Investigating the future study area on VR technology implementation in safety training: A systematic literature review

Abstract

Safety training is the exercise normally conducted for all the current and future employees of a company to identify and recognize occupational hazards and diseases as well as determine the appropriate controlling methods. Moreover, virtual reality (VR) is a technology developed to virtually simulate the surrounding environment to ensure immersive experience and interaction through artificial three-dimensional (3D) platforms. VR devices have been developed to be more compact, easy to use, and affordable to enable people to enjoy immersive virtual experiences and provide interactive and realistic content. This has made technology one of the most popular forms of media for different kinds of training, such as safety-related ones. Therefore, this study aimed to review the use of VR in safety training through the systematic literature review (SLR) method. The process focused on developing 4 primary questions (PQs) classified into 11 systematic research questions (SRQs) for discussion points concerning current developments in VR technology applications. These were further combined with the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) flow diagrams in selecting the relevant literature. The questions were also used to investigate the scenarios, methods, objectives, and outcomes of previous studies. The results showed the need for further studies on the application of VR technology in safety training in other fields such as firefighting, chemical industry, maritime, etc. Furthermore, several scenarios such as construction design, disaster response, rescue procedures, and others need to be included. This study also provides information on the gaps for future study, including the exploration of a broader range of industries and VR scenarios.