An Evaluation of Virtual Reality for Fear Arousal Safety Training in the Construction Industry

Occupational Health and Safety is a significant area of concern for the construction industry, in which subcontractors work across multiple sites with varying safety induction and training. Prior work in applying immersive technologies for safety training often focuses on the simulation of working sites for hazard identification, demonstration of safety practice, and knowledge-based safety tests. However, it has been identified that current safety training is largely ineffective in improving workers’ attitudes towards safe work practices. We apply a fear-arousal approach to safety training by simulating the experience of different types of common safety accidents on a construction site in virtual reality. We conducted an evaluation with workers, contractors, and employees of a commercial construction company, where each participant experienced safety incidents on a virtual construction site. We applied pre- and post-testing measures on the impact on safety attitude and learning practice. We present the empirical evidence of fear arousal safety training in VR for improving the safety attitudes of construction workers, subcontractors, and employees. We suggested improvements and design considerations for other researchers, designers, and stakeholders in this domain based on our findings.