Digital technology enhanced situation awareness for construction safety: Systematic review and future research directions

Abstract

The dynamics of construction processes pose significant challenges for workers to perceive, understand, and anticipate hazards on sites. Maintaining an adequate level of situation awareness (SA) is critical for safety. Recent years have seen increasing research interests in SA and digital technology (DT) in the construction safety field. However, there lacks a systematic review that elucidates the impacts of DT on workers’ cognitive processes involved in hazard identification. To fill the research gap, the paper aims to conceptualize the role of SA and DT in construction safety management and provide a theoretical basis for the future development of technology-enabled situation-aware construction safety management systems. This study employed a five-step systematic review approach with a scientometric analysis to provide an unbiased and comprehensive overview of research concerning SA in construction safety. The results suggested that current research on the cognitive processes related to hazard identification has been fragmented and has caused theoretical confusion. There is a need to develop a cognitive framework for hazard identification. Four specific research directions were recommended: (1) develop and validate a real-time SA measurement, (2) identify SA information requirements, (3) develop a cognitive model of hazard identification, and (4) develop a technology-enhanced SA system. By synthesizing the current literature, this review paper identified and analyzed the theoretical roles of SA and DT in worker hazard identification, shedding light on the potential for developing a technology-enabled situation-aware construction safety management system. It also offered a valuable perspective to review and re-design safety management practices.