Short and long-term effects of interactivity in immersive virtual reality training for occupational safety

Immersive virtual reality (IVR) has emerged as a promising tool for delivering effective training with versatile subject matters. Among these is occupational safety training (OST), where IVR may effectively promote employees’ active participation in the day-to-day development of safety, pivotal for reducing hazards and preventing accidents at work. The efficacy of IVR training is largely dependent on their implementation quality, and this in turn stands on the three pillars of VR: immersion, presence, and interactivity. This study investigates the effects of varying levels of learner-IVR interactivity on self-rated training outcomes on proactive safety behaviors and their antecedents. Data was collected on 68 participants during 22 training sessions conducted in real-world occupational settings at two separate organizations. Increased interactivity was shown to particularly improve the perceived control over safety issues and encourage proactive safety behaviors both in the short and long term. The results also show that IVR-based OST may support the development of consequence beliefs and intrinsic motivation related to safety and enhance the capability of making safety observations regardless of the interactivity level.