An Investigation on the Influence of Operation Experience on Virtual Hazard Perception Using Wearable Eye Tracking Technology

Abstract

Poor electrical hazard recognition is a widespread issue in the production industry. Hazard perception has impacts workers’ hazard recognition, causing them to experience unanticipated hazard exposure and suffer catastrophic injuries. To improve the factors of affecting hazard perception, the current study examined hazard recognition as an everyday visual search task. A comparative test was carried out combining the advantages and disadvantages of the two test methods. It was confirmed that the virtual image test data can replace the real image test data and demonstrate superior flexible settings performance, so the virtual image test method is used. A hazard perception test method based on wearable eye tracking technology was proposed to analyze the eye-tracking data (i.e., fixation, count, search duration, mean fixation duration, eye tracking, and hazard recognition performance feedback) were compared between experts in the field of electrical safety: skilled workers with at least five years of work experience and workers who had been on the job for less than a year. It was found that experts had a better hazard recognition accuracy and missed detection rate than other workers. Experts’ hazards research track was more concised and paid less attention time. This advantage is most obvious in complex risk environments. The findings also suggest that workers who have different working years was not obvious visual search patterns other than the search duration. As can be seen the work experience is not an absolute factor in improving hazard perception. The present research will be useful to understand the influence of working years on hazard perception and provide a theoretical basis for corresponding training.