Remote Operated Construction Work: VR-based Training and Emerging Safety Needs

Lab: TEL ⟩Lab: HOPE ⟩Lab: MSOP ⟩ Cluster: Work, Health, and Occupational Engagement ⟩

Construction workers face some of the highest rates of work-related injuries and fatalities. Remote-operated construction equipment, such as robotic demolition equipment, can make worksites safer by allowing workers to operate machinery from a distance. However, these emerging technologies can also introduce new safety challenges, and traditional training methods may not adequately prepare workers to use them safely and effectively.

This research study will work directly with construction workers and industry partners to better understand the safety challenges associated with remote-operated equipment and identify practical ways to improve equipment, training, and work practices. The research team will use workers’ experiences and input to enhance virtual reality (VR) training, then compare an enriched VR program with standard VR and hands-on training. The enriched program combines immersive, experience-based learning with a real equipment controller to more closely simulate operating machinery on a construction site.

The study will examine how well these training approaches improve workers’ knowledge, operating skills, and safety behaviors, and whether different approaches work better for workers with different backgrounds and experiences. Ultimately, the project aims to help the construction industry adopt emerging technologies in ways that protect workers, improve training and equipment design, and reduce work-related injuries and fatalities.

Funding

Type	Source	Number	Amount	Period
Federal	Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) / National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)	R01 OH012686	$2,494,788	Sep 2026 – Aug 2030

USC Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy

1540 Alcazar Street, CHP 133, Los Angeles, CA 90089-9003

ACOTE accreditation | NBCOT certification

The USC entry-level doctorate in occupational therapy (OTD) degree program (cost of attendance) is fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education® (ACOTE®) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA). The USC entry-level master’s degree program (cost of attendance) is in Accreditation–Inactive status by ACOTE®. View our program’s ACOTE® standards public data. ACOTE® c/o the American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc.®, 7501 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 510E, Bethesda, MD 20814, (301) 652-AOTA, www.acoteonline.org.

Professional program graduates are eligible to sit for the national certification examination for the occupational therapist administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy, Inc.® (NBCOT®), nbcot.org. Program results from the NBCOT can be found online at www.nbcot.org/Educators-Folder/SchoolPerformance.