By : Mohamed Elkholy – Nahla Ahmed
A team of professors and graduate students in the Department of Construction Engineering at the American University in Cairo has developed training programs to enhance safety on construction sites using Virtual Reality technology. Construction engineering students wear virtual reality glasses to use these programs and simulate work on construction sites for bridges and high-rise buildings to train in safety procedures and avoid the most common mistakes, namely falls, injuries, slips and learn about general safety on construction sites.
Dr. Osama Hosni, Professor of Construction Engineering at the American University in Cairo, says: “The construction industry around the world is witnessing a high death rate, as the latest studies show that about 60,000 deaths occur annually in the world as a result of construction accidents, and interest in this field is no longer related to the elements of time. Not only cost and quality but also safety in the workplace.”
Dr. Ibrahim Abu Talib, assistant professor at the Department of Construction Engineering at the university, says: “Students used to be trained on safety on construction sites in the traditional way through lectures and textbooks, but we have developed new safety training programs that are based on augmented and virtual reality and address the potential risks associated with some projects.” most dangerous in the construction world. Abu Talib added that, according to previous studies, it was found that lack of good training is the main cause of deaths on construction sites, so training using virtual reality programs can help save lives even in the presence of unsafe construction sites.
Global interest in training programs based on virtual reality is increasing in the construction world, which has contributed to an increase in the number of scientific studies on the effectiveness of this training compared to traditional training.
The team conducted experimental tests for the programs developed at the American University in Cairo by comparing the performance of undergraduate students in the Department of Construction Engineering who received virtual reality training with the performance of those who received training in the traditional way. The reports showed the effectiveness of training based on virtual reality in enhancing students' understanding of concepts safety.
