Evia, C (2011) Localizing and designing computer-based safety training solutions for Hispanic construction workers. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 137(6), pp. 452-459. ISSN 0733-9364
Abstract
Despite the construction industry's generally positive reaction to the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in many of its functions, some of the profession's key players reside in a digital divide and do not benefit from advances in technology. Hispanic construction workers, an at-risk population with high rates of workplace accidents, are affected by that divide because they rarely take advantage of available ICTs at work. One application of ICTs that can help Hispanic/Latino workers is computer-based training (CBT) for occupational safety. However, the design of CBT materials for Spanish-speaking workers needs to go beyond basic localization of existing products in English. A radical localization approach that uses participatory design sessions with construction workers and their supervisors is proposed in this paper. This case study reports that Latino workers reacted positively and retained knowledge from CBT materials, including videos with elements of humor and without graphic representations of accidents, modeled after the genre of a television situation comedy.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | computer applications; minority groups; safety; training; workplace diversity |
| Index terms: | information and communication technology, digital divide, participatory design, population, case study, computer application, minority, profession, localization, construction industry, safety training, occupational safety, construction worker, supervisor |
| Subjects: | urban planning, digital technology, data collection methods, computing systems, practitioner, institututions, design methods, demography, occupational health and safety management, sociology, industry analysis, software systems |
| Topics: | Research Practice, Health and Safety, Governance, Roles and Professions, Ethics, Design Practice, Urban Studies, Digital Applications |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTE |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here