Construction Safety Training: Engaging Techniques and Technology Adoption Perspectives

Ensuring the effectiveness of safety training programs is essential for protecting construction workers and mitigating the occurrence of accidents, injuries, and fatalities on jobsites. Despite ongoing efforts to improve the design and implementation of safety training programs, challenges persist, particularly in engaging trainees. This study aims to identify the techniques used by trainers to promote engagement within safety training programs. To this end, trainers from construction companies across the North America were surveyed. Thematic analysis of the responses from 195 participants revealed five key themes of engaging techniques: collaborative learning, experience-based learning, hands-on group activities, maintaining a comfortable and relaxed training environment, and effective communication techniques. Additionally, the analysis also indicated that trainers have a positive, albeit cautious attitude toward using new technologies to promote engagement from trainees. The findings of this study will aid in the development of more engaging and effective safety training programs.