Virtual design and construction for occupational safety and health purposes – A review on current gaps and directions for research and practice

Virtual design and construction (VDC) is an umbrella term for technologies altering communication, visualization and organizational design in construction projects. There are high expectations to the potentials that VDC offer in terms of integrating technological possibilities with occupational safety and health (OSH). Research in this area has however been limited and little is known about use and characteristics of the concept as a potential for improving OSH in construction. The aim of this review is to 1) map out research trends, 2) currently concerned OSH topics addressed by and 3) the status of this research, as well as to 4) identify and discuss particular knowledge gaps in order to provide a point of departure for future research and practice. In the study, we performed a scoping review conducting a search on Pubmed, Web of Science and Google Scholar databases with no time limit. 4282 papers were identified and screened for addressing VDC for OSH purposes. 74 studies was found eligible for full review. The summary of studies display five current research trends displaying vast potentials for integrating VDC technologies and OSH by addressing a number of topics. The status on most research is however at proof-of-concept levels which leaves a number of gaps in research and practice. Of central significance, the review identifies and discuss ten particular gaps to be addressed for improving OSH through VDC technologies. Thereby the study provides directions for future research and for stakeholders aiming improve OSH through engagement with VDC technologies in the construction industry.