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The AIT Center for Technology Experience and the construction company STRABAG have developed a VR training solution for safe behaviour and early detection of potential hazards on construction sites with heavy construction machinery.
Whether excavators, road rollers or dumpers – safe handling of large construction machinery must be learned and practiced. In practice, training and instruction must be effectively integrated into tightly scheduled processes so that construction workers can operate safely even after a short introduction. The dangers on construction sites are numerous and the level of safety awareness is often too low, as a glance at the AUVA accident statistics shows: in 2023, most accidents at work occurred in the manufacturing industry, followed closely by the construction industry.
Three training modules for three construction machines
Following a comprehensive analysis of the potential hazards on construction sites, experts from STRABAG and AIT jointly developed an effective safety training programme for people working on construction sites. BuildsaVR is initially focusing on training construction workers who work on confusing or confined construction sites and in the vicinity of large vehicles such as excavators, road rollers and dump trucks. Three VR training modules have been developed for each of these three types of construction machinery:
1. Vehicle inspection and work preparation: Checking for safety defects and performing safety checks on construction machinery.
2. Situational awareness and change of perspective: Developing an understanding of the complex construction site environment. Trainees experience different perspectives: at the wheel of the vehicle (including recognizing blind spots) and as construction site personnel moving on foot or working on the construction site.
3. Application scenario: Applying what has been learned in more complex situations and mastering realistic challenges of everyday construction site life (e.g. safely passing a narrow spot with an excavator, accident-free and anticipatory driving with a road roller).
‘Work safety can be trained well in virtual reality, which has many advantages. Trainees can complete the individual training modules with critical situations safely at any time, regardless of location and time, using a headset – repetitions are also no problem and consolidate knowledge,’” emphasizes AIT researcher Helmut Schrom-Feiertag from the AIT Center for Technology Experience. AIT has many years of experience in the field of VR technologies in training and education, including the design of simulation environments and accompanying evaluation. The focus is also on an interdisciplinary, user-oriented approach and factors such as stress measurement, team communication and multisensory experiences.
A wide variety of VR training solutions have already been developed and evaluated by AIT in collaboration with the respective institutions and various partners for emergency services such as police, paramedics and firefighters, as well as for forestry. ‘It is important that trainers are involved from the outset with their experience and previous training objectives,’ underlines Helmut Schrom-Feiertag. In addition, detailed knowledge of everyday life on construction sites, dangerous situations and potential risks is also important. It is just as important to have didactic expertise in how training scenarios need to be designed in order to achieve optimal training success.
VR training as a supplementary training method: High satisfaction
The complex challenges on construction sites make it necessary to continuously develop training materials and work instructions. ‘The new training option with headsets in virtual reality is an ideal extension and supplement to traditional training methods,’ says Jens Hoffmann, Head of STRABAG Innovation & Digitalisation, with conviction. ‘It gives us the opportunity to prepare construction workers for practical use in the best possible way, away from their everyday routine, and to increase their safety awareness.’
"The immersive VR experience allows trainees to take on the perspective of construction machine operators and experience their limited field of vision first-hand. This promotes a deep understanding of potential hazards and helps trainees to better assess risky situations," explains Helmut Schrom-Feiertag. The best thing about it is that training in virtual reality is completely safe and fun for trainees. An evaluation study by AIT showed that the overall usability of the training solution and the virtual control of the construction machinery were rated very highly. Acceptance and satisfaction with the BuildsaVR training solution is very high across all age groups. The requirement for multilingualism was met by minimizing text and focusing on visual explanations through images and videos.
The BuildsaVR project has now also been nominated for the prestigious eAward in the ‘Future Technologies’ category.
Conclusion and outlook
BuildsaVR has set new standards in safety training for the construction industry. The innovative VR training offers an effective way to reduce the risk of construction site accidents and increase safety for everyone involved.
‘We have succeeded in developing an effective solution for accident prevention. With digital solutions such as BuildsaVR, we are promoting a sustainable safety and training culture and driving forward digitalization within STRABAG,’ summarizes Jens Hoffmann.
Following on from BuildsaVR, work is already underway on new training modules and other activities in the construction sector, such as supervisors (construction site tours), asbestos specialists (building inspections), construction yard employees (truck loading), first responders (accident management), mechatronics engineers for cranes (working at height) and road builders (construction site safety).
About the AIT Austrian Instiute of Technology
With over 1,600 employees and an operating output of over €200 million, the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology is Austria's largest research and technology organization. AIT focuses on the research areas of ‘Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructures’, particularly in the fields of energy, transport and health, as well as the ‘Digital Transformation of Industry and Society’, working closely with universities, industry and public institutions.
About AIT Austrian Institute of Technology
About AIT Center for Technology Experience
About STRABAG
STRABAG SE is an European technology group for construction services, leading in innovation and capital strength. Our offering covers all areas of the construction industry and the entire construction value chain. We create added value for our customers by taking a holistic view of buildings throughout their entire life cycle – from conception, planning and construction to operation and facility management, right through to conversion or demolition. In doing so, we take responsibility for people and the environment: we are working on the future of construction and investing in our current portfolio of more than 250 innovation projects and 400 sustainability projects. Thanks to the commitment of our approximately 86,000 employees, we generate annual revenues of around €19 billion. With a dense network of numerous subsidiaries in many European countries and on other continents, we are expanding our area of operation far beyond the borders of Austria and Germany. Together, in close cooperation with strong partners, we pursue a clear goal: climate-neutral and resource-efficient planning, construction and operation. Further information is also available at www.strabag.com