Unraveling neural patterns across situational awareness levels on hazard recognition behaviors : a fNIRS study

Abstract

Construction sites are one of the most hazardous environments suffering from high injury rates. Maintaining effective situation awareness (SA) in this dynamic setting is crucial for timely hazard recognition and worker safety. However, the cognitive mechanisms of hazard recognition underlying SA levels (i.e., perception, comprehension, and projection) have not been fully investigated in the construction industry. To address this, this study examined the neural responses of subjects, using an advanced neuroimaging technique, during hazard recognition tasks across various construction scenarios. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) technique was utilized to record the real-time brain activation in the prefrontal and visual cortex and the situation awareness global assessment technique (SAGAT) was adopted to categorize each level of SA. The results indicated that higher activations in the right prefrontal cortex (RVC) are associated with subjects’ spatial awareness needed for Level 1 hazard perception, and more activations in the left visual cortex (LVC) and left prefrontal cortex (LPFC) are linked to the greater analytical processing of visual information and semantic knowledge retrieval required for Level 2 hazard comprehension. Further, strengthened neural activation and correlations in both the visual and prefrontal cortex are correlated with detailed information processing and mental model retrievals necessary for Level 3 hazard projection. These findings reveal the neural cognitive mechanisms of construction hazard recognition underlying different SA levels, providing insights for developing customized training based on SA levels’ deficits in hazard recognition behaviors.