Virtual accident curb risk habituation in workers by restoring sensory responses to real-world warning

Attention Failures Cause Workplace Accidents: Why Workers Ignore Hazards and What To Do About It

“…Recent evidence from the laboratory confirms a blunted response to a frequently exposed warning alarm in the auditory system of the brain in construction workers, consistent with habituation at a sensory level (Kim, Gregoire, et al, 2023). It is literally as if a frequently exposed hazard is in this case quieter than it actually is, which is likely also true with respect to visually-evoked activity in the brain (see Adam & Serences, 2021; Gaspelin & Luck, 2018a; Won et al, 2020).…”

“…Such observation provides an experimentally controlled demonstration of threat habituation. Experiencing the virtual accident increased the ability of the warning alarm to evoke checking behavior, which was sustained for at least one week post-accident (Kim, Anderson, et al, 2021; Kim, Gregoire, et al, 2023; Kim, Yan, et al, 2023). Habituation to the warning alarm was undone by the virtual accident; the blunted neural response to the warning alarm in experienced construction workers—evident prior to experiencing the virtual accident—was no longer evident a week following the virtual accident (Kim, Gregoire, et al, 2023).…”

“…Signals for potentially hazardous information in the environment, for example a backup warning alarm, initially evoke regular checking behavior, but such orienting rapidly declines with consistent exposure in the absence of negative outcomes, until the potential threats go completely unchecked. Threat habituation provides a model for patterns of behavior observed in actual workplace settings (Lee & Kim, 2022; Weyman & Clarke, 2003) and can be rigorously measured when individuals perform work tasks in an experimentally controlled virtual environment (Kim, Anderson, et al, 2021; Kim, Gregoire, et al, 2023; Kim, Yan, et al, 2023).…”

“…Anecdotal observations from actual work environments suggest that experiencing an accident or near-accident can result in sustained improvements in vigilance toward signals for the potential threat in question (Bohm & Harris, 2010; Burke et al, 2007; Daalmans, 2012; Duchon & Laage, 1986). One possibility, which was recently tested in a controlled virtual work environment, is that such anecdotal observations reflect learning-dependent shifts in how people direct their attention, driven by a single, highly salient aversive emotional experience (Kim, Gregoire, et al, 2023).…”

“…In spite of the immediate safety reminders, virtual accidents were observed in the majority of participants, with orienting to the warning alarm progressively decreasing in frequency and sensitivity throughout the performance of the virtual work task (Kim, Anderson, et al, 2021; Kim, Gregoire, et al, 2023; Kim, Yan, et al, 2023). This was particularly the case for participants prone to boredom (Kim, Yan, et al, 2023).…”