Comparison of ironworker's fall risk assessment systems using an immersive biofeedback simulator

Falling from elevated surfaces is the leading cause of death and injury at construction sites. Dynamic instability is mostly the reason for these falls. By using virtual reality (VR) simulations, previous studies have shown that biomechanical measurements of gait are reliable indicators of fall risk. Despite success in understanding critical factors of falling, these studies mostly overlooked simulations of visual biofeedback in their fall-risk assessments or employed limited-range, orientation-sensitive systems to generate such simulations. To facilitate these endeavors and better understand gait performance at height, this paper proposes and examines a reliable and responsive VR simulator (VS) as a testbed for assessing ironworkers' fall risk. The experimental results on 12 healthy adults show VS surpasses traditional virtual reality systems in evaluating upper-limb stability during gait at height. Such improvement can lead to more effective fall-related safety training. The findings can open doors to enhancements of VR simulation for hazard-prevention techniques.