Virtual Reality Safety Training Assessment in Construction Management and Safety and Health Management Programs

Ensuring accessible and high-quality safety training is critical for preventing injuries and fatalities on construction job sites, especially considering the potential impact on the staggering number of over seven million construction workers in the United States. Construction workers accounted for approximately 20% of worker fatalities, equating to one in every five deaths annually. Although relatively new, virtual reality (VR) safety training has significant potential for improving safety training with immersive experiences and interactive environments. However, the effectiveness of VR safety training remains unknown, and limited studies are available. To investigate VR safety training efficacy, the authors compared pre- and post-training between a control and an experimental group to evaluate knowledge comprehension and retention. The control group participated in traditional school-based and physical simulation learning, while the experimental group completed both the VR safety training and the same training as the control group. The study focused on two safety topics: fire safety and confined space safety. The results demonstrate that VR safety training significantly improves learner comprehension and retention of safety knowledge, supporting its potential as an effective training tool for construction workers. The study also revealed that the immersive VR experience was user-friendly and contributed to increased self-confidence in understanding safety procedures, knowledge, and practices.