Proposing and Validating a New Way of Construction Hazard Recognition Training in Academia: Mixed-Method Approach

Abstract

The presented research proposes and experimentally validates a novel energy-based training module aimed at rapidly improving hazard-recognition skills in civil, environmental, and architectural engineering (CEAE) students. The module is based on the established theory that every construction hazard is fundamentally related to the unwanted release of one or more energy sources. Eighty-four members of a CEAE undergraduate class were participants during a three-week experiment. Adopting a rigorous A-B experimental design and validated protocol to measure hazard recognition, the study found the module increased students’ hazard-recognition skills by 67.8% on average (p < 0.001), with a lasting effect over time, while a standard lecture based on Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) training was found to be not significantly effective. Qualitative feedback gathered in the form of textual learning logs corroborated the quantitative findings. The study findings suggest that OSHA training may be complemented with components of the proposed method to improve hazard-recognition levels.