Assessing risk perception and well-being at workplaces: A game based approach

This paper presents the on-going ALBO research project, which is intended to carry out an empirical study on risk perception and personal well-being evaluation on workplaces by the support of Virtual Reality-like, game-based, simulation environments. We posit that Virtual Reality settings provide an impersonal, “indirect” experience of life that enables individuals to adjust the heuristics normally adopted, which bias risk perception in workplace situations. The necessity of a game-based approach is explained by the need of attracting and engaging people to improve their skills in managing stressful and unsafe conditions. The paper presents the theoretical framework, the supporting technology, and some preliminary findings. The project ultimately intends to derive a method for enhancing the management of risk in workplaces. A counterfactual analysis will be carried out to demonstrate improvement in the quality and quantity of information and awareness about safety and stress inside organisations, compared to a current practice based only on the results of checklists, survey questionnaires and personal interviews.