Although the numbers of injuries in the construction industry have decreased significantly since legislation of the Occupational Safety and Health Act in the 1970s, more than 700 workers face fatalities every year. As a result, in any construction project, addressing safety challenges remains one of the top priorities; safety managers constantly attempt to enhance the effectiveness of training materials provided to workers. With the emergence of the Net Generation-those who have grown up with information technology-project managers will be obliged to relinquish passive means of training and place more emphasis on creating active learning experiences that embrace state-of-the-art technologies. One of the technologies that is gaining wide acceptance for educational purposes is virtual reality environments (VRE). It has been found that VRE has a great potential to engage students in classrooms and to help construction works retain safety knowledge. Thus, the objectives of this study are to synthesize the potential applications of virtual reality environments, explore the current adoption rate of VRE to train workers regarding safety issues, and identify limitations in the current body of knowledge. The objectives are fulfilled by conducting an in-depth literature review and interviewing safety training providers across the United States. The results of the study indicated that the current adoption rate of VRE to provide safety training is minimal and safety professionals prefer hands on training. The findings of the paper summarize the current strength and weaknesses of virtual reality applications in construction safety and provide suggestions for further improvements.
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