Using augmented reality (AR) in vocational education programs to teach occupational health and safety (OHS)

The aim of this research is to design a system that will raise awareness among vocational education students about occupational health and safety and the integration of Augmented Reality (AR) systems into the application/concept. Simply, projected on the work force surface, the AR system warns the students as they perform actions that pose a risk, need caution and may result in accidents. Therefore, by repetitive warnings, students learn the faultiness of actions in a faster pace and develop and insightful awareness. The research involves a literature review and two experiments studies in Çınarlı Vocational and Technical High School (CVHS) with high school and Dokuz Eylül University Mechanical Engineering (DEU ME) students. A system is designed according to the findings from these studies. As a result, students learnt to be more cautious, and the number of mistakes they make decreased. This will result in decrease in the number of occupational accidents, deaths and financial loss. The project presents an innovative method applicable both to the industry and the training a qualified work force