Automatic creation of personalised virtual construction safety training in digital twins

Abstract

The construction industry faces persistent safety challenges resulting in far too many occupational injuries and fatalities. Even advanced measures like virtual safety training methods still fall short in terms of realism. This paper introduces a pioneering approach that exploits digital twins to create virtual training environments (VTEs) tailored for construction safety. The digital twin for construction safety (DTCS) framework seamlessly integrates building information modelling (BIM) models, schedules, resources and hazard data into a prototype using the game engine Unity. It enables the generation of VTEs with minimal user interaction, empowering safety trainers to define personalised scenarios based on specific project parameters and training requirements tailored to the trainees’ needs. The evaluation of this approach through three distinct real-world projects and a case study with trainees demonstrates its efficacy. The results indicate the ability of the DTCS framework to efficiently create VTEs independently of the project once digital project information is available. Moreover, the framework provides meaningful feedback to the trainees by evaluating the performance using runtime data collection and analysis. The collected data promise use for several applications, but future research must validate their effectiveness. Beyond training, the study highlights the utility of VTEs in improving safety design and hazard mitigation strategies through data-driven insights.