Measuring Construction Workers' Real-Time Situation Awareness Using Mobile Eye-Tracking

Sogand Hasanzadeh, Behzad Esmaeili, Michael D. Dodd

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

37 Scopus citations

Abstract

Eye-tracking technology is an emerging methodology that has the potential to transform current practices in measuring workers' situation awareness (SA). Since eye movements are assumed to indicate where a worker's attention is directed, tracking such movements provides a practical way to measure workers' attention and comprehension of construction hazards. Considering this technology's potential applications, some researchers have started to use remote eye trackers to investigate workers' abilities to identify hazards; however, these studies lack process capabilities to assess real-time situation awareness. In order to address this limitation, the main objective of this study is to use a mobile eye-tracker to measure workers' SA in different scenarios within a real-world construction site. Using direct measures of SA (eye tracking) in parallel with subjective SA measures, this research resulted in some interesting associations between these two types of SA measurements. It also found that situation awareness and visual attention allocations of workers vary significantly according to the scenario's workload, the state of the area of interest, and the workers' level of experience. Results from this study may help to identify workers with lower SA and therefore, pinpoint opportunities to provide proactive training and develop guidelines for workers that will reduce human error and accidents in construction sites. Subsequently, this approach can measure the same workers' SA level after training to determine whether their SA improved.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationConstruction Research Congress 2016
Subtitle of host publicationOld and New Construction Technologies Converge in Historic San Juan - Proceedings of the 2016 Construction Research Congress, CRC 2016
EditorsJose L. Perdomo-Rivera, Carla Lopez del Puerto, Antonio Gonzalez-Quevedo, Francisco Maldonado-Fortunet, Omar I. Molina-Bas
PublisherAmerican Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)
Pages2894-2904
Number of pages11
ISBN (Electronic)9780784479827
DOIs
StatePublished - 2016
EventConstruction Research Congress 2016: Old and New Construction Technologies Converge in Historic San Juan, CRC 2016 - San Juan, Puerto Rico
Duration: May 31 2016Jun 2 2016

Publication series

NameConstruction Research Congress 2016: Old and New Construction Technologies Converge in Historic San Juan - Proceedings of the 2016 Construction Research Congress, CRC 2016

Other

OtherConstruction Research Congress 2016: Old and New Construction Technologies Converge in Historic San Juan, CRC 2016
Country/TerritoryPuerto Rico
CitySan Juan
Period5/31/166/2/16

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Civil and Structural Engineering
  • Building and Construction

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