State of eye-tracking technology research to enhance construction safety

Introduction: This study aims to provide a comprehensive review of the application of eye-tracking technology in construction safety, establishing a theoretical foundation and benchmark to guide future research and innovation in the field. Method: This study identified 116 relevant papers published between 2003 and 2023 indexed by Web of Science (WoS), Scopus, and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Library. The analysis of the 116 papers revealed trends about the dates of the publication of the papers, the locations of the research, the journals and conference proceedings that published the studies, and the extent of the collaboration between authors, which indicate that eye-tracking technology has become an important tool to enhance construction safety. Results: The research papers identified in this study indicate that the key issues encountered in enhancing construction safety by using eye-tracking technology include: (1) participant recruitment and eye-tracking devices, (2) eye-tracking metrics, (3) experiment scenarios, such as static and dynamic scenarios, (4) construction safety issues that can be addressed through eye-tracking technology, and (5) the integration with wearable sensing technologies. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that eye-tracking technology has a significant effect on construction safety, offering a platform for quantifying hazard recognition ability and strategy, guidance for construction safety. However, the lack of commercial applications and technical limitations restrict its use in construction safety. Real-time detection, training and simulation, integration with safety technologies should be explored in future research. Practical applications: Deeper insights are provided in this study into the practical uses and implications of eye-tracking technology in improving safety outcomes on the construction site.