Industrial environment can influence perceptions of risk and thus it influences workers' safety and manufacturing effectiveness in industry. Although the factors that influence risk perceptions have been a topic of research in real-world environments (RE) for decades and are well known, research on risk perceptions in a virtual environment (VE) has only just begun. As well, it is not clear that the transferability of perceptions from virtual to real. This study focuses on develop a methodology for risk perceptions in computer simulated industrial experiment. Sequential experimentation techniques are used to build an integrated model of system variables in both environments. By comparing human perceptions in a virtual environment with those in the real world, we can establish similaritie...[ Read more ]

Industrial environment can influence perceptions of risk and thus it influences workers' safety and manufacturing effectiveness in industry. Although the factors that influence risk perceptions have been a topic of research in real-world environments (RE) for decades and are well known, research on risk perceptions in a virtual environment (VE) has only just begun. As well, it is not clear that the transferability of perceptions from virtual to real. This study focuses on develop a methodology for risk perceptions in computer simulated industrial experiment. Sequential experimentation techniques are used to build an integrated model of system variables in both environments. By comparing human perceptions in a virtual environment with those in the real world, we can establish similarities and differences in perceptions. There are very few published studies of perceived and traversed distance in virtual environments. The accurately estimate distance is an essential component of navigating virtual spaces. Initial investigations of distance estimate focus on exploring factors such as perceptive and depth cues, affecting the judgment of distance. In this study, environment factors such as sound, light and distance, and gender are studied. To compare the risk perceptions in both virtual and real environments, two experiments were conducted. The first experiment examined the effects of sound, light, distance, human and gender on perception of risk, and on distance estimation in VE. The second experiment assessed the effects of sound, light and gender on perception of risk in RE. Results indicate that light and sound significant influence the risk perception in RE, and light and distance influence the risk perception in the VE. The presence of human in VE has no effect on risk perception. Furthermore, light is the transferable factor and important factor influenced risk perception in both RE and VE. The subjects perceived more risk in VEs than in REs, and less acceptability in VEs than in REs.

For the estimation of interobject distance, it is overestimated in VE. The subjects more accurately estimate the longer distances than the short distance. Male more accurately estimate interobject distance than female. For the traversed distance, the subjects underestimate the short traversed distances but overestimate the long traversed distance.