Digital technologies (DTs) for safety education and training in construction

Abstract

Background: Digital technologies (DTs) have gained recognition for educating and training individuals, covering multiple areas in construction sector to enhance safety performance.

Objective: The objective of this study was to conduct a systematic literature review (SLR) focusing on DTs utilized for safety education and training in the construction sector since 2000 and explore their various application areas.

Methods: Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed to conduct SLR and fifty-nine articles were identified. This study describes the research trends through bibliometric analysis, encompassing aspects such as annual publication counts, document sources, influential authors and documents, countries of origin, and prevalent research areas.

Results: The results revealed that immersive virtual reality (VR) technology has seen extensive utilization in educating and training individuals. In the context of application areas, most DTs concentrated on augmenting individuals' proficiency in recognizing hazards.

Conclusion: The findings summarized the primary research domains, deliberated upon prevailing research gaps, and proposed forthcoming directions for applying DTs in safety training. The suggested future directions can potentially enhance safety training effectiveness within the construction firm.

Keywords: Safety education; construction firm; digital technologies; extended reality; workplace safety.