Yadav, N; Sadeghi, N and Kang, J (2024) Five factors affecting the on-body placement of wearable tactile safety promotion device for construction workers-on-foot. Construction Innovation, 24(2), pp. 537-557. ISSN 1471-4175
Abstract
Purpose: Tactile communication that relies on the human sense of touch replicated using vibration motors is increasingly being explored for seamless communication on construction jobsite. However, the technological efficacy cannot secure the users’ acceptability of the tactile communication devices. This study aims to assess the factors affecting the wearability of such a portable tactile device based on the responses from practicing professionals. Design/methodology/approach: The investigation adapted a three-step phenomenological interviewing approach to seek feedback from construction personnel in Texas, the USA, regarding the viability of wearable tactile communication. The interviewees expressed various opinions about the on-body placement upon exposure to a portable tactile feedback prototype developed for this study, which was used to derive inferences regarding the factors affecting its on-field acceptability. Findings: All the participants of the round-table study (11 out of 11) considered tactile feedback as a viable mode of communication on construction jobsite. Seven professionals supported the integration of a tactile device with the hard hat, whereas the rest preferred tactile eyeglasses. Weatherability, rechargeability, traceability, safety and social receptivity were identified as the major factors affecting the on-body placement of the wearable tactile communication device. Originality/value: This paper presents a roadmap to gain construction industry opinion on the factors that can affect the on-body placement of a wearable tactile communication device. The five aforementioned factors impacting tactile communication acceptability were used to evaluate 10 potential on-body placements. The findings have implications for research and development of wearable tactile devices and the subsequent acceptability of such a device on the jobsite.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | construction safety; personal protective communication; tactile communication; tactile geofencing; wearable safety promotion device; workers-on-foot |
| Index terms: | vibration, exposure, construction safety, integration, methodology, research and development, prototype, construction personnel, traceability, placement, construction industry, construction worker, investigation, promotion |
| Subjects: | organizational analysis, research management, industry analysis, environmental health, management, public and environmental health, research methods, modelling and simulation, supplier oversight, workforce, data collection methods, mechanical systems, practitioner |
| Topics: | Supply Chain Management, Human Resources, Organizational Design, Health and Safety, Engineering Principles, Research Practice, Roles and Professions, Sustainability |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTA |
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