Can mixed reality enhance safety communication on construction sites? An industry perspective

Abstract

Effective communication plays a vital role in hazard identification in construction workplaces. Unfortunately, current practices that rely on modes such as phone calls, walking to people and talk, and video conferencing do not facilitate instant access to information, context-based perception, and visual interaction that are essential for effective communication in modern construction workplaces. This research assessed the feasibility of applying mixed reality in enhancing safety risk communication on construction sites. A holographic application that enables to turn the field of view of mixed reality head mounted display into a collaborative environment where others can see and interact was prototyped. This was followed by an assessment of its feasibility through trials and feedback from potential users in the construction industry. The performance metrics for the assessment included accuracy, efficiency, ease-of-use, and acceptability of mixed reality benchmarked against the existing communication methods (i.e., phone calls, walking to people and talk, video conferencing, and emails). Analyses results showed the potential of mixed reality for visualization, communication, and remote collaboration of safety-related issues on construction sites. The research findings provided better understanding of feasibility, benefits, and limitations of applying the technology in workplaces, which may ameliorate its improvement and adoption in safety management practices in order to reduce the incidences of injuries and fatalities on construction sites.