Industry perspective on the role of visualization technology in construction safety training

Construction is a high-risk industry, and worker capability has been identified as a contributing factor to construction accidents. However, many construction workers do not receive adequate safety training, leading to a lack of knowledge and skill. Effective training programs are essential to increase workers’ safety competence and reduce accidents. Trainings facilitated by emerging visualization technologies (VT) are gaining attention due to their participatory nature and high engagement, which are missing components in traditional classroom-based safety training. This study explored the opportunities for adopting VT in safety training to improve employee training outcomes. Interviews were conducted with construction professionals in the U.S. and U.K., who had experience with safety training. The participants identified a number of training opportunities that would be appropriate for adopting VT. Interviewees valued VT for its technological versatility and positive impact on safety behavior, and they identified challenges in using VT related to cost, nature of technology, organizational barriers, and industry culture. The findings suggest the construction industry is still in the early stage of applying VT in safety training but many potential opportunities for using VT warrant further exploration. The implications point to the need to bridge academic research and its practical application to support VT’s adoption in industry.