Development and empirical examination of the acceptance of a hazard identification and safety training system based on VR technology

This study introduces the development method of a VR-based hazard identification and safety training system by applying the digital factory concept. A total of 55 participants with engineering management background knowledge and/or working experience were enrolled in the study. They were instructed to conduct a behavior-based safety (BBS) experiment by completing a series of tasks in a VR-based digital factory environment. A mixed-method analysis was performed to examine the perceived usability and acceptance of the system among participants. Our results revealed that 11 potential environmental hazards were successfully identified through the BBS experiment, and the corresponding corrective measures were provided. A partial least squares structural equation modeling analysis was conducted. Results show that participants’ behavioral intention (R² = 0.50) in using the system was significantly influenced by their perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and VR feature of the system. The average system usability scale score of 79.40 also suggests satisfactory usability of the proposed system. Additionally, a focus group interview was conducted among eight participants of managers, employees, and interns in the relevant industries to investigate their in-depth opinions on the system usage. This study serves as a preliminary medium for analyzing potential accident causes, offering an integrated approach for hazard identification and safety training using VR technology. It is hoped that this approach will be adopted as a safety management method to reduce hazards in the working environment and enhance workers’ safety awareness.