Sharing Construction Safety Inspection Experiences and Site-Specific Knowledge through XR-Augmented Visual Assistance

TL;DR

This paper introduces an XR-augmented visual assistance framework using VR and AR to improve hazard detection, training, and knowledge sharing among construction safety inspectors, addressing experience gaps and enhancing real-time awareness.

Contribution

It proposes a novel XR-based system for capturing and transferring inspection strategies, improving hazard recognition and safety training in construction sites.

Findings

Enhanced hazard detection capabilities

Improved safety training effectiveness

Reduced mental workload for safety advisors

Abstract

Early identification of on-site hazards is crucial for accident prevention in the construction industry. Currently, the construction industry relies on experienced safety advisors (SAs) to identify site hazards and generate mitigation measures to guide field workers. However, more than half of the site hazards remain unrecognized due to the lack of field experience or site-specific knowledge of some SAs. To address these limitations, this study proposed an Extended Reality (XR)-augmented visual assistance framework, including Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR), that enables capturing and transferring subconscious inspection strategies between workers or workers/machines for a construction safety inspection. The purpose is to enhance SA's training and real-time situational awareness for identifying on-site hazards while reducing their mental workloads.