Digital role-playing game enhances communication between supervisors and young construction workers

RMIT University has partnered with Master Builders Association (MBA) NSW, the Australian National University, and the NSW Centre for Work Health and Safety to develop and evaluate a new digital training tool to improve workplace communication and support the health, safety, and wellbeing of young construction workers. 

Tony Wessling, Group Executive of Workers Compensation at icare, highlighted the increased risk for younger workers. 

“Our figures show that workers aged 18 to 24 are more susceptible to workplace injuries, especially in high-risk industries like construction. Effective communication is crucial in keeping these workers safe on site,” he said.    

“Apprentices in the construction industry often face challenging work environments. They are frequently exposed to hazards that can affect both their physical and mental health.” 

“Findings from this research show this innovative digital role-playing game was effective in enhancing aspects of safety-related communication, such as discussing health and safety concerns with supervisors and intervening when witnessing unsafe practices among co-workers.   

“The fact it also had a positive impact on apprentices' behaviours towards health and safety shows it’s a promising tool in the construction industry’s toolkit,” Tony said.  

The digital role-playing game, known as RPG, was created using interview findings with construction apprentices and their supervisors. The game provides players with the opportunity to test different communication options in scenarios that are based on apprentices' lived experiences. Players can experiment and learn valuable lessons about how to interact with others in the workplace to achieve positive work health and safety outcomes.

The game was trialled by 294 construction apprentices in New South Wales and Victoria.  Of the 152 apprentices who completed the post-trial survey, 71% reported they had learned something new, and 81% said they would use the training content in their workplace. 

The game was linked to significantly stronger associations between apprentices feeling comfortable discussing workplace issues with supervisors and improvements in their mental health. These results suggest the game appears to influence specific aspects of safety-related communication and mental health positively. 

Next steps

The project team is now exploring opportunities for the game to be incorporated into construction industry training programs. They are seeking construction organisations, especially small to medium-sized businesses, to trial the game and complete a survey to provide feedback on its potential to improve workplace communication and safety, health, and wellbeing outcomes for young construction workers. 

If you are interested in this being part of the survey please email Jack Clarke from RMIT or Yeong Lee from icare.