Challenges to delivering safety training through virtual classes

In the 2006 construction and housing in Ireland report from the central statistics office revealed that 280,000 people worked in the construction sector. This represents 13% of total employment and is the highest in the European Union. The same report identifies the construction sector as containing the highest rate of fatalities accounting for one third of all work place related deaths. As a result, it is imperative to address health and safety issues in the construction sector. The research looks at providing innovative health and safety training through virtual classes that apply the principles of multiple intelligence (MI). It is proposed that two phases of virtual classes are developed, focusing on the risk of falls from height in the construction sector. These phases will be deployed using an action research approach to further refine and develop each phase. The use of a virtual classroom environment and the application of MI theory represent unique opportunities and challenges. Based on a literature review of current best practice in virtual classes, a survey has been developed to focus on understanding and measuring the user experience, and relating this to student usage of the system as a whole. It is anticipated that the framework developed for these virtual classes as well as the research findings will be hosted on a dedicated website. The website will act as a repository for developed content and virtual classes, as well as facilitating dissemination of the project outcomes. The outcome of the research is the development of an educational resource using MI theory that is directly focused on health and safety in the construction industry.