IMPLEMENTATION OF AUGMENTED REALITY IN DESIGN FOR SAFETY TRAINING

Abstract

Augmented Reality (AR) as a rising new technology has yet to be widely utilised in the construction industry. Till today, workplace safety in the construction industry remains a concern in Singapore and internationally. AR as a visualisation tool should be explored to improve safety in domains such as hazard identification, safety inspection, and safety training and education. This paper focuses on Design for Safety (DfS) training courses. The study aims to find out if integrating AR technology into DfS training courses improves the overall learning experience for the participants by enhancing visualisation, interest, enjoyment, and ease of identifying hazards. An AR prototype was developed, and used to gather feedback from both industry professionals and students. A total of 1 DfS trainer, 1 professional working in a government agency, and 7 industry professionals ranging from different professions were interviewed. Furthermore, 30 National University of Singapore (NUS) Undergraduate and Graduate students were surveyed after undergoing a DfS hazard identification exercise. From the interviews conducted, the common consensus was that AR should be implemented appropriately, and not simply just for the sake of implementing new technologies. Most agreed that AR technology is relevant and should be implemented into DfS training. They also found the AR prototype interesting, and thought it helped with visualisation and ease of identifying hazards. However, the professionals also pointed out possible challenges to such an implementation, which includes cost, usage, acceptance and possible side effects from using this technology. Similarly, the survey results revealed that the AR prototype was effective in improving hazard identification, made visualisation better, and increased users’ interest and enjoyment. The participants also preferred using the AR prototype than the 2D construction drawing, as they felt that the AR model improves ease of identifying hazards. Therefore, starting from safety training courses, AR implementation can be slowly integrated into the industry. Together with current efforts from the government and important industry players, it is certain that AR technology is a direction that Singapore and the world is moving towards. 3 Although this study is concentrated in the Singapore’s construction industry, it serves as a strong foundation for future studies regarding AR implementation, and may bear relevance for international contexts as well.