Integrating spatial tracking and surveys for the evaluation of construction workers’ safety training with virtual reality

This paper addresses the absence of standard frameworks and methods for evaluating the effectiveness of Virtual Reality (VR) safety training for construction workers, which hinders its recognition by policymakers and hence its widespread adoption from the industry. To achieve this goal, the study introduces an original two-fold evaluation method centered on the trainees. First, a dedicated questionnaire is developed to assess the immersivity of VR experiences and the efficacy of safety contents' presentation as perceived by the trainees. Second, dedicated algorithms are developed and implemented to record the trainees' positions in the virtual environment and visualize them in form of spatial tracks and heatmaps in a BIM environment. This combined methodology is applied for the evaluation of a VR safety training campaign carried out for case study project involving three training sessions and 12 workers. The case study application demonstrates the feasibility of integrating trainees’ subjective feedback with their objective use of the virtual space and the effectiveness of the proposed evaluation approach for the assessment of VR safety training experiences. The insights obtained from both the considered data sources are provided with a focus on the emerged directions for the improvement of the implemented VR safety trainign protocol. Eventually, the study limitations are discussed and the potential integration of additional physical tracking devices is proposed to enhance the granularity of the trainees' objective data considered in the VR training evaluation.