Hazard recognition in an immersive virtual environment: Framework for the simultaneous analysis of visual search and EEG patterns

TL;DR

This paper introduces a virtual reality-based hazard recognition training platform that simultaneously analyzes workers' eye movements and EEG patterns to improve safety skills and provide personalized feedback.

Contribution

It presents a novel immersive virtual environment integrating eye-tracking and EEG analysis for real-time hazard recognition assessment and personalized safety training.

Findings

Enhanced hazard recognition performance in VR environment

Identification of brain and eye activity patterns during hazard detection

Potential for personalized safety training improvements

Abstract

Unmanaged hazards in dangerous construction environments proved to be one of the main sources of injuries and accidents. Hazard recognition is crucial to achieve effective safety management and reduce injuries and fatalities in hazardous job sites. Still, there has been lack of effort that can efficiently assist workers in improving their hazard recognition skills. This study presents virtual safety training in an Immersive Virtual Environment (IVE) to enhance worker's hazard recognition skills. A worker wearing a Virtual Reality (VR) device, that is equipped with an eye-tracker, virtually recognizes hazards on simulated construction sites while a brainwave-sensing device records brain activities. This platform can analyze the overall performance of the workers in a visual hazard recognition task and identify hazards that need additional intervention for each worker. This study provides novel insights on how a worker's brain and eye act simultaneously during a visual hazard recognition process. The presented method can take current safety training programs into another level by providing personalized feedback to the workers.