A Construction Safety Education System Based on Interactive Virtual Reality

Construction accidents, injuries and fatalities have not declined significantly, despite arduous efforts of researchers, safety professionals and strongly enforced safety laws. Safety education is crucial in promoting safe and healthy construction work environments; however current pedagogical methods and tools at the university level are unable to provide students with hands-on practical experience. Studies have verified the strengths of virtual environments in facilitating hands-on learning in construction training and education. However, majority of these consider construction safety in isolation, whereas in reality, safety matters are intertwined with various activities, methods, machines and materials. This paper aims to address the problem by proposing a novel approach which integrates construction materials and methods with safety education. A prototype system is developed, using smart devices to connect to virtual construction site scenarios through textbook based QR codes. The system comprises of three sequential modules:(1) Safety and Hazard Lecture (SHL) phase which enhances traditional lecture materials with virtual jobsite scenarios;(2) Hazard Identification Game (HIG) phase which gives students an opportunity to practice identifying and responding to hazards in a virtual game environment; and (3) Student Evaluation (SE) phase which utilizes virtual scenarios in testing students safety knowledge and hazard identification abilities. The pedagogical suitability of the system is evaluated by a series of trials where the students interacted with instructors. Interim results indicate that the system offers an innovative medium for improving …