known approaches for establishing safe work practices, serious games in virtual reality (VR) are increasingly being used as a complementary approach for active learning experiences. By taking full advantage of data collection and the interactions possible in the virtual environment, the education and training of construction personnel improves by using non-biased feedback and immersion. Design/methodology/approach This research presents a framework for the generation and automated assessment of VR data. The proposed approach is tested and evaluated in a virtual work environment consisting of multiple hazards. VR requires expensive hardware, technical knowledge and user acceptance to run the games effectively. An effort has been made to transfer the advantages VR gives to a physical setup. This is done using a light detection and ranging sensing system, which collects similar data and enables the same learning experiences. Findings Encouraging results on the participants’ experiences are presented and discussed based on actual needs in the Danish construction industry. An outlook presents future avenues towards enhancing existing learning methods. Practical implications The proposed method will help develop active learning environments, which could lead to safer construction work stations in the future, either through VR or physical simulations. Originality/value The utilization of run-time data collection and automatic analysis allows for better personalized feedback in the construction safety training. Furthermore, this study investigates the possibility of transferring the benefits of this system to a physical setup that is easier to use on construction sites without investing in a full VR setup.

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Construction safety training using immersive virtual reality

Construction Management and Economics ◽

10.1080/01446193.2013.828844 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 31 (9) ◽

pp. 1005-1017 ◽

Cited By ~ 147

Author(s):

Rafael Sacks ◽

Amotz Perlman ◽

Ronen Barak

Keyword(s):

Virtual Reality ◽

Construction Safety ◽

Safety Training ◽

Immersive Virtual Reality

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The Effectiveness of Virtual Reality in Safety Training: Measurement of Emotional Arousal with Electromyography

10.22260/isarc2019/0003 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Sheng Xu ◽

Qingqing Ni ◽

Qiang Du

Keyword(s):

Virtual Reality ◽

Emotional Arousal ◽

Safety Training

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Investigating a Virtual Reality-based Emergency Response Scenario and Intelligent User Interface for First Responders

Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting ◽

10.1177/1071181320641513 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 64 (1) ◽

pp. 2114-2118

Author(s):

Randall Spain ◽

Jason Saville ◽

Barry Lui ◽

Donia Slack ◽

Edward Hill ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Virtual Reality ◽

User Interface ◽

Emergency Response ◽

User Interfaces ◽

Mental Workload ◽

First Responders ◽

Lessons Learned ◽

Future Research ◽

Intelligent User Interfaces ◽

Intelligent User Interface

Because advances in broadband capabilities will soon allow first responders to access and use many forms of data when responding to emergencies, it is becoming critically important to design heads-up displays to present first responders with information in a manner that does not induce extraneous mental workload or cause undue interaction errors. Virtual reality offers a unique medium for envisioning and testing user interface concepts in a realistic and controlled environment. In this paper, we describe a virtual reality-based emergency response scenario that was designed to support user experience research for evaluating the efficacy of intelligent user interfaces for firefighters. We describe the results of a usability test that captured firefighters’ feedback and reactions to the VR scenario and the prototype intelligent user interface that presented them with task critical information through the VR headset. The paper concludes with lessons learned from our development process and a discussion of plans for future research.

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