A systematic review of the application of immersive technologies for safety and health management in the construction sector

Akinloluwa Babalola; Patrick Manu; Clara Cheung; Akilu Yunusa-Kaltungo; Paulo Bartolo

doi:10.1016/j.jsr.2023.01.007

A systematic review of the application of immersive technologies for safety and health management in the construction sector

J Safety Res. 2023 Jun:85:66-85. doi: 10.1016/j.jsr.2023.01.007. Epub 2023 Jan 31.

Authors

Akinloluwa Babalola¹, Patrick Manu², Clara Cheung¹, Akilu Yunusa-Kaltungo¹, Paulo Bartolo¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, United Kingdom.
² Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, United Kingdom. Electronic address: Patrick.Manu@manchester.ac.uk.

PMID: 37330902
DOI: 10.1016/j.jsr.2023.01.007

Abstract

Introduction: The construction industry employs about 7% of global manpower and contributes about 6% to the global economy. However, statistics have depicted that the construction industry contributes significantly to workplace fatalities and injuries despite multiple interventions (including technological applications) implemented by governments and construction companies. Recently, immersive technologies as part of a suite of industry 4.0 technologies, have also strongly emerged as a viable pathway to help address poor construction occupational safety and health (OSH) performance.

Method: With the aim of gaining a broad view of different construction OSH issues addressed using immersive technologies, a review on the application of immersive technologies for construction OSH management is conducted using the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis (PRISMA) approach and bibliometric analysis of literature. This resulted in the evaluation of 117 relevant papers collected from three online databases (Scopus, Web of Science, and Engineering Village).

Results: The review revealed that literature have focused on the application of various immersive technologies for hazard identification and visualization, safety training, design for safety, risk perception, and assessment in various construction works. The review identified several limitations regarding the use of immersive technologies, which include the low level of adoption of the developed immersive technologies for OSH management by the construction industry, very limited research on the application of immersive technologies for health hazards, and limited focus on the comparison of the effectiveness of various immersive technologies for construction OSH management.

Conclusions and practical applications: For future research, it is recommended to identify possible reasons for the low transition level from research to industry practice and proffer solutions to the identified issues. Another recommendation is the study of the effectiveness of the use of immersive technologies for addressing health hazards in comparison to the conventional methods.

Keywords: Augmented reality; Health and safety; Immersive technologies; Mixed reality; Virtual reality.

Publication types

Systematic Review

MeSH terms

Construction Industry*
Engineering
Humans
Occupational Health*
Technology
Workplace