Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality – A New Approach for Construction Safety Education

Safety is paramount for construction industry throughout the world. Human errors which contribute to more than half of construction accidents, could be proactively prevented through effective education and training methods. Although Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) have gained much attention in various disciplines, few studies applied them for construction safety education. This research presents a new approach in construction safety education by utilizing VR and AR. The vision of aligning teaching & learning strategies is examined in order to ensure the potential benefits of the new method. This innovative approach shifts safety education from “Listen, and I will forget. See, and I may remember” towards “Practice, and I understand”.