The effectiveness of virtual safety training in work at heights: A literature review

Area of Science:

• Occupational Safety and Health
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Educational Technology

Background:

• Virtual environment techniques offer advantages like risk-free and immersive learning for safety training.
• Effectiveness of virtual safety training specifically for work at heights (WAH) remains under-assessed.
• This study addresses the need for standardized outcome criteria for WAH virtual safety training.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize outcome criteria for measuring the effectiveness of virtual safety training for work at heights (WAH).
• To provide an inventory of training methods, evaluation indicators, and effects for practitioners and safety managers.
• To offer recommendations for designing effective training assessments in WAH contexts.

Main Methods:

• An explorative literature search identified 658 records from 2010 onwards.
• 21 relevant documents were selected and classified based on training goals (knowledge, skills, attitudes).
• Outcome criteria were analyzed using Kirkpatrick's model for evaluating training effectiveness.

Main Results:

• The study identified various outcome criteria for virtual safety training in WAH.
• An inventory of training methods, evaluation indicators, and observed effects was compiled.
• The findings support safety managers in selecting and assessing training programs.

Conclusions:

• Virtual safety training for WAH has measurable outcomes that can be evaluated using established models.
• Standardized criteria are essential for assessing the effectiveness of immersive learning technologies in occupational safety.
• Recommendations are provided for enhancing the design and evaluation of virtual WAH safety training.