Investigating different methods of safety training for the construction industry
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN55183871 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN55183871 |
| Protocol serial number | 117306 |
| Sponsor | The Finnish Work Environment Fund |
| Funders | Työsuojelurahasto, Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, STARA, YIT, SRV, NCC, Lujabetoni, Voimatel |
- Submission date
- 03/12/2018
- Registration date
- 17/12/2018
- Last edited
- 16/02/2021
- Recruitment status
- No longer recruiting
- Overall study status
- Completed
- Condition category
- Injury, Occupational Diseases, Poisoning
Plain English summary of protocol
Background and study aims
This study aims to investigate virtual reality as a safety training method for the construction industry. It will also explore how training focused on human aspects in safety can increase safety knowledge and skills.
Who can participate?
Construction workers of both genders aged 20 and over, with at least 2 years of work experience.
What does the study involve?
This study involves four types of safety training processes. The participants will be randomly allocated to take part in one of the following types of safety training process: virtual reality, lecture-based, a combination of virtual reality safety training and training on human aspects in safety, a combination of lecture-based safety training with training on human aspects in safety. The participants will fill in questionnaires to investigate their attitudes and knowledge relating to safety before the training, immediately after the training and at 1 month after the training.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
The possible benefits of the study include improved safety attitudes and safety knowledge among the participating workers. A possible side effect of virtual reality safety training is mild motion sickness.
Where is the study run from?
Finnish Institute of Occupational Health
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
January 2018 to January 2020
Who is funding the study?
The Finnish Work Environment Fund, the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health and the participating construction companies.
Who is the main contact?
Maria Tiikkaja, PhD, Researcher, Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, maria.tiikkaja@ttl.fi
Contact information
Scientific
Uimalankatu 1
Tampere
33540
Finland
| Phone | +358304742786 |
|---|---|
| mikko.nykanen@ttl.fi |
Public
Finnish Institute of Occupational Health
PO Box 40
Työterveyslaitos
FI-00032
Finland
 ORCID ID |
0000-0003-2102-9374 |
|---|---|
| Phone | +358 30 474 2750 |
| maria.tiikkaja@ttl.fi |
Study information
| Primary study design | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Study design | Interventional four-arm randomized controlled trial |
| Secondary study design | Randomised controlled trial |
| Study type | Participant information sheet |
| Scientific title | Interventional four-arm randomized controlled trial to assess the efficacy of a virtual reality safety training and human factor learning method |
| Study acronym | MoSaC |
| Study objectives | Virtual reality safety training more effectively increases safety knowledge, perceived behavioural control and safety motivation than traditional lecture-based safety training with a short-term follow-up. We also expect the HF tool to have beneficial effects on safety learning. |
| Ethics approval(s) | Finnish Institute of Occupational Health ethics committee, 28/09/2018 |
| Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied | Occupational safety and health |
| Intervention | We will obtain written informed consent from all the study participants and will inform them of the potential risks and benefits of participating in the trial through an information sheet. No personal-level study data concerning the participants will be shared with employers or any third party during or after the study. The study consists of four intervention arms into which study participants are randomly assigned. 1. The first arm consists of immersive virtual safety training. Virtual safety training will last approximately 30 minutes and includes the following steps: technical guidance, brief introduction to movement in virtual reality and safety training in a VR-learning environment. The VR-learning environment guides study participants to identify work-related hazards, safety procedures and behavioral strategies to prevent accidents. Study participants will practice safety-related actions such as visual search for hazards, removing hazards, inspecting equipment and machinery for any defects and walking safely around or through the work zone. 2. The second arm consists of traditional lecture-based safety training. Lecture-based safety training will last approximately 30 minutes. Informational content will equivalent in content to the VR-training. The difference will be that active learning process in VR-learning environment is missing and lecture-based training method will be used. 3. The third arm combines immersive virtual reality safety training and a modified version of a previously developed human factors safety training. Study participants will be guided to use a systematic checklist (HF-tool) to identify the role of human factors in safety-related processes, accidents and incidents. Human factors training will last approximately 2.5 hours and includes following the steps: Introduction to the content of HF-tool and basic concepts of human factors in safety, using HF-tool to analyze case-example of occupational accident. The human factors safety training guides study participants to identify background factors of accidents, analyze human contribution to safety and plan strategies to improve safety management. 4. The fourth arm combines lecture-based safety training with the HF-tool training. We will use a validated questionnaire to assess the efficacy of intervention arms. Baseline data will be collected prior to the randomization into intervention arms. The first follow-up measure will be collected immediately after VR-safety training and lecture-based training. The second follow-up measure will be collected approximately 1 month after the baseline measurement. Data collection takes place at the workplaces and paper questionnaires are used |
| Intervention type | Behavioural |
| Primary outcome measure(s) |
1. Safety locus of control |
| Key secondary outcome measure(s) |
1. Safety motivation assessed using questionnaires and previously developed study scales at baseline, immediately after the end of VR-safety training/lecture-based safety training and approximately 1 month after the baseline measurement. |
| Completion date | 30/01/2020 |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | Other |
|---|---|
| Age group | Adult |
| Sex | All |
| Target sample size at registration | 130 |
| Total final enrolment | 120 |
| Key inclusion criteria | Current inclusion criteria as of 21/08/2019: 1. Aged 20 and over 2. At least 2 years of work experience 3. Native Finnish language competence 4. Currently employed in the construction sector Previous inclusion criteria: 1. Aged between 20 and 50 years 2. At least 2 years of work experience 3. Native Finnish language competence 4. Currently employed in the construction sector |
| Key exclusion criteria | Does not meet inclusion criteria |
| Date of first enrolment | 01/01/2019 |
| Date of final enrolment | 30/06/2019 |
Locations
Countries of recruitment
- Finland
Study participating centre
Helsinki
0032
Finland
Results and Publications
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | No |
|---|---|
| IPD sharing plan summary | Not expected to be made available |
| IPD sharing plan | The datasets generated and analyzed during the current study will not be available due to agreement with study participants. |
Study outputs
| Output type | Details | Date created | Date added | Peer reviewed? | Patient-facing? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results article | results | 01/12/2020 | 16/02/2021 | Yes | No |
| Protocol article | protocol | 01/08/2020 | 15/01/2021 | Yes | No |
| Participant information sheet | Participant information sheet | 11/11/2025 | 11/11/2025 | No | Yes |
Editorial Notes
16/02/2021: Publication reference added.
15/01/2021: Publication reference added.
21/08/2019: The following changes were made to the trial record:
1. The intention to publish date was changed from 28/02/2020 to 30/06/2020.
2. The total final enrolment number was added.
3. The inclusion criteria were updated.
