All eyes on safety
The construction sector remains one the most dangerous industries in the world, with 50,000 workers in the UK alone suffering injuries at work from 2022-2025. One significant factor contributing to accidents in construction is the failure to recognise hazards, including failing to interpret cues correctly, underestimating risk and not carrying out visual inspections.
Eye tracking has been used to tackle this problem and a new study has reviewed previous research to understand more about how it can be used to improve hazard recognition. The study, published in the Journal of Industrial Ergonomics, identified four linked themes, which included visual-attention mechanisms, individual differences, cognitive fatigue or mental-state effects, and the integration of immersive or multimodal physiological monitoring.
Researchers used their analysis to propose a framework for future research. Its recommendations included using real construction conditions and creating personalised cognitive safety profiles that capture individual differences.
The study said: “Eye-tracking is valuable not simply as a tool for recording visual attention patterns, but as a means of revealing the cognitive and perceptual mechanisms underlying hazard detection, missed hazards, misinterpretation and risk underestimation, particularly in relation to workers’ experience, personality traits, mental workload and situation context.”
